Food Monday ~ Mango Soufflé A la Ramana
On Friday Morning I playfully reproduced a photo of a ‘Loose’ Mango. I am a little devious at times you know! :evil: It was in fact a tease for two reasons: a reminder of the Bloggers Consortium at 5pm that day, and a trap to see how well ‘yer man‘ can cook! He fell for it hook line and sinker with the following comment:
Loose, tight, soft, hard, raw, ripe, dried, pickled or whatever, in whatever form, give me mangoes.
Naturally, I couldn’t let that one pass so I demanded he put his money where his mouth was, and share a recipe for Mangoes. I reproduce the email in full, because it is sure to introduce discussion, I know I had to avail of ‘Google Images’ for one of the fruits mentioned.
This is the best that I could come up with using ripe mangoes. You can call it a Mango soufflé. A la Ramana if you insist! You can use any pulpy fruit in season for this sweet dish. Guavas, Sapotas and Custard Apples, particularly come out well. You can add powdered cardamom to give it a tangy flavour.
I have eaten Guavas, tasted Custard Apples once, but never heard of Sapotas. So without further ado I give you…
Mango Soufflé A la Ramana
You will require:
½ cup mango – sliced
½ cup mango - blended in a blender
sugar to taste
3 eggs – (I prefer free range)
2 tsp gelatin – soak for some time in a little water.
¾ cup cream
What to do:
Separate the egg whites and yolks
Add the puree and separated yolk to the sugar, whisk and cook over a pan of boiling water till the sugar completely gets absorbed.
To some hot water, add the gelatin and add it to the yolk puree mix and let it cool
Whip the cream and add it to the mixture and place the sliced mango into it
Whip the egg whites and mix it with the above mixture
Freeze for a couple of hours.
When serving, decorate with cream lines and sultanas/ sliced almonds. (If I have some fresh mint leaves, I just place a few on top as well. Mint leaves assist in digesting the meal which would have preceded this!)
#o#o#o#
Thank you Ramana. Alas, I will be unable to try it because of the cream, but I am sure the many followers of this spot will indulge and enjoy.
Ramana, not satisfied with providing one recipe, he pestered requested his sister Padmini, an Editor/Co-author for some prize/award winning cookery books to sent three recipes for raw mango using dishes that are very popular with South Indians during the mango season, which is during their summer months of April to June. So watch this space; there will be more mango recipes in the future.
NOTE: For any pregnant ladies out there, the egg whites are uncooked. I never know whether it is the egg yolk or the whites that you have to watch out for!
Rumuuser said,
August 24, 2009 at 12:59 pm
If you are willing to be adventurous, instead of regular cream of milk, you can try cream of coconut, available in cans/pouches. I have not tried it but should be an interesting alternative.
Grannymar said,
August 24, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Ramana,
Now I never thought of using the coconut milk instead of cream. I do use it in smoothies and to make dessert rice pudding. I like the one that comes in cans but not the block that you add water to.
Nancy said,
August 24, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Say, I really like the idea of “Free Range” eggs…
After you have set them free is it hard to get them to come back; or do they prefer to wander all over the countryside ?
I have seen them sitting on walls; I have seen them taking great falls and all the King’s………..Oh! you know the rest….. That’s the risk you take when you make your eggs “Free Range”. Just ask Mrs. Dumpty.
Her husband,Humpty, was a free range egg and now he is a shell of his former self…
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 24, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hi
You can use Soy milk too to make desserts. Wait a few months and my new Vegan cookbook will be out!
Sapota is a nutty fruit that is typically tropical. It is also called chikoo in the north of India. Looks like a kiwifruit but soft skin nad brown through with oval black seeds.
Padmini
Grannymar said,
August 24, 2009 at 3:44 pm
@Nancy - I paint a lovely picture of Free Range Eggs. I can tell you there is nothing to compare with a freshly boiled free range egg for breakfast. I am sure Nelly would agree with me.
@Padmini - Welcome to my blog. I hope your big brother did not pester you too much into providing recipes for this space. They will appear in future weeks. Sapota was totally new to me. Thank you for telling us more about it.
