Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What to do with leftover DAL???
What to do with all that leftover DAL (dhal) that you've cooked for curry, but there is sits....still there, while all the other curries are gone. You can make some great "parathas" from that leftover dal:
Recipe is only USD $3.99.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want
BEST WEBSITE EVER for online jigsaw puzzles....
This website is even better to find puzzles of all styles:
Cooking Cacti (Nopales) not for the faint of heart.....
Cactus (we call them Nopales) are a ready available "veggie" in Mexico. In Mexican markets, you can buy them already cleaned, but in USA, they generally come with needles (espinas as we call them)....and you WILL have to clean them if you want to eat them.
It's funny how certain parts of the world regard certain vegetations as "poisonous" (we stayed with a Nepalese family who had hundreds of cactus plants but said "no, you can't eat those....they're POISONOUS!"). Eventually, after Nando and I patiently cleaned about 12 nopal "pads" and cooked them with tomatoes.....a few brave ones in the Nepalese family tried them and liked them, but the womenfolk were definitely not going to try these poisonous plants). Likewise, in Sri Lanka it was generally believed that bamboo shoots were poisonous. The Chinese who lived in Sri Lanka were only too delighted to relieve Sri Lankans of "those useless, poisonous roots".
Anyway - the cacti I will show you is not poisonous at all. This is how it looks when you cut the pads:
Pretty SCARY, right???? And I guarantee if you pick these pads up in your hands all these needles will stick in your fingers, causing tremendous pain. Firstly, wear gloves (that's important!). Secondly, the majority of the needles are around the edges, so if you trim 1/4 inch all around, you'll be rid of quite a lot of the needles.
Nextly, remember that BOTH sides of the cactus pads have needles. In Mexican markets elderly ladies (whose fingers are probably numb by years of cactus peeling) clean the rest of the needles out with a knife, like this:
This is a way I only recommend for the very "experienced". My daughter and I have our own system - tweezers (we wear gloves) and a small glass of water. We TWEEZE the needles out then dip the tweezers in the glass of water to rid the tweezer of the needles. It's a slow process, but can be fun, chit-chatting all the while or listening to music. She and I are FAST now.....we pile up the cleaned "nopales" on a large plate.
Now then, cacti ooze a slimy substance like okra (called "ladies fingers" in some countries and a lot of people do not like the texture of that slim. Firstly, in COOL water rinse the CLEANED cacti to make sure no needles are left on. As you run cold water over the cacti, you will notice that the oozing stops. The next step is to slice the nopales on the diagonal, like this:
Discard the stub or base of the nopal; it is too tough to eat. Drop into boiling water a just parboil, do not cook. Rinse and drain again with cool water. NOW they are ready to be cooked. We always cook (just till they turn darkish green) with freshly chopped tomatoes (the acidity of the tomatoes absorbs all the rest of any leftover "slime" and adds flavour), onions, chilies, cilantro (coriander leaves) and a bit of salt and pepper. They make a delicious ("veggie") side dish, or a great ingredient in tacos. Enjoy - but please don't get hurt by the needles while cleaning!!
It's funny how certain parts of the world regard certain vegetations as "poisonous" (we stayed with a Nepalese family who had hundreds of cactus plants but said "no, you can't eat those....they're POISONOUS!"). Eventually, after Nando and I patiently cleaned about 12 nopal "pads" and cooked them with tomatoes.....a few brave ones in the Nepalese family tried them and liked them, but the womenfolk were definitely not going to try these poisonous plants). Likewise, in Sri Lanka it was generally believed that bamboo shoots were poisonous. The Chinese who lived in Sri Lanka were only too delighted to relieve Sri Lankans of "those useless, poisonous roots".
Anyway - the cacti I will show you is not poisonous at all. This is how it looks when you cut the pads:
Nextly, remember that BOTH sides of the cactus pads have needles. In Mexican markets elderly ladies (whose fingers are probably numb by years of cactus peeling) clean the rest of the needles out with a knife, like this:
Now then, cacti ooze a slimy substance like okra (called "ladies fingers" in some countries and a lot of people do not like the texture of that slim. Firstly, in COOL water rinse the CLEANED cacti to make sure no needles are left on. As you run cold water over the cacti, you will notice that the oozing stops. The next step is to slice the nopales on the diagonal, like this:
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Online Jigsaw Puzzles.....
Here's a fun website to do "jigsaw" puzzles on line. Although it says "for kids" - you can make each puzzle as easy or as difficult as you'd like. Lots of nice scenes:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/puzzle.htm
http://www.dltk-kids.com/puzzle.htm
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Have you ever tried a simple "I'm Sorry"?
So many close, good relationships end because one or the other has had feelings hurt and sadly, sometimes neither one is "right" or "wrong". I remember a poem a dear Indian friend wrote to me for my birthday "True friends are like gems - special and very RARE". Kamala is (alas) gone now (and as good/kind a person she was and such a devoted Christian, I would presume she is at God's side in heaven).
But her words linger on although she passed in 2008 of cancer - we still keep touch with her husband and two wonderful kids (now GROWN!!).
