Palm Trees
Torrential rains and inclement weather spared me some plant watching activity.
This time of course palm variety.
Looking
outside from an advantage, a bird's eye view, I could see only one
coconut tree about ten feet tall and probably of the same age with no
signs of flowering.
Looking down the precipice a few out of the twenty odd palm trees that survived the dry spell has sprung into activity.
After a year long vigil and watering (when I had time) their survival was a bit of a miracle.
The soil
not conducive and the water logging not possible (due to the incline)
their survival may have been contributed by my vigil, perhaps.
Palms
unlike the coconut (which loves the salty soil) are plants that love hot
humid and muddy conditions, which support their roots with fungal
symbiosis.
The torrential rain was the most conducive and for nearly a decade we did not have similar weather conditions.
I have
tried all varieties including arecanut with no success over ten year
period so my mind wondered the last time there was a spill over at
Victoria Dam.
Incidentally this was after the elections and the change over from the previous regime to the present.
The saying prevalent at that time was “to wash the sins of the previous regime”.
This time whose sins I would not wonder or ponder!
Coming
back to palm trees there are over 1000 ornamental varieties and they
are very expensive and home delivered for the wealthy in United States.
In
Sri-Lanka context, the “Cap Rukha”, the gifted plant is vandalized by
the rich developers. Very soon they will be exported to US polythene
wrapped. This is quite an irony.
I am not
sure where the coconut, the arecanut and the Kithul tree's position in
the merit order on the1000 palm trees of the gardener's guide to
tropical trees.
I guess
the Americans who are likely to be categorized very tall in the merit
list of democracy do not like tall trees in their neighborhood.
Also their democratic nuts are not as hard as a coconut and they do not like the impact of coconut falling on their heads.
This is why the oil industry in America had a vicious campaign against coconut oil for nearly fifty years.
The real
reason though is that they have lost their evolutionary talent like that
of the monkeys in climbing trees and swinging from one tree to
another.
Going from country to country and looking for ecological trouble spots is only a pastime.
This
is where our politicians who have a coconut size head and arecanut
(some of them peanut sized- the American variety) sized brains should
explore the possibility of exporting the coconut trees to America.
The
justification is that when the next tsunami hits our shores they can
re-export them back as aid for the Sri-Lankans (tourists included) to
climb and save their lives.
The coconut trunks well preserved would be a new form of life support system developed in America.
Few of the
tourists of course saved their life hanging on to them a year ago. They
could share the experience with the few tree climbers left in this
country. We can promote this as a new millennium sport.
Since most
of the tree climbers (party climbers) have joined the parliament over
the past half a century they can act as trainers and referees in this
sport of tree climbing.
One a lighter note and in a scientific
sense the real reason for declining interest in coconut, arecanut and
Kithul tree is that all three of them are labour intensive like the tea
industry.
Only way
to revive these flagging industries is to promote selective breeding of
high yielding variety with short trunks so that harvesting is not labour
intensive.
For some
unknown genetic reasons the short plants and animals have the ability to
withstand adverse environmental conditions and it is not a challenge to
go for such a variety. One of the reasons that the tall trees and
dinosaurs disappeared from this planet is their enormous size. They
could not withstand the adversity.
One area
we are far behind is the palm oil industry and our Asian giant in
hibernation, Malaysia, pioneered the research in this.
They have
gone for palm oils even destroying their rain forest. We have to learn a
lot from them. Biodiesel is going to be an area we should explore
instead of drilling for gas /oil in limited resources offshore.
For me looking down the plane and seeing the coconut trees spanning the landing site is a fascinating scene.
Sadly this scenery is not going to be there in another ten years.
The developers are eying every peace of land to plunder.
In the
process they are developing social and economic disasters in the
so-called palaces they are building. The coconut triangle is going to be
zigzag in no time.
We have so
many ministers and ministries in this country a Palm Ministry would not
be a burden to the country. In any case some of the parliamentarians
are coming from that back ground both in oiling the palms (heads
included) and climbing the trees and this is a one sure way to climb the
political hierarchy.
For the
super market chains and range for this Christmas should include the
imported artificial palm trees from India, which do not need any
watering, plant care or plant watching.
For a change we could have Santa on a palm tree.
How about that?
21st December 2005
Monday, April 27, 2020
Lemons
Lemons
The lemon flower is very beautiful but nobody seems to take any notice of it because of its thorns.
But come to roses people are fascinated by the flower in spite of the many thorns.
To me lemon is one of the most neglected trees of our soil.
It loves the tropical sunny weather and grows very slowly and we have many neglected varieties in our country.
Unfortunately, we only love oranges that are also the imported varieties.
It is said we love anything foreign including bird's flu.
