I Don't Give a Dry Frig

Welcome to Tell Me Something You Don't Know, where we explore curiosities without credentials. We're your factually adjacent hosts, Maddie and Sarah. Every week we exchange random topics with just enough research to keep things interesting and slightly accurate. So lower your bars and let's learn something you never knew you wanted to know. 

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to Tell Me Something You Don't Know. A podcast where we discuss so many different things that we know nothing about. With Sarah and Maddie Cheers. He nailed it. But seriously, you have a great podcast. I'm like, I'm just like drawn in. I'm like, yeah, we continue. Tell me more. Tell me more. Should we do it one more time? Yeah. Probably. Okay. I can't look at myself. This angle is horrendous as well. I think that's what's throwing me off. I think I will feel better if I look cuter. I also need my hair up. Wow, I'm a bit of a diva. I like that sweater, by the way. Thank you. Hello and welcome. Nope. Nope. So sorry. You go, you have the floor. Please go. Welcome to Tell Me Something You Don't Know, where we explore curiosities without credentials. We're your factually adjacent hosts, Maddie and Sarah. Every week we exchange random topics with just enough research to keep things interesting and slightly accurate. So lower your bars and let's learn something you never knew you wanted to know. We have our martinis. Mm-hmm. So here's what I'm thinking because both of us have dirty martinis. However, I think that mine's better than yours. So I feel oh, okay. Well, I I wouldn't have been so mean if I was expecting you to be so humble. So now I feel bad. Just an asshole. You feel so confident because one time I screwed up. One time. Well, I don't know that you screwed up. You seemed to like you came in and you handed it to me with your full chest. You were like, here is my dirty martini. And I was like, okay, I'm excited. And then I had one sip and I was like, this is terrible. I think too much for a move. You know, you were right. I faked it till I made it. So that was why I handed it to you like that. I was like, here it is. Because everybody juices up my martini. I'm like, I mean, there was one night where I made them. And I think the the real reason people liked it is just because they didn't have to make it for themselves. I mean, that's fair. Plus, depending on at what point in the night you were having a martini, everything tastes good. Yeah, that's true. But either way, I feel like we should post our individual recipes and people can try them and tell us which one they prefer. When I say people, I mean our mom. It could be funny if we post our recipe and it is truly just the same. It probably is. It's definitely not, it does not have a lot of room for interpretation, but the ratios could be, you know, big, it could be interesting. So listen, a preamble. If you're coming to this podcast to garner knowledge or hard-hitting facts that you can then repeat to other people and know that you are telling the truth and a holistic representation of the topic that we're going to discuss today, you should turn this podcast off immediately, especially because I can't even say the word podcast properly. So that is really an indication of what sort of level of expertise you are getting. That's correct. Uh, an excellent disclaimer. We are not the people to uh be educating on any topic. No, as I was researching this, it really was ref immediately regretting pairing cocktails with this, but let's roll with it. It was reminiscent of doing my homework last minute in high school and being like, hurry, and like, oh god, that's probably good enough. So good enough truly is the content as far as facts is what you will be getting. But I feel like the charm, and dare I say wit, will will make up for it. Yeah, I agree. I 100% agree. Listen, we just like to listen to ourselves talk. It's true. I think that there's some people out there that will also enjoy it. And I think we I think we're a big fan of fun quick sacks. Like that's who doesn't love those? Sarah said who doesn't love them. Who also please go ahead. So polite. I don't know if you can tell, but she works in HR. No, please. No, please. I'm here to listen. I'm here to listen. I Sarah said that it would be a good little archive of like icebreakers. We're trying to icebreakers. Absolutely. Don't need a lot of like validation. You know, no, do they need to be they're low stakes? Yes, low stakes. Low stakes. You could be at a party. Hey, you could even add a little, maybe you add your own embellishment, you know? It's so low stakes that you could just add in your own flair to maybe zhuz it up, and it's still okay. Nothing bad will happen. All right. So here's the