I thought about how "SORRY" must look and thought about dear Kamala's words. Too often we hurt someone's feelings and lose them as a friend. I urge each and every one of you (me included) to send an "I'm sorry" card to all your family and friends even if you feel you've done nothing wrong. And this is how SORRY looks like:
IF
someone will not forgive you after sending THIS photo (and by the way, I'm sending this to each and everyone of my friends who I may have hurt unintentionally).....then, I suppose there's no hope to rejuvenate the friendship or family relationship. THIS photo says it all!!!
But her words linger on although she passed in 2008 of cancer - we still keep touch with her husband and two wonderful kids (now GROWN!!).
I thought about how "SORRY" must look and thought about dear Kamala's words. Too often we hurt someone's feelings and lose them as a friend. I urge each and every one of you (me included) to send an "I'm sorry" card to all your family and friends even if you feel you've done nothing wrong. And this is how SORRY looks like:
someone will not forgive you after sending THIS photo (and by the way, I'm sending this to each and everyone of my friends who I may have hurt unintentionally).....then, I suppose there's no hope to rejuvenate the friendship or family relationship. THIS photo says it all!!!
PLEASE POST on the fridge if you have pets.....
Here is a list of 12 foods you must NEVER feed your pet (they are harmful and in some cases toxic). It's such a short list, just print and put on your fridge so that your pet may never intentionally be harmed by you.
1. Alcoholic beverages
2. Artificially-sweetened ANYTHING (sodas, gums, cakes, cookies, etc.)
3. Onions of onion powder
4. Macadamia nuts
5. Avacado
6. Chocolate or Cocoa
7. Coffee
8. Raisins (a single raisin can kill a pet within 6-12 hrs.)
9. Salt
10. Grapes (see RAISINS for reason)
11. Yeast dough
12. Garlic
1. Alcoholic beverages
2. Artificially-sweetened ANYTHING (sodas, gums, cakes, cookies, etc.)
3. Onions of onion powder
4. Macadamia nuts
5. Avacado
6. Chocolate or Cocoa
7. Coffee
8. Raisins (a single raisin can kill a pet within 6-12 hrs.)
9. Salt
10. Grapes (see RAISINS for reason)
11. Yeast dough
12. Garlic
Friday, May 27, 2011
Ennio Morricone......
What a talented musical author we have in our world - Ennio Morricone, Italian composer. To read more of all the films he scored music for please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001553/
I love ALL his compositions but I have two in particular I adore:
The Sicilian Clan (1969) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFJfco3vBY
and there is another little known work of his.....in Italian it was dubbed "Ad Ogni Costo" but you can also see it in English as "The Grand Slam": he is Italian, yet in that film captured the essence of Brazilian samba.
We salute you and your music!
I love ALL his compositions but I have two in particular I adore:
The Sicilian Clan (1969) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFJfco3vBY
and there is another little known work of his.....in Italian it was dubbed "Ad Ogni Costo" but you can also see it in English as "The Grand Slam": he is Italian, yet in that film captured the essence of Brazilian samba.
We salute you and your music!
Possibly the most romantic song in the world?
I love Brazilian singer Gal Costa. She is a marvel. My favourite song is "Eternamente" (Eternally). Here is the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xijb0W8H3no
But truly to appreciate, you need the lyrics too; they are far more significant and beautiful in original Portuguese, but I've provided English as well. It's the kind of love song one can imagine dancing SLOWLY, ever so SLOWLY on a dance floor with one's true soulmate in complete TRUST and utter love:
THIS soulmate to whom you sing this song is not just the one who is with you for the pleasure of an evening, but the one who loves you so much he will clean up after you when you are sick and say reassuringly: "It's OK". It's the soulmate who will hold your hand unexpectedly after many years of marriage and say "I LOVE you!". It's the soulmate who will hold you up with incredible strength when your Mum dies or a sister is stricken by cancer. I think in this lifetime one may only (if lucky enough) have an opportunity to meet ONE such soulmate, and to HIM or HER you sing or play (if you can't sing!) this song. I dedicate this one to my husband and soulmate, Nando.
Our music is in the air
Thrilling the hearts
For all that is love
Looks like you
Think, remember
I'll never forget
I'll always have you with me
Our love I sing and sing
You're everything I love in life
I’ll never forget.
But truly to appreciate, you need the lyrics too; they are far more significant and beautiful in original Portuguese, but I've provided English as well. It's the kind of love song one can imagine dancing SLOWLY, ever so SLOWLY on a dance floor with one's true soulmate in complete TRUST and utter love:
THIS soulmate to whom you sing this song is not just the one who is with you for the pleasure of an evening, but the one who loves you so much he will clean up after you when you are sick and say reassuringly: "It's OK". It's the soulmate who will hold your hand unexpectedly after many years of marriage and say "I LOVE you!". It's the soulmate who will hold you up with incredible strength when your Mum dies or a sister is stricken by cancer. I think in this lifetime one may only (if lucky enough) have an opportunity to meet ONE such soulmate, and to HIM or HER you sing or play (if you can't sing!) this song. I dedicate this one to my husband and soulmate, Nando.
