Who in the heck is Saffron?

[PunditLisa]

And why is she mad about me?

[funneefarmer]

According to this month's National Geographic, in a story about Kashmir, it is the "world's most costly spice". So which one of the Spice Girls is making the most money nowadays?

[Czarcasm]

I am Saffron.
And I wish Donny had never written that damn song!

I thought she was Edina's daughter, sweetie!

[Polycarp]

No, Flora, she became Sylvia's mother.

[JoeyBlades]

Ummm... well... saffron and fourteen were slang names for specific 'designer' drugs in the late sixties... but I'm sure this has nothing to do with Donovan's lyrics...

[Stevie Rave On]

Hey, what's the name of that song, and who is the original artist?

[pluto]

I don't know if it is the answer but one of saffron's notable qualities is its bright yellow color.

The song is "Mellow Yellow" by Donavan (last name Leitch, but he didn't use it in his stage name).


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"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem"
-- William of Ockham

[pluto]

uh, Donovan. Sorry.

BTW, he wasn't noted for readily understandable lyrics. Kind of a feel-good, peace-love-dope kinda guy. So don't look too far for deep meanings.

Nice voice though -- had some good songs.


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"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem"
-- William of Ockham

[pluto]

BTW, saffron is really expensive. You can buy it at the grocery store but the regular size spice jar has a little envelope inside with some small fraction of an ounce of saffron in it. If your grocery has the little price-per-pound tags on the shelf check it out sometime. Last time I looked it was thousands of dollars per pound.

On the other hand, a little goes a long way.

I can't verify this, but IIRC the expense is due to the difficulty in harvesting the stuff. It is the pollen from some flower and they have to shake nine zillion blossoms to get a useful amount.




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"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem"
-- William of Ockham

[Gaudere]

It's the ground dried stigma (not stamen) of an crocus flower, Crocus sativus. Hand-gathered and yes, very expensive. Can't make a lot of indian dishes without it, though.

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"Eppur, si muove!" - Galileo Galilei

[funneefarmer]

"From each crocus flower patient hands will pluck three vivid garnet strands of saffron. An acre yields only a few pounds of the the world's most costly spice." Nat. Geog.

[Lucky]

Gaudere;

I've had success making India dishes with something they call saffron powder. It comes for the same flower, but is just the ground up petals (or something). The flavor is not exactly the same, but for about 1/1000th of the price, I find it a reasonable substitute.

This tip of the day was brought to you by the "Tastes Like chicken Kitchens"

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"I think it would be a great idea" Mohandas Ghandi's answer when asked what he thought of Western civilization

JoeyBlades: You may have tongue firmly planted in cheek, but let's not confuse the kids. Saffron and fourteen were NOT slang terms for anything, ULs to the contrary. His reference to "electrical banana" and the title, "Mellow Yellow" were jokes that got taken a little too seriously. As the drug craze got out of hand in the late 60's, people were trying all kinds of nutty things to get high. The Village Voice, satirizing this trend, published a joke recipe for making a hallucinogen from banana peels. Some folks (probably already high on something) took it for real and it led to the smoking of banana skins and other
silliness. I'm fairly sure that Donovan was playing along with the parody, but I guess I can't be certain. Another Urban Legend was born....and is now revived thanks to a pants commercial? This world just gets wackier all the time....I love it!

[astorian]

For years, I assumed that "mellow yellow" was some kind of psychedelic drug reference, and perhaps it was. However, according to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (written by Jon Pareles and Patricia Romanowski), Donovan NOW says the song was actually about a dildo!

I'm not sure I want to know any more about it!

[Lumpy]

The yellow robes worn by certain Buddhist sects are invariably described as "saffron robes". I presume they don't actually use saffron as a dye.

And on the subject of "yellow" pertaining to the Sixties, I also recall the song "Don't Eat Yellow Snow" (can't think of the artist- Zappa?) and the movie "I am curious-Yellow".

[BugZap]

For years, I assumed that "mellow yellow" was some kind of psychedelic drug reference, and perhaps it was.

Yeah, that's the one that started the bannana peel smoking craze.
Seriously.
They call it mellow yellow, quite rightly.

And also, before the dildoe story, they used to tell that it was somehow about the guitar player, 'lovin' spoonful', with john sebastian, who used the nickname 'banana', Zal Yavonsky, or something like that, for his real name.

(e lectric al ban an a, goin to be a sudden craze, elecrical banana, bound to be the very next phase.)
OK, I guess that works for vibrator.
Banana me now?

Maybe Donovan's just putting people on.

[RTA]

Saffron is also the name of the daughter on Absolutely Fabulous who started out kind of mousy and shrewish, but as she got older, turned out sorta hot (but still a prude).

[Markxxx]

Nobody mentioned Donovan's Number 1 single "Sunshine Superman." He was supposedly "Britian[he's Scottish] answer to Bob Dylan"

His other top tens where:
Hurdy Gurdy Man #5
Atlantis #7

[Doobieous]

I've had success making India dishes with something they call saffron powder. It comes for the same flower, but is just the ground up petals (or something).

