Another year has gone; all my extraordinary things remain

It was exactly one year ago when I wrote my first post in this blog. I've emptied it with many little common things. The blog, however, looks better from how I imaginged at first. And unbelievably I've got 21 followers now! I know it's not a big number (for some it might be a ridiculous number) but I'm just glad to see more hits in my blog's statistics. Although my origin intention was only to practice my brain as an anti-alzheimer exercise, I anyway felt proud when somebody was (or seemed to be) interested to read what I wanted to transmit.

This year I got the sensation that it's not the same atmosphere as the previous ones. In this moment, some people are waiting to celebrate the year end while many are getting concerned of how the new year would be. Unfortunately many families are having an economic difficulty. Mine isn't going great in economy either but we're still fine and we consider ourselves lucky enough! Life sometimes turns to be cruel. I always get moved when I hear some stories of desperate people. I just imagine myself in their conditions, and I feel something deep in my heart. But life must go on. I can't do much for others but I'd like to "hope" for a better year for everybody. May the new year be full of love, peace and hope.

I'm very grateful for life, for my beloved family, for every little thing that has made me happy, for nice people I've met (I just removed the unkind ones from my mind) and for each simple but meaningful moment of mine. I feel happy everyday. I don't wish anything more than this. My only wish is that life continues to be this kind to me.

I'd like to cite one of my favorite quotes here, it just fits this post.
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet"
(James Oppenheim)

Best wishes to my readers!

Have a great moment at the year end and have a very happy beginning of the New Year!!!

Letter to Santa Claus

Dear Santa,

if you read this letter in time, please do me a favour! Seeing that you go across the continents all the night, I'd like to ask for your help! Please carry with you my thought and pass by all my beloved family and friends. Please just leave them a breeze of my caress, please add a little bit of your magic, so that they could receive my love and care into their hearts, so that they would be filled with all my best regards and so that they would be embraced with the warmth I would like to transfer.

You might know where you should stop by, somewhere in Italy, some other angles in Finland, Spain and Island, some farther edges in Japan, China and Thailand! I might be disturbing you too much but if it's just possible, I'd thank you infinitely.

Sincerely yours,
Mee...from Italy

Christmas in Thailand

Christmas is intensely in the air! Yesterday, I and my two great friends met up in the centre of the city. It was full of people and "lives". The atmosphere of the greeting seasons was perceived and I love this feeling very much. It was such a cold day but I somehow felt warm and embraced by all people around. We had so many conversations and some good laughs.

I've always been in touch with all my family and friends in Thailand for nowadays we've so many rapid ways to contact people around the world. Thanks to the hi-technologies the world's getting smaller. You can reach the other side of the world in a second! Certainly at the moment everyone of us talks about the up-coming holidays. Although the majority of Thai people is Buddhist, Christmas is very celebrated! We love every joyous celebration. Thai people have accepted various foreign cultures and we sometimes go crazy about them! You won't have too much difficulty if you want to have success in my native country because people are mostly open-minded. They welcome new things quite eagerly.

Christmas celebration in Thailand is however different from its original tradition where the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated and the family get united as the most special moment. For us it's a joyful moment when you can see lighting decorations everywhere (especially in big cities). We love to exchange gifts among family, colleagues and friends. At school, a male teacher is dressed up as Father Christmas and give away candies to children. I still remember how I and classmates enjoyed Christmas together. We didn't have lessons but played a lot of games. Some families began to buy a Christmas tree for their home. Why not enjoying things at most?

I attach here a picture of a big shopping hall at Bangkok (my favorite place!). I got it from a Thai website (hoping the owner won't mind!). Oh...how I miss this place. My husband and my son love it too and they can stay therein all the day.

The origin of the picture: http://www.2how.com/board/28814.html

Merry Christmas to everybody! 

Wishing you a great time with all your beloved ones ;)

Caught just in time: a lovely picture of Nanà

 

Hello readers!

After being absent for a while, I just wanted to keep my blog alive by posting a lovely picture: my sweetie cat with beautiful poinsettia in the background. It's not easy taking a good photo of my cat Nanà. She doesn't stay still in front of the camera. 

I've got a new tool in my kitchen. It's WAFFLE MAKER!!! Yes, I longed for it since a long time but never got one for the reason of fear to gain weight!! I just came across a big promotional sale, so I couldn't help grabbing it. I don't try it yet...how could I?? At the moment we're pampering ourselves with loads of pre-Christmas sweets. However, sooner or later it'll be done ;-)

Anyone has noticed another blog of mine? I decided to write "seriously" a Thai blog for Thai readers with the purpose of trying and practicing my writing skill, for one day my dream of publishing my own book might come true. This's only a kind of experiment, hoping to get more inspiration.