Só mesmo o tempo pode revelar
O lado oculto das paixões
O que se foi e o que não passará
Inesquecíveis sensações
Que sempre vão ficar
Pra nos fazer lembrar
Dos sonhos, beijos
Tantos momentos bons
Só mesmo o tempo vai poder provar
A eternidade das canções
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
A nossa música está no ar
Emocionando os corações
Pois tudo que é amor
Parece com você
Pense, lembre
Nunca vou te esquecer
Vou ter sempre você comigo
Nosso amor eu canto e cantarei
Você é tudo o que eu amei na vida
Nunca vou te esquecer
O lado oculto das paixões
O que se foi e o que não passará
Inesquecíveis sensações
Que sempre vão ficar
Pra nos fazer lembrar
Dos sonhos, beijos
Tantos momentos bons
Só mesmo o tempo vai poder provar
A eternidade das canções
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
A nossa música está no ar
Emocionando os corações
Pois tudo que é amor
Parece com você
Pense, lembre
Nunca vou te esquecer
Vou ter sempre você comigo
Nosso amor eu canto e cantarei
Você é tudo o que eu amei na vida
Nunca vou te esquecer
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Only time itself can reveal
The hidden side of the passions
What was and what will not
Unforgettable sensations
That will always be
To remind us
Dream kisses
So many good times
Only time will even be able to prove
The hidden side of the passions
What was and what will not
Unforgettable sensations
That will always be
To remind us
Dream kisses
So many good times
Only time will even be able to prove
Our music is in the air
Thrilling the hearts
For all that is love
Looks like you
Think, remember
I'll never forget
I'll always have you with me
Our love I sing and sing
You're everything I love in life
I’ll never forget.
Eat, Pray, Love.....
Well, at first, I thought the film "Eat, Pray, Love" was going to be an egotistical journey of a "lonely, bored" (and obviously well-to-do) woman around the world to "find herself". However, we enjoyed it. Our daughter had recommended it because a friend of hers had recommended it to her, so we watched it as a family.
I have to tell you that I think Julia Roberts is a great actress; I like her and she is a natural beauty with natural acting talent. Also, when our family learned she is a practicing Hindu, we all said "ahhhhh!".
But because of a previous bias (that I would not like the film) - I "forced myself to watch it". I loved it, and although some might call it a "chick flick" - my husband liked it too! It was comedic in many scenes.....while in Italy the Italian landlady shows Julia how to fill up a bathtub with a tea kettle of hot water. Surprised (at how little water there is) Julia looks up in the Italian book "it doesn't look like enough water". The landlady replies (without flinching) "it's ENOUGH-a to wash-a all the important stuff". The same landlady tells Julia "oh, and NO MEN visiting! These American women come to Italy for two things - pasta and....sausage!"
There were some fabulous songs: Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", and a few Brazilian songs such as "Samba De Bencáo" and many others that took one to another place and time.
Although she starts off on this "journey to find herself" - she ends up helping "tutti" (all) along the way. I won't spoil it for you, but you might enjoy this film more than expected (we did!).
Plus, the scenery of Tuscany, India and Bali make it all splendid. Watch it and let me know what you thought.
I have to tell you that I think Julia Roberts is a great actress; I like her and she is a natural beauty with natural acting talent. Also, when our family learned she is a practicing Hindu, we all said "ahhhhh!".
But because of a previous bias (that I would not like the film) - I "forced myself to watch it". I loved it, and although some might call it a "chick flick" - my husband liked it too! It was comedic in many scenes.....while in Italy the Italian landlady shows Julia how to fill up a bathtub with a tea kettle of hot water. Surprised (at how little water there is) Julia looks up in the Italian book "it doesn't look like enough water". The landlady replies (without flinching) "it's ENOUGH-a to wash-a all the important stuff". The same landlady tells Julia "oh, and NO MEN visiting! These American women come to Italy for two things - pasta and....sausage!"
There were some fabulous songs: Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", and a few Brazilian songs such as "Samba De Bencáo" and many others that took one to another place and time.
Although she starts off on this "journey to find herself" - she ends up helping "tutti" (all) along the way. I won't spoil it for you, but you might enjoy this film more than expected (we did!).
Plus, the scenery of Tuscany, India and Bali make it all splendid. Watch it and let me know what you thought.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
CHICKEN ASPARAGUS WITH TARRAGON.....
Thursday, May 19, 2011
yet another fun Mahjong tile matching game
Well, I love the Mahjong tile matching game I posted before, but like everyone in the world, I get bored playing the SAME game over and over and over - so I found this version on Yahoo, which is also fun:
http://games.yahoo.com/brain-games/mahjongg
http://games.yahoo.com/brain-games/mahjongg
Billy's story.....and Truck Drivers
Our Billy has a very unusual background. We live in the Northeastern part of USA. Billy (a rat terrier by breed) originally came from the Seattle, Washington area (WAY over on the other part of the country)......THOUSANDS of miles away from here.
