At 07:31 1998-09-18 -0400, Todd wrote:

>The processes of soaking and sprouting do not require much
>technology, but they do require a bit of time.  Neanderthin does
>not mention these technologies, although they do seem to be at
>about the "sharp stick" level.  That is, I think if you're smart
>enough to sharpen a stick and use it, for example, to kill and
>dismember a boar then you are smart enough to soak beans in water
>for a day or two.  At least, I haven't encountered an argument to
>the contrary yet.

Among anthropologists there is used a differentiation between two types
of h/g subsistence: immediate-return and delayed-return. The former one
means that You use the food You collect directly, the other means that
You work in advance for getting food later (f ex build fish traps, or
storing food such as seeds or dry fish for a long time .
In an immediate-return system You would not bother with food that needs
a lot complicated preparing I guess, but stick to what is edible at once.
There is no real consensus of wich type is the original. My _guess_ is
immediate-return.

- Hans