premise of this podcast. So each episode, we're gonna come to the table, the metaphorical table with a fun topic that we've individually researched, and each of us don't know anything about it. Hopefully, if you know about this, I mean, I'd be shocked. Oh man, I'm excited for yours. Or maybe you will know. Wouldn't it be funny if we did the same thing? That would be great. Oh my god, that would be crazy. I I could totally see that happening at some point. Again, low stakes. We don't know anything about like I'm not gonna go research something that I already kind of know about and I want to talk about. Like, no, like I'm not passionate about this. No, that I'm just like, wow, didn't know that. Now I know a little bit about it, and maybe the world should too. Again, the world is our mom. So here we go. Um, but you're gonna start. I think okay, yeah. I'm going to start. I'm going to start. So, did you know that inside every fig is a dead wasp? Did you know that? You do. No, I didn't know that. I just it's gonna be excellent balancing out the facts for you because I went for something similar to no, and then I got I did, and then I got in my head about it. I'm like, no, she's gonna bring something more like robust. So then I went on three hours today trying to find a topic. But back to your fact, I did not know that, and I'm gonna need you to elaborate a little bit on. Listen, let me tell you, when you say elaborate a little bit, it's a heavy emphasis on little bit because we are keeping it surface level. If you have questions for me, I probably won't be able to answer them. Here we go. Oh, also in true journalism, hard-hitting journalism, I want to ensure that I'm getting giving credit where credit is due. So I got all of my information, which really goes to show how much I researched. One website, boneappetite.com. And it is an article by Allie Francis called, What do you mean there are dead wasps in my figs? First of all, I'm going to tell you about a fig and that it's actually inverted flowers. So each hollow ball, I'm also gonna use big words that are not mine, so they are gonna be mispronounced for sure. So each hollow ball of vegetable tissue, just let that sink in, is lined with hundreds of tiny buds that bloom inside the pod. And so she got most of her information. And the reason I'm sharing this is because the title of the book is phenomenal. It's written by Mike Shanahan. He's the author of the book Gods, wasps, and Stranglers: The Secret History of Fig Trees. It sounds like a thriller, but it is about fig trees. I just feel like there's more to unpack there, none of which I'm going to. No. So the flowerets in certain edible varieties produce a fruit-covered seed. So that's probably what you've had before, like when you eat a fig. And they're technically known as an aggregate fruit. So, in other words, the interior of each fig develops from hundreds of individual fruiting flowers. Okay. That's pretty crazy. I now like cut one open and look at it. So I was just gonna say, as I'm saying these words, I don't think I've ever had, or maybe like I could count definitely on one hand the amount of times that I've had a fresh fig. Okay, yeah. I okay, so I've had dried friggs, friggs. God, I love a dried frig. Okay, so something that you probably don't even know about me in recent years is that I actually eat a lot of figs. What? Like like like raw, like fresh figs. Okay, uh seasonally, because I'd like to eat with the seasons. Oh wow. Sometimes they're so cheap, and like because other times they're so expensive. But when they're cheap, here's a here's a fun little recipe tip for all of you. Please now make sure there's no wasp in that fig. Oh trust. Oh trust. If you cut open a raw fig, I just got really afraid that I mixed up the fruits in my head, but it is confirmed a fig. By who? Who confirmed it? A little bit of me that isn't sipping this martini confirmed that it was correct. Okay, so these figs, if you get them raw, then you cut them, you slice them at the little cute peak top, slice them like an X, and then like they kind of like open slightly. Then you put some goat cheese and some pecans or walnuts in there. Mm-hmm. Yep, you've got me with a little bit of honey, and then you could, and then you roast them. And then on after that, you could like sprinkle a little bit of like chopped, like roasted or fried um prosciutto or like bacon, or some like pepper flakes, yes, and they're so when are they on sale or when are they in season? I don't know, I could be wrong. However, I think it's late summer. I think. Okay, I should know. I'm the one with figs. You tell me. So many of the fig varieties that we buy in grocery stores, and this is sort of like disappointing because I really came out with a bang