He was a "rescue" dog - that is, he was being cared for temporarily but needed a home. We didn't know the full story about him until after we had adopted him. By the way, if you are looking for a sweet tempered dog, I highly recommend rat terriers and a rescue organization for rat terriers called "Ratbones Rescue" (online). We saw Billy's photo online and fell in love!! We read that he was great with dogs (at the time we had another dog), great with cats (we had those too!) and great with kids (we had one of those too!). What is so cool about "Ratbones Rescue" is that they investigate the home as rigidly as one would be inspected to adopt a child. They even come and check out the home to make sure it's a good place.
We knew we had to wait a bit for him because he had Lyme disease (caused by a tick, but curable) and that his "foster Mum" would release him only when he was completely cured of the Lyme disease.
The foster Mum lived about 3 states away and agreed to meet halfway. It would be a 4 hour drive for both of us (her/ourselves). It was a very good meeting and Billy jumped into our car (and lives!) as if he'd been there forever.
All the 4 hours back home, we couldn't help but notice that every time a 16-wheeler truck went by, he would get very excited and would jump up to see it pass by. "We must ask his foster Mum, if she knows, why he's so interested in big trucks!".
So - we called his foster Mum and asked - she broke out in laughter!! "Oh, you really want to hear Billy's life story?" (of course we did!). He came from Seattle, Washington, where he belonged to an elderly lady. The lady had a stroke and went to hospital, never to return home again. Billy hid while the paramedics came; he was scared. Several weeks went by and neighbours thought they heard a DOG barking in the deceased lady's apartment. Indeed it was - it was Billy. There were no relatives, so Billy would have been taken to the pound (even possibly put to sleep) except that one of the neighbours happened to be a volunteer for "Ratbones Rescue". She said all the foster Mums/Dads in the state of Washington already had more than their quotas, so they would "send" Billy to the first available Foster Mum/Dad - who happened to be all the way over on the other side of the country - in Connecticut!! So how did Billy travel from Washington State to Connecticut?? His foster Mum said that a lot of truckers are kind-hearted and work with organizations such as theirs. One trucker might say "Oh, I'm not going to Connecticut, but I'm going as far as Kansas City, if you can find another trucker to take him another thousand miles". Then another trucker volunteers to take the dog as far as Chicago, and another trucker volunteers to take the dog from Chicago to Buffalo (mind you, this all has to be pre-coordinated!!) and finally a trucker volunteers to take the dog from Buffalo to Connecticut! AND all the while, Billy sat up in the front seat, just looking down at the world and enjoying the ride! So that explained his excitement and fascination of BIG TRUCKS. His Foster Mum said "Hey, if you ever want to make his day - take him to a truck stop and he'll think he went to heaven!!"
One learns a lot by living (and getting old!) - I never realized there were truck drivers so kind and compassionate to volunteer to do such things. I have a friend who was a former truck driver, and as a female, she was a rarity among truck drivers. She told us something I have never forgotten. She said "if ever you are driving and feel sleepy and need to SLEEP at a rest-stop......don't go to where the cars go. Go, instead to where the big trucks go. Find a space between 2 large trucks and park there - it is a truckers 'code' that if a car parks between two trucks the truckers should protect the car's inhabitants for the night". I NEVER forgot that. One time we were driving from Ohio to Mississippi and although Nando and I switched off - there came a point about 40 minutes before Mississippi when I could not keep my eyes open. Nando was snoring loudly and our daughter way too young to drive. I saw a rest stop and did exactly as my friend, Fran, had told me.....went to the TRUCKERS part, found a space between 2 huge trucks and fell asleep. I do not know how long I slept but when I awakened, there was only ONE truck and a note on my windshield....."you left your door unlocked; I locked it for you all; have a safe journey".
He was a "rescue" dog - that is, he was being cared for temporarily but needed a home. We didn't know the full story about him until after we had adopted him. By the way, if you are looking for a sweet tempered dog, I highly recommend rat terriers and a rescue organization for rat terriers called "Ratbones Rescue" (online). We saw Billy's photo online and fell in love!! We read that he was great with dogs (at the time we had another dog), great with cats (we had those too!) and great with kids (we had one of those too!). What is so cool about "Ratbones Rescue" is that they investigate the home as rigidly as one would be inspected to adopt a child. They even come and check out the home to make sure it's a good place.
The foster Mum lived about 3 states away and agreed to meet halfway. It would be a 4 hour drive for both of us (her/ourselves). It was a very good meeting and Billy jumped into our car (and lives!) as if he'd been there forever.
All the 4 hours back home, we couldn't help but notice that every time a 16-wheeler truck went by, he would get very excited and would jump up to see it pass by. "We must ask his foster Mum, if she knows, why he's so interested in big trucks!".
