Summary: In this episode of The Delicious Story we chat with Stephanie Hoover, history author and podcaster, who researches and writes about true crime stories and the spiritualism movement of the 19th century. Stephanie digs deep to unearth events and people of intrigue and reveal historical culture and ancestors who often acted upon their belief in the supernatural. <br><br>With nine books to her credit and the ranking podcast “Stephanie Hoover Has That Story,” she has amassed impressive knowledge of our fascination with spiritualism. Her latest book, “Pretty Evil Pennsylvania,” comes out in 2021.<br><br>How relevant is spiritualism in life today? We discuss this during the show, so you can decide for yourself where you fall on the topic. From crossing paths with black cats to stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, many of us harbor superstitions. It’s ingrained in our thinking, passed on by family folklore and nursery rhymes. <br><br>Humans have been grappling with life’s meaning and what comes after it for centuries. Spiritualism has helped fill the void of that unknown. To get a quantitative sense of how long we’ve been searching, Universe Today provides some quick numbers: human-like creatures have walked the planet for about six million years, but it’s only been the last 200,000 that humans, as we are today, have been in existence. <br><br>Our civilizations are younger still, with only 6,000 years in our rear-view mirror. Most of the spiritualism that we have, came from within that same frame of time. Throughout that greater era, we’ve struggled to rectify what we see with what we don’t to make sense of what happens when the light snuffs out. Sometimes, the answers we create provide solace—and other times, the ideas simply freak us out. <br><br>CLARITY SPIRITUALISM, SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION<br>For anyone like me who’s a bit unclear about the word “spiritualism” (especially when compared and contrasted with the concepts of spirituality and religion), here are the definitions: <br><br>Spiritualism: (noun) Is a religious movement based on the belief that the spirits of the dead exist and have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living. <br><br>Spirituality: (noun) The quality of being concerned with the human soul as opposed to the material or physical things. <br><br>Religion: (noun) A social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural transcendental, or spiritual elements. <br><br>Whatever your thoughts of spiritualism and communing with the dead, Stephanie is not here to judge but to report on what she finds. She tells you stories enthusiastically based on her in-depth research and skilled writing that give you something to think about—no matter where you rest on the subject ghostly spirits. <br><br>A SIDE TRIP TO PUERTO RICO <br>We then make a complete segue to talking food, and on that subject Stephanie explains another project outside her usual where she helped craft a layered narrative that brought together a cookbook called “A Taste of Latin America.” You’ll find her anecdotes about the book a treat, <br>especially if you know little of Latin American food and want to learn more. My limited sampling is based in Peru because my daughter lives there, but I was surprised to discover some carryovers to Puerto Rican food. <br><br>As Stephanie explains, the cuisine is hearty, largely comprised of comfort dishes that have a lot to do with roasted meat, plantains, and starches. Think stick-to-your-ribs savory and flavorful fare and you’ll get the idea.<br><br>A prevailing item mentioned in the recipes I found online is something called pigeon peas. I’d not heard of them, and chatted briefly with my daughter to see if she had since she has traveled to other Latin American countries. She made the observation that potatoes are...
