Two subjects, cuisine and ecology

Continuing with cuisine

In my earlier post, Of cuisine, climate and ketchup I mentioned that ‘English’ vegetables like tomato, cabbage and carrot have become a regular part of the South Indian Cuisine. But other items of foreign origin, like Brussels sprouts, artichokes and broccoli are rarely used. Probably the reasons are limited availability and cost.

Let me jump to ‘thoran’. It is basically a Kerala side-dish eaten with rice. This preparation in which grated or ground coconut is an essential ingredient can be made with several vegetables.

Now, you might wonder what the connection is between, say, Brussels sprouts and ‘thoran’. Incidentally, this vegetable looks like a tiny cabbage. They belong to the same family. Brussels sprout is actually a wild cabbage and is considered to have medicinal properties.

Yesterday I came across an interesting post Brussel Sprouts in the blog Kitchen Reels. It gives the recipe for Brussels sprouts ‘thoran’. A fusion of East and West, indeed. Being from Kerala, ‘thoran’ is a daily affair on our dining table. I have told Annie, my wife, to try it with Brussels sprouts.

Ecology: Where have the hills gone?

On December 18, 2007 I had published a post, Ecology: Vanishing Hills, stressing the dangers of indiscriminate mining and consequently, flattening of our hills.

Today’s Times of India Chennai edition carried a report on the Supreme Court’s three judge Special Forest Bench presided by the Chief Justice is considering a ban on mining in the Aravali Hills spread over Rajasthan and Haryana States.

Indiscriminate mining is playing havoc with the delicate groundwater system in the area and accelerating desertification. No preventive or protective steps like reforestation, it seems, are being taken.

According to the report, the question now appears to be who should pass prohibitory orders, whether the Central Government, State Government or the Court.

Given below are two photos of Aravali Hills:

From Wikimedia Commons under

Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

From Wikimedia Commons under

GNU Free Documentation License.

Click on photos to enlarge

Ecology: Vanishing Hills

Much has been said about the need to conserve our forests (see: Trees are vital). The campaign to keep the earth green seems to be getting the message across to millions of people. But there is another vital area of ecology that is, unfortunately, not receiving the attention that it deserves.

I am talking about the hills. All over India, hills are being flattened for for building construction, cutting stones, for obtaining earth for filling low or water logged areas and so on. Laws to prevent this may or may not exist but the indiscriminate mining carries on nevertheless. Nobody seems to bother except some activists.

What is the damage if the hills are flattened? Water covers about 70% of the Earth. I saw an estimate that water level would rise by more than 8000 feet (about 2500m) if the earth surface were evened out. That means there would not be any land-sea ratio. The planet would be a mass covered by water. That of course is an unlikely eventuality.

But there are several other adverse impacts of leveling the hills. The surface area of the earth decreases when a hill is flattened. The trees and plants (some of them medicinal) and life forms that thrived there disappear. I think all the major rivers of the world originate from and are sustained by the mountains. The hills attract rains. They provide water to more than half the world’s population. Terrains like laterite formations retain water. If we do not protect the hills, the result would be acute water problems.

There could be an argument that habitats are among the basic requirements of humanity and that construction activities provide employment to many people. True. But can’t we build without flattening the hills? Contour architecture, I think, is the answer. Two examples of this I can immediately recall are the residential area of the HMT complex near Cochin, and the Kovalam Resort near Trivandrum.

Certainly, our architects are capable of coming out with eco-friendly designs.

Ends.

Also see: Komana Kadu.

Cross posted to:

Articles By Abraham Tharakan

EARTH SAVE - Abraham Tharakan's Blog

Trees are vital

Many of us think of trees as providers of wood for buildings and furniture, burning fuel and raw material for paper. Actually they are vital to life.

Trees are protectors of world climate. They absorb carbon dioxide and purify the air. They provide food such as fruits, medicines, and many other necessities. Trees control runoff water by absorbing it and prevent soil erosion. They mitigate the impact of floods. A great many vital organisms are sustained by trees. Apart from building materials for people trees also offer shelter to animals and birds. And they are of such great visual beauty.

Can you imagine life on Planet Earth without trees?

Trees are vital to the world. Conserve the existing ones and plant more.

Here are some nice photos of trees:

Photos Copyright KO Isaac. Click on them for enlarged view.