So - we called his foster Mum and asked - she broke out in laughter!! "Oh, you really want to hear Billy's life story?" (of course we did!). He came from Seattle, Washington, where he belonged to an elderly lady. The lady had a stroke and went to hospital, never to return home again. Billy hid while the paramedics came; he was scared. Several weeks went by and neighbours thought they heard a DOG barking in the deceased lady's apartment. Indeed it was - it was Billy. There were no relatives, so Billy would have been taken to the pound (even possibly put to sleep) except that one of the neighbours happened to be a volunteer for "Ratbones Rescue". She said all the foster Mums/Dads in the state of Washington already had more than their quotas, so they would "send" Billy to the first available Foster Mum/Dad - who happened to be all the way over on the other side of the country - in Connecticut!! So how did Billy travel from Washington State to Connecticut?? His foster Mum said that a lot of truckers are kind-hearted and work with organizations such as theirs. One trucker might say "Oh, I'm not going to Connecticut, but I'm going as far as Kansas City, if you can find another trucker to take him another thousand miles". Then another trucker volunteers to take the dog as far as Chicago, and another trucker volunteers to take the dog from Chicago to Buffalo (mind you, this all has to be pre-coordinated!!) and finally a trucker volunteers to take the dog from Buffalo to Connecticut! AND all the while, Billy sat up in the front seat, just looking down at the world and enjoying the ride! So that explained his excitement and fascination of BIG TRUCKS. His Foster Mum said "Hey, if you ever want to make his day - take him to a truck stop and he'll think he went to heaven!!"
One learns a lot by living (and getting old!) - I never realized there were truck drivers so kind and compassionate to volunteer to do such things. I have a friend who was a former truck driver, and as a female, she was a rarity among truck drivers. She told us something I have never forgotten. She said "if ever you are driving and feel sleepy and need to SLEEP at a rest-stop......don't go to where the cars go. Go, instead to where the big trucks go. Find a space between 2 large trucks and park there - it is a truckers 'code' that if a car parks between two trucks the truckers should protect the car's inhabitants for the night". I NEVER forgot that. One time we were driving from Ohio to Mississippi and although Nando and I switched off - there came a point about 40 minutes before Mississippi when I could not keep my eyes open. Nando was snoring loudly and our daughter way too young to drive. I saw a rest stop and did exactly as my friend, Fran, had told me.....went to the TRUCKERS part, found a space between 2 huge trucks and fell asleep. I do not know how long I slept but when I awakened, there was only ONE truck and a note on my windshield....."you left your door unlocked; I locked it for you all; have a safe journey".
Friday, May 13, 2011
So, how did I meet my soulmate?
My husband and I love to tease our adopted daughter about how he and I met....we have this GREAT story (she rolls her eyes!) "Well, your Papa was plucking tea at the Norwood Tea Plantation in Sri Lanka, and I was plucking tea at the Bogowanna Tea Plantation in Sri Lanka......strong winds were blowing and suddenly (although on different sides of the road) we BUMPED into one another! Well, according to Sri Lankan custom if two tea baskets touch (especially male and female) - they MUST MARRY!!!" "Oh, Mama!! Please don't tell that tea basket story again - how did you really meet?"
Personally, I LIKE the tea basket story, don't you??
In reality - my husband-to-be (Nando) and I had a mutual friend in Houston. At the time he lived in Houston and I lived in Florida. I had befriended Ofelia during a computer class I took in Houston (she was a very kind Mexican-American who invited me immediately to her home). She and I kept in touch (this was PRE-email, folks!!!). One day she wrote "There is the NICEST guy - I wish you two could meet - he is so, so sweet. Can I at least give him your mailing address and if you don't like his letter - just toss it in the rubbish, no obligations!" Well, that's a nice, vague, non-obligatory invitation. Although I was busy career-wise and also looking after my Mum, I said "OK - let him send the letter, I suppose".
The letter arrived; it was very sweet. Along with the letter came his photo (and gosh, he looked like Bambi!). He asked me to call him "collect". We chatted for hours. We called one another the next night, and so on and those were the days long before "phone cards"!!!
After about 6 months (and nightly calls back and forth) we really felt we (Nando and I) were close friends. Sometimes I needed to call him to tell him about my day and vice versa. It wasn't "mushy" - it was like two old friends chit-chatting. He asked me a great favour after those 6 months "Would you consider coming to Houston for my birthday? I will send you a ticket, if you will come and celebrate the day with me".
Oh my, I thought about it LONG and HARD!!! What if he's a pervert or murderer? Am I saying yes to go to Houston to my DEATH? We talked about where I would stay (sadly, Ofelia had passed away from cancer - I would have loved for her to have heard this story). He told me he shared an apartment with 6 guys and had NO intention of putting me up there, but he would put me up at a hotel nearby. Even so, I DOUBTED, but something made me say yes.
Now then - what ensued as we met one another at the Houston airport was a calamity of errors. He had told me he was 5'9" tall and I had told him I was "under 30 years of age" (whew! - was that ever stretching it!!!). So I flew to Houston on the airline ticket he mailed me and there I was at the airport. People went by and by and by and I couldn't find one single greeter who was around 5'9" tall! I was UPSET!! "Oh, he's made a FOOL out of me - he never intended to meet me, period! Best I can do is get back on the next plane to Florida and forget this idiotic mess!!! He's made a FOOL of me!" Suddenly I saw this REALLY short guy over in a corner with a dozen red roses held up almost covering his face. He looked about 5'0" at best. He was also looking at me (probably in disbelief at how much OLDER I looked in person!) - and I said "Nando?" - big smile!!!! I said "You're a lot shorter than I thought" (luckily, he was chivalrous enough NOT to say "and you're a lot OLDER than I thought!).