Magpie11 said,
August 24, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Sapota comes from the same tree that gives us chickel to make proper chewing gum….one of those silly things one knows… I didn’t know you could eat the fruit tho.
I would never use soyamilk…too many trees felled to grow the soya..and yes most of it is used for cattle feed so only eat grass fed local meat where possible.
Maynard said,
August 24, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Free range eggs– are they white eggs or brown eggs?
When we were in Swaziland, my wife and I scrambled an ostrich egg! It feed 13 people. Ostrichs are free range, you could use 3 ostrich eggs and feed the whole blog family.
Darlene said,
August 24, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I will never get around to making this delicious sounding recipe, but if someone makes it I will eat it.
Nancy, is there no topic that you can’t turn into a funny laugh for me? I am giggling at the vision of those eggs running all over the hen house on their little legs.
Baino said,
August 24, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Nice easy recipe that one and I will try it. When they’re in season, we end up with stacks of mangoes. I buy them by the tray about 30 at a time and we gorge on them but it’s always nice to know what to do with those that are very ripe. Mangoes also freeze very well for when they’re not available fresh.
Magpie11 said,
August 24, 2009 at 10:20 pm
One thing I found really weird in the US was the lack of brown eggs….they were all pristine and white.
I had purple eggs once when I was a kid…they were laid by some black hens. Never believed it until I found blue eggs on sale .
Here we freeze mango to make the ubiquitous Smoothies”, it’s a way to get fruit into the youngest sprog! Every kind of fruit imaginable (well, blendable) goes into them.
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk said,
August 24, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I enjoyed reading this post, but I like my fruit fresh, all by its luscious self.
Magpie11 said,
August 24, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Just re read the recipe and wondered how vegetarians would get on as mango contains an enzyme that digests agar agar so it cannot be substituted for the gelatine. (I doubt that the temperature really gets high enough to denature the enzyme)
Carrageen might be an alternative tho I have never used it.
Talking of enzymes in fruit….Pineapple…contains a proteolytic enzyme… we once tested it out and injected half of a joint of pork with pineapple juice to test it as a tenderiser…dramatic results…after cooking that half of the joint collapsed! Apparently a British patrol in (iI think) the Burma jungle were very short of rations and came across a pineapple plantation and gorged themselves… with spectacular effects. The raw pineapple started to digest their innards t because they had eaten too much!
Be warned!
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk said,
August 24, 2009 at 11:11 pm
What an educational post this is!
Rhyleysgranny said,
August 24, 2009 at 11:50 pm
I love mangos although they are the very devil to get in to. I would love to try this but oh my ever expanding waist line Bit long in the tooth to worry about the pregnancy
Grannymar said,
August 25, 2009 at 12:00 am
@Magpie - You are a mine of information. Is it any wonder I nagged you into starting a blog to share it with us!
@Maynard - Free range eggs usually have a brown shell with a deep yellow/almost orange yolk. My mother often used duck eggs (blueish shell) for cake making, they had a stronger flavour.
@Darlene - I save desserts for the days when I have guests, or if I am out to lunch.
@Baino - Ramana mentioned open freezing the ripe mango in cubes, I do that already with pineapple, melon and grapes. Very refreshing in hot weather.
@Jean - I introduce the subject and everyone chips in, making for a great conversation.
@Rhyleysgranny - I love the taste but need to learn more about the fruit.
Rhyleysgranny said,
August 25, 2009 at 1:02 am
Grannymar I get my eggs from a farm up the road. They come in a rainbow of colours. There’s a pic of what I get here
http://teandwheatenbread.blogspot.com/2008/03/little-about-eggs.html
Quite often there are blue ones too. The hens are running about all over the place and in the company of all sorts of other birds. The farmer has a huge poster giving information about all the different hens and the colours of eggs they lay. Interesting stuff. The eggs are laid fresh that day and oh boy they are wonderful plus I like to see happy chooks
Ursula said,
August 25, 2009 at 3:51 am
Grannymar, there are two types of people in this world: Those who make souffles and those who don’t.
Give me a ripe unadorned mango any time and I’ll be yours.