Have a great time, everyone!

Our Christmas tree

We put up our X'mas tree yesterday afternoon. This year we picked up the white & red theme. Our 11-year-old boy was of great help. We're looking forward to seeing the gift boxes below ;-) Our boy has become a young guy now and he made us know last summer that he knew who has been the Santa Claus...oopps! Therefore, no more letter but he somehow looks happy to ask for the gift directly to his real Father Christmas.

Thailand's Father's Day - The unconditional love for our Royal father

Tomorrow is father's day in Thailand. Many foreigners may not know that our father's day is the birthday of His Majesty King Rama IX, the King of Thailand since 1950, and he's cited as the Greatest King of all time. The thing foreigners don't know and won't ever know is why Thai people love the king this much. You must be born Thai to perceive it. We call HM King Rama IX (King Bhumibol) "our Royal father" because he does have the role of father of all people, and people give him the unconditional love unquestionably.

The King Bhumibol has such a great wisdom. He's always been looking after his people. He's gone everywhere, even in the poorest places and among poorest people, to see the problems with his eyes and make projects to resolve them himselves. I strongly believe that no other kings in the world has worked hard as King Bhumibol. His heart is greater than his wisdom, this's why Thai people love him with all their heart. He has no real power in ruling the country but many times he gives speech to the government and people to calm down the country's disorder. People believe in him, not for his power but for his great heart.

I had such a great experience standing in front of my king in my graduation ceremony. I was so lucky because the year after the king quited assigning the degree to the graduates because of his health problems. My university was one of the few where the king attended the ceremonies and assigned himself the degree. I'm very proud until today and I've my picture receiving the degree from the king hung on my room's wall. My Venetian friend once visited me and when she saw that picture she was amazed saying that in Thailand it was a serious ceremony, but in Italy it's not so. When I transferred to live in Italy, my mom said, handing me that picture: "Bring it with you, it's yours." Later, I found that she was right. I feel very proud every time I look at it. I've known the meaning of experiencing once being in front of the king, the Royal father.

I'm attaching here a beautiful and meaningful video. The song is dedicated to our beloved "Father". In the video, a rural teacher is describing to his students what our Royal Father has done for his people. The author compared the country to a tree and His Majesty King to the curator of the tree who has been watering and nourishing it until it has become big and strong. Our duty is to save the tree together, so that it can last long.

Best wishes to every father who gives an unconditional love to his children.
Long Live The King, who gives an unconditional love to his people.

Calma...(e sangue freddo???)

Salve a tutti lettori e lettrici!

In questo post scrivo in lingua italiana :) e parlo di una caratteristica: essere calma. Come la vedete una persona calma? Credo che sia bello scambiarci le idee su come lo pensiamo noi (asiatici) e come lo pensate voi (europei) perché potremmo capirci di più.

Mi è venuta l'idea di parlare di questo argomento quando altro ieri ho visto la mia cara amica thailandese che sta lavorando a Milano per una nota ditta thailandese che esporta gli alimenti in tutti i continenti (credo). La ditta madre dell' Europa si trova in Belgio e lei gestisce l'ufficio di rappresentanza in Italia. Abbiamo fatto il pranzo insieme da un ristorante giapponese ed abbiamo chiacchierato molto. Ad un certo punto mi ha fatto questa domanda: "Ma ti sembro calma?". Ho aspettato 3 secondi ma le ho risposto senza persarci tanto perché l'ho conosciuta da tanti anni, praticamente da quando siamo entrate nell'università a Bangkok: "Beh, sei abbastanza calma ma neanche troppo...e che problema c'è?". Poi abbiamo continuato questo discorso e siamo molto d'accordo di tante cose. La gente che incontra spesso le dice: "Come fai ad essere così calma?" Lei non è convinta di essere così tanto calma, dipende dai momenti. Ma quando pochi giorni fà ha chiamato alcuni candidati per il colloquio (sta cercando un nuovo personale locale), c'è stato un candidato con una certa tenuta e sicurezza. Ha cominciato a parlare energicamente senza sosta mostrando la capacità di parlare l'inglese. Lei l'ha fermato dicendo di andare piano con calma. Dopo un pò il candidato ha voluto farle alcune domande ma sembrava soprattutto perplesso dall' atteggiamento del suo intervistatrice. Le ha chiesto perché stava così calma e senza fretta, e che aveva una personalità diversa da altri capi di un lavoro simile che di solito sono tutti più aggressivi. Il candidato sembrava sconvolto e non gli sembrava forse tanto giusto questa cosa.