Nando couldn't drive then, so he'd asked his friend (who didn't have a driver's license and couldn't read English signs, but HAD a car) to pick us both up. So off we 3 went and I almost screamed as I saw his friend drive down a DO NOT ENTER driveway at airport (obviously he couldn't read it in English) and the friend said (in Spanish) "Gee, I don't know why this always happens to me every time I try to come down this ramp" (horns were blowing, people were shouting, etc.). By some miracle, we made it from Houston Intercontinental Airport to a downtown restaurant of Guadalajaran food (Nando felt he should treat his friend and I for lunch). After lunch, his friend drove us to the hotel. What I immediately liked about Nando was that although he had paid for my airline ticket and hotel....he expected NOTHING in return. He was concerned about me eating dinner, and suggested we meet at the Denny's downstairs for dinner.
I spent 4 wonderful days in Houston - he took me (by bus) to the Zoo, to various restaurants, flea markets. We really liked one another as friends - I felt I could tell him anything and vice versa. And I liked that he never once felt "entitled" to sleep over at the hotel WITH me.
I went back to Florida and gosh did I ever miss him. The feeling was mutual. We called one another 2-3 times a day (people, this was PRE-phone-card days!!) and ran up (each of us) a phone bill over $300-$400 monthly. We HAD to do something; couldn't go on like this. At the time my Mum was alive and I asked her if she would move with me to Houston - Nando was willing to pay to relocate us there (me AND Mum) and quite frankly, having been raised a City Girl in Colombo - I really loved the thought of moving to Houston. But....my Mum would not even hear of it....she said quote-unquote "I will DIE here in Florida!"
Since the Mountain couldn't come to Mohammed, Mohammed had to come to the Mountain and Nando left his stable life in Houston to come to a really UNKNOWN life in Florida.
I couldn't find a place to put him up (for SURE my Mum would not even let him in the house let alone put him up), so I had two lesbian friends who had a spare room to rent and there went Nando. About 6 months later we married, but did so secretly because my Mum was so much against him - never gave him a chance, really. So - we married at the court house and Mum's busy-buddy friend called her immediately "did you KNOW your daughter got married????". Nando and I moved into a really nasty rat-and-cockroach-infested apartment after we married but it was all we could afford - we could not move in with Mum as she wouldn't tolerate him.
ANYWAY - this is a long story (personally, I prefer the TEA BASKET story of Sri Lanka!) - we are now married over 17 years and during the last years of my Mum's life - she not only accepted Nando, but almost wouldn't eat unless he was present. More stories to come!
Personally, I LIKE the tea basket story, don't you??
In reality - my husband-to-be (Nando) and I had a mutual friend in Houston. At the time he lived in Houston and I lived in Florida. I had befriended Ofelia during a computer class I took in Houston (she was a very kind Mexican-American who invited me immediately to her home). She and I kept in touch (this was PRE-email, folks!!!). One day she wrote "There is the NICEST guy - I wish you two could meet - he is so, so sweet. Can I at least give him your mailing address and if you don't like his letter - just toss it in the rubbish, no obligations!" Well, that's a nice, vague, non-obligatory invitation. Although I was busy career-wise and also looking after my Mum, I said "OK - let him send the letter, I suppose".
The letter arrived; it was very sweet. Along with the letter came his photo (and gosh, he looked like Bambi!). He asked me to call him "collect". We chatted for hours. We called one another the next night, and so on and those were the days long before "phone cards"!!!
After about 6 months (and nightly calls back and forth) we really felt we (Nando and I) were close friends. Sometimes I needed to call him to tell him about my day and vice versa. It wasn't "mushy" - it was like two old friends chit-chatting. He asked me a great favour after those 6 months "Would you consider coming to Houston for my birthday? I will send you a ticket, if you will come and celebrate the day with me".
Oh my, I thought about it LONG and HARD!!! What if he's a pervert or murderer? Am I saying yes to go to Houston to my DEATH? We talked about where I would stay (sadly, Ofelia had passed away from cancer - I would have loved for her to have heard this story). He told me he shared an apartment with 6 guys and had NO intention of putting me up there, but he would put me up at a hotel nearby. Even so, I DOUBTED, but something made me say yes.
Now then - what ensued as we met one another at the Houston airport was a calamity of errors. He had told me he was 5'9" tall and I had told him I was "under 30 years of age" (whew! - was that ever stretching it!!!). So I flew to Houston on the airline ticket he mailed me and there I was at the airport. People went by and by and by and I couldn't find one single greeter who was around 5'9" tall! I was UPSET!! "Oh, he's made a FOOL out of me - he never intended to meet me, period! Best I can do is get back on the next plane to Florida and forget this idiotic mess!!! He's made a FOOL of me!" Suddenly I saw this REALLY short guy over in a corner with a dozen red roses held up almost covering his face. He looked about 5'0" at best. He was also looking at me (probably in disbelief at how much OLDER I looked in person!) - and I said "Nando?" - big smile!!!! I said "You're a lot shorter than I thought" (luckily, he was chivalrous enough NOT to say "and you're a lot OLDER than I thought!).