Well, no, because the only useable part of the flower are the stigmas :). It's the same thing as the thread type but they may stretch it a bit with tumeric (read down for tumeric)

Some facts about saffron (from: Spices: Saffron (http://homecooking.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa011298.htm):

- Large quantities are deadly and narcotic.

- It takes 14,000 stigmas for one ounce of saffron.

- It costs 50 dollars (US) for a quarter ounce of saffron. However, for ten dollars you can get enough to flavor and color a number of meals.

- One part saffron to 150,000 parts water is enough to make the water bright yellow and still leave the flavor.

- Powdered saffron isn't as strong as the threads and loses flavor quickly. Threads are best and you can be sure it is all saffron and not saffron powder with some fillers added).

- In the Mexican food aisles of some stores they sell "Mexican Saffron" which are the petals from the Safflower. It has no flavor but can be used for color. You can use tumeric for color and to give a somewhat saffron taste. Tumeric is often used to stretch Saffron.

-Meadow saffron (Colchium autumnale) is highly poisonous, so dont eat it folks! (All parts, especially the flowers)


It doesn't take a lot of saffron to color and flavor a whole meal. I have seen a local TV chef use one or two threads for Paella and the color was still bright yellow.

BTW: I have seen Saffron bulbs sold for about 7 dollars each (modest price for the spice it yields).

[DrPorkchop]

I "discovered" Donovan a few years back when I heard Season of the Witch at the at the end of the movie To Die For. I got his Greates Hits, and found out that I like a lot of his songs. I notice them in different movies now, like Jennifer Juniper in Election. Some people thyink I'm wierd for liking Donovan. I'll tell you who's wierd; those people who listen to stuff like Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, and Korn.

[DrPorkchop]

It's tough typing with these big Mickey Mouse gloves stuck on my hands.

[pluto]

Continuing our yellow theme -- I saw in the paper today that they have re-released "Yellow Submarine". Can't wait to see it again.

Must be something about yellow hippie stuff in the air lately.


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"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem"
-- William of Ockham

I suspect Donovan is still pulling our respective legs with the vibrator claim. Remember Andy Warhol? He used to say "In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes." He later changed it to "In 15 minutes, everybody will be famous."

Like GOD and Andy Kaufman, these folks like to keep us guessing. Yes, I am aware that both Andies are dead. Or are they?

The Frank Zappa song says "watch out where them huskies go...don't you eat that yellow snow." Pretty obvious to me.

I never understood what I Am Curious Yellow meant. Any clues?

Saffron is indeed a delight to cook with, but terribly expensive.

And yes, it was a hippie name like Strawberry or Sunshine or Rainbow.

[rjk]

TennHippie:
I never understood what I Am Curious Yellow meant. Any clues?

Maybe more of a hint than a clue: I faintly recall that the director (whoever he is) projected a trilogy of movies titled after the colours of his national flag (whatever that is). IIRC, the other colours might have been white and blue. Or maybe not. I might just be totally confused anyway, in which case this whole post might be more misdirection than a clue.


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Bob the Random Expert
"If we don't have the answer, we'll make one up."

rjk: Could you possibly be confusing the French trilogy: Red,White,
and Blue ? They were pretty good and somewhat erotic. I think they came out in the early 90s. Still guessing here...

[Northern Piper]

could somebody please tell me what this thread is about? i understand the discussion of saffron, the spice, but what are rest of you talking about?

[astorian]

The French film trilogy "Red," "White" and "Blue" did indeed refer to the colors of the French flag, and in some obscure way, each film was supposed to be a reflection on the meaning of liberty... equality... and fraternity (the three ideals of the French Revolution).

"I Am Curious (Yellow) and "I Am Curious (Blue)" were two Swedish films that really pushed the envelope between porn and avant-garde European arthouse films. I don't KNOW that there was a connection to the colors of the Swedish flag, but since the Swedish flag is yellow and blue (a yellow cross on a blue background)... it's entirely possible.

[palmolive]

i know the song, i know it makes no sense to me, but i'm wondering if anybody understands what connection saffron and "mellow yellow" have to corduroy pants? i guess it sticks in people's minds because it confuses them so, but it also really bugs me. the vest commercial with the "dress you up in my love" song at least had something to do with clothing, but the cords one has me stumped.

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palmolive*

[Markxxx]

jti

could somebody please tell me what this thread is about? i understand the discussion of saffron, the spice, but what are rest of you talking about?

The Gap commercial. It's along the same wavelength as the Gap commercial where the kids sing Dress You Up.

[JMSaSU]

In an interview in some teen magazine I remember Donovan saying that Saffron was the name of his cat.
That was over thirty years ago and I'm relying on memory.