Ne abbiamo parlato e pensavamo ugualmente che a volte questo modo di comportarci viene interpretato male. In generale per gli italiani stare fermo o calmo spesso è il contrario di essere attivo o energetico. Non mostrare molto l'emozione significa (o sembra) indifferente. Le nostre culture sono molto diverse da questo punto di vista. Vorrei descrivere gli atteggiamenti che rispecchiano le culture asiatiche e spero di riuscire a dare un' immagine corretta di "una persona calma" come lo pensano i thailandesi. Anche a me capita a volte che la gente mi vedono tranquilla. Ho anche una vita abbastanza tranquilla quindi il contrasto non si vede. La mia amica invece ha una vita molto più impegnata e forse anche stressata per la sua responsabilità nel lavoro. In più vive da sola a Milano, viaggia molto e sta poco con la famiglia, quindi la vita è assai pesante per lei.

Una delle educazioni più importanti per i thailandesi è quella di essere composto. Fin dall'infanzia, siamo stati educati di saper controllarci; sapere come ci si deve comportare in ogni posto ed ogni occasione. Sicuramente è un' educazione importante anche per i genitori italiani ma in Asia è ancora molto più evidente. La vivacità è nella natura dei bambini, non sto dicendo che i bambini da noi non possono mai essere vivaci ma è essenziale saper limitarla quando è opportuno. Da questa istuzione dall'inizio diventa poi l'abitudine e si forma in carattere di una persona. Una persona dinamica non è sempre mostrata dall' aspetto. Più si riesce a mantenere un' atteggiamento calmo, più si dimostra di essere modesto, e quindi saggio. L'agitazione non ci piace molto. Non so se mi sono spiegata perché non è semplice farlo nel modo che voglio in parole, soprattutto in una lingua che non è mia.

Una mia professoressa italiana (ho fatto l'italiano all'università) ci raccontava che all'inizio, quando doveva ancora imparare a conoscere i thailandesi, è rimasta un pò male quando faceva dei regali alle colleghe thailandesi perché le hanno ringraziato con poche parole accompagnate da un sorriso gentile...e basta. Lei pensava se i regali non fossero stati graditi perché non ha visto delle emozioni più vistose. Poi quando cominciava a capire le nostre culture, ha capito che noi siamo fatti così; cioè un sorriso gentile o delle parole semplici ma sincere sono più di un grido di gioia. Io, dalla mia esperienza, trovo che gli italiani sono più contenti di ricevere un ringraziamento più vivace, perché per loro è come fosse una sicurezza di aver fatto un bel regalo (o un bell' atto), quindi ho imparato a ricambiare l'atteggiamento. Questo è un esempio giusto per questo argomento.

Alla conclusione, vorrei aggiungere che non solo le culture diverse possono impedire alle persone a capirsi. Secondo me le persone, anche della stessa lingua e stessa cultura, che hanno un carattere diverso, possono benissimo non essere capite. Dobbiamo imparare ad aprire la mente e provare a pensare in diversi punti di vista, magari un' atteggiamento non è quello che ci sembra. Si fà presto a criticare altre persone ma siamo sicuri che quello che vediamo è proprio quello che pensiamo?

A poetic essay...

I love this piece of poem for its suffering truth.

On Children
by Khalil Gibran

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Tempo da polenta! (Time for Polenta)

For English, please scroll down.

Questa fine settimana non è stata una delle migliori di sicuro. Ma che tempaccio! Comunque non mi lamento visto che c'è chi sta molto peggio di noi. Speriamo che il maltempo dà una tregua.

A casa nostra, si comincia a girare la polenta spesso quando comincia l'autunno. Mia suocera è una maestra di polenta :-) E' nata e vissuta in una valle bergamasca, quindi la polenta per lei è come il riso per me. Devo essere sincera, non ne vado matta. Mi stancherei se ne mangio spesso ma ogni tanto la mangio volentieri. Preferisco quasi mangiarla il giorno dopo quando diventa dura, la taglio a fette e le metto sulla piastra calda per un pò di minuti ogni lato.

