SAILORS
Limes are packed with Vitamin C and were eaten on ships to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by that vitamin deficiency. In the eighteenth century, all British naval ships assigned to long journeys were required to carry limes. The nickname “limeys” for British sailors has continued to this day.
James Lind (1716-1794) was a Scottish physician who recommended that fresh citrus fruit and lemon juice be included in the seamen's diet to eliminate scurvy. The Dutch had been doing this for almost two hundred years.
Lobscouse is a sailor's stew made with meat (usually mutton) potatoes and vegetables, thickened with hardtack (ship's biscuits).
In 1929 Popeye the spinach loving sailor first appeared in the comic strip 'Thimble Theatre.' Elzie Segar created Popeye.
In 1937 Spinach growers in the U.S. erected a statue in honor of Popeye the comic strip sailor.
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