Happy Diwali, celebrating light and color, godesses and fascinating foods

Yesterday was an wonderful day. It was my son, Dylan's, commencement (high school graduation) . That was really meaningful. & it's so different to see him in a suit! It was amazing to see some of the kids which I had known so well up until they went off to high school. & then I went off to art school & then to work and missed seeing many of them as much. It was really so great seeing them again. Great night!

We celebrated Diwali (Like an Indian Christmas - Hindu Festival of Lights) at work yesterday.

Reema brought in some traditional foods and I was thinking how it would be interesting to convert them to raw dishes. maybe a little difficult but it could be done.. almost any flavor can be translated into a raw recipe.

she served: Panchatran- tiny julienne chips with raisins and nuts
Rasgulla - white round balls of -1 person said cheese, another said pastry - in a sweet rose water. I didn't taste this one because I heard cheese first or I would have tasted it.
& Soan Papdi - ginger slices in very sweet cotton candy-like cubes.

& I got to be Bachaba - some exotic goddess of something... and the (most amazing) cousin of Cleopatra!!

I heard stories from a ginger farmer in Australia about how ginger grows and is harvested- quite amazing! It grows all clumped together very tightly 8-10 inches under the ground.. a machine comes and lifts up the huge clumps and then it is cut into huge cubes which get transported. Then someone sits and breaks apart all the pieces which are all grown in tight to each other ..he gave a great visual description.


And I heard about cashews and how they were picked and opened and eaten as a friend of mine used to do, when he was a young boy in Jamaica. The fruit of the cashew is edible, kind of like a banana.. & kind of like a mango, but not nearly as good tasting or as sweet as either.. The cashew nut has a sticky part in it between the shell and the nut.. he thinks that when you roast the outside part to open it it wouldn't cook the inside part. He said they would kind of pop like popcorn when they roasted them over the fire. ..I think I really need to see this whole procedure for myself! But great visual stories again!!

So Happy Belated Diwali - But maybe we need to reincarnate this tradition into our lives again -light and colors should be celebrated everyday, sweets exchanged as gifts, candles lit -I'm all for that! - let's celebrate again- and all the time! so.. Happy Diwali again!