Ma mia suocera sa che la polenta non la rifiuto mai se accompagnata con il sugo di funghi! Il suo sugo è F-A-V-O-L-O-S-O!!!

Per cuocere la polenta (credo che tanti di voi la sapete cucinare già), fate bollire acqua in un paiolo (o una pentola), salate e buttate giù la farina poco alla volta girando ben bene. Quando diventa omogeneo coprite il paiolo e lasciatelo sul fuoco minimo. Giratela ogni tanto. Il tempo di cottura credo dipendi dalla quantità, circa da 40-60 minuti. Non vi posso dire le quantità di acqua e farina perché mia suocera non le ha mai misurate.

Per preparare il sugo di funghi, ci occorono (per 4 persone): 30 g. di funghi porcini secchi, 1 spicchio d'aglio, 1 rametto di rosmarino, 1/2 bicchiere di olio d'oliva extra-vergine, 300 g. di pomodori freschi maturi, 1 cipolla e sale.

Tritate la cipolla, l'aglio ed il rosmarino. Rosolateli nell'olio. Aggiungete i pomodori pelati e tritati. Ora mettete i funghi (dopo averli messi a bagno per circa mezz'ora), un pò di sale e fate cuocere a fuoco basso per mezz'ora.

...e voilà!

Un piatto di polenta con il sugo di funghi, ottimo per scaldarvi in una giornata invernale :)

I'm going to introduce you, my lovely readers, "la polenta". It's made of various kinds of cereal flour, a basic dish consumed particularly in Northern Italy. In my family, we begin to cook "la polenta" often at the beginning of autumn. (It's perfect to warm your stomach.) My mom-in-law is a polenta-lover because it's her birthplace's local food. Polenta for her is equal to rice for me. Her favorite polenta is made of corn flour. If I've to be sincere, I tell you that I don't go mad with it. I have it willingly occasionally but if bores me if I have it too often.

But my mom-in-law knows how to make me eat the polenta very willingly! When she serves it with her mushroom sauce I just simply devour it all. Her mushroom sauce is really FABULOUS!

To prepare "la polenta", bring water to boil, add a little salt and then pour the flour for polenta little by little, stirring well until it becomes homogeneous. Cover the pot and leave it on lowest heat. Stir it often. Let it cook for about 40-60 minutes, the time depends on the quantity. (I can't give you the measures of water and flour because my mom-in-law never measures them! I think you can find the directions on the polenta flour package.)

To prepare the mushroom sauce, (for 4 persons) you need 30 g. of dried porcini mushrooms, 1 glove of garlic, 1 branch of rosemary, 1/2 glass of extra-virgin olive oil, 300 g. of fresh ripe tomatoes, 1 onion and salt.

Mince the onion, garlic and rosemary, then brown them in the olive oil. Add peeled and chopped ripe tomatoes into the pan. Add dried mushrooms, after being soaked for about half an hour, and a little bit of salt. Cover the pan and leave it on low heat for half an hour.

Believe me, you'll love this dish!
(please see the picture above)

Real bravehearts

Sorry if this post isn't so cheerful. In this tough period of flood crisis in Thailand, the Thais do need much encouragement. Thank God my family is fine, they're handling things in the best way. My parents' home is still safe but who knows when water comes! Until now, people have learnt to help themselves.

In such a hard time, we've known the heroes. They're all normal people who just have such a great heart. Among them, who never leaves the people are soldiers. Yesterday, I've learnt a very sad piece of news. A soldier died when saving a life, other 2 were seriously injured. I just felt I couldn't ignore it, so I'd like to dedicate this post to all the Thai soldiers who are doing more than the best. Thank you for not leaving Thai people...and Rest In Peace, the brave heart.

ทหารกล้าช่วยปชช.น้ำท่วมจนตัวเองตาย - ดูวิดีโอทั้งหมด กดที่นี่

Patata dolce & Zenzero / Sweet potato & Ginger

For English, please scroll down.

Uno tra gli ingredienti che non devono mancare dal frigo di mia mamma è lo zenzero. Ha un profumo pungente ed un gradevole sapore piccantino. Nelle cucine asiatiche, lo zenzero è usato in tanti modi; per esempio a fette sul pesce al vapore, a strisce in padella con la carne, grattugiato fresco nel piatto d'insalata ed a pezzi da bollire in acqua per fare una tisana.