being like, there's a wasp in your figs. But most of the varietals at the grocery store and farmer's market don't require pollination. So most of these are self-pollinating, which means that they don't actually have a wasp in there. Okay. Sorry to disappoint. But the ones, some of the ones that do are called and get ready for this butchering calamina. Calamarina. Either way, it has the yellowish green skin and is typically sold dried. So those are the ones that require these wasps for pollination. So because they bloom internally, there's about 800 plus varieties across the world that require, and how she wrote this is so weirdly sexual. So there's an intimate type of pollination to ripen into an edible fruit. Are figs weirdly sexual? Like, do you think I think so? They're like a sexual thing, right? Like in history. Yes, I'm also maybe unfortunate. Listen up. We are that's what we're here for. That's what we're here for. Like part of me thinks that there's something to do, like they are like directly related to sexual health. I'm not gonna say, but I think there's something about figs. And you have you ever heard of doctrine of signatures? Absolutely not, but it sounds cultish, so I'm here for it. Oh man, that shouldn't even be that. I should just change my topic today. Yeah, don't tell me. Okay, I won't. I'll save it for another time, but it truly is fascinating. Like I'm kind of obsessed with it weirdly. And I think it might be on there. Okay, well, I don't know anything you're talking about, so that's exciting. A little cliffhanger for you. A little Easter egg, if you will. So those are the ones that need to be pollinated. So they're all made up of both male and female flowers, but the ones we eat are generally harvested from dioeches? Diacio species. So then I went into a whole rabbit hole of what dioces means, and it's from the ancient Greek word of two households, which basically just means a dude and a chick. And then it went way further into it. Like I was reading about it, and there was like zygotes were mentioned, and I'm like, this is too much for for me. I can't be talking about zygotes and such. That's too much for this high-level fig conversation. So basically, to pollinate these species, uh okay, so here's where the wasp comes in and get ready because it is vicious. To pollinate a female fig wasp, and they're just a couple millimeters long, forces her way into a non-edible, unripe male-behaving fig. Which just think about that. You have this male fig just sitting there, and a female forces her way in. Forces, like, not like, oh, she lands on the fig and it opens up gently, like none of that. She's basically like, all right, dude, I'm coming in. And she just goes right in. Wow. Just you wait. Just you wait. That is the tip of the iceberg, but also don't get too excited because there's not much more information I have. So she forces her way into this poor male fig and lays her eggs in the flowers, which sounds quite beautiful. Along the way, her antennas snap and her wings are yanked from her body. So she's basically flightless, can't communicate as she's burrowing her way into this male fig. And sacrifice. I know, I know. And this Shanahan man that's written The Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers, The Secret of History, Secret History of Fig Trees, says that it's quote, a tight squeeze. Which really does feel like Mr. Shanahan is downplaying how aggressive this is. Feels like he might be just trying to soften up how brutal the process is. It sounds so brutal to me. So basically, she goes and there's no way out. She can't wiggle her way out. There's no, she's wingless, she's antenaless, and she's in this in this male fig. So her wingless male offspring. So she basically has lays all these eggs. The dudes mate with their female offspring. So siblings are basically like, what's up? They mate, and then before using their huge jaws, I feel like given that they're tiny, huge really does seem relative, but that is the word that was used. And I feel like huge jaws makes it way more exciting. So they basically chomp tunnels through the fig that will allow the ladies to leave, which is just very gentlemanly, especially given that this female has forced her way into this male fig. This really is like down with patriarchy at its finest. Do you have any questions so far? No, I'm just totally captivated. All the symbolism and like layers that could be added to the imagery of a fig. And a blusp. You could write a whole screenplay just in this very situation. This is this is totally like you'd hear about it, it would be called the fig. Oh, makes sense now. Makes sense now. Yeah. So before the sisters leave, through the sacrifice of their brothers chomping their way through and making