Nando couldn't drive then, so he'd asked his friend (who didn't have a driver's license and couldn't read English signs, but HAD a car) to pick us both up. So off we 3 went and I almost screamed as I saw his friend drive down a DO NOT ENTER driveway at airport (obviously he couldn't read it in English) and the friend said (in Spanish) "Gee, I don't know why this always happens to me every time I try to come down this ramp" (horns were blowing, people were shouting, etc.). By some miracle, we made it from Houston Intercontinental Airport to a downtown restaurant of Guadalajaran food (Nando felt he should treat his friend and I for lunch). After lunch, his friend drove us to the hotel. What I immediately liked about Nando was that although he had paid for my airline ticket and hotel....he expected NOTHING in return. He was concerned about me eating dinner, and suggested we meet at the Denny's downstairs for dinner.
I spent 4 wonderful days in Houston - he took me (by bus) to the Zoo, to various restaurants, flea markets. We really liked one another as friends - I felt I could tell him anything and vice versa. And I liked that he never once felt "entitled" to sleep over at the hotel WITH me.
I went back to Florida and gosh did I ever miss him. The feeling was mutual. We called one another 2-3 times a day (people, this was PRE-phone-card days!!) and ran up (each of us) a phone bill over $300-$400 monthly. We HAD to do something; couldn't go on like this. At the time my Mum was alive and I asked her if she would move with me to Houston - Nando was willing to pay to relocate us there (me AND Mum) and quite frankly, having been raised a City Girl in Colombo - I really loved the thought of moving to Houston. But....my Mum would not even hear of it....she said quote-unquote "I will DIE here in Florida!"
Since the Mountain couldn't come to Mohammed, Mohammed had to come to the Mountain and Nando left his stable life in Houston to come to a really UNKNOWN life in Florida.
I couldn't find a place to put him up (for SURE my Mum would not even let him in the house let alone put him up), so I had two lesbian friends who had a spare room to rent and there went Nando. About 6 months later we married, but did so secretly because my Mum was so much against him - never gave him a chance, really. So - we married at the court house and Mum's busy-buddy friend called her immediately "did you KNOW your daughter got married????". Nando and I moved into a really nasty rat-and-cockroach-infested apartment after we married but it was all we could afford - we could not move in with Mum as she wouldn't tolerate him.
ANYWAY - this is a long story (personally, I prefer the TEA BASKET story of Sri Lanka!) - we are now married over 17 years and during the last years of my Mum's life - she not only accepted Nando, but almost wouldn't eat unless he was present. More stories to come!
People eat some STRANGE things.....
Mole Crabs (certainly much nicer words than SAND FLEAS!!!). I befriended a family (from Sicily originally) who treated me like my own family at a time I was not able to be with my family. And I learned to call the Grandma "Nona" and they were quite kind to me. However, every now and then they had a desire to make a giant pot of seasoned "mole crabs". Not only did they enlist my help to collect buckets of these at the beach, but I was invited always to the “feast” afterwards. The lady of the house would clean these and throw them into boiling water….the shells would turn pinkish red like prawns. She had this “theory” that one had to remove the “tail” (WHATEVER in heck that was!!!) – and she would make this sauté of Mole Crabs, onions, garlic, hot peppers, tomatoes – sort of like a “spaghetti” sauce. I never much cared for the “delicacy” (served with her homemade pasta with a machine she brought from Italy) because I really had a hard time “dissecting” the tiny crabs, discarding the shells (although she and her husband and Grandmama crunched down on them WHOLE, shell, legs and all ) and finding something WORTH eating inside that tiny shell. To each his/her own, I suppose!!! And please don’t use “my recipe” – I DON’T have one……I wish I’d never eaten them, but the family’s company was sweet, good and kind and one can overlook a lot when things are that way.
Emerita (genus)
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Emerita | ||
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Female Emerita analoga | ||
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Emerita is a small genus of decapod crustaceans, known as mole crabs. These are small animals that burrow in the sand in the wash zone and use their antennae for filter feeding.
