Fruits and vegetables, plants and vegetation, flora and fauna perennially inspire me. There are perennial Banana, Coconut and Jackfruits trees in our backyard, followed by few flowers and "GUA" betelnut trees in our front yard. I love greenery. Both envy and proud of my mother's green thumb. She had planted some of these trees, maintains them even today by succinctly raising and protecting them.
Am eating a lot of local fruits and vegetables. They are in season and plentily available, great way to keep my arteries and bowel clean. American food can clog your arteries and cause constipation. Eating a whole lot of Guavas, Barakoli Jujube (a berry), Sapetas (Sapodila), Saag (leafy greens) and the Odia dishes of Dalma and Santula - all tasty, fiber rich food packed with vitamins and other essential nutrients. Win win situation for a foodies - eat tasty, healthy and nutritious. I am not eating these days, rather sampling the food. With age, my appetite has gone down. Instead of having a stomach feeling meal I prefer to sample a bit of each.
I saw Broccoli here but desisted from buying as we get plenty of it in the US. I remember when my mother visited America and saw Broccoli for the first time in her life, called it as "Sagua Kobi" (Green cauliflower). Here I prefer the local stuff. Every other day I visit the the HAAT (Flea or Farmers market) at Samantaraipur Chhaka, barely a kilometer (1/2 mile) from our house in order to grab some fresh leafy green veggies - especially my favorite LEUTIA, KOSALAA SAAGA (Local Leafy Greens) and DESI ALU (Yam). I have become the favorite of an elderly lady veggie vendor who I think likes me for two things. Every time I buy, I don't do any bargaining at all and tell her to keep the changes when she returns me the balance due.
The first time I purchased vegetables from her, I gestured her to keep the change. It raised her curiosity as she raised her head, putting her hand over her forehead to take a close peek at me through the sun glare. Now I got her attention. Every time she sees me standing in front of her mounds of vegetables, she hands me over the choicest pieces of DESI ALU and five bundles of SAAGA which she sets aside exclusively for me. It seems I have become her favorite customer as I don't dishearten her.
Remembered this incident years ago during one of my summer trips to India. One fine morning I came to this same vegetable market to do some shopping and catch a glimpse of the milieu. No sooner I finished my purchase from a vendor than I heard someone shouting MAHADEB, MUNDIA (Salute, O Lord Shiva. The venerable Bull is the ride of Lord Siva). I turned my head to notice a huge Bull sniffing vegetables hardly couple of feet from me. The mountain sized bovine acknowledged the greetings by nodding its head while still happily munching on the vegetables offered to him.
A man suddenly arrived on scene clad in LUNGI (A loincloth wrapped around the waist which can be conveniently removed for multiple purposes). Scratching his private parts in public (blame the hot and humid weather for that) he asked the lady vendor, "ALO BAIGANA KETE NEKHA - Hey, how much is the cost of the Eggplant (Brinjal)" ?
Then came a woman covered in rags, shouting explicit at another vendor who refused to part her with vegetables. She started cursing the vendor's whole family to die from BAADI (cholera, a killer disease of yesteryears but now defunct). She could have cursed her to die from Covid or Cancer as one has a better chance to perish these days from these diseases rather than Cholera. She also went on accusing the woman vendor of soliciting illicit relationship with her mothers and sisters. I couldn't understand why she didn't direct her anger towards her father and brother rather than mother and sister. Apparently we are a male dominated society where mothers and sisters are the butts of profanity and curse.
After being content from covering every member of her 14 generations with all her curses she finally relented. The lady selling the vegetables ignored her and went on shouting BAIGANA BAIGANA (eggplant, eggplant). I asked the lady vendor the reason behind the other woman's sudden outburst. Before she could answer my query, a man in loin cloth and unkempt hair told me "She is a mad woman. No one takes her seriously". He sounded serious and logical.
