by Loti | Mar 28, 2013 | Food, Insects, Thailand
Thailand. Poor silkworms. In order to leave their cocoon, they must bore a hole thru the exterior of their little nests which damages the silk threads making up the cocoon. So they get boiled before they can escape. Which leaves a lot of dead silkworms. So what to do with all of them? Well of course, you eat them (at least in Asia). Here, they are seen in a food market in Northern Thailand.They are a rich source of protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins. I must confess, we didn’t try them, but they apparently are bitter and pop in your mouth. Maybe next time. One order of bird drop soup and a side of silkworms. What is fascinating, at least to me, is silkworms are extinct in the wild. Because of selective breeding and a diet of mulberry leaves exclusively, they exist only in captivity to use in silk factories. This makes them one of only two domesticated insects in the world. And they may be one of the most environmentally friendly and healthiest food sources. With minimal carbon impact, they supply silk threads for our clothes and food for our nourishment. Truly an astonishing little worm. I wonder if I can order some from Amazon? ...
by Loti | Mar 27, 2013 | Landscapes, Thailand
Singapore. Looking at one of 3 scale models of the city/country of Singapore, I was awed by the amount of green space. While Singapore is the second most densely populated country in the world, almost 50% of its land is dedicated to parks and other green space. We visited the Urban Redevelopment Authority to see the city from a different perspective, a 1: 5,000 scale model which was very cool. The models are used for urban planning and development which is particularly important in a country with only 272 square miles. And Singapore has won many awards for their urban planning. So many, in fact, they now sell their urban development expertise to other countries such as Dubai, Brazil, Qatar and Oman (not sure where all these countries are located but they sound pretty exotic). So not only is Singapore one of the cleanest cities/countries in the world (and while you don’t get caned for littering, the fine was just increased to $410 US dollars for improperly disposing of your trash), it is also one of the best planned. And safest. And greenest. My, my. Do I see a move in the future? ...
by Loti | Mar 25, 2013 | Art, Thailand
Thailand. With over 40,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand, Wat Po is one of the largest temples in Bangkok. Home to the reclining Buddha we have seen, it also has numerous curious statues guarding the inner courtyards. Here we see a Farang (meaning foreigner in Thai) guard who is dressed in Western style wearing a top hat. Very strange. What is even stranger to me, these statues were used as ballast on trade ships returning from China. So what exactly is ballast? While it is used by ships to lower their center of gravity, by providing weight, it is also used by Formula One racing cars, hot air balloons, offshore drilling platforms, snow plows and floating wind turbines. Wow. I never really thought about ballast. Race cars use ballast to help the car meet minimum weight requirements, ships use it to improve stability and maneuverability and of course the Wizard of Oz(my all time favorite movie)used it to launch his hot air balloon that poor Dorothy missed as she ran after Toto. Good thing she had her red shoes to get her home!...
by Loti | Mar 22, 2013 | Animals, Food, Thailand
Thailand. Frogs for sale in a Northern Thailand market. I guess if I had grown up eating frogs instead of chicken, I wouldn’t be so put off by the thought of eating them. But wait, that may be a really good thing. How so? Frogs are amphibians (another cool word) living on both land and in the water, unlike reptiles that only live on land. And frogs are one of the most rapidly disappearing animal on Earth due to over harvesting and disease. Some reports indicate we could see up to one third of all amphibians go extinct in our lifetime, which would be the largest mass extinction since the dinosaur and have serious environmental impacts. Just think of all the Mosquitos they eat! Some are taking action. France has banned the collection and sale of all native frogs due to a declining population. Unfortunately, at the same time, they increased their imports making them one of the largest frog importers along with Belgium and the US. Most frogs are imported from Indonesia including Thailand, severely putting the frog populations at risk in the export countries. In the US, the famous San Francisco restaurant, Gary Danko, removed frog legs from their menu in 2010 (I have eaten there once and it was fabulous) and Wegman’s, the grocery chain, removed them from all their stores due to the environmental impact. So next time you are offered a frog leg, think twice. It is the small choices we make every day that make a difference. ...
by Loti | Mar 20, 2013 | Africa, Animals, Thailand
Thailand. While this photo is not Motty, it is of a very happy baby elephant crunching on sugar cane at The Four Seasons Resort. I am about a foot away from her with more sugar cane in my hand. Very fun! So who is Motty? Motty was the only known hybrid born from a African and Asian elephant mating. He was born in 1978 at The Chester Zoo in England and sadly died after 12 days from an umbilical infection despite intensive human intervention. Having characteristics of both parents he looks very cute in old photos. Normally African and Asian elephants are not in the same geographic area so they don’t have an opportunity to mate. And they are actually 2 different species so cross breeding is very difficult. Which got me to thinking, do other species cross breed? Well of course? There is the zebroid (zebra and horse), the cama (camel and llama), the pizzly (polar bear and grizzly) and no I am not making this up, the wholphin, a cross between a dolphin and killer whale. Wow, I continue to be amazed at this whole world out there just waiting to be discovered. ...
by Loti | Mar 18, 2013 | Art, Buddhism, Religions, Thailand
Thailand. The soles of the Reclining Buddha at the Wat Pho temple in Bangkok are inlaid with Mother of Pearl. Of the 108 scenes, each represents a depiction of enlightenment. Flowers, baskets, flags, animals. As you can see from the photo, all very intricate and shiny. So what exactly is Mother of Pearl? Well, I had no idea other than it is iridescent. So I learned it is also called nacre (good Scrabble word) and is made in much the same way as a pearl. Produced by a mollusk, such as an oyster or abalone, it is a blend of minerals secreted by the mollusk inside their shells to protect them from foreign objects and parasites. A pearl is made by the same substance deposited around an object (inserted naturally or by humans) lodged in the mollusk’s shell. Mother of Pearl is used in jewelry, furniture making, buttons and musical instruments. Items made using nacre are considered to be organic since they originate from living creatures or plants. While it is very resilient and tough, it scratches easily. Another amazing work of nature used by us humans to enrich our lives!...