JACK

[typertrphy]

Lumpy- Ya know how you can buy Coca-Cola six packs in Atlanta for like . 75 a pack? Location, Location, Location, my friend. A few years ago, I found myself in Marrakech. ( Yes, that is the preferred spelling ). We all went to the Shuk ( god know's how THAT is suppsed to be transliterated). There it was- the Spices Area. My god. In addition to the suspicious glass vials with "Male problem cures"-no kidding- were BARRELS of Saffron.
Yes, Lumpy, it IS used as a dye. Every carpet I saw ( and, I am a picky shopper, I saw over 305,000 carpets in two days) had colors ranging from subtle pale yellow to what can only be described as "In Your Face Have A Nice Day Dammit, I'm Tripping Leave My Yurt In Peace Yellow". This is commonly used in that part of the world. The amazing blues were achieved with Indigo.
Just look at the ranges of oranges and reds in Native American weaving. Cranberries.....etc.
Ya works with what yas gots.
Typer

[RTA]

Clearly the Gap picked that song because they sense that many of their young consumers secretly identify with a faux-'60s hippy-dippy nonsensical laid-backness, and wish to advertise this by wearing corduroy pants. It is back to school time after all, and there are a lot of clothes commercials on the air.
My "favorite" is the robotic ennui of "Hello Locker ... Hello Pencils ... Hello Lunchbox ... Hello Kitty ..."

[PunditLisa]

jti, this is a reference to a Gap commercial where there are a group of young, similarly dressed men and women sitting on stairs. One guy sings, "I am crazy about Saffron." Then a girl sings, "Saffron's mad about me." It repeats, with a different set of actors. Then they all sing in chorus , "They call it Mellow Yellow. They call it Mellow Yellow."

A message appears that refers to cords, as in cordorouys. It'll apparently play for another week. It usually plays during teenage shows, like "Real World" or "Dawson's Creek." That may explain why you haven't seen it.

[omniscientnot]

TennHippie observed that in the last few years there have been a lot of commercials using songs the Boomers grew up hearing. Very true. And interesting. Could it be that there isn't much worth listening to nowadays? Could be also that the ad people are going where the money is, GAP and a few other commercials being the exceptions to the rule.

[Zyada]

According to my ex, who was a teen in the sixties & is a big Donavon fan, Donavon was sixteen at the time he recorded Mellow Yellow & his girlfriend was 14. I interpret this as Saffron is his girlfriend.

Also, acid was distributed on paper tabs with pictures printed in single colors on each tab. Different sources would use different colors & pictures - they were referred to fondly by either the picture or the color.

[sunbear]

Donovan was always a bit weird. When you want to hide your meaning in gibberish, I guess it was cooler. I just dismissed the Donovan stuff (Atlantis etc.) as peace/love/new age/hippie/mother earth stuff and let it go at that. It's like all that complicated Grateful Dead symbolism and cult stuff. I never could take it seriously. When John Lennon sang, half the time he was serious. Half the time silly.

[Omniscient]

I'm in love with that blonde in the commercial, you know "Saffron's mad about me.." She's got a look in those fuck me eyes that says she knows something I don't. Mmmmm.

Sorry, couldn't resist sharing that.

[aseymayo]

"Donavon was sixteen at the time he recorded Mellow Yellow"

Don't think so - he was born in 1943 - that would make him 16 in 1959. "Mellow Yellow" came out in '67.

Over-analyzing lyrics can take away some of the magic. How would Charlie Manson feel if he found out "Helter Skelter" was just a song about a ride in an amusement park? He'd feel pretty silly, I bet.

Good one, aseymayo. I've always heard a lot of garbage "interpreted" from various songs. When they couldn't come up with something from the actual lyrics, they came up with wacko theories about "backward masking" and such. I think middle-class white America was thinking "won't get fooled again." Remember when Little Richard
and others got away with blatant lyrics because June and Ward Cleaver had no idea what he was saying?......

Good golly Miss Molly, ya sho like to ball
Good golly Miss Molly, ya sho like to ball
When ya rockin and a-rollin,
Ya can't hear yo mama call!

[Northern Piper]

i live in a Gap deprived area, and still have no idea what you're talking about, but never mind - I'll get over it.

palmolive: Haven't you noticed that in the last few years there have been a lot of commercials using songs the Boomers grew up hearing? They don't necessarily have anything to do with the product. Some are clever in a cutesy way (I kinda like the Gap ad)...but some are atrocious. John Lennon selling stuff on television? Imagine that.

[omniscientnot]

My twin and I are in agreement regarding the blond. :)

[RTA]

I thought it meant "I am curious (but afraid)".
You know, "yella" i.e. "yer jest yella!"

[Zyada]

Nickrz - next time I mention something my ex said, just slap me, OK?

[pluto]

My admittedly young recollection is that the "(Yellow)" part of "I Am Curious (Yellow)" was a sort of rating, and that the equivalent today would be "I Am Curious (NC-17)", the implication being that they included the rating in the title just to show how hot the movie was.

Now for the disclaimer -- it was a long time ago and I was about thirteen when the movie came out, so any movie remotely connected with sex would stick in my mind but my grasp of the facts would be limited!

BTW, my wife works for The GAP and she just hates this last series of commercials. We both really liked the "Khakis Swing" dancing ones.


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"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem"
-- William of Ockham

[Northern Piper]

I saw it! I was watching american tv yesterday and I saw it! It was like a religious experience! (well, no actually. I thought it was a dumb commerical.)