Greetings from an enthusiastic, if sunken, cook
U
Grannymar said,
August 25, 2009 at 9:06 am
@Rhyleysgranny - Those eggs look wonderful. I fancy a plate of them right now!
@Maynard - I hope you check out that link form @Rhyleysgranny.
@Ursula - Welcome on board. You may not like making souffle, so why not check out any of the ‘Food Mondays’ for a selection of other recipes.
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 25, 2009 at 9:21 am
When I was in Mauritius we used to use China Grass to make mousse. In fact a packet of China grass, pureed fruit and condensed milk/coconut milk used to make a lovely La Mousse!
The only fruits that we did not mix with milk was papaya and pineapple that was available in plenty! They are supposed to react negatively with milk.
A mix of all fruits like mango, apple, oranges, chikoo, guavas, kiwi, strawberries and a mashed banana with a dash of honey and a tablespoon or two of molasses/gur/brown sugar and some pieces of sugar candy and raisins/dates is called Panchamrutham–meaning five fruit ambrosia! It is made as an offering for the Gods!
You can add fried cashewnuts and almonds as well!
Grannymar said,
August 25, 2009 at 9:36 am
Padmini,
Panchamrutham sounds delightful and so easy to make. Thank you.
Magpie11 said,
August 25, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Padmini….that sounds phenomenal! Wowee!
Now you know why the Pineapple and papaya would react with the milk… I wonder if you could use them like rennet?
Off to research China Grass.
Magpie11 said,
August 25, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Agar agar! …doh!
Rumuuser said,
August 25, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Grannymar, this was the last thing that I expected from a simple request for a recipe using mangoes. Just shows that none of us bloggers have a clue as to what will be popular and what not. By Gum, 23 comments already and still going strong!
Grannymar said,
August 25, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Ramana, my blog takes on a life of its own once the publish button is touched!
I am sitting back enjoying the conversation
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 25, 2009 at 3:47 pm
China Grass, also known as Agar-Agar is a seaweed derivative and a ‘vegetable gelatin’. Because of its gelatinous nature, it is used as a quick setting base …
You can still set a mousse with mango!
In fact in India we have ‘pure vegetarian’ jelly crystals available as there was a scare some years ago that jelly, that had become the kid’s manna through adblitzkreig, was made from fish bones!
Here we have ‘pure vegetarians’ who are particular about stuff like this, In fact an orthodox Brahmin (my community and I am not orthodox) or a Jain will not consume garlic and onions.
BTW my book ‘Classic Tamil Brahmin Cuisine’ that won the Gourmand Best Jury Award earlier this year records no garlic/no onion dishes from our kitchens.
The French have a lovely sorbet that they serve between courses to clear the palate. Mangi pulp can be frozen and eaten up plain- just like that. We serve the pulp of two or three different mango varieties with poori or rotis–Indian bread. It is just yummy–just a dash of cardamom powder and a few strands of saffron. If you want to freak out add roasted slivered almonds and pistachios as a garnish–this is called Aam Ras–the essence of the mango!!
In India the mango season is done–in fact traditionally we stop eating mangoes once the rains set in–the fruit becomes worm infested and causes stomach upsets. Too much mango too causes diarrhoea. In fact one of the rules of eating mango is to have it with milk! Not possible for vegans I guess!
Granymar I am having a ball interacting with all of you. God bless you all!
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 25, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Magpie!!
Pineapple and papaya are even today banned in India for pregnant women…they cause miscarriages.
In fact both fruits were used to terminate unwanted pregnancies by despertae women and wicked mother’s-in-law who had it in for their DIL’s!!
Grannymar said,
August 25, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Padmini, I am so glad you joined in. I am learning with every word you write.
Magpie11 said,
August 25, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Wow! Strong stuff… I have a few friends who swear that pineapple is really good for you.
Interesting about onions…. aliums are the only vegetable family that are eaten world wide…now I know another exception. The first on is the Eskimos. Why don’t Brahmins and Jains eat them?
bikehikebabe said,
August 26, 2009 at 5:33 am
RAW fruit pies are the best.
