Mark Brader:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2019-11-04,
> and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information
> see my 2019-10-16 companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian
> Inquisition (QFTCI*)".
> * Game 7, Round 7 - Science - Food
> 1. This chemical reaction involving amino acids and sugars occurs
> when food is browned, and gives browned food its distinctive
> flavor. The flavor of a seared steak and a bread crust are in
> part caused by this reaction. What reaction?
Maillard reaction. 4 for Dan Blum, Bruce, and Joshua.
> 2. The five basic tastes are sweetness, sourness, bitterness,
> saltiness and what fifth taste? The name we want is a loanword
> from Japanese.
Umami. 4 for Dan Blum, Bruce, Joshua, Pete, and Dan Tilque.
3 for Erland.
> 3. This food is normally poisonous due to its tetrodotoxin content,
> and thus preparation is strictly controlled by law. Only chefs
> who have qualified after three or more years of training are
> allowed to prepare this food. Name it.
Fugu (blowfish or puffer fish). 4 for Dan Blum, Bruce, Joshua,
Pete, and Dan Tilque.
> 4. This food, technically a type of berry, is a member of the
> deadly nightshade family. They were once thought to be
> poisonous, but this was due to their acidic quality which
> [leached] lead out of the pewter plates they were sometimes
> served on. What food?
Tomato. 4 for Dan Blum, Bruce, Joshua, and Dan Tilque.
> 5. Raw cookie dough sickens dozens of people each year, and many
> think it is due to raw eggs. While eggs are occasionally the
> culprit, which other cookie ingredient is often a carrier of
> E. coli bacteria and should never be eaten raw?
Flour. 4 for Dan Blum, Bruce, and Erland. 3 for Pete.
> 6. If you are taking statins, some blood-pressure medication,
> or any of a number of other medications, this fruit and its
> juice should be avoided. It can increase concentrations of
> certain drugs, and block the uptake of others. Name the fruit.
Grapefruit. 4 for everyone -- Dan Blum, Bruce, Erland, Joshua,
Pete, and Dan Tilque.
The scientists who discovered this grapefruit-drug interaction
were actually trying to test whether alcohol interacted with a
certain drug. Naturally they had to give small amounts of alcohol
to some test subjects and not to others. To keep people from knowing
which group they were in, they had to mask the taste of the alcohol,
and they chose concentrated grapefruit juice because its taste was
strong enough. They added alcohol to it for some subjects and not
for others -- but what they found was that somehow the drug was
affecting *both* groups more strongly than it should have.
> 7. This baking ingredient is a by-product of winemaking. When grape
> juice is fermented, the ingredient precipitates out of the grape
> juice and forms "wine crystals". These crystals in their crude
> form are called "beeswing", and are collected and purified into
> a white powder sometimes used in meringues. Name the ingredient.
Cream of tartar. 4 for Bruce.
> 8. This type of bean contains a relatively high amount of toxins,
> and need to be pre-soaked and cooked to the boiling point for
> at least 10 minutes before eating. The FDA recommends boiling
> for at least 30 minutes. Thankfully, beans from a can are safe
> to eat immediately.
Kidney, red, or white beans.
> 9. Storing this flavorful ingredient in oil, while delicious,
> is often a source of deadly botulism poisoning. Commercial
> preparations are flash-heated to kill botulism, but many people
> are sickened when this flavor ingredient is added fresh to oil
> for storage in home kitchens.
Garlic. 4 for Dan Blum and Bruce.
> 10. The term "Chinese restaurant syndrome" was coined in the 1960s
> and vilified a common food additive. The term came from
> a letter written to the "New England Journal of Medicine"
> expressing the author's discomfort after eating repeatedly at
> Chinese restaurants. This is believed to have been a hoax.
> What additive was thus maligned?
Monosodium glutamate (accepting MSG). 4 for Dan Blum, Bruce, Joshua,
Pete, and Dan Tilque.
This was the easiest round in the original game.
> 1. Mi'kmaq nation.
H.
> 2. Naval ensign.
F. (Note the anchor.) 4 for Dan Blum, Erland, Joshua, Pete,
and Dan Tilque.
> 3. Acadian flag.
A. (Note the French tricolor as background.) 4 for Erland.
> 4. Iroquois Confederacy.
L. 4 for Dan Tilque. 3 for Dan Blum.
> 5. Newfoundland tricolor.
K. (Duh -- the only tricolor on the page.) 4 for Bruce, Erland,
and Dan Tilque. 3 for Dan Blum and Joshua. 2 for Pete.
> 6. Yukon.
C. (Note the dog, a husky or malamute.) 4 for Dan Blum and Pete.
2 for Joshua.
> 7. Governor-General of Canada.
D. (Note the crown.) 4 for Dan Blum, Joshua, and Dan Tilque.
> 8. Scarborough.
E. (Note the bluffs.) 4 for Erland. 2 for Joshua.
> 9. RCAF Ensign.
G. (Note the roundel.) 4 for everyone.
> 10. Labrador.
M.
> So there were 3 decoys. Decode the rot13 if you like and identify
> them for fun, but for no points.
Only Joshua tried these, but he got all three.
> 11. Canadian centennial flag.
B. (Duh.)
To be more suitable for celebratory use, it was available in a range
of background colors. See:
http://fotw.info/images/c/ca_1967pc.jpg
> 12. Franco-Albertan flag.
J. (Note the fleur-de-lis and the wild rose.)
> 13. Newfoundland flag before 1965.
I. ("Terra Nova" = "New Land".)
Scores, if there are no errors:
GAME 7 ROUNDS-> 2 3 4 6 7 8 BEST
TOPICS-> Geo His Ent Can Sci Can FOUR
Dan Blum 28 28 24 4 32 22 112
Joshua Kreitzer 28 20 36 4 24 19 108
Dan Tilque 32 32 16 0 20 20 104
Bruce Bowler 23 16 19 4 36 8 94
Erland Sommarskog 28 20 -- -- 11 20 79
Pete Gayde -- -- 16 0 19 14 49
--
Mark Brader, Toronto,
m...@vex.net
The time-sharing system was designed very much for the convenience
of its first users, who happened also to be its designers and im-
plementers. In practice it has proved to be convenient and effective
for all its users, be they novice or expert. --John Lions