Athens was cold on this Valentine’s Day, and if the weather forecast is to be believed, it will get colder still. So it’s all about layers, layers, layers, warm food and rejoicing in the pleasures of a warm heater. But all this is just to keep the body temperature stable. In order not to have the mind go into hibernation state, let’s go ahead and open this week’s Crate without further ado.

1. Why do we actually consider steak to be ‘manly’ and ‘salad’ to be feminine food? Well, it’s actually an oddity that we owe to the Victorians.

2. Continuing on the subject of food, it’s estimated that there are about 350 types of pasta. This rather extensive infographic shows about a half of them.

3. Would we have chairs if we had tails? How would a nursery look like if we laid eggs? How do science fiction writers come up with all this stuff? Unsurprisingly, it depends on the particular writer. (On the photo – Nnedi Okafor)

4. The famous quote attributed to Isaac Asimov goes something like “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny …”. Science is generally considered a serious business, but Ig Nobel prizes are awards celebrating precisely this sentiment – or as they themselves put it – they are all about research that makes people laugh and then think.

5. The limelight has finally started to seek out female artists who for different reasons have not made it to the mainstream art curricula. Gabriele Münter, one of the initiators (although not a full-fledged member) of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter deserves every bit of it.

6. And, just because it’s Valentine’s Day, I’ll throw in an extra poem. This one by Edith Wharton and dates all the way back to 1909.

And that was it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!

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