their way for the lady, the lady wasps, the fertilized female wasp collects pollen from the male flowers. So then she squeezes her way out of these escape routes, these tunnels, and leaves her brothers and mother for dead inside the fig. Oh my god. Is that not ruthless? But she's got a job to do. She's like, listen, I if if it weren't for me, no one would have figs. So I have to leave my mother and my brothers for dead. So you're thinking that this needs to happen in order for the fig to like it needs to happen. It is a symbiotic relationship. Isn't that wild? Like that just happens without any intervention of anything else. Like that is just something that goes on. So she takes flight in search of specific figs guided by smell in which she lays her eggs. So again, this just sort of like process repeats itself. And then also, I it's somewhere in my notes, but I'm just gonna jump to it right now. Basically, like a wasp is dedicated to a specific varietal. So like there'll be, I think there's like, I don't know, 400 different varietals or something like that. And there's like a wasp for each one, which could be true, could be not, but it feels like something that I read. Okay. Yes. And adds flair to the story. So we're sticking with that. Yeah. So basically, if she goes into a female fig and not a male fig, there's no room for her to lay her eggs. So she'll just basically pollinate that flower and then just die. She'll just be like, damn, wrong one. All right. And then her lineage just ends. And then basically, these these female fig wasps rarely live greater than 48 hours. They only live for like 48 hours, and that's what they do. They just nose their way into a male fig, lay eggs, create a bunch of babies, they mate, find their way out. The females are like, see ya, I'm out of here to find another fig to pollinate. And they're like, oh no, now I'm the one being left for dead. That's what happens. So if you're ever like, oh dear, am I eating a wasp? The answer is no, because the figs produce an enzyme that gets rid of the get ready for grade like seven biology, the exoskeleton. I have so many thoughts. I just and so you should. Very like alien versus instantly like, wow, we've got this incubator of fig that basically got violated by hostile and wasps so aggressive just to produce this like sweet, lovely fruit. Humans have been cultivating figs for about 10,000 years. It's just been like this thing that's been around forever. Okay, well, that I my mind is quite blown. I also feel like they do feel very feminine. Yeah, there's something oddly sexual about them. Yeah, totally. Can't wait to break that one out at some kind of social event. Like, and you will, you will. You'll be like, this is an awkward moment. Hey, did you know that there are wasps in figs? And you eat them basically. I also feel confident that if we ever are fortunate enough to have a merch line, one of the first things that will be happening is a dry frig. I don't give a I don't give a dry frig. I mean, merch line or not, I'm getting that shirt made. People will be like, what are you talking about? And then on the back, it'll just say, Tell me something you don't know podcast. Yes, that's so good. We actually have to do that for real. Okay, you strangely given the topic, set the bar incredibly high. Weird because it feels like it was very, very low. I feel like mine is a completely different take. So yours is truly like a fun, quirky fact. Mine is just like, well, here we go. Am I about to learn something? Is that what you're telling me? Yeah, I think so. And I should say that I am taking this from two sources. Oh, look at you. Yes, well, you know. He read two things. Two things to get this very well rounded perspective. So, Wikipedia, classic. Don't forget to donate to them. And it's a New York Times article. Excellent, relatively reputable. Yeah, fairly good. Okay, so have you ever heard of Tristan? Justin Da Kunha. No, but I love that it's a person. Oh, it sounds like, oh, damn. Yes, actually, technically, I suppose it is, but that's not really what we're talking about here today. So I feel like you're about to fire me. It is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, and it is the most remote, inhabited archipelago. Which I did have them sound that out for me in the world. Basically, an archipelago is like a cluster of islands. So it is it lies Did you say they were inhabited? Yes. And sorry, just so that I can visually understand what we're talking about. We're talking about a cluster of volcanoes that have people living on them. Yes. So so so so similar to probably, I would imagine, can't say for sure, are similar geographically speaking to like Hawaii. So like it's not just volcanic rocks. Okay, I'm picturing quite literally