Lamb Stew - Hold the Lamb

 

Happy October 

 the months are flying by!

Today is a World Day.

World always stands out,

punching me in the face –

 making me realise

the importance of the day.

World Days are,

therefore, difficult to ignore!

Today’s World Day is…

World Vegetarian Day!



 

 

 

I have lived in countries,

where meat is stored carefully

 on hot cement blocks…

where meat is protected from flies

 by an occasional flick of a hand…

or, more elaborative,

the slowly rotating, man-made device,

which is hung above the meat

 and drips plastic bags…

scaring the flies away.

I’ve walked past bowls of fish,

eels and crabs, slowly flicking

 in shallow water…

and yet, my stomach

coped with every meal…

Well…there was that one time…

In an Irish Pub in Bangkok.

I was having Irish stew –

as you do…

Lamb, it was.

There were huge chunks of tender lamb,

filling my bowl of stew.

It was good.

And then, it happened.

I pictured a buffalo –

something I saw every day

 when I lived in the North East of Thailand.

The buffalo tends to have a huge,

 round stomach.

I pictured someone with a huge knife,

slicing the side of a buffalo a

nd turning the flesh

into chunks of meat for my stew.

Right then and there,

my stew lost all appeal.

That was years ago…

and, don’t get me wrong –

I eat meat.

 I do.

But, sometimes, every now and again…

I picture the animal I am eating…

Not the "cute little lamb",

but the knife - chunking the flesh… 

I lose my appetite a little.

 

Once, a young boy came to me

and told me he had cut

 his leg on a seat.

“Show me”, I said…

and watched him twist his knee

 to show me a small hole in the skin.

Something yellow was poking out –

Muscle? Sinew? Fat? 

There was no blood.

It seemed ok…

and then, it happened.

The blood started.

It didn’t trickle…

it didn’t dribble…

It pumped.

Squirt.

Squirt.

Squirt.

 It was the smell that got to me.

Bloody flesh.

The smell lingered in my nostrils

 for some time. I

t’s a butcher shop smell.

It’s not a good smell for me.

So, today is World Vegetarian Day.

The site has facts and figures…

forests and bushland turned into crops

to feed the animals we will later eat…

overgrazing and the damage it does…

animals and plants becoming endangered

through habitat loss…

water costs of animal rearing…

increased carbon monoxide…

All that aside,

the thing that pushes me

towards my vegetarian diet

 is my imagination!

 Some information from

the North American Vegetarian Society’s

webpage:

Logo, facebook 

 

Feeling Flushed

So, It’s Museum Day.

Unfortunately,

I don’t like museums much…

I learned that

while I was travelling. 

 The Lonely Planet books

would list all of the

must see attractions

and I would trudge off,

 so as not to miss out

on the “amazing museum”. 

 Finally, I gave in. 

 I admitted it. 

I don’t like museums…

well, most of them. 

 There is always the

landmine museum in Cambodia,

run by Aki Ra

and the cool

Forensic Museum in Bangkok… 

 And now,

I have learned of another museum…

 in India…

a toilet museum! 

The museum celebrates

the styles and designs

of toilets used worldwide,

throughout history. 

Enter the

Sulabh International

Museum of Toilets here.

Luckily,

it’s also

No Dirty Dishes Day! 

 Woohoo!

Another day I can celebrate

whole-heartedly!

(Unless it means

that I MUST wash up

every dish

as soon as it even

 looks dirty...)

Photos from here.

Buddha Day

It’s Buddha Day today. 

I wondered

what to write about… 

After living in a

Buddhist country

for three years,

I understand a little

about Buddhism and Buddha…

 But, I’m not going

to get bogged down

in religious facts

 and historical data. 

 Instead, I’m taking you to

Phimai, in the

north-east of Thailand. 

I first went to the

Phimai temple a long,

long, long, long time ago

– in 1991. 

I was with my Thai family

and casually strolled

the historical grounds,

 wondering at the thousand odd

 year old buildings

and gazing over the

picturesque location

(under a blazing sun and

 covered in several

sticky layers of sweat!)

Ever since,

these ruins have remained

some of my favourites. 

 I have been back

to wander the old

“halls” several times.   

It seems to have been

built in the 11^th or 12^th century…

(what’s a hundred years, anyway?!)

  It pre-dates the Angkor temples.

It is built in the style

of the ancient Khmer temples.

Happy Buddha Day

*Also –

today is NO Diet Day…

feel free to have another brownie…

Cheese… sure! 

That extra pie – no worries! 

Another wine? Go for it!  T

im Tams?  Why not! 

Enjoy!!

Photos from here and here.

Second Chances in Bangkok

I went on a bike ride once.

It was a sunny day... 

I passed some waterways,

a few groves of trees and some incredible people.

I was in Bangkok... ... and I was riding through the slums of Klong Toey.  Piles of rubbish lay on the greasy streets, alleys were stinking of urine and homes were built from whatever scraps of timber and tin that could be found.  The people living in the slums were dressed in simple clothes.  Some of the children held grubby stuffed toys, while most played in the dirt by the railway.