No dummy, you bake the crust, thicken the fruit’s juice with flour, tapioca, or some such & add to the crust later.
bikehikebabe said,
August 26, 2009 at 5:34 am
…along with the fruit of course.
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 26, 2009 at 5:44 am
Onions are shunned by Jains because it is a root vegetable.
Orthodox Hindus see the vegetable as too full of negative, tamasic energy and hence inappropriate. Added to this is that many Indian sufferers from ulcers and acidity.
Food at a subtle level is made up of the sattva, rajas and tamasic components.
The proportions of these subtle components vary depending on the type of food.
Sattva stands for purity and knowledge.
Rajas is responsible for motion, energy and preservation…so tends to be extremely active, excitable, or passionate.
Tamas denotes ignorance and inertia.
Anything that has a higher sattva component assists the spiritual journey and anything that is tamasic predominantly, has a tendency to diminish or obstruct spiritual practices.
Vegetarian food has more sattvic qualities than Non-vegetarian food.
Non-vegetarian food has more Tamasic qualities than Vegetarian food.
Basically I think an added factor was that the Brahmins were the priest class and all the mantras were chanted loudly. So if your mouth had a bad odour the person performing the rituals who sat in front of you or when a group of priests chanted, the air around would be really awful. So the taste makers were banned.
A lactating mother however was given garlic for its medicinal qualities!
Grannymar said,
August 26, 2009 at 9:04 am
Magpie - are you ready for the next lesson?
BHB - Yeah, I think the fruit is important.
Padmini - You are a mine of information. Thank you for sharing it.
Magpie11 said,
August 26, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Oh yes!
I’m tempted to point out…I think I will…that bulbs are not roots but are made up of swollen leaves, corms are swollen stems as are Rhizomes and (potato) tubers (IIRC) and are thus, strictly, not root crops…but I know what you mean.
I did wonder about the smell of garlic…. very antisocial.
quote:
Food at a subtle level is made up of the sattva, rajas and tamasic components.
Is this to do with Ayurveda?
An intriguing topic….
Grannymar said,
August 26, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I can see Padmini & Magpie keeping this topic going until the year end!
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 26, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Magpie!
The thumb rule for a jain is anything under the ground is banned because of their belief ..
The golden rule of the Jain religion is Ahimsa or non-violence in all aspects of an individual – mental, verbal and physical. We must therefore act responsibly towards humans, animals, plants and indeed all life by living with compassion and forgiveness. From the Agams or the sacred scriptures we quote:
“Killing a living being is killing one’s own self; showing compassion to a living being is showing compassion to one’s own self. He who desires his own good, should avoid causing any harm to any living being”.
So anything dug out from under the earth could cause death to unseen creatures. So it doesn’t matter whether they are bulbs or rhizomes or whatever.
Satva, rajas and tamas are ‘gunas’ –at the gross level they are related to what old Chaucer described in Canterbury Tales– the theory of the humours (four body fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile). So, yes, Ayurveda also talks about it.
At a more spiritual level it describes behaviour, attitudes and moves on to gaining equipoise in all transactions at the worldly leve.
This is just the bare skeleton that I am sketching. Maybe Ramana will flesh it out.
Rumuuser said,
August 26, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Good heavens! I am a vegetarian. How can I flesh it out?
Seriously, if it is of interest, I shall indeed answer any specific questions that you may have David. Not on the food aspects or Ayurveda, but on the relgious beliefs of Jains, Buddhists and Hindus.
Grannymar said,
August 26, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I am happy to sit back and leave the floor to you both!
Ursula said,
August 27, 2009 at 8:13 am
Padmini, that shows you what “believes” do to you: Severely hamper oneself - and culinary expression.
How can one link the humble, yet so nourishing, carrot et al with ideology? Just as an aside: Maybe if those guys ate onions they might not have stomach ulcers.
As to garlic: Eat it in good company and we’ll all be smelling the same: Delicious.
I sincerely object to being prescribed anything. It is so arbitrary, contrived, controlling. Even a potato wants to fulfill its destiny, ie being dug up and eaten by someone who appreciates the bounty of nature.
Let’s not forget, and I am not sorry if I upset sensibilities, that we ourselves - once six foot under - will be feasted upon. And that’s how it should be: Cycle of nature and all that.