a bunch of volcanoes coming up from the sea, clustered together, being all like, hey, what's up? Try and live on us. And some people are like, challenge accepted. Seriously. We will live on you. No, so it is inhabitable. It is inhabited, but like it's the most remote place. So it takes, and let me just confirm this the only way that you can get to this place is by ship. And it is a six-day trip. Like love us. You can't expedite that. And from and you can only get there from South Africa. So there are currently 80 families, 250 people. Oh, wow. And like there, because there's only so many people, and because I believe it, I'm not sure the exact number, but I think there was like six or seven original ancestors, interestingly enough, like diverse ancestry. So they have people that came from multiple spots. Yes. Good for them. I know. Are there pictures of these people? Yes, there are. Listen, I'm probably gonna ask you way too many questions about something you don't really know anything about. But how are they so diverse? So, like, they do you know where people are coming from? Yes. Okay, the Cur residents are thought to have descended from 15 outside ancestors, eight males, seven female who arrived on the island at various dates between 1816 and 1908. Men were primarily European, but then the women are mixed ancestry. So, and it says African, Asian, and European descent, the women, a mixture of that. And then the other interesting thing about it is that they you can go there. Like you, like if I was like, hey, want to go to this remote island. Is this our first sister vacation that we do? That would be very cool. You can go there, it has a very, very, very small tourism industry. Stop. Yes, because the island can only be reached from Cape Town in rough seas on vessels with limited vacancies. So you have to- I have a question. Yep. Why rough seas? Why is that a necessity to get there? Because I think so it says that there's a whole section on their the climate there. And I guess it can be like quite like they often have a lot of hurricanes and puff style storms that pass through these islands. Oh, okay. Okay. So it's like it just happens to always be that way. I thought you meant like if it's a nice day, you're not going. You can't go there on a nice day. It has to be choppy waters, otherwise, you can't get there. It's not part of the experience, otherwise. Um, but so you have to do it in advance, and it has to be requested and approved. It has to be requested by the person traveling there and approved by the island council. Love that. You can't just like go. It's like, who are you? And like, why are you coming? Exclusive. It has to be very exclusive. You have to have a fully paid return ticket, health insurance has to be one top-notch, and sufficient funds to cover the entire state. So basically, obviously, unlike a lot of other places where people would be visiting, like you can't like we need to know that you're out of here at like 9 a.m. a week from today. Like, there's no hospital squad. Squatting. Yeah. Have you ever heard of uncontacted people? Yes. I assume they are people who are uncontacted. If I've been asked, it is quite self-explanatory. However, it there's okay, big rabbit hole to go down sometime. Like, I mean, this could totally be an episode on its own, but it is like indigenous people that are like truly like do not have any awareness of the outside, none, like anything else. And some of like the aerial shots of those people that have and there's not many at all. And some there shouldn't be. There shouldn't be. The people are looking up with like bows and arrows, like shooting, like being like, what the what the is that? So how terrifying. I know. And you're and they and they just they're just living very obviously like off the land and like not they're they're in they're in places that are also like considered hostile environments that somebody like you or I could like probably never survive. I mean, listen, I feel like if I'm somewhere, if I'm on a campground, if I'm camping amongst other people who are camping, I'm like, this is this is inhospitable. Yes. Seriously. So like I look that stuff up periodically because I find it so fascinating. There's actually like quite a few of those groups, not on these islands, but in the world, but just in the world, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I came across these islands because it was kind of like these are people, you know, they have cows and they they do stuff, but they're still pretty and they have like a tourism industry. So they obviously well will like maybe not welcome, but they're like, yes, we recognize value in having people come and visit. Yes, but it is the most isolated settlement. That's so cool. Of the seven