Milagai

Hmm... Well, it has grown as a weed everywhere I've lived or gardened. Maybe you are doing too good a job weeding? I don't think it will grow from a cutting, though. Maybe if you tried sprouting the cutting first in water. If you are looking for seeds, the plant latin for it is "Portulaca oleraceae". ← Weeding? Me? the weeds laugh at me as I ineffectually try to shoo them away. Maybe it's the fact that I'm still sitting firmly on the deck with mint julep in hand. Weeds begone! (nope, doesn't work). I'll try sprouting in water. Portulaca, eh? Interesting! I've known portulata as a cute little annual with bright flowers, didn't know purslane was a relative. Are the cute little flowers edible? I got those to grow in my garden one year.... Rancho: will definitely add tomatillo as suggested. Milagai

I do that too. For the Durian haters, it's not Asian. It's South Asian. I've met many a North Asian who thinks it's disgusting. ← ermmm - Durian is South East Asian (= the swath from Burma/Myanmar through Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.). Durian's non-smelly cousin jackfruit is South Asian (=the Indian subcontinent - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, etc.) Jackfruit can be cooked unripe (called kathal sort of artichokey but more starch), or eaten ripe or made into desserty things. The unripe version has no smell. The ripe has a mild - medium smell. Jackfruit: Scientific name: Artocarpus heterophyllus Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit Durian: Scientific name: Durio ... (there are several varieties each Durio something) Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian Milagai ps: what countries does the term "North Asian" include?

Many thanks rancho gordo! I'll be in touch and let you know if I am able to make it and how it turned out. I loved that chunky looking taco shell in yr picture - hand patted or made in a tortilla press? Milagai

I'm always up for finding new vegetables to add to my repertoire, and this little nugget of nutritional info is certainly an additional motivator, at least for me. Now that I think about it, I could swear I've seen the stuff in one of the Mexican markets I frequent, under its Spanish name. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for verdolagas the next time I'm shopping there. ← I had also heard of the nutritional advantages of purslane and being vegetarian, was very interested in the omega-3 thing. I wish all the articles that encourage fish-eating to get omega-whatevers would at least mention these alternatives for the likes of us ... It's available at our farmer's market periodically for ~ $ 2 a smallish bunch. The last time I got some, and added it to a salad and didn't like it very much - the almost-slime factor.... That's why I loved ranch_gordo's recipe suggestion and will try and get some purslane tomorrow AM to attempt it. So many people airily say "oh, it grows like a weed everywhere" but I wish I could get it to grow in my garden. I tried rooting a sprig of what I got from the FM but no luck. $ 2 a baggie, forsooth! Milagai

Send me your extras folks. Or send them to eJulia (she feeds the homeless) or some similar person in your area? Milagai

I don't have any help for the stoning part, but if there are too many to just eat, how about making peach chutney with the remainder? There appear to be several recipes here: http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ubbs/archive/...es_by_Mimi.html Milagai

very well put, both of y'awl... milagai

that's too bad. i googled from curiosity and soybeans aplenty grown in nc. not sure about the journey from the bean to the curd.... any beans / lentils on yr local list? milagai

As a Chapel Hillian, I'm excited to read this blog and learn more about eating locally. Great pictures of your dd and her breakfast! I love that map illustrating your 100 mi radius. Who drew it? Query: any soybean producers within the 100 mi radius? What's a tofu lover to do? Milagai

ITA!! I too love my "World of the East...." cookbook and it's also one of the few books I use very very frequently, the spine has almost disintegrated and I've lost the first few pages. Any time I want something new / interesting, I am not disappointed with that. Some of her other cookbooks have some oddities in the recipes but not this one. She has another World Veg cookbook out? I must look out for it. Thanks for the heads up! Milagai

In many (maybe all) Middle eastern countries one easts only with the right hand because the left is used for erm, personal hygene. I don't know if this is based on a religious tenent or not, so I can't draw any other observations. ← 1. Re food eaten with hands tastes better = it's adding more dimensions to the sensual experience. Like the last Shah of Iran supposedly said, eating your food with a fork and knife is like making love with your clothes on.... I know in Indian parenting lore (like Devagi mentioned) hand-feeding a child is said to enhance the bond, connection, love etc. Spoon-feeding is now more common, but many grandmas don't approve of using a cold metal implement to put distance between mom, baby, and food...... 2. Re religion and handedness = in Hinduism and Islam yes, that's the reason (left hand = personal hygiene and right hand = food, rituals, etc.). Maybe same for Judaism? That's why under Shariah law, it's more serious than one may think when a thief has the right hand amputated. In communal eating cultures (large platter of food in the middle, all sit around and partake) not having yr right hand can = starvation.... My husband is left handed, but knows not to bring his south paw anywhere near the food when in India (and try eating runny rasam-and-rice off a banana leaf with your non-dominant hand - only true love would pass this test) Milagai

This is not a characteristic food of a literary character, and not sure who are the other lit nerds here , but there's the unforgettable scene in Thackeray's Vanity Fair when Becky Sharp is trying to catch the the newly wealthy India-returned jerk Jos Sedley. She's trying to impress him by eating all the Indian-ish food he's had cooked. Her mouth is on fire and the jerk says, try a chili and she says something like "oh that sounds so cool and refreshing" and bites into it..... you can imagine the rest.... Milagai (screen name means chili)

