Tag Archives: history

Tea, Corn, and the Colonial History of Food

Trying not to be troubled by the limited connectivety that Portugal offers. I’ve dealt with it for years.. but every trip I’m annoyed with the slow progress the nation makes.

The interesting conversation over dinner is my topic for today. This evening, as I had just wandered back to Lisbon for some relaxing. Got called to dinner with JP and his very worldly family. Both his parents are very well schooled in History, just as he is, so naturally everything has its historical context… even things I’d never considered.

At some point the topic of food came up and where certain foods come from. And considering the very long colonial period of Portugal in relation to the rest of the world, it is interesting to know that in fact- it was Portugal that introduced alot of foods to parts of the world that had never heard of it. Some examples?:

Tea. I’ve heard this story for years. Portugal had a special relationship with China long before any other nations, and one thing they shared was this thing called tea. At some point, a Portuguese princess was visiting Bombay around 1650, and she asks for tea. Their hosts have never heard of it. They go looking in the stock of different spice and herb sellers.. and they find tea, which to that point, was not thought of as a drink. I think from there it becomes a known drink in Europe, especially with the British.

Beyond tea, Rice is also a big deal in Portugal and has been for centuries. But of course, rice arrived in Portugal thanks to very early trade with Asia in the pre-colonial days.

And the list goes on… corn.. which can be found all over the north of Portugal.. came from the Americas. They had a different version of corn here, prior, and it was barely worth eating.. apparently.

I’ll mention one last one for tonight… potatoes. Originally from the Andes mountains, apparently for a long time even after being introduced in Portugal, people saw the practice of eating the potato of the plant as disgusting. JP’s dad remembers his grandparents scoffing at the idea of eating that part of a potato plant.

Interestingly one thing that sticks out in my head, which his mother mentioned, is that these types of transplantation and plant introductions might today be viewed as dangerous and crazy. Then again, considering the widespread use of genetically modified foods, maybe the tradition continues with a whole new twist and a new set of risks that maybe weren’t considered back then. It may seem like a story that ended happily, with the whole world having more choice of food, but being that we understand more about the risks now than we did then, we should proceed responsibly. Still, amazing to think food that is considered typical of a nation, often has orgins that are far far away.

Vlog from the fields containing fruit and veggies…. forthcoming this weekend.

While They Point Fingers, People Die

It’s very hard to consider blogging about anything else when every hour that goes by, so many people’s lives are being destroyed. Of course that can be said for everyday that goes by, but the present situation involving Lebanon, Occupied Palestine, and Israel is just dark with seemingly no light at the end of no tunnel.

On hardtalk last night, the only program on BBCWorld that is truely exciting, the chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority was on. I thought the man was going to break down crying. He threw up his hands and admitted all hell had broken loose. When questioned as to why the PA had lost control, he used an anecdote, saying: “It is as if, I tie your hands, I cut off your legs, I throw you in the water and then ask – why can’t you swim.” Saddest of all, as an old man, he talked about how he has lived most of his life under the occupation and he would most certainly die in it, and that in his life he had never seen it THIS BAD.

A quick look at the latest developments features lots of finger pointing. Lots of people will most certainly buy into it. The equations and connections that they point to: Syria this, Iran that, Lebanon this, Hezbollah that, Israel this, North Korea that…. how the hell did they manage to tie North Korea into it? Seems like anything goes these days. All the evangelical politicians who never have to pull a trigger or even get any blood on their suits, are rushing to attain their beloved armageddon.

Seriously though, the one thing I keep thinking about his how history will view this. Considering the death tolls, the bombings, the missiles, the refugee camps, the starvation and psychological trauma… could you imagine how this compares to other moments in history when large amounts of people were suffering or under attack, and other nations stood by and did nothing? It feels like one of those moments. A Rwanda. A Khmer Rouge. Yes, I don’t mind saying it, a holocaust. No its not the same. Its never the same. It has a different look, a different story, and naturally, it never seems like it is comparable. But in the end, the results are not so different. Large numbers of innocent people are murdered by the use of conventional weapons or driven from there homes en masse, in the name of some political or military objective, while in the wealthier part of the world, we go to work, take a vacation, or if you’re me- ride around in a little red boat all evening.

A Brief BBC Appearance de Moi

Not that I think you should have to hear MORE “me” than you already hear/read/see. But since I still hope to please my mom and make her and dad extra proud, I would just like to announce that I was one of the call-in guests on the BBC worldservice program “World Have Your Say” .. which can be a little crazy as anytime the world has its say… someone inevitably talks over someone. *

I’d like to say it was no big deal and I played it cool, but I was pacing around my room half angry, half nervous, hoping I wouldn’t suddenly contract tourette’s sydrome. (sorry if you’ve got it… ) When my turn came I was determined to leave no spaces in my speech for someone to interrupt. It worked well for about 45 seconds, then – oddly enough – my last words got stepped on by one of the panelists complimenting my statement. Go figure.

Then I think an Israeli guy mistakenly accused me of spreading misinformation. Which would be exciting but I wasn’t the guy he meant to accuse. Ah well.

–READ The TEXT, and from there you can hear the recording (I’m around minute 18.30).-

Lastly tonight, and actually something I mentioned on the programme, I’ve been reading up about the history and present situation of the UN peacekeeping operation UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. I had not realized that these 2,000 troops have been there, along the blue line, since the late 70’s. Troops from France, Ireland, Norway, Ghana, India, Nepal, Italy (and more) are part of the mission. The mission, by the way, was to ensure that Israel fully withdrew from the region and enable Lebanon to regain control of the territory. Neither really ever TRUELY occurred. The saddest part, reading all this, is that all the parties involved have repeatedly disrespected the peacekeepers by crossing the line or firing at each other over that line. (over 200 killed) I have to say, I’m not that surprised that Hezbollah disrespects the authority of the UN – they’re not known for embracing international law or peace. But it’s a bit odd that Israel, a signatory of the UN charter, has disrespected, overtaken, and even shot in the direction of this UN mandated peacekeeping force.