History
The versatility of lemon has been recognized since its discovery in India more than 4,000 years ago. Egyptians painted lemons on tomb walls.
In the late 1700s, the British navy made lemons part of sailors' rations to combat scurvy.
In the 1850s, a scurvy epidemic during California's Gold Rush created a demand for lemons and soon it became a household plant in the state.
Today, California's arid, coastal climate makes it one of the world's leading lemon producers.
Several countries pay homage to the fruit with lemon festivals, as does Menton, France, a small town on the French Riviera where lemons grow year round. During the Fete du Citron, a two-week celebration held every February, townspeople create murals, sculptures, and parade floats from lemons.
The lemon tree is one of the oldest cultivated fruit and today lemon trees grow all over the world and like pepper and spices all good things originate in the tropics.
The citrus smell of a lemon is refreshing and invigorating.
For many people a lemon smell has come to symbolize cleanliness. Most major cleaners on the market today have a lemon or a citrus scented version for consumers to enjoy.
But in this country the lemon is conveniently forgotten for artificial scents are abundant and imported for a princely sum.
Though the fruit has a sour taste the lemon is actually a mild buffer that can reduce hyperacidity in the stomach.
Lemon juice and peels have an antiseptic effect and the leaves are used as a skin and hair treatment. Lemons are rich in vitamin C and strengthen natural healing power.
By acting as an antioxidant lemon protects the cells from free radical damage.
Cleaning kitchen Utensils
Lemon juice is ideal to clean pots and pans.
Copper utensils can benefit from a lemon juice cleaning.
Worktops
Worktop stains can be removed by allowing lemon juice to sit on the stain for a few minutes. Scrub the area with baking soda and watch the stains disappear. But don't leave the lemon juice sitting for too long it can easily overshoot the intended activity.
Drains
Hot water with a little lemon juice poured down a drain will also freshen the drain.
Bleaching
Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent.
Put lemon juice onto white linens and clothing and allow them to dry in the sun.
Stains will be bleached away.
Add to Vinegar
Vinegar can be a great cleaning ingredient, but many people dislike the vinegar smell. Adding lemon juice to vinegar when cleaning can help neutralize the vinegar smell.
Common sense
Lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda are the commonest ingredients (naturally occurring cleansing products) in one's own home but often the most neglected in their use except in cooking and flavouring. The lack of common sense has made us to neglect them. Most importantly none of these products is poisonous (cooking ingredients) and lack of understanding of chemistry and biochemistry is the main reason. What our students learn in the class in science (chemistry to be precise) is open to question without common sense practicality.
Forgetting the Roots
Forgetting our roots and losing common sense is a manifestation of the modern age.
This is true in my home too. Only when everybody was on holiday in India our pantry had a lemon treatment.
Glancing through the web pages, I have noticed the Westerners have missed an important link of this marvelous fruit has to the miracle drink, the alcohol.
We Sri-Lankan use it as an antidote for the excess consumption of alcohol.
The citrate salt of alcohol that is formed in the stomach retards the absorption of alcohol. So our housewives are adept at using this lemon treatment when looking after their inebriated living souls.
This is something probably the BBC missed in its recent broadcast.
24th of February 2006
Edited on the 26th of April
Lemon Treatment
I have not heard
Any lover saying to
To a lover
My lemon
But of course
Sweet heart
But when the sweetness
Takes a ride
And the bitterness
Take it ascends
I have heard loving souls
Calling each other
"You pumpkins"
Or Potatoes
Years later
But in general
To be successful
In life with endurance
The culinary skills
In the home front
Is not the special ingredient?
The lemon treatment
Is not the extraordinary ingredient?
For the inebriated
Soul mate
For
Bringing back
The reality
Both
The sweetness
The bitterness
And the life in general
26th of April 2006
The lemon flower is very beautiful but nobody seems to take any notice of it because of its thorns.
But come to roses people are fascinated by the flower in spite of the many thorns.
To me lemon is one of the most neglected trees of our soil.
It loves the tropical sunny weather and grows very slowly and we have many neglected varieties in our country.
Unfortunately, we only love oranges that are also the imported varieties.
It is said we love anything foreign including bird's flu.
History
The versatility of lemon has been recognized since its discovery in India more than 4,000 years ago. Egyptians painted lemons on tomb walls.
In the late 1700s, the British navy made lemons part of sailors' rations to combat scurvy.
In the 1850s, a scurvy epidemic during California's Gold Rush created a demand for lemons and soon it became a household plant in the state.
Today, California's arid, coastal climate makes it one of the world's leading lemon producers.
