This chamois, high in the Italain Alps, was giving me his best Zoolander look. The name chamois obviously raises a few questions, so a bit of history is in order. The words shammy and chamois were commonly used in the south of France in the late 1600’s to describe a soft leather specially prepared from any goat-like creature, and in particular the European antelope. The leather was of premium quality and used primarily in the making of gloves. In a nearby town, the leather was tanned in cod oil, which is when it was discovered to have incredible absorbency qualities. This was perfect for the soft white gloves worn by carriage footmen, who were responsible for the care and polishing of carriages. Later on, chauffeurs in the early 1900s used chamois gloves to dry windshields for better visibility. Today, of course, the common chamois is not leather at all, but a synthetic material with a high absorbency rating. As always, I aim to educate.