Guest guest Posted November 14, 2002 Report Share Posted November 14, 2002 Namah Shivaya, Everybody.. Been skimming the posts lately, and the only one that struck me as fun was the coconut one! I don't even know the whole story, but I understand some have been talking of health, coconut oil, Kerala...and others perhaps questioned the validity of non-Amma-related posts! My two paise... Nothing and everything may be related to spirituality, I guess...if any object or sensory experience of the material world is seen through the lenses or in the light of spiritual insight, even the coconut can be relevant, can it not? Amma grew up surrounded by cococut trees, eating food cooked in its oil, putting the oil in her hair (perhaps even now?),... What non-Keralans may not know is that the coconut palm gives every bit of itself to some use...all of it bio-degradable! -Coconut water is highly nutritious, safe and thirst-quenching in the tropics... -Coconut flesh (both mature and young) is a great snack (that is especially hunger-quenching) and in a variety of dishes, dried and pressed for oil for cooking, lighting, and cosmetics... -Coconut milk (made from grinding coconut flesh) is used to make tea (substituting for milk), and about a thousand dishes... -Coconut shell is used for ladles and cups, kindling, lamps, as well as any number of household uses, especially in poorer homes. -Coconut husk is used for scouring, kindling for fires, coir ropes, coir mats,...all ropes and mats in Kerala probably come from this....fisherman especially must rely on coir ropes all the time... -Coconut leaves are used for thatching almost all poor homes in Kerala (even village movie houses)...and the centres of the spiky leaves yield a thin, strong, flexible "twig" used as brooms, tongue-cleaners, toothpicks, etc. -Coconut trunks yield wood for homes, furniture, and boats (which are tied together with coir ropes). And this is not a complete list at all. The coconut tree is like the cow to most Keralans. And most ordinary folk,...farmers and fisherfolk cannot imagine cooking in anything but coconut oil. Anybody want to start providing them with the more pc olive oil? The coconut tree accomplishes all this, growing on sandy soil, near brackish water, asking for nothing more than water and manure... In short, if we became more like the coconut tree in our lives, we would be much more useful to society.... Usha *********************** > > Message: 10 > Wed, 13 Nov 2002 21:58:11 EST > sprose1 > Re: Digest Number 652 > > In a message dated 11/13/02 8:42:27 AM Eastern Standard Time, > Ammachi writes: > > > > > > Yes yes yes thank you!!!! Im so bored Im sorry no offense to anyone... > > rosebud1082001 <rosebud1082001 wrote:ONS > > > > With all due respect, this is very interesting, but I don't understand > > how it is related to Amma or to spirituality. I also don't understand > > how a discussion of various cooking oils, interesting as it is, > > relates to the intended purpose of this list. Maybe I am missing > > something? It is all Mother's game, but..... > > > > > > You know I will say something about the hubbub over the coconut issue. I > have been to Kerala several times, and as you know it is called The Land of > Coconuts. It is only in Kerala that this is so, so for me coconuts make me > think of Kerala and Amma. I also have books written by female Keralans, as > well as books on Kerala's depiction of Kali. I listen to Sheila Chandra, who > is the most famous Keralan popular singer (she is very good). I take a > wholistic approach to my spirituality and try to understand and appreciate > the land and culture from which sprang our beloved Amma. > > I have not seen very much complaint with the discussions about diet, if they > promulgated vegetarianism. That's considered spiritual, so it's OK. My talk > about coconuts was not seen as such. Again, wholistically, my issue was also > about health. It turns out that a lot depends on having health, and I > believe we have been deceived about coconut oil, which has been vilified. If > one wants me to find a site to discuss Kerala's coconuts, find the site for > me. Really, one can't go to sites just for that, and being that this site > has Indians who know about Kerala I felt it was not unacceptable to ask about > it and about the health and eating habits of Keralans. Don't you have any > interest in how Keralans eat, just for its own sake? Does it upset the order > of things so much to consider this? This discussion was one small part of a > larger melange. No one was told not to post their thoughts. In a health > salad of ideas, there is a place for many things, especially if they might > help people live longer and learn a bit about Kerala's culture and industry. > If people want to post their existential issues on this site, who stopped > them? But when things get slow and empty, people are ready to point the > finger at some inoffensive posts, which could have been seen as "sidebars" as > in a magazine. Big deal. > > I stand by my coconuts! I think that it enriched the forum, for what it was. > And it might not have gone on all year; it had its course and it was what it > was. And if someone listens to Sheila Chandra because I mentioned it here, > isn't that a good thing, or would you have disdain for that as well? Avram > > I myself have gotten a lot from the discussion, and am eating coconut right > now. So there!!! Avram > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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