Finally, we meet Trad, Nutmeg's keeper of secrets, a man who has studied the histories and mysteries of Nutmeg for two decades. Trad's dedication has led him down rabbit holes, but he has emerged a changed man... In Episode 2 of The Secret Story of Nutmeg, Andy follows an idea repeatedly voiced by Trad: “Nutmeg is the original metaphor.” Not just a spice, not just a commodity—but a symbolic lens through which power, trade, belief, empathy, and human pattern‑making can be examined. As Andy recounts his first long phone call with Trad, the story expands rapidly—from the Banda Islands to ancient trade routes, colonial genocide, and the psychological dangers of pattern‑seeking itself. Nutmeg becomes a stand‑in for larger forces: monopoly, obsession, bravery, knowledge, and the risk of knowing too much. Along the way, Andy encounters modern retellings of the nutmeg story, this episode wrestles openly with apophenia and confirmation bias and asks where the line lies between meaningful metaphor and dangerous projection. If nutmeg is the original metaphor, then perhaps the forgotten jar at the back of the shelf is not just history—but a mirror. Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Giles Milton — https://www.gilesmilton.com/historybooks/nathaniels-nutmeg Nutmeg (historical overview, Banda Islands, colonial period) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg Banda Islands & Dutch conquest — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banda_Islands Treaty of Breda (1667) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Breda_(1667) Run / Rhun Island (historical spellings and context) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_(island) Metaphors We Live By – George Lakoff & Mark Johnson (foundational work on metaphor as a cognitive framework) https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo3637992.html Apophenia (pattern perception and meaning‑making) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia Confirmation Bias — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias Weird Explorer — Nutmeg (feature‑length exploration) Independent travel‑history documentary tracing nutmeg from Malaysia to the Banda Islands https://www.youtube.com/@WeirdExplorer Portuguese & Dutch spice trade in Southeast Asia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus) & Roman world maps — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy Ptolemy’s Geography (ancient mapping of Asia) Stay Tuned...this podcast covers seasons following Trade and empathy, Ecstasy and empathy, the empathy evolution of man and much, much more...it's going to be a wild ride. What's more, start with these links above and see where they take you! Disclaimer This podcast explores history, chemistry, cultural belief, and speculation. It does not provide medical advice or advocate drug use. Nutmeg contains the compound myristicin, which is not MDMA. Historical medicinal claims reflect beliefs of their time, not modern science. Some ideas presented are interpretive and are examined critically throughout the series.
