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Praise for The Fly in the Ointment: “Joe Schwarcz has done it again. In fact, he has outdone it. This book is every bit as entertaining, informative and authoritative as his previous celebrated collections, but contains enriched social fiber and 10 percent more attitude per chapter. Whether he’s assessing the legacy of Rachel Carson, coping with penile underachievement in alligators, or revealing the curdling secrets of cheese, Schwarcz never fails to fascinate.” —Curt Supplee, former Science Editor, Washington Post “Wanna know how to wow ’em at a cocktail party or in a chemistry classroom? Take a stroll through the peripatetic journalistic world of the ideas and things of science brought to life by Dr. Joe. Here is narrative science at its best. The end result? In either place, scientific literacy made useful by The Fly in the Ointment.” —Leonard Fine, Professor of Chemistry, Columbia University Praise for Dr. Joe and What You Didn’t Know: “Any science writer can come up with the answers. But only Dr. Joe can turn the world’s most fascinating questions in to a compelling journey through the great scientific mysteries of everyday life. Dr. Joe and What You Didn’t Know proves yet again that all great science springs from the curiosity of asking the simple question . . . and that Dr. Joe is one of the great science storytellers with both all the questions and answers.” —Paul Lewis, President and General Manager, Discovery Channel Praise for That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles: “Schwarcz explains science in such a calm, compelling manner, you can’t help but heed his words. How else to explain why I’m now stir-frying cabbage for dinner and seeing its cruciferous cousins—broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts—in a delicious new light?” —Cynthia David, Toronto Star Praise for Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs: “It is hard to believe that anyone could be drawn to such a dull and smelly subject as chemistry—until, that is, one picks up Joe Schwarcz’s book and is reminded that with every breath and feeling one is experiencing chemistry. Falling in love, we all know, is a matter of the right chemistry. Schwarcz gets his chemistry right, and hooks his readers.” —John C. Polanyi, Nobel Laureate Schwarcz/Let eat flax/Ind 1 11/10/05, 22:43 Schwarcz/Let eat flax/Ind 2 11/10/05, 22:43 LET THEM EAT FLAX Schwarcz/Let eat flax/Ind 3 11/10/05, 22:43 Schwarcz/Let eat flax/Ind 4 11/10/05, 22:43 LET THEM EAT FLAX 70 All-New Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Food & Life d r . joe sc hwa r c z Director McGill University Office for Science and Society ecw press Schwarcz/Let eat flax/Ind 5 12/10/05, 10:46 Copyright © ecw press, 2005 Published by ecw press 2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada m4e 1e2 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ecw press. library and archives canada cataloguing in publication Schwarcz, Joe Let them eat flax / Joe Schwarcz. Includes index. isbn 1-55022-698-3 1. Chemistry—Popular works. 2. Chemistry—Miscellanea. I. Title. q173.s378 2005 540 c2005-904297-4 Copyedit and Production: Emma McKay Interior design: Yolande Martel Interior cartoons: Brian Gable Cover design: Guylaine Regimbald – solo design Author photo: Tony Laurinaitis Printing: Transcontinental This book is set in Stempel Garamond and Koch Antiqua. The publication of Let Them Eat Flax has been generously supported by the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program. dist