The Frogs Have More Fun...

Flowers



"All the names I know from nurse:
Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,
And the Lady Hollyhock.

Fairy places, Fairy things,
Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
Tiny trees for tiny dames.
- These must all be Fairy names !"

(from Child's Garden of Verses
by R.L. Stevenson)


"Anyone can write a short-story.
A bad one, I mean."

(R.L. Stevenson)
----------------

"Science without conscience is the Soul's perdition."
- Francois Rabelais, Pantagruel
- Acc to/above is citated from: Medical Apartheid. The dark history of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, by Harriet A. Washington (Doubleday ; 2006 ; p. 1.)

----------------
"In the high society of the first half of the century, marriage, despite it's bestowal status upon the wife, was the most absurdity. Marriage, conferring instanteous rank or money, ... lost most of its prestige and moment right after the wedding. ...By the end of the century, spurred by Rousseau's moralistic Nouvelle Hèloíse, a contrary cult, that of virtue, arose. After 1770 conjugal and maternal love became not merely admissible, but, for some, moral imperatives. ...

[...]
...Rousseau, who sought for himself the crown of morality in ostensibly defending marriage, presents in his Nouvelle Hèloíse the most enticing and extended defense of illicit love ever penned. The root of the problem is that as the century progressed sensibility became confused with morality: passionate feeling, if expressed in a highly civilized mode with grace and nuance, makes us forgive the Rousseau of The Confessions, for example, his pettiness, his jealousies, his betrayals. This moral-amoral byplay, present already in the novels of Richardson, was to be more intense as the century unfolded."
-
Madelyn Gutwirth : Madame De Staèl, Novelist. The emergence of the Artist as Woman (10,15.)

;
"...As the social contract seems tame in comparison with war, so fucking and sucking come to seem merely nice, and therefore unexciting. ... To be 'nice', as to be civilized, means being alienated from this savage experience - which is entirely staged. [...] The rituals of domination and enslavement being more and more practiced, the art that is more and more devoted to rendering their themes, are perhaps only a logical extension of an affluent society's tendency to turn every part of people's lives into a taste, a choice; to invite them to regard their very lives as a (life) style." - Susan Sontag , on 'Fascinating Fascism' (-74; p 103;104-5 at Under the sign of Saturn)
; "Anyone who cannot give an account to oneself of the past three thousand years remains in darkness, without experience, living from day to day." (Goethe) - as cited by Sontag (on same compile; p. 137.)

;
"It is widely accepted that we are now living in the 'Anthropocene', a new geological epoch in which the Earth's ecosystems and climate are being fundamentally altered by the activities of humans. I loathe the term, but I can't deny that it's appropriate."
; (Goulson), Silent Earth : Averting the Insect Apocalypse (2021; p 47.)
;
"It is sometimes said that humanity is at war with nature, but the word 'war' implies a two-way conflict. Our chemical onslaught on nature is more akin to genocide. It is small wonder that our wildlife is in decline."
; (Goulson, 2021 ; 118.)
;
----------------
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." (Voltaire)
- Citated from; (Joy, Melanie), Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows : An Introduction to Carnism(2010; p. 95.)
;

"In the presence of the monster, you have eyes and ears for nothing else."
; (Flora Tristan) : London Journal of Flora Tristan: the Aristocracy and the Working Class of England ; 1842-edit. (tr: 1982. ; p. 71.)

;
"Every minority invokes justice, and justice is liberty.
A party can be judged of only by the doctrine which
it professes when it is the strongest."
Mdme de Staêl
(on) 'Consideration sur le Révolution de la Francaise' [1818]


2/2/12

Crops, weeds and other foodstuffs...

Our  stories have generally been quite much about the foodstuffs, so here's just a few examples of my recent finding. Healthy and tasty, as usual...


"The 4th Sister"; Helianthus annuus
(Domesticated Sunflower)
...Tempts quite various insect,
and no wonder - flowering head is impressive.
...At below left (corner) wasp-mimicking fly.






In case I had to name some particularly beneficial (/or, healthysome) plant/herb my selection would - without question - be the Garlic. (...Sunflower seeds would gain a place as the  good second). Selection of the most luxurious would not either appear difficult; and I (most probably) would then say Cacao (/chocolate). Remembering that our  criteria was from the helthiest some, (various) berries would also situate high on that list.



From fruits, Avocado (or, the Alligator pear) would also rank quite well. Perhaps not just because the many vitamins and minerals, or due from the good vegetable-oils/fats it contains, but  for the overall easyness of eating avocados. (See, since my former experiments with fruits I've learned that avocados are best eaten with just a little salt and some lemon-juice...and nothing else, peeled and 'dipped' with those.) Although, one wouldn't perhaps eat them too often, but every once in a while.  

