I Never Knew That

Potatoes Were Once Banned Because They Were Linked to Witchcraft

People have historically behaved irrationally when they’re of the belief that witches are about. In addition to holding trials and inspiring plays by Arthur Miller, the denizens of the past once went so far as to ban the humble potato because they believed it was linked to witchcraft. 

Everyone’s favorite tuber originated in the Americas and wasn’t introduced to Europe until the late 16th century, at which time potatoes were looked upon with fear and suspicion. Botanists identified the tubers as members of the poisonous nightshade family, leading to their association with devil worship and witchcraft. (While potatoes belong to the same family as deadly nightshades, they do not contain the same toxins.) They also aren’t mentioned in the Bible, which some religious thinkers of the time interpreted as a sign they weren’t meant to be eaten. All of that was enough for France’s Parliament to outlaw potatoes from 1748 until 1772, when King Louis XV overturned the ban. The king was persuaded by a medical officer by the name of Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who was fed little else during his time as a prisoner of war and found his confinement surprisingly tasty and nutritious.

Elsewhere in food-related superstitions, Europeans spent centuries depriving themselves of tomatoes because they believed that tomatoes were poisonous. The pewter plates tomatoes were sometimes eaten on contained lead that was leached by the fruit, resulting in the misconception.

Source: Michael Nordine, historyfacts.com, February 26, 2026

Art by Hart

With Kincaid on her head and a little red scarf, Lili hoped that nobody would notice her onion soup spill

The first multi-species country club was drawing attention

From Woofy’s point of view, the new squeak toy was not $7.98 worth of fun

The Barsky women took pride in their perfect sense of direction

Maybe there was a bite missing but Mazie was still an attractive slice of pizza

Art and photos by Jane Hart

In and Around Kendal

March Birthdays

Photo by Marianne Bloomfeld

And Meera, too!

And Joanne Rapaport—aka Queen for a Day—celebrates a landmark 80! Photo by Cynthia Ferguson

You don’t need a birthday to enjoy a birthday party, by Ruth Dinowitz

A New Day Begins

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

A Kendal View of Kendal View for Kendal Viewing

Photo by Greg Lozier

Signs of New Life

Magnolia buds, by Carolyn Reiss

Signs of Life, by Aruna Raghavan

The melt is on! By Aruna Raghavan

Meanwhile, Back in the Bistro

Ready for St. Patrick’s Day, by Harry Bloomfeld

Collage Class in Full Swing

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

New Dress Code for Fulton Puzzlers

Photo by Joe Bruno

Slicing Through

Photo by Philip Monteleoni

Breaking News! Sip and Snack Goes Wild . . .

Our old friend Sip & Snack had a recent upgrade. Along with the good wine and ordinary Kendal tap water previously served during the popular Wednesday and Friday Happy Hour, high-quality root beer, ginger beer imported all the way from Maine, and various sparking sodas have been added to the offerings!

Thanks go to Bobbie Roggemann, Cynthia Ferguson, and Henry Neale who clearly understand the vital need for variety. Well done!

A Dream Come True

As others may have noticed, once a container of ice cream has reached the end of its scoop-ability, it is retired—but still containing a feast-able remnant of delectable fare. And especially if it’s Cappuccino Crunch. Sad to see it go—a tragic loss to Cappuccino Crunchers. Not if you have Barbara Plimpton on your side!

Securing the prize

A boy’s dream come true . . .

Photos by Harry Bloomfeld

Duck!

Forget the flowers that bloom in the spring—tra la. There’s another harbinger of the season: mallards. Amanda Slattery captured their return to our area, which reminded her of a poem from her English childhood, written by Kenneth Grahame of Wind in the Willows fame.

First the poetry:

Ducks’ Ditty

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!


Ducks’ tails, drakes’ tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!


Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim—
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.


Everyone for what he likes!
We like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!


High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call—
We are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!

And, now, ducks of the coming spring:

All this discussion of ducks reminds us of a poem by Ogden Nash from our American childhood:

The Duck

Behold the duck.
It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks.
It quacks.
It is specially fond
Of a puddle or pond.
When it dines or sups,
It bottoms ups.

Sock It to 'Em

Kendal is a place of socks. While some can be quite bland, there are a host of colorful, historic, symbolic, creative, punny, and fun varieties. And now the team of Lukach (Sharry) and Slattery (Amanda) are on a mission to Record the Socks of Kendal. Just a sample:

So, if ya got ‘em, flaunt ‘em! And don’t be surprised (or shy) if Amanda approaches and asks you to raise your pants leg. As Nike would say, “Just do it!” And there’s more! The august news venue of The Residents Website shall provide a photo display(s) of said photographed socks! Something well worth waiting for.

I Never Knew That

“Mitochondrial Eve” Is the Common Ancestor of All Humans

If you were to trace all our family trees as far into the past as possible, you’d find we’re all related—albeit extremely distantly. The common female ancestor from whom all humans are descended is Mitochondrial Eve, and scientists believe she lived in Africa some 200,000 years ago. Recent research may have narrowed down that location to an oasis in the Kalahari Desert, making it the “ancestral homeland of all humans alive today,” according to the researchers. Eve is technically known as Mitochondrial-Most Recent Common Ancestor, or mt-Eve and mt-MRCA for short, and her lesser-known male counterpart is known as Y-chromosomal Adam. He’s also believed to have lived in Africa, around 150,000 to 300,000 years ago.

The idea of a common ancestor has led to the misconception that Mitochondrial Eve was the first female human, which isn’t correct. Rather, she was the most recent common ancestor to whom every living person can trace their genealogy. Every human on the planet carries the Eve gene, including 147 people and fetuses from the original 1987 study. That study wasn’t the first to hypothesize a common ancestor, but the researchers behind it did coin the term Mitochondrial Eve.

Source: history facts.com Contributed by Jane Hart

Art by Hart

Beryl was brand new to birding

The community center pool was usually crowded at lunchtime

Roscoe and the Bedbugs were having a moment

Hester wore makeup creatively

Dara’s social climbing took her to the top, but nobody liked her

The Ruffins didn’t like flying creatures in the hous

Art and photos by Jane Hart

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Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.