Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Jackfruit....
The skin of unripe (young) jack fruit must be pared first and discarded and then the whole fruit can be chopped into edible portions and cooked to be eaten. The raw young fruit is not edible. Young jackfruit has a mild flavour and distinctive texture. The cuisines of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam use cooked young jackfruit. In Indonesia, young jackfruit is eaten as gudeg (whatever that is). In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a staple food.
The wood of the tree is used for the production of musical instruments. In Indonesia it forms part of the gamelan and in the Philippines, its soft wood is made into the hull of a kutiyapi, a type of Philippine boat lute. It is also used to make the body of the Indian string instrument Veena and the drums Mridangam and Kanjira, the Golden yellow coloured timber with good grains is used for building furniture and house construction in India. The ornated wooden plank called Avani Palaka made of the wood of Jackfruit tree is used as the priest's seat during Hindu ceremonies in Kerala. (wiki)
The Eyes of India
We met this young woman in the Botanical Gardens Bangalore. The man with her asked if I would take a picture of them standing with Bruce. She seemed unsure about the whole idea until I showed her the photo then she smiled and shook my hand.
We had multiple requests to stand with one or more people while their friends took a picture. They were always polite and shook our hands afterwards saying thank you. It takes some getting used to....random requests for your photo. I'm not used to it yet. Bruce is quite easy about it..."sure" he says. I am more along the line of..."what?"
Friday, January 28, 2011
Kerala India
It is a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km of waterways, and sometimes compared to the American Bayou.
The backwaters have a unique ecosystem - freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea. In certain areas, such as the Vembanad Kayal, where a barrage has been built near Kumarakom, salt water from the sea is prevented from entering the deep inside, keeping the fresh water intact. Such fresh water is extensively used for irrigation purposes.
(WIKI altered...)
Vembanad Kayal is the largest of the lakes, covering an area of 200 km², and bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. The port of Kochi (Cochin) is located at the lake's outlet to the Arabian Sea. Alleppey, "Venice of the East", has a large network of canals that meander through the town. Vembanad is India’s longest lake.
Poverty In India
The poverty that fills the alleys, streets, waterways and sidewalks of India is at the top of my Culture Shock list.
Begging…At any stoplight you will often have the sudden appearance of a very young, bedraggled child or a woman carrying a baby. Often the baby is quite silent, peering through the glass, piercing into your eyes and heart as only the very innocent can. No requests from them…they are just a mirror for you.
The most painful experience I have had in India has been to deny this direct request for help.
Now, most of us have seen “Slum Dog Millionaire”…or seen enough of it to understand that the money given to beggars doesn’t always work in a way that you would ever want to support. I can’t know that that is always the case…I don’t think there is any one “case” or “answer”. I can only say that I have decided to give money when a beggar approaches my car.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Chinese Fishing Nets Cochin India
The system is sufficiently balanced that the weight of a man walking along the main beam is sufficient to cause the net to descend into the sea. The net is left for a short time, possibly just a few minutes, before it is raised by pulling on ropes. The catch is usually modest: a few fish and crustaceans — these may be sold to passers by within minutes.
The system of counterweights is most ingenious. Rocks, each 30 cm or so in diameter are suspended from ropes of different lengths. As the net is raised, some of the rocks one-by-one come to rest on a platform thereby keeping everything in balance.
(WIKI)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
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