My answer:
All this technology: Radios, Television, Pocket computers that you can just pull knowledge from that also perfroms the functions of various other gadgets which are also made possible by modern technology. And of course, THE INTERNET!
Standardization:
USB-C is awesome! :D
The world just uses AC power.
Metric system
Countries all around the world agreeing to a certain set of rules: Such as in Aviation, the world agreed to use Aviation English and standard phraseology, emergency frequency is 121.5, 3-Letter codes that is unique to every commercial airport in the world.
Treaties:
My favorite thing is the Kyoto Protocol [Edit: Montreal Protocol, mixed that one up]. We stopped the ozone from getting fucked. Now we need to do the same with climate change… 👀
Co-operation:
I was at a traffic light and it’s just amazing how (almost) everyone just follows the lights, and not just try to run red lights. Yay! (okay i know its just called “obeying the law” but still, I find this interesting)
International Space Station… (at least until a certain country withdrew… 👀)
Food.
I can make a plate of food that has 10 different elements from all over the world in about 15 minutes, costing about $10.
100 years ago people barely had reliable access to salt and pepper.
This may get you banned from Italy, but international fuckery with Lasagna is awesome: mix in some taco spices and serve with nacho chips.
Once made a dessert lasagna. Cream cheese/ricotta cheesecake with vanilla and honey for the cheese layer. Forest berry preserve for the sauce, and I crumbled walnut, pecans, and raisins for the meaty bits. Fantastic concept, but I used Lasagna noodles just like in a normal lasagna and frankly they were the weak link. Just flavorless noodles running through an otherwise excellent treat.
If I ever go back to try it again, I’ll press my own noodles with spices and a touch of honey. That will be the ticket.
Wouldn’t pumpkin be more suited than pasta? Frankly the idea of sweet pasta scares me a bit.
Probably, but that wouldn’t quite have the same effect. Though a layering of pumpkin pie and cheesecake could be an alternative to jam…
Yeah. I watch some historic food shows and they make it a point to highlight that food was generally not as fresh or plentiful as today.
That’s a bit of a stretch.
IDK where you live but here in Europe there are at least 500 yo recipes with spices from all over the world. And no, not exclusively for the rich. Trade routes were always important. What they had was also certainly more healthy 100 years ago than the ultra processed garbage of today.