| OK, Jack. Before we plan our presentation about refrigeration, |
| let's discuss what we've discovered so far. |
| Fine, Annie. |
| Though I have to admit I haven't done much research yet. |
| Nor me. |
| But I found an interesting article about icehouses. |
| I'd seen some 18th- and 19th-century ones here in the UK, |
| so I knew they were often built in a shady area or underground, |
| close to lakes that might freeze in the winter. |
| Then blocks of ice could be cut and stored in the icehouse. |
| But I didn't realise that insulating the blocks with straw or sawdust meant they didn't melt for months. |
| The ancient Romans had refrigeration, too. |
| I didn't know that. |
| Yes, pits were dug in the ground, |
| and snow was imported from the mountains - |
| even though they were at quite a distance. |
| The snow was stored in the pits. |
| Ice formed at the bottom of it. |
| Both the ice and the snow were then sold. |
| The ice cost more than the snow |
| and my guess is that only the wealthy members of society could afford it. |
| I wouldn't be surprised. |
| I also came across an article about modern domestic fridges. |
| Several different technologies are used, |
| but they were too complex for me to understand. |
| You have to wonder what happens when people get rid of old ones. |
| You mean because the gases in them are harmful for the environment? |
| Exactly. |
| At least there are now plenty of organisations that will recycle most of the components safely, |
| but of course some people just dump old fridges in the countryside. |
| It's hard to see how they can be stopped unfortunately. |
| In the UK we get rid of three million a year altogether! |
| That sounds a lot, especially because fridges hardly ever break down. |
| That's right. |
| In this country we keep domestic fridges for 11 years on average, |
| and a lot last for 20 or more. |
| So if you divide the cost by the number of years you can use a fridge, they're not expensive, |
| compared with some household appliances. |
| True. |
| I suppose manufacturers encourage people to spend more by making them different colours and designs. |
| I'm sure when my parents bought their first fridge they had hardly any choice! |
| Yes, there's been quite a change. |
| Right, let's make a list of topics to cover in our presentation, |
| and decide who's going to do more research on them. |
| Then later, we can get together and plan the next step. |
| OK. |
| How about starting with how useful refrigeration is, |
| and the range of goods that are refrigerated nowadays? |
| Because of course it's not just food and drinks. |
| No, I suppose flowers and medicines are refrigerated, too. |
| And computers. |
| I could do that, unless you particularly want to. |
| No, that's fine by me. |
| What about the effects of refrigeration on people's health? |
| After all, some of the chemicals used in the 19th century were pretty harmful, |
| but there have been lots of benefits too, |
| like always having access to fresh food. |
| Do you fancy dealing with that? |
| I'm not terribly keen, to be honest. |
| Nor me. |
| My mind just goes blank when I read anything about chemicals. |
| Oh, all right then, I'll do you a favour. |
| But you owe me, Jack. |
| OK. |
| What about the effects on food producers, |
| like farmers in poorer countries being able to export their produce to developed countries? |
| Something for you, maybe? |
| I don't mind. It should be quite interesting. |
| I think we should also look at how refrigeration has helped whole cities - like Las Vegas, |
| which couldn't exist without refrigeration |
| because it's in the middle of a desert. |
| Right. |
| I had a quick look at an economics book in the library that's got a chapter about this sort of thing. |
| I could give you the title, if you want to do this section. |
| Not particularly, to be honest. |
| I find economics books pretty heavy going, as a rule. |
| OK, leave it to me, then. |
| Thanks. |
| Then there's transport, |
| and the difference that refrigerated trucks have made. |
| I wouldn't mind having a go at that. |
| Don't forget trains, too. |
| I read something about milk and butter being transported in refrigerated railroad cars in the USA, |
| right back in the 1840s. |
| I hadn't thought of trains. Thanks. |
| Shall we have a separate section on domestic fridges? |
| After all, they're something everyone's familiar with. |
| What about splitting it into two? |
| You could investigate 19th- and 20th-century fridges, |
| and I'll concentrate on what's available these days, |
| and how manufacturers differentiate their products from those of their competitors. |
| OK, that'd suit me. |