In conclusion, and what I didn’t get to finish saying on the BBC, is that this mission must be seriously re-enforced with troops from all continents… especially North America and Europe, to ensure that they are taken seriously, and that neither side dare to cross a well trained, well equipped, and very high profile mission. (see Kosovo, Bosnia, and to a lesser extent – East Timor, for references)

(*Special thanks to Matt for suggesting me for the programme!)

Plan Your Emergency Exit

I’m from New Jersey, and I realize that automatically gives me a penchant for sarcasm or exaggeration. But my message for you on this American holiday, which celebrates an alleged “indepedence” of some sort, is that I urge you to draw up a plan for leaving the country in the event that it becomes necessary.

I repeat. Plan what your exit would look like, if push ever came to shove. At your workplace, there is not doubt a little sketch somewhere of which exit to take in the event of a fire or other emergency, someone has laid out the plan for you, should that time ever come. And when a fire does happen, it is unlikely that you will sit at your desk until the flames spread over your body. NO! You would most certainly respond to signs or indicators, such as the smell of smoke or an alarm.

Now take it beyond your workplace, beyond the building you call your home, and look at the broader picture in terms of country. You’re probably often preached to about how you live in the greatest country on earth. A pleasant idea, surely, but there are a long list of reasons that tell another story… mostly a story about a country with plenty of bad aspects and good ones as well. And like any country, especially one where the government is very powerful, and a small percentage of people live at a super high standard while a much larger percentage teeter on the brink of poverty; the situation can become highly unstable, and above all, hazardous to you health or the future of your life or family. And like the possibility of an emergency occurring at home or at work, every American should now have a plan as to where – in terms of country – they would move to in order to escape the effects of such an emergency.

At this point, those in denial will stop reading. Those who are scared or blissfully ignorant will probably click over to some other site as well. Obviously the idea of moving your whole life, leaving the home you’ve probably had a hand in building, can be a very paralyzing and insane sounding idea. But you most find the strength to act; and the first, most basic act, is to make an exit plan.

Maybe you have friends in Canada. Perhaps the drive to Mexico isn’t a long one. A growing number of Americans are finding ways to get the passport of their heritage country, where their grandparents came from. Whatever your method, go over the steps in your head. Sources of money, how to meet the needs of you or your children. A contact you haven’t caught up with in a long time that would be able to help. Any and all of these are important.

Whatever your plan looks like, make no mistake that you need one. If you look back at history you’ll recognize the empires and you will realize the United States is the current empire. On the same hand, you may see familiar signs that led to the decline of past empires: military expansion and crusades to conquer foreign countries, lack of resources (fiscal control) when it comes to government spending, undermining of laws and legal decisions by the government or leader, etc. The list goes on, and a growing number of these factors can be identified as true for the present day United States.

So when you bar-b-q today and gather with family, blocking out all the bullshit and negative feelings that you can sense eminating from almost every statement or decision announced by the government at various levels. Forgetting for a brief moment about everything you notice on a day-to-day basis regarding the horrible state of the national health, education, and personal finances for a majority of the population. As you try not to think about the fact that even in the last week, elected officials have called for the free press to be arrested or shot, and to stop investigating and stop reporting on the actions of the government, because we are supposed to simply trust the government and fear an act called terrorism above anything else. When you have finished the watermelon and the veggieburgers, and succesfully blocked all this out today – start making that emergency exit plan.

Because if you take a deep breath, you might smell the thick smoke all around you.

Fascist Afterlife in Italy

I was cruising down the Prinsengracht today, heading towards home, and wondering what had become of my dear friend Krizushka who last I heard, had moved to the Pijp neighborhood of Amsterdam. I had forgotten about the exciting and bizarre project she is involved in; tonight when I found her on skype, she had just returned from doing research in Italy, and immediately starting talking about it.

“.. I dined with 6 hardcore fascists who invited me to sleep in Mussolini’s house,” she reported. She didn’t sleep there, but she told me she went to his family home in Predappio, saw his bed, along with a mirror that when the light falls on it, you can still see his face. She also noted that these modern fascists still salute each other with the Il Duce/Hitler salute thing. I asked about political parties and she pointed out two: the movimento sociale italiano – the neo fascists, and the alternativa sociale – old school fascists; led by none other than Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter and outspoken supporter of grandpa.

I did a little research into it, and it is pretty unbelievable: Alessandra Mussolini was elected to the European Parliament!! Not only that, as both she and her party are homophobic, I was extra horrified to find she sits on the parliamentary committee for Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs – THE HORROR. Oh, and as a sidenote, she posed in Playboy long ago, not that it matters.

K seemed pretty shocked about the whole experience, she probably won’t be thrilled I’m writing about it, but it is pretty ponderous. I think we forget that some history wasn’t so long ago, and is always connected to the present, sometimes in a most disturbing and dangerous way.

bm133 Love Letters and Forgotten Secrets; The Words of Ahmadinejad

Judging by the news stories over the past few days, the US has come to accept that Iran can and should be talked with. While over the past few weeks, the Iranian president himself has been doing alot of talking, interviewing, and travelling. So what about this alleged monster as many western political leaders and media have portrayed him. We know he says some pretty contreversial things, but what else is he saying? This podcast looks into his recent words and rehashes Iran Contra, still very important it todays situation.

Links:
The Famous Letter
The Spiegel Interview
Iran-Contra on Wikipedia
and I mentioned Karmabanque Radio