The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #53646   Message #827283
Posted By: GUEST,John Gray in Oz.
15-Nov-02 - 05:20 PM
Thread Name: BS: What have the Dutch ever done for us?
Subject: RE: BS: What have the Dutch ever done for us?
In 1891 a certain Dr. Scholl was on a sales campaign across The Netherlands. Over from Hoboken, he was attempting to get the good millers interested in his new range of "Lick & Stick" adhesive pads for repairing the holes in the sails of the windmills.
Unfortunately, due to poor research by his R&D dept. back in Hoboken ( the wife ), the Dr. was unaware that the millers rubbed oil into the sail material and hence the pads failed to adhere.And this leads to an aside on a little known industry there.
The millers use herring oil because of its log-term weatherproof capabilities. And its not your everyday herring oil.
No, they set aside the mature male herrings and highly trained staff milk the oil from a hidden gland.

Anyway, slinking home to Hoboken broken there was enough of the entrepreneur left in the Dr. to notice all these Dutchmen sitting on benches, outside pubs, with their wooden shoes off and rubbing calloused feet.
An industry was born, the Dutch created another American millionaire.

JG/FME