No scurvy at the library tonight

That’s because the downtown Central Library is having a speech on citrus. I mentioned in Pitch Forks that chemistry professor Pierre Laszlo has come all the way from Belgium to talk about how citrus has changed the way humans travel.

From Southeast Asia to Africa to Portugal and from oranges to limes to lemons, Laszlo recounts the history of citrus. But most of his talk focuses on what he calls that “integral part of American breakfast”: orange juice. A man of many talents, the French-born Laszlo is a retired practicing chemist who co-authored a book on salt and has dug up ancient salt mines.

There’s a reception before the speech and, if the other two speeches in the series are a guide, we might expect copious amounts of orange juice. (Screwdriver anyone?) The reception is at 6 p.m. and the speech is at 6:30. There’s free parking in the garage at 10th and Baltimore.

Both reception and speech are free

to attend. RSVP not required but encouraged. Call 816.701.3407.

As for scurvy: Limes were the British Royal Navy’s preferred method of prevention, hence the term “limey” for a sailor.