Why working in the library is a BAD idea

Comfy (but not too comfy) chair? Check.

Desk space? Check.

Outlet? Check.

Oh no. As soon as I reached behind the reference bookshelf to plug my computer in so I could get to work writing an essay on John McPhee's "Encounters with the Archdruid," my eyes landed on the, "Encyclopedia of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 1".

Crap.

Did you know that...

• "'Jack and the Beanstalk' illustrates an example of threatened cannibalism." (p. 314) For some reason, I never really thought about it that way.
• "Pre-Columbian Indian medicine men used peppers mixed with other substances for such ailments as coughs, poor digestion, ear infection, sore throat, injuries to the tongue, and to expedite childbirth." (p. 375) Hmmm...chili peppers always seemed to CAUSE those ailments for me (all except the childbirth part).

You probably already knew that, "Custard and puddings are words that describe several important sweet foods." (p. 485) But you probably didn't know that, "in Birgmingham, England, in 1844 a pharmacist named Alfred Bird devised custard powder, a flavored starch mix, for his wife who was fond of custard but allergic to eggs." We have custard powder because Mrs. Bird was allergic to eggs!

All right, I'll stop now. Oh! But I just flipped past a section called "Art, Food in." (p. 114)