U
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 27, 2009 at 10:08 am
Hi Ursula
It is very strange that we get very upset when ‘beliefs’ and ‘practices’ are discussed. If I believe something it is due to that belief being part of my life out of faith, custom or conviction.
Quote: ‘I sincerely object to being prescribed anything.’
The doctor prescribes medicines that I really don’t know much about. Yet I am happy to swallow it day in and day out in the ‘belief’ that it may do me good. it may help me with my illness or deep within me it may create other problems. It may be toxins, it may be very strong chemicals. My acceptance is based on my belief in his qualifications and experience and I do obey his prescription. More and more people are turning to natural remedies that do not come out of a test-tube. Diets, lifestyles, exercises, yoga are being prescribed and obeyed for the simple reason that it makes sense to control the stuff that you are shovelling into your mouth.
In the East the first thing that we learn to control is our taste buds. When I am a slave to likes and dislikes, to tastes and ‘vasanas’ that are controlled by my senses, that according to our philosophy is the road to sentient and temporary joy. This joy is not from within but is fed by external factors that keep multiplying, need upon need, desire upon desire and fulfillment becomes a mirage.
In our cuisine we have managed to invent ‘n’ number of dishes without using meat, onion and garlic and even what are called non- indigenous vegetables….like potatoes and tomatoes! This cuisine has worked for us hundreds and thousands of years! In fact I have written an award winning best seller book based entirely on this concept…no onion, no garlic and no non-veg. And still the cuisine has a very wide range of taste and products that are indigenous.
The Buddhists believe that they must eat anything that is given to them–without any bias for likes and dislikes. The monks especially follow this though vegetarianism is practised even amongst their people.
Food is offering from the divine in Eastern philosophies.
An interesting theory that has come back now is to restrict your eating habits to produce that is grown within a hundred mile radius.
And as for 6 feet under the ground, we cremate our dead and reduce them to ashes (Truly from dust unto dust) without putrification that is dissolved in water from the rivers and seas thus returning the transient body from where it came immediately on death. We in fact wear a streak of ash on our forehead to remind us day in and day out our final destination.
Man is the perhaps the only creature who kills for pleasure, not for need or sustenance. This pleasure is transitory, says our scriptures. And I am very happy to read and listen and follow the ‘belief’s’ and ‘practices’ that have been in use for centuries, that has evolved a culture that believes greatly in ‘live and let live’.
Whatever I write about are my own ‘beliefs’, my own ‘practices’ and my own raison de etre. I do not presume that it will work for another person. I am merely sharing them.
It works for me. No upset sensibilities on my part and I hope it is reciprocated.
God bless you all!
Rumuuser said,
August 27, 2009 at 12:39 pm
See my comment on Grannymar’s ‘Sipping Vodka’.
Grannymar said,
August 27, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I am enjoying this continuing discussion.
Magpie11 said,
August 27, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Oops! I didn’t realise that I was opening a debate on belief.
I understand what is behind Ursula’s comment, I think. I too see belief systems handed down in, what are broadly called, scriptures or in “teachings” as impositions. It seems that every set of beliefs with which I am familiar is about control of many by a few. That is true whether they are based on the supposed existence of a God or gods ot not.
However I am always willing to learn about others’ beliefs as I think that the more I know the more I can understand.
Thank you, Padmini, for your reply.
I am always interested to know why people (vegetarians and vegans) make such a distinction between plant and animal life in their diets.
I have Vegan friends who rattle on about sentient beings and eat only plants. Some rationalise their ideas with (false?) assumptions that eating meat/animal products is unhealthy. Some are of the “Aw it’s not nice to eat the fluffy little animals” brigade. Some point to our ancestry and claim that early humans/hominids never ate meat (they quote dentition as evidence along with other primates..that is daft as Chimps are known to hunt for meat as do baboons and other monkeys apparently).
I am more understanding of people who say that they are taught to be vegetarian in their spiritual beliefs….
It is all so complex and can be divisive in an age when we should be seeking to come together for the sake of all life on this planet.
Now that is another debate!
