I so enjoyed the movie arrival . Fascinating read - Would have never thought language (that I so easily speak almost like I breathe) has so many factors to look into . And to think there are groups out there researching what the unknown speaks is mind blowing . Reminded of linguistic relativity , a very interesting video from while back :
That was interesting. Looks like chewy, gelatinous textures are the most feared. Count me in! I'm not a fan of mucilaginous or rubbery textures. Not my thing. But if climate change means I must eat bugs and jelly fish, I guess I'll get used to it. I'm pretty resilient. ; ) Come to think of it Indian foods cooked right are fairly balanced when it comes to textural variation. We've got crispy, crunchy, creamy, soft, smooth, even the odd gelatinous sweet or sago dish. That's what a thali is all about -- a variety of flavors, aromas, colors, and textures. The complete gastronomic package!
#gardenspam I have a pomegranate tree in my yard that hasn't flowered since we bought the house. I looked up a bunch of resources but nothing worked. Two years ago the gardener pruned it just as it was starting to put out leaves in the spring. Not one flower! Last year I didn't prune but fertilized it and watered it regularly. Two flowers and zero pomegranates. Someone said when a tree is too old it stops flowering, so I assumed it was past its prime. This year I took my shears and pruned it down to the major branches and decided I would take it down when I had the time and plant a different fruit tree. I was away for most of the month of May and came back to find this! I don't know if any of these will turn into fruits but I am loving the burst of color! Saw this on a gardening forum recently... Hey at least I'm self-aware.
We assume that we are far better from apes with our intelligence. The intelligence that we as humans roar for is to improve only our standard of living and prosperity in terms of wealth but emotions and empathy is essential for survival and a better standard of life. In my opinion, Apes still have a better standard of life than humans as we move towards a better standard of living.
Yesterday I got a flash thought about current globalization vs ideal globalization (not digital globalization). To start from basic, why we need to do imports and exports? In older times before industrial revolution, a country would import items that were either not available in their land or not available of the best quality and, similarly they export items that were produced by them but not available in the country of import. The equation was simple. Ideal globalization should have been sharing of technology and knowledge for a fee to countries of import and keeping the production at the place of consumers. Importing countries should provide the imported technology to local manufacturers and allow them to compete for the betterment of consumers. This would have resulted in a decentralized production and lesser trade deficit between the countries. Currently, USA is trying to do this but it will be a bitter medicine to swallow for both USA and other export-oriented countries.
Humans have turned into mindless consumption monkeys! From resources to information we hoard too much and it traps us into an endless cycle of increasing wants. Contentment lies not in having all you desire but in editing those desires. The less you want the more you find you have. I started 2018 as a no buy year taking inspiration from this NYT article -- Opinion | My Year of No Shopping My rule was the same as the article -- no purchases outside the essentials. I did relax the rules a bit. I've spent on friends, family and travel but nothing for myself. These days I feel a strange calm walking into a mall or a department store. No anxiety to have the shiny new thing because of my self imposed moratorium on personal purchases. No time wasted in surfing online shopping sites coming up with reasons why I ought to have this or that. It's like giving yourself the permission to look without coveting. It frees up so much cognitive bandwidth when the decision is already made for you!
I am not aware of the science behind the other Indian Thali's, but I sure there is one. The sequence of food in south Indian thali for a reason Sweet fruits like Mango, Jack, or Banana - Sweet dish increases the saliva secretion thereby preparing the stomach for digestion Sambar or other curries (Vegetables/dal/meat) - protein Rasam - This is a dish with lots of spices, ginger, garlic, etc enhancing the digestion of protein consumed Buttermilk- This will optimize the intensity of acidic medium created by above items to avoid ulcers and will remove oily and greasy sticky items in food pipe between esophagus and stomach Bettle leaf - improves digestion and eases constipation Rice act as medium and source of carbohydrates. It is not advisable to have dessert after the meal, especially not cold items. Any tea without milk is OK (Green and black, both are prepared from same leaves). A small amount of lukewarm water is most preferred as it will maintain the temperature and support digestion.
I found the image on Pinterest. I think it is a Punjabi Thali. I can see gulab jamun, a paneer dish, dal makhani, kadhi, and probably baingan bharta.