As he walked away, the vegetable vendor started giggling. I asked her - "What's so funny about what he just said ? It was quite obvious that the woman didn't sound to be mentally sound". She replied, "Babu (Sir), this man just told you that the abusive woman is a PAGELI (mad woman), right ? Hee, Hee, Hee". "Yes, I think I heard him loud and clear", was my reply. She continued giggling "Hee hee. He is no different. He is a PAGALA (he-mad) too." And he calls the woman mad. Hee hee hee. She continued giggling.
Now trying to make sense out of the madness surrounding me I swept off the beads of sweat from my forehead as the tropical sun was peaking right over my head. It was time to rush back home, far from the madding crowd. More later...
I saw Broccoli here but desisted from buying as we get plenty of it in the US. I remember when my mother visited America and saw Broccoli for the first time in her life, called it as "Sagua Kobi" (Green cauliflower). Here I prefer the local stuff. Every other day I visit the the HAAT (Flea or Farmers market) at Samantaraipur Chhaka, barely a kilometer (1/2 mile) from our house in order to grab some fresh leafy green veggies - especially my favorite LEUTIA, KOSALAA SAAGA (Local Leafy Greens) and DESI ALU (Yam). I have become the favorite of an elderly lady veggie vendor who I think likes me for two things. Every time I buy, I don't do any bargaining at all and tell her to keep the changes when she returns me the balance due.
The first time I purchased vegetables from her, I gestured her to keep the change. It raised her curiosity as she raised her head, putting her hand over her forehead to take a close peek at me through the sun glare. Now I got her attention. Every time she sees me standing in front of her mounds of vegetables, she hands me over the choicest pieces of DESI ALU and five bundles of SAAGA which she sets aside exclusively for me. It seems I have become her favorite customer as I don't dishearten her.
Remembered this incident years ago during one of my summer trips to India. One fine morning I came to this same vegetable market to do some shopping and catch a glimpse of the milieu. No sooner I finished my purchase from a vendor than I heard someone shouting MAHADEB, MUNDIA (Salute, O Lord Shiva. The venerable Bull is the ride of Lord Siva). I turned my head to notice a huge Bull sniffing vegetables hardly couple of feet from me. The mountain sized bovine acknowledged the greetings by nodding its head while still happily munching on the vegetables offered to him.
A man suddenly arrived on scene clad in LUNGI (A loincloth wrapped around the waist which can be conveniently removed for multiple purposes). Scratching his private parts in public (blame the hot and humid weather for that) he asked the lady vendor, "ALO BAIGANA KETE NEKHA - Hey, how much is the cost of the Eggplant (Brinjal)" ?
Then came a woman covered in rags, shouting explicit at another vendor who refused to part her with vegetables. She started cursing the vendor's whole family to die from BAADI (cholera, a killer disease of yesteryears but now defunct). She could have cursed her to die from Covid or Cancer as one has a better chance to perish these days from these diseases rather than Cholera. She also went on accusing the woman vendor of soliciting illicit relationship with her mothers and sisters. I couldn't understand why she didn't direct her anger towards her father and brother rather than mother and sister. Apparently we are a male dominated society where mothers and sisters are the butts of profanity and curse.
After being content from covering every member of her 14 generations with all her curses she finally relented. The lady selling the vegetables ignored her and went on shouting BAIGANA BAIGANA (eggplant, eggplant). I asked the lady vendor the reason behind the other woman's sudden outburst. Before she could answer my query, a man in loin cloth and unkempt hair told me "She is a mad woman. No one takes her seriously". He sounded serious and logical.
As he walked away, the vegetable vendor started giggling. I asked her - "What's so funny about what he just said ? It was quite obvious that the woman didn't sound to be mentally sound". She replied, "Babu (Sir), this man just told you that the abusive woman is a PAGELI (mad woman), right ? Hee, Hee, Hee". "Yes, I think I heard him loud and clear", was my reply. She continued giggling "Hee hee. He is no different. He is a PAGALA (he-mad) too." And he calls the woman mad. Hee hee hee. She continued giggling.
Now trying to make sense out of the madness surrounding me I swept off the beads of sweat from my forehead as the tropical sun was peaking right over my head. It was time to rush back home, far from the madding crowd. More later...
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