Several countries pay homage to the fruit with lemon festivals, as does Menton, France, a small town on the French Riviera where lemons grow year round. During the Fete du Citron, a two-week celebration held every February, townspeople create murals, sculptures, and parade floats from lemons.
The lemon tree is one of the oldest cultivated fruit and today lemon trees grow all over the world and like pepper and spices all good things originate in the tropics.
The citrus smell of a lemon is refreshing and invigorating.
For many people a lemon smell has come to symbolize cleanliness. Most major cleaners on the market today have a lemon or a citrus scented version for consumers to enjoy.
But in this country the lemon is conveniently forgotten for artificial scents are abundant and imported for a princely sum.
Though the fruit has a sour taste the lemon is actually a mild buffer that can reduce hyperacidity in the stomach.
Lemon juice and peels have an antiseptic effect and the leaves are used as a skin and hair treatment. Lemons are rich in vitamin C and strengthen natural healing power.
By acting as an antioxidant lemon protects the cells from free radical damage.
Cleaning kitchen Utensils
Lemon juice is ideal to clean pots and pans.
Copper utensils can benefit from a lemon juice cleaning.
Worktops
Worktop stains can be removed by allowing lemon juice to sit on the stain for a few minutes. Scrub the area with baking soda and watch the stains disappear. But don't leave the lemon juice sitting for too long it can easily overshoot the intended activity.
Drains
Hot water with a little lemon juice poured down a drain will also freshen the drain.
Bleaching
Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent.
Put lemon juice onto white linens and clothing and allow them to dry in the sun.
Stains will be bleached away.
Add to Vinegar
Vinegar can be a great cleaning ingredient, but many people dislike the vinegar smell. Adding lemon juice to vinegar when cleaning can help neutralize the vinegar smell.
Common sense
Lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda are the commonest ingredients (naturally occurring cleansing products) in one's own home but often the most neglected in their use except in cooking and flavouring. The lack of common sense has made us to neglect them. Most importantly none of these products is poisonous (cooking ingredients) and lack of understanding of chemistry and biochemistry is the main reason. What our students learn in the class in science (chemistry to be precise) is open to question without common sense practicality.
Forgetting the Roots
Forgetting our roots and losing common sense is a manifestation of the modern age.
This is true in my home too. Only when everybody was on holiday in India our pantry had a lemon treatment.
Glancing through the web pages, I have noticed the Westerners have missed an important link of this marvelous fruit has to the miracle drink, the alcohol.
We Sri-Lankan use it as an antidote for the excess consumption of alcohol.
The citrate salt of alcohol that is formed in the stomach retards the absorption of alcohol. So our housewives are adept at using this lemon treatment when looking after their inebriated living souls.
This is something probably the BBC missed in its recent broadcast.
24th of February 2006
Edited on the 26th of April
Lemon Treatment
I have not heard
Any lover saying to
To a lover
My lemon
But of course
Sweet heart
But when the sweetness
Takes a ride
And the bitterness
Take it ascends
I have heard loving souls
Calling each other
"You pumpkins"
Or Potatoes
Years later
But in general
To be successful
In life with endurance
The culinary skills
In the home front
Is not the special ingredient?
The lemon treatment
Is not the extraordinary ingredient?
For the inebriated
Soul mate
For
Bringing back
The reality
Both
The sweetness
The bitterness
And the life in general
26th of April 2006
Food Handling, Food, Quality of Food (Nutritional Value)
Food Handling, Food, Quality of Food
(Nutritional Value)
Food
Handling
Nobody practices proper food handling in this country.
The number of PHII are not enough to cover the country and most of
them takes bribes, especially under Chinthanaya regime.
When police is involved in murder and crime cover up this has become a done thing and decades of retraining is necessary.
There is no facility for hand washing in most of the eating houses
except in five star hotels.
I once treated a guy with GIT problems and he was handling food in a
leading market chain.
I new the manager of the local shop and got him out of the food chain
for the greater good of the public and the shop itself.
This was many moons ago.
Now in hospitals including private sector doctors do not practice basic hand washing technique.
Food Quality
With the price of food items going up, the quality of junk food has
gone down from wade, to patty to bread.
The hopper which was three rupees 1n 2005 is now ten rupees.
The wade has become smaller and more expensive.
The type of dhal (not
Mysoor) is inferior. The taste is horrible, the oil used is not
coconut oil but some substitute.
My discovery of egg patty is relevant here.
I used to give an egg
patty to my young dog.
Then there was a full egg.
It become half an egg.
Then quarter of an egg.
The one I fed my dog today was less than a quarter.
In
a dinner bun with fish there was a full ring of onion a week ago and
with onion going up in prices it was only a quarter of a ring.
I eat the onion ring before I feed my dog the portion of fish since one should not feed a dog with onions.