As the late (and IMHO great) comedian Dave Allen used to say; “May your god go with you.”
I now have to write about Murder…oh yes ..the Red Fox kills for “Pleasure” as do Chimps.
bikehikebabe said,
August 27, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Magpie 11’s comments are what drives me to my computer (instead of doing all my mundane jobs). Thank you Magpie (11)!
Ursula said,
August 27, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Grannymar, first of all, may you be commended for allowing your blog to be a playground of many an opinion amongst your commentors. It speaks of a generous nature.
Rumuuser, pass the bottle - this is going to be a long night.
Magpie (I love your name and its connotation), thank you for your endorsement and rubbing together the few remaining cells of my overworked brain. You summed it up perfectly.
Padmini - I’d love to answer your assertions in the detail they deserve. Unfortunately I have broken both my wrists and the one finger remaining to type somewhat stems the flow of my exuberance. Still, as they say: There will be another day - or so one hopes - to pick up where we left off.
U
bikehikebabe said,
August 27, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Padmini, I love you too. (Along with Magpie11, Ursula & all the other informative & funny commentors.)
Grannymar said,
August 27, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Magpie - I never know the turns my blog posts will take once I hit the publish button. So long as nobody gets hurt the game can continue.
BHB - I am always fascinated at the wide variety of comments made.
Padmini has brought a new de mention to the floor.
Ursula - A Blog would be dead without comments. Play on.
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 28, 2009 at 4:27 am
Hi All
Granymar I bow down to your wisdom and Ursula, Magpie, Bikehikebabe I am truly blessed to have you all in my life thanks to my dearest bro Ramana!
Magpie! I used to be a non-vegetarian. I eat onions nearly everyday and garlic sometimes (especially in pasta that I abs love)! Sorry about your wrists. Will wait for your comments.
That confession done there has been research done about the food in the digestive canal and how it is broken up, how long different food stuff takes to pass through the system et all.
I shall research it in detail and post it in a few days.
Ayurveda says that eating your veggies uncooked is the best and fastest way of getting nutrition through your stomach….As that may not be very practical, they say at least, to begin with, 1/4 of the quantity eaten should be raw. Gradually this should be increased and taken to half, 3/4th and finally the entire meal should be raw vegetables and nuts to achieve the best humours–saatvic personality.
Cooked vegetables and grain takes longer…24 hours. Meat takes 78 hours to be processed and the presence of putrified material in the system is not very beneficial. I shall give you links…all this is from lectures that I have heard and remember.
Meanwhile bon appetite and I hope we do not suffer from collective verbal indigestion from this discussion that seems to go on and on and on…mostly from me!!
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 28, 2009 at 4:45 am
I am happy that I am not in the company of ‘The Red Fox’.
I totally agree with you that I hate the idea of being told or commanded to do something.
Our way of life is not prescriptive but suggestive, advisory not didactic. As you rightly said habits and customs have been adopted by observation and practice. Whatever works has been imbibed.
Change is also factored in to our way of life. What works today may be outdated or improbable in a few years time. So many truths and natural phenomenon has been recorded by our sages through observation of nature, the seasons and the behaviour of all creatures, plant life and astral bodies. It has all been passed down by word of mouth.
“Precious stones or durable materials - gold, silver, bronze, marble, onyx or granite - have been used by ancient people in an attempt to immortalize themselves. Not so however the ancient Vedic Aryans (Indians). They turned to what may seem the most volatile and insubstantial material of all - the spoken word …The pyramids have been eroded by the desert wind, the marble broken by earthquakes, and the gold stolen by robbers, while the Veda is recited daily by an unbroken chain of generations, traveling like a great wave through the living substance of mind…
~~~ Dr.Jean LeMee (French author)
There is no salvation or heaven or hell. There is only a total merging with the eternal truth that we all aspire for.
This desire to understand spirituality also comes with age. Ramana has gone way beyond me…I am only a raw beginner.
bikehikebabe said,
August 28, 2009 at 4:36 pm
“traveling like a great wave through the living substance of mind…”
Padmini, You’re a poet & Don’t know it. (Great poetry doesn’t rhyme.)