Sounds great! Any pictures? Milagai

There are several recipes, try googling for one that suits your kitchen conditions and ingredients. Frozen chopped spinach is good to use as a shortcut. Re the amount of paneer: 1/2 gallon will not likely yield enough paneer. Usually 1 gallon is the minimum. Where do you live? US? Any Indian grocery or a gourmet food store will have paneer. It's way more expensive in the latter, but it's usually there. Milagai

However, going back to the original question, there are also plenty of "local" remedies which you may or may not want to consider, which can have a good prophylactic and remedial effect. Again, I only really know about India, but my parents and brother (who can't handle the food like I can any more!) always rely on a combination of an Ayurvedic medicine called Pudhi Nara (which is mint based, and really "cools" the stomach) and another one called Aqua Ptychotis. Raj ← errr... that would be Pudin Hara (=mint green). It's mfd and mrktd by Dabur, one of India's leading herbal pharmaceutical companies, and is said to be an anti-gas and antacid type digestive aid, rather than something that protects against food borne infections... http://www.dabur.com/en/products/Health_Ca...tive/PudinHara/ Milagai

Great topic. I 've wondered about this myself. Re payment: who pays for the food under the current system and how hard can it be to incorporate positive changes (OK - realize the naivete as I was typing that, but will let it stand). In many developing countries for anyone being hospitalized, it's become essential for other family/friends to remain in close attendance and bring them food and take care of other necessities that the system finds it hard to provide..... Milagai

Do you really want to state such a position, which sounds to me like a parade of ignorance, and at the very least is a profound lack of understanding of other cultures? Hinduism is too complex to condense into sound bites on this forum, but broadly speaking it includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups, and a recognition that all forms of life are interconnected temporally and spiritually (aspects of one universe). So many Hindus don't eat rats for a variety of reasons: being vegetarian overall, not wanting to eat something that spreads disease when there are better things to eat, or not wanting to eat something that has a diversity of religious significances (e.g. vehicle of a specific deity, among others). (Some tribal sub groups in India do eat rats, along with ants, iguanas, etc. - all considered forest foods) Same thing for cows, even more so, connected to ancient Indian pastoral history when cows were too precious a resource to eat (considered a living form of wealth, provided milk, draft animals, etc etc.) Hinduism is hardly alone in tabooing certain animals to eat for a variety of religious and pragmatic reasons. And different cultures don't eat various foods, even for non-religious reasons. Try serving horses or spiders or rats to the average American and they will most likely turn green too. Just because you find cows good to eat does not mean others are wierd for not sharing your tastes. Try a good encyclopedia of religions for details, not dubious web sites. And people when starving will eat anything, including other humans. The average hungry Hindu can't just up and chomp on a wandering cow, if for no other reason than the owner of the cow would show up with lawsuits and lathis (= bamboo sticks = weapons). In terms of money, it's much more economically sensible to buy 1 kilo of dal (cheaper and feeds 4 people for 4 days) than one kilo of meat (barely one meal for 4 people). Dal provides very adequate protein. Milagai (sorry - nothing to do with animal rights, though it seems strange to me that people are willing to boil unto death lobsters, but not cats)

Count me in with the exposure (with some common sense) group. When growing up in India I guess my mother indoctrinated (or inoculated?) us: mom and kids used to regularly sneak out of the house and gorge on chaat and other yummy street food, while my father stayed at home prophesying gloom and doom. Nothing bad happened to us GI-wise. Now, on annual India trips I head to the bazaars for good street food as soon as I get over jet lag. I'm looking fwd to getting my kids onto this routine, they are 9 and 4, The 9 YO is starting to show some appreciation for good junk food, but her 4 YO brother is still firmly a mac and cheese boy, alas. We do drink treated water at home and buy bottled if out. But my germ-sense got a jolt when my 9 yo was a baby and we were carefully boiling all her water and utensils and stuff, and then found her sitting in the garden ecstatically drinking rainwater from a puddle on the ground. Her now 14 yo cousin (when a baby) was similarly caught sharing the dog's water bowl (same location). They all survived and thrived, so hopefully we can go on to build further GI immunity (thanks for the budding medical endorsement from Raj Banerjee) Milagai

Some people go so far as to use bottled water to wash veggies, brush teeth, etc. I guess they also shower with their mouths and noses tightly closed.... Milagai

Another one: that drinking soda can harm bones because it affects calcium levels. Today's New York Times Science section looked at this claim, and suggests it's not entirely true. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/health/20real.html Quote: THE BOTTOM LINE Soda has little effect on calcium levels, but people who drink it may be at greater risk of bone injuries because it takes the place of more nutritious drinks.

Not food related, but many business travelers get those little bags of airline toiletries (toothbrush and paste, soap-isotope, socks, etc.). If you know such travelers, get their surpluses to hand out.... Food related: the toothbrush/paste part .... Milagai

But my favorite hot snack is any form of chaat. there are too many kinds to list ... milagai

(where's the drool emoticon?) I need to try me some of this! Milagai

Clearing up a few misconceptions: There is one step in cooking many Indian dishes that involves toasting or frying the spices. That always releases pungent fumes into the air, but it's soon over as the spices are folded into the final dish. The final dish does not taste that way. And people chew fennel (not cumin) seeds after dinner as a mouth freshener, not to settle the stomach. Milagai

Google is your friend. http://www.syvum.com/cgi/online/serve.cgi/...nc/nrcpc7.tdf?0 Milagai