seas. Of the seven seas. I will send you the article and like we can link it as well in the podcast. But this one, it does have pictures, and it's obviously like stunning and just is like untouched, obviously. But they interviewed a few people that have lived there, and like it it's really interesting to hear the perspectives. Like, one person was talking about how I think when people hear about us, they imagine us with like grass skirts on. Yes. Uh, and these islands were first discovered in 1506. Whoa, by a Portuguese explorer called, well, I'm not gonna butcher it for sure, but Tristeo da Cuna. Okay, so that's why the islands are called so when you were like, Oh, that's like ballsy, is it not? Like you're like, Oh, I found this place and now it shall be called my name, even though there are people here before, like, yeah, for sure. I mean, that's so many things. I mean, there's so many things, so many things and that all over the place. I was like, how many champagnes are we gonna have here? And also, it was it was claimed, of course, by the British in 1816, but then a corporal named William Glass and his associates why does that sound familiar? I know, isn't it? Weird, it actually gives you the list of like the original surnames of the people that like settled there. Oh, wow. I'm fascinated by it, and I'd love your take on like could you live there? Could you live in this situation where like 250 people total? Yeah, and you're not, you know, going to a concert or love that that's your skills. I just think they're like concert. I'm gonna hear music, and I actually am not certain. I'm pretty sure that they also have like limited access to like media in general. They probably have better music than everybody because it'd be like the kind of music that's like, hey, we don't have anything, and like what talent do we have here and now? I mean, true. It would be all very much like in the moment and all very like, but it's interesting. And I feel like like what is the education like there? And if you learn about places and things, which I assume you are, would you just be curious? Would you be like, I can't be here for the rest of my life? Like, I know everybody here, and I have yeah, climbed and re-rocked like time to tell. Um I wonder how many people have done that. I'm gonna look it up really fast and just see. Has anyone left? Oh man, I'm looking at this William Glass guy, and he has 16 children. Oh, well, see, that's how you populate an island. That is too. I mean, listen, do work, do work. That's wild. That's way too many kids. Seriously. Oh, uh, here's something new that I please in all of my years of studying this topic. Oh my goodness. Okay, so so the whole population of Tristan DaCuna had to be evacuated in 1961 due to a life-threatening volcanic eruption right beside their homes and communal buildings. They left in a great hurry, leaving everything behind and traveling just with the clothes that they were wearing. What? So it doesn't even exist. No, it does. They returned. But I think that's why. Surprise. Twist, twist, it doesn't even exist. Oh, but it says currently, as of June 30th, 2024, 42 resident islanders are overseas. See, that's what's interesting about something like this is like keeping tabs on everybody is like so possible. Just so you're aware, I just did a quick expedia search, and there are no matches to stay in Tristan DaCuna, Saint Helena. These are the these are the names, these are the surnames Bradell, Collins, Glass, Green, Hagen, Lavero, Rapetto, Rogers, Squib, and Swain. Squib. Love the last name. Squib. Yeah, that's a bummer. And apparently, also there's a tiny, tiny gift shop. Oh, you can't order that stuff online. You can't fake it. Like, if you're going, you have to get something from there because you're like My God, six days. I know. In rough seats. You have to be very committed. Like, I want to know that I want to know the types of people who are like, yep, we booked it, we're going. The the New York Times one is like the journalist went um and took photos. He's like a photo journalist, so like that was his goal. So it would be, I mean, I guess if that's like your career and your passion, like that would be a big one on the list because it'd be like, not a lot of people have gone. I'm gonna, it's not gonna take me too long to interview a few people. And like, hey Squib, get over here. Got a couple questions for you, Mr. Squib. Squib. So, yeah, there we go. You got figs, you got volcanic islands, you got some squibs, yeah, some dry friggs. So there it is. There it is, kids. There are two topics, and we are hoping to put out weekly episodes with fun facts that you can say with mild confidence. Signing off, we will get less clunky, but probably not too much. Okay, bye.