I was an expatriate, working in a Thai school.

At the end of my two years,

I packed up my stuff and left.

Many, many years earlier... I was living in the North East of Thailand.  A Canadian friend of mine was leaving our small town in the North East.  She had thrown away her shirts, filthy from constant wear in a hot, sticky town.  So I was stunned, the next day, when I saw a man wearing her shirt as he walked down the road.  He’d obviously found her clothes in the garbage, washed them and was making use of them.

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget

just how much

“good stuff” we have.

 

Jodie, Chris and Family

I recently heard about Second Chance Bangkok.

An Aussie couple (Jodie and Chris) have been living in the slums of Klong Toey (Bangkok) for a few years now.  They have set up Second Chance Bangkok to help the people living in the slums.

The basic idea seems to be that people donate the stuff they no longer want... and women in the group resell the goods.  The money they make, helps them provide for their families.

Clothes are sewn into bags or toys... clothes, home-goods, skateboards and toys are resold... and dignity and hope are restored.

 

baby boy

Second Chance Bangkok provides a solution to the unwanted stuff that people end up packing, storing, and then... eventually... throwing away.  Unwanted items can be donated (and there is even a “pick-up” service!) – saving the stress of packing the “stuff” in the first place! The donation of these items means that people find jobs, money becomes available in a community stricken by poverty, children are given a chance.

Another great opportunity provided by Second Chance Bangkok, is the Summer Break Holiday Programs provided for the children of the slums.  The kids are given the chance to watch movies, go swimming and participate in camping and crafting activities.

Money raised goes to projects that support needy children and their families... Children with special needs are assisted... education scholarships are awarded... medicines can be purchased.

Jodie and Chris have taken “sustainability” and “recycling” to a different stage.

Having seen that man wearing my friend’s ratty old shirt... I know that the people of the Klong Toey slums must be so grateful for the new chances they are being given.

Great job, Second Chance Bangkok!

Tiger Art

The kids are getting great

at their art!

I told them I'd stop teaching them -

they are getting too good!

They have just drawn tigers

inspired by Tiger Temple in Thailand.

I gave them almost no help.

All I did

was show how to draw a tiger's

eye, snout and mouth.

I showed them how to draw some stripes.

They produced these tigers.

While some were a little

"Year 5-ish."..

one student definitely stood out

with her detailed drawing:

The kids loved watching Thai

elephants painting in Thailand.

They were stunned as they watched

an elephant paint this:

We just had to have a go at it, too!

Take Aim

Travel warnings

have probably increased for Thailand today.

Guns will be out…

People will be lining the streets.

No one will be safe!

It’s Songran, Thai New Year.

Today will see

the start of a nation-wide water fight…

… in every city, town and village of Thailand.

No matter who you are

Or what you are doing

(Or what you are carrying!)

If you walk outside in Thailand today

Expect to get wet!

And... I'd be avoiding the elephants!

Picture taken from here:

http://blog.geovisions.org/geovisions-blog/?Tag=Conversation%20Partner

A Day To Remember

There’s a day I hardly remember -

But, it’s one of the most

memorable days I’ve had!

Way back when I was a teenager, I was sitting

at the edge of a market. A Thai market

I can’t remember why I was sitting there.

(With unfamiliar languages bouncing around me,

there’s a chance I didn’t know - even then!)

I don’t remember exact events

or smells or noises from that day...

But, I remember Thai markets.

I’m sure there was a lingering sewerage smell

and the stench of rubbish would

have drifted from a dark corner.

Old ladies, bent from years of rice planting,

would have moved through the stalls,

selecting pieces of fruit and vegetables for their meals.

No doubt, it was hot and

I was sweating... for sure!

I probably heard the splashes as an eel

flipped in a tub of water, waiting to be sold.

Tiny turtles, frogs and fish were probably around me.

A buffalo or a goat may have been

chopped up and laid on the hot cement,

ready to be sold.

Chickens would have been housed

in small bamboo domes.

Desserts and delicious treats

would have been on display and someone

would have been selling iced coffee,

drowned in sweetened condensed milk

and served in a plastic bag.

So, what made this day so memorable?

... A sudden weight on my shoulder.

I was sitting on the seat,

surrounded by the market,

when a great weight

suddenly dropped onto my shoulder.

As I looked over my shoulder,

I stared up the trunk of an elephant.

An elephant had placed its trunk on my shoulder!

If it hadn’t happened,

I probably wouldn’t have believe it.

The elephant’s mahoot must have thought

I was a strange sight, sitting by the market,

surrounded by all things Thai.

A moment later, the elephant

lifted its trunk and turned away.

I gazed after it in amazement.

Years and years later,

I still remember this so clearly.

It's proof that even the most usual of days

might turn out to be one of the most amazing...

You just never know.