He is my food taster par excellence.
He refuses to eat the bread portion
which I throw into the bin.
My dog only eat the fish portion which is 40 rupees a piece.
I eat the quarter of an onion ring.
The rest of the dinner bun lands on the dustbin.
Rupees 20 down the garbage and even the stray dog won't eat.
Food
So the average man (woman especially the pregnant excluded) eat
lot of chillies and liberal intake of Kassippu.
That is why the Kassippu Mudalalie or the Pradashiya Sabha member
is very plump when seen on TV.
He drinks imported whiskey not Kassupu like some of our national
paper editors.
That is
why down to earth (except Ravaya) reporting was not seen
under Chinthanaya regime (they were eating hoppers for rupees 200 -two
hundred at Hilton, probably- for ten years except racial hatred.
1.
Personal Experience
Mind
you I used to go to Elephant House Fountain Cafe (see
the reproduction below) for regular ice cream with jaggary
sauce on working days and full board liqueur when off duty with a
full bird (not a lady but chicken).
This
was the time in Colombo when dogs' and cats' food were substituted
for chicken down Dehiwala and Ratmalana after the first drink (when
the customer is half drunk).
This
practice was going on even in Kandy when we (including late Dr.
Godamunne) got activated to save the stray dogs.
I do not eat rice (not rice products like, Hoppers, rice noodles) for the last three years due to putative food allergy to some chemical contamination!
I celebrated 10 years without rice alone due to coronavirus pandemic.
My gut feeling is, it is probably glyphosate.
Suffice is to say my personal suffering over three years immediately stopped when I stopped eating rice.
The added benefit was I eat all the junk food now (except
chocolates) and my comment here is related mostly to junk food.
In spite of eating junk food, I have not put on weight.
The corollary is that if you stop eating rice, you start losing weight without any exercise regime.
Chemical Name: Ammonium Salt of Glyphosate 71% S.G.
Glyphos is a broad-spectrum,
systemic herbicide, with contact action translocated and
non-residual. Absorbed by the foliage, with rapid translocation
throughout the plant. Inactivated on contact with soil.
Inhibition of lycopene cyclase.
Glyphos controls a wide range of annual and
perennial grasses and broad leaved weeds by application as
pre-emergence, post emergence and pre-harvest in cereals, tea and
oil seeds.
Also used as industrial weed control and aquatic
herbicide.
Dose:
100 gm per spray pump of 15 ltr water
Mode
of Action:
"Effective
against Annual, Perennial and broad Leaf / Grassy weeds.
"Gyprom
is a broad spectrum, Non-Systemic, Post Emergence herbicides.
"Eisily
Biodegradeble & non volatile in nature.
"It
is used in plantation crop like Tea, Coffee, Coconut, Rubber,
Graps, Mango etc crops.
Reproductions
2.
Food Poisoning
At
least 20 people fell ill, after a five-star hotel dinner on Friday
night to celebrate the 87th birthday of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth,
officials said yesterday.
They
said the affected invitees were rushed to private hospitals and 15 of
them were in intensive care.
The
dinner organized by the Sri Lanka United Kingdom Society took place
at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel with some 400 guests in attendance.
3.
Quality of Food
Fountain
Café was famous for short eats - rolls, cutlets and patties – and
of course their sauce, which was something else. No sauce today can
match it. The Elephant House hot dog served with that sauce was much
sought after and a favourite of many.
Their
rice and curry was also very reasonable.
There
was no proper rice and curry like in the old days. No gravy; no dhal;
but some dry chicken, rice and curry were what the young waiter
served. I tried. The food was terrible. Then came my next order; iced
tea – a tea full of sugar. It was really a sugar tea. I looked
around to see if any of those old waiters from Elephant House,
Fountain Cafe were looking from some corner.
There wasn’t even one.
The
new waiters were not even dressed like them.
Gambit Political Wise
Gambit
Political Wise
Gambit
meaning an act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage,
especially at the outset of a situation i.e; early election in
Ceylon.
I
have been advised by one of my professor friends to cry foul of the
current administration’s militarily motivated hidden agenda.
In
Sinhala it is turning the “Wasangathaya” into political
sunshine or “Wasanthaya” of the bootleggers paradise.
In
other words we are now a military administration remniscent of Myanmar where unknown number of
Muslims were killed or persecuted.
It is
obvious Ceylonese Muslims who are not “Wahabis” are persecuted in
the name of quarantine (it means erasing them from the political map).
A
subtle human right violation.
In my
opinion “Whahabis” are as bad or worse than LTTE.
In
defense of LTTE (not their ground level action which even alienated
moderate Tamils) it was a political uprising.
But
“Whahabies” are religious crazies without scientific basis.
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