Question for Scientists and Christians re. Hot Water

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When do you think man first "boiled water", ie. heated a container of water until it boiled?

What was the container made of?

-- E. Kwulopertunity (h@2.0), April 15, 2001

Answers

When Eve gave birth, God told Adam to "Go boil some water" to keep him busy. :)

-- Marg (garden@Eden.com), April 15, 2001.

The Christian answer would be "probably boiled in a leaf or rock, a long time ago."

-- No (Guns@for.usa.citizens), April 16, 2001.

The container was probably a rock with a depression ground out where the water was pooled. Someone probably saw this happening in a campfire after a rain shower and got a good idea. Animal skins were probably boiled even before food, to soften them. Why do you ask?

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), April 16, 2001.

And, of course, you can even boil water in a paper cup. Try it some time. The cup, of course, will burn down to the waterline, but as long as there is water in it, the outside will never get hot enough to burn paper.

Personally, however, I'd bet the first container was made of clay

-- E.H.Porter (just.wondering@about.it), April 16, 2001.


Some Native American tribes did not have access to potting clay and they boiled water in very-tightly woven grass baskets by dropping hot rocks into the water.

Archaeologists discovered Bronze Age cooking pits in Ireland that operated on a similar principle. The pit was dug in clay soil, lined with shale and filled with water. Then the carcass to be cooked was cut up into the water and hot rocks added to boil the water. Yummy!

It is very likely (in my lowbrow opinion) that the hot rocks in water method predates the invention of vessels that could be put directly onto the fire. Firing clay so it doesn't break or crack is tricky and probably came later.

-- Miserable SOB (misery@misery.com), April 16, 2001.



And God saw that Adam was lonely. He plucked a rib from unto Adam's side and made a babe, Eve. God said "this is good--"go ye and fucketh thy brains out". Eve misunderstood and thought that God said "focus". She found a crystal of quartz and used it to focus the sun's rays unto some wood chips which burst into flame. She then filled a large shell from the perpetual spring of arsenic free water and heated it over the flames. The water boiled. Eve sipped it. It was wonderfully hot but lacked flavor. In a fit of inspiration, Eve snatched the silly fig leaf that Adam wore and put in the pot and made the first tea.

When she saw what was underneath the fig leaf she forgot the tea and Eve and Adam obeyed God's commandment. Their brains spilled upon the ground. And it was good.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), April 17, 2001.


Lars -- good to hear from someone with a perfect grasp of theology!

-- E.H.Porter (just.wondering@about.it), April 19, 2001.

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