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[edit] Description
Emerita has a barrel-shaped body. It has a tough exoskeleton and can hold its appendages close to the body, allowing it to roll in the tidal currents and waves.[3] It has feathery antennae, which is uses to filter plankton and detritus from the swash.[3]
Males are typically smaller in females, and in some species, such as Emerita rathbunae, the minute males live attached to the legs of the female.[4] Females are around 8–37 millimetres (0.31–1.5 in) in carapace length, depending on the species, while males vary from a similar size to females in E. austroafricana, down to 2.5 mm (0.098 in) carapace length in E. rathbunae and E. talpoida.[5]
[edit] Distribution
The genus as a whole has a broad distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. Most individual species, however, are restricted to smaller areas, and their ranges rarely overlap.[6] The genus is common on both coasts of the United States and along the Atlantic coast of Africa; the related genus Hippa is found in Australia.[7]
[edit] Species
- Emerita analoga (Stimpson, 1857) – western North America and western South America
- Emerita austroafricana Schmitt, 1937 – south-eastern Africa and Madagascar
- Emerita benedicti Schmitt, 1935 – Gulf of Mexico
- Emerita brasiliensis Schmitt, 1935 – southeastern Brazil
- Emerita emeritus (Linnaeus, 1767) – South Asia and South East Asia
- Emerita holthuisi Sankolli, 1965 – western India, Persian Gulf and Red Sea
- Emerita karachiensis Niazi & Haque, 1974 – Pakistan
- Emerita portoricensis Schmitt, 1935 – Caribbean Sea
- Emerita rathbunae Schmitt, 1935 – western Central America
- Emerita talpoida (Say, 1817) – eastern North America
It had been widely thought that the Old World species formed a monophyletic group, as did the New World species. The use of molecular phylogenetics has shown, however, that Emerita analoga, a species living along the Atlantic coast of North America, is more closely related to African species than it is to other New World species.[6]
[edit] Taxonomy
The genus Emerita was erected by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1777 work Introductio ad Historiam Naturalem.[8] The type species is Cancer emeritus (now Emerita emeritus), because at one time it was the only species in the genus.[2] Other genera with the same name have been rejected for nomenclatural purposes; these were published by Laurens Theodorus Gronovius (1764) and Friedrich Christian Meuschen (1778 and 1781).[1]
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
E. analoga digging in the sand
Emerita is adept at burrowing, and is capable of burying itself completely in 1.5 seconds.[3] Unlike mud shrimp, Emerita burrows tail-first into the sand, using the pereiopods to scrape the sand from underneath the body.[9] During this action, the carapace is pressed into the sand as anchorage for the digging limbs.[9] The digging requires the sand to be fluidised by wave action, and Emerita must bury itself in the correct orientation before the wave has passed in order to be safe from predators.[9]
As the tide changes, Emerita changes its position on the beach;[3] most individuals stay in the zone of breaking waves.[4] This may be detected by the physical characteristics of the sand. As the tide falls, the sand is allowed to settle; when Emerita detects this, it uses the temporary liquefaction from a breaking wave to emerge from its burrow, and is carried down the beach by the wave action.[4] Longshore drift may also drag Emerita laterally along a beach.[4]
The main predators of Emerita are fish; in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the barred surfperch (Amphistichus argenteus) is particularly important.[4] Seabirds also eat Emerita, but do not appear to target the aggregations of mole crabs.[4] Carcasses of Emerita provide an important food source for the closely related scavenger Blepharipoda.[4]
[edit] Life cycle
Eggs on the underside of a female E. analoga
Emerita has a short life span, perhaps no more than 2–3 years, and can reproduce in its first year of life.[4] The eggs are bright orange, and hatch into larvae, which may live as plankton for more than 4 months and can be carried long distances by ocean currents.[4] The number of zoeal stages varies between species from 6 to 11.[2]
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
External identifiers for Emerita | |
NCBI Taxonomy | |
Also found in: Wikispecies | |
1. ^ a b International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1963). "Opinion 643. Idotea Fabricius, 1798, and Mesidotea Richardson, 1905 (Crustacea, Decapoda); validation under the Plenary Powers". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 20 (1): 18–25. http://biostor.org/reference/2147.
2. ^ a b c d Christopher B. Boyko & Patsy A. McLaughlin (2010). Part IV – Hippoidea. In Martyn E. Y. Low and S. H. Tan. "Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea and families Chirostylidae and Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea)" (PDF). Zootaxa Suppl. 23: 109–129. http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s23/s23rbz139-151.pdf.
3. ^ a b c d Kenneth Henry Mann (2000). "Sandy beaches". Ecology of Coastal Waters, with Implications for Management. Volume 8 of Studies in Ecology (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 218–236. ISBN 9780865425507. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4lWl-0Rsi5MC&pg=PA228.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Edward F. Ricketts, Jack Calvin, David W. Phillips & Joel W. Hedgpeth (1992). "Open-coast sandy beaches". Between Pacific Tides (5th ed.). Stanford University Press. pp. 249–265. ISBN 9780804720687.
5. ^ T. Subramoniam (1981). "Protandric hermaphroditism in a mole crab, Emerita asiatica (Decapoda:Anomura)". Biological Bulletin 160 (1): 161–174. JSTOR 1540910. http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/1/161.
6. ^ a b c Pilar A. Haye, Yan K. Tam, Irv Kornfield (2002). "Molecular phylogenetics of mole crabs (Hippidae: Emerita)". Journal of Crustacean Biology 22 (4): 903–915. doi:10.1651/0278-0372(2002)022[0903:MPOMHE]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 1549850.
7. ^ Colin Little (2000). "The coarse extreme: life on sandy beaches". The Biology of Soft Shores and Estuaries. Oxford University Press. pp. 35–57. ISBN 9780198504269. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wKyGWAUgWXIC&pg=PA36.
8. ^ Ioannis Ant. Scopoli (1777) (in Latin). Introductio ad historiam naturalem sistens genera lapidum, plantarum, et animalium hactenus detecta, caracteribus essentialibus donata, in tribus divisa, subinde ad leges naturae. Prague: Wolfgang Gerle. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/42076.
9. ^ a b c Adolf Seilacher (2007). "Plate 21. Burrowing techniques". Trace Fossil Analysis. Springer. p. 64. ISBN 9783540472254
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