Padmini Natarajan said,
August 28, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Thank you bikehikebabe! But that would be accepting a compliment under false pretences…
“traveling like a great wave through the living substance of mind…”
that is part of the quote from Dr Jean LeMee!
I do write poetry…I wrote this for a friend who has a site called ‘Alaivani’ that means ’sound waves’
This is for you
ALAIVANI
Waves, alai
That rise
From the vast
Expanse of ocean
Part of it
Yet struggling
To establish
Its own
Power
Surges with
Immense force
Recedes
To merge
To become
Part of the whole
Waves, vani
That spread
Invisibly
Through the air
Ether spreading
Sounds of creation
Soft, humming
The primordial OM
Rustling, sussurring
With the breeze
Rattling with stones
Treading steps
Of creatures, humans
Creating cacophony
Voices in Babel
Waves of sound
Alaivani
That need to be heard
Words, notes
Ideas, notions
Spiritual inspirations
Temple bells
Church peals
Call of the muezzin
That appeal
To goodness
Viciously twisted
Into shrieks of terror
Cries of pain, torture
Death and destruction
Waves of silence
Spreading
Solace, serenity
A touch of love
A feel of affection
A caring
A demand to listen
Voices of reason
Of conservation
Ecological preservation
Shunning
Sound pollution
Spreading ripples
Of devotion
Creating empathy
Listen to the waves
Let them envelop you
With their soothing
Reviving rejuvenating
Beats, rhythms
Of nature
Of creation
Of music, chants
Of prayers
Benedictions
Humming with belief
Paeans of glory
That is a blessing
A gift from
The Divine
Padmini Natarajan
Rumuuser said,
August 28, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Magpie, I became a vegetarian for aesthetic reasons. Does that make sense to you? It is difficult to explain even to my father, who till today is a non vegetarian and enjoys even what is normally taboo for us - beef. His grand son indulges him and even I cook for him. But I am somehow put off by the thought. Mind you, I was a non vegetarian till eleven years ago. I too used to eat beef etc. In fact, black pudding, haggis name it I have had my share and when in the East, snake meat, birds’ nest and what else have you. But, not for religious reasons, or through the shrill propaganda of recent coverts, I am happy being a vegetarian, I repeat, for aesthetic reasons.
bikehikebabe said,
August 28, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Padmini, I knew you were a poet! Thank you.
Sorry, my love message was interrupted by rummuser telling about eating black pudding, haggis, snake meat & bird’s nest. lol
Grannymar said,
August 28, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Padmini - That poem is amazing, what a talent you have.
BHB - Ramana was playing the typical BIG brother with his birds’ nests et al. I have eaten Haggis and have black pudding in the fridge at the moment. You won’t find any snake or birds’ nests in there though.
bikehikebabe said,
August 28, 2009 at 7:35 pm
I’m going to throw-up right now. You have black pudding in the frig? That’s made with blood—eeek. And I declined the Haggis at a Scottish (Country Dance) party.
Grannymar said,
August 28, 2009 at 7:41 pm
BHB - Black pudding is made from pigs’ blood. My paternal grandmother kept a few pigs, hens and geese. The killing of the pig was a busy time. My father often told us of how his mother made the puddings… not a story to be told at mealtimes, mind you that never stopped him!
Magpie11 said,
August 29, 2009 at 5:44 pm
An evocative poem…bringing all sorts of images to mind….. and memories of sounds and people and places associated with them and emotions.
I have never tried Black pudding…and there are arguments as to how it should be cooked…mind you they even have international competitions for it!
There was a time when many people kept the house pig…… my cousin’s husband had the curing tray from his family hung in the outside shed…he swore that there would come a time when it would be needed again. Mind you he’s the one who dug out a nuclear shelter under his house without planning permission and let fly with his 12 bore when the inspectors came around.
As for haggis…well it was quite a toothsome morsel when I had some. I recently heard that the English invented it and not the Scots!
Grannymar said,
August 29, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Magpie - I heard of those Black pudding competitions. I suppose my grandmother fried over the fire. I tasted the haggis only once, for the experience! No desire to try it again.