Of course they're imported foods here, most part brought from the S.American countries like Mexico, Peru, Chile...and, so I've variably favored all from those. By origin the plant grows on central America. Also seems it said shown from some excavated remains on archeological sites that the fruit has been at the human uses from at  least 10 000 B.C.  (I think it was also mentioned on some place closely some 80 per cent of the world's avocados cultivated at the Mid-America, Mexico especially. Yet, it's nowadays also grown on various parts the World, practically each continent except the Antartica, or course. I don't know whether it's due from  EU trade contracts or from some other reason - the global trade markets in overall  - but avocado-oils that I've seen on sales here appear all be New Zealandian products (unless I've just not encountered any other manufacturers products). However  from that, but the oil is  suitable on frying  because  it has  high heating temperature,  although -  as I've also noticed - generally it's too expensive on any regular uses.)

 From other aspects I (fx) find that the cultivation of avocado is mentioned quite water-consuming...although, I've no idea where that should be compared for. The cultivation of fruits and veggies generally uses lot less water than most industrial production or the growing fiber for textiles (like cotton, fx). Also, seems it (interestingly) said that from the thousands flowerings on a single avocado-tree only a few some produce the fruit (on any particular season). And, there's also various breeds at the cultivation, mostly them been created during early part of the 20th century.



 --
...The 2nd example on  my (recent)  findings on the diets is from  crops. It's Buckwheat (Fagopyrum  esculentum). Also it seems mentioned been on cultivation already several centuries prior B.C.  ...Also on the MSW it has quite long ecological history, although not has been ever so popular crop than fx at eastern Europes (Russia in particular). But nowadays it's at least on an occasional cultivation, the  flours I've bought are mentioned (at the packages) variably from domestically grown, or alternatively imports from China.  However, another reason for this example is due because buckwheat is glutein-free. It's  often recommended crop in case you have any allergies for other crops. (Most usually that means wheat, oat, etc, ...In fact, seems it also researched that because human cultivation of the crops is rather recent by origin, some people having allergies to those probably has genetic reason. It's generally quite similar as with the milk - some people lack that  lactose-decomposing gene(s)- while majority of population has the gene. But, I don't know if that's from any certainty; My own guess appears that the formerly more common use of various pesticides  probably can have had as much influence concerning the emergence of allergies from crops.)


- The recipe in this case  is  Blins (the russian crépes). Easy to prepare, and less sugarine than regular crepes. (...My cookbook seems also mention that dietarist would not find these too favored choice, for the blins are fried in much of oils. The original recipe recommends fx using ducks fat or geese's, alternatively cocos oil on that. ...But my advice is to use just a regular butter. Also, in the russian version blins are often enjoyed with some caviar, but due because it's not ecologically recommendable, again my  advice is just from some other traditional 'additions', like the gherkins, beetroot, some chopped onions (and smetan, of course.). And - by the way - honey is also good with blins.


RECIPE: 1-2 eggs (separate the yolks) ; 30 g yeast ; (about) 1 l milk ; 1/2 kg Buckwheat-flour ; 100 g Wheat-flours ; 100 g Butter/Oil (Additionally some on frying).

- (First) mix the yeast with warm milk. Add the yolk from eggs. Next flours and butter. (I've prepared this also with the flour ratio of 50/50. Another alternative is fx to use some smetan within the milk...etc., I guess the recipes vary lot according taste.) If wish, add some salt. Separately mix in the bowl the rest from eggs (without yolks) and, after a while, pour in the baking. Let rise (about 1-2 hours, at least). Make small blins (/Crepes) and fry with a plenty of butter.


...Another good crop in case from allergies is Spelt (Triticum spelta)...Although,  it's a relative of  (or, appears different variety from the) wheat; ...So, if having any actual allergies for  crops it's not recommended. Myself I've noticed it very suitable on porridges, ao. Doesn't irritate stomach as much as the wheat, in fact I've noticed it has an easing effect on the digestion. Also is domestically grown here. (...Funny thing about Spelt is that some sellers advertise it for the crop "Moses and his contemporaries" already used to grow on their fields - ie well prior B.C. - Likely that's merely a fiction than any actual fact, but at least could have been so, spelt also has been human cultivated since from some 6000 years past.)


--

Finally, my last recommended crop at this post is the Red Rice (or, Weed rice). ...It's a breed from the rice (Oryza sativa), and there's about hundreds different varieties of the rice. Name seems derive from the manner that it usually is grown as some sort of 'weed' along the more commonly cultivated varieties. Red rice is also advertised from being more vitamin rich than the 'regular' varieties. Seems have gained some popularity at the western markets more lately ...But my reason to recommend it is simple; I think it for a lot tastier than the other varieties I've enjoyed. One can also use red rice with the regular some, fx  by 1 / 3 ratio  - either way goes well. (I only buy organic rice nowadays, however.)



And that's from the foods this time.
(In the future - after summer arriving - I'm planning to go on with my experiments of the diets for a reduced use of meat on...Actually, I'm planning to go for diets with no meat at all, on during the summer months. Just for an interest. So, these foods posts will probably not continue sooner than about August. But I'll summarize my experiences of this experiment then.) ;  (G.U.J.)


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