Mia mamma molto spesso usa i rimedi antichi per mantenersi in salute. Sono stata abituata da bambina a bere delle tisane fatte in casa per curarmi dalle tosse, raffreddore, mal di pancia, ecc. Stavolta vorrei parlare dello zenzero che ormai è diventato più conosciuto anche in Italia. Mia mamma ritiene che lo zenzero aiuta nella digestione, elimina il gonfiore nella pancia, purifica le vene e ci tiene lontano dal raffreddore. Ho cercato le informazioni da alcune fonti ed ecco qui un link dove potete consultare per avere una versione più ufficiale delle proprietà dello zenzero: http://www.lerboristeria.com/articoli/2005_06.php

Ora che le giornate cominciano ad essere fredde ed umide, mi viene in mente di bollire le patate dolci con lo zenzero come preparava mia mamma nelle giornate piovose. Stamattina ho procurato gli ingredienti da un minimarket etnico in città.

Ingredienti che ci occorono:
500 g. di patate dolci
1 pezzo di zenzero (lungo circa 10 cm)
4 cucchiai circa di zucchero di canna
800ml. circa d'acqua

Le preparazioni:
- Sbucciare le patate e lo zenzero e tagliarle a tocchetti.
- Fare bollire acqua.
- Quando l'acqua comincia a bollire, aggiungere le patate e lo zenzero che avete preparato. Lasciare bollire con coperchio semichiuso per circa 20 min. o fino che le patate sono cotte.
- Aggiungere lo zucchero a piacere. Ho usato quello di canna, se usate quello bianco l'acqua rimane chiara.
- E' pronto da servire caldo!!!

Per preparare una tisana senza patate dolci, fate bollire un pezzo di zenzero (schiacciatelo un pò prima per ottenere il gusto e l'aroma il più possibile) in una pentolina d'acqua per circa 15 min. e poi aggiungete lo zucchero o miele (che viene molto bene). 

Con questa ricetta partecipo al Weekend Herb Blogging # 307 che sta ospitando Elena del food blog Zibaldone culinario di cuil'organizzatrice italiana è Brii Briggishome. Indico qui il link della fondatrice Kalyn di Kalyn’s Kitchen e l’attuale organizzatrice Haalo, Cook (almost) anything at least once.

Flooding disaster at Bangkok in the eyes of the world

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2011/10/20/ireporter-thailand-disaster-aid.cnn

Living with the flood (as 2nd-handed experience)

The most serious crisis at the moment in my native nation; that's Thailand, isn't only the economic one but also the continuos flooding in many provinces and today people in the capital is preparing themselves as water is arriving. In these years, we the Thai people have been through so many hard situations: the great earthquake that caused tsunami in 2004, outstanding political conflicts, the so-called red-shirts that set fire to the centre of Bangkok...and so on...and so on. Right in this moment, the nature is that cruel to send unceasing water that knocked out many provinces in the North. Disasters after disasters...what Thai people is saying right now is: "This too shall pass!" In my opinion, no other people in the world is as optimistic as the Thais. We've such a great capacity to face problems and to adapt ourselves in order to live with them. We're always able to smile in the dullest period. In the picture above (which was taken from a Thai on-line newspaper), an amount of residents in a hit area is helping each other to pass on bags of sand to be formed as a water block.

Yesterday, the flood was reaching Northern Bangkok. I called my mom and she said they're all fine. Water alrady entered my brother's house and he now has to sleep in the hospital where he works. (He's a medical doctor.) My parents' house was still safe, and so as my sister's one. They piled up the sand bags in front of the gates and stocked drinking water and food in case of necessity. My mom's words were: "The typhoons are crossing the ocean and they're directing to Europe, so just take care!" And Rome was flooded indeed!

Keeping in touch with my family and friends make me feel as if I was living the experience too. Nature is never kind to anyone. The big problems may be the incompetent gorvernment, the nature or what else, in this hard period my family and friends are trying to get relieved in some ways. Somebody bought a paddle boat, some take this occasion of staying home to read books or to watch movies as desired but never found time, others posted pictures commenting that they just had a luck to try life at Venice.

I, who is so far away from them, am sending much moral to everyone of them and certainly "This too shall pass!!!"

The essence of a special evening

After the last post which was dedicated to my only son's birthday, I wanna write about his small party with his best friends at home. We organised it 2 days after his birthday as he had been sick and just recovered in time, so yesterday was a better day as it was Saturday = a school-free day.

The kids are becoming big, they already have a-teenager-to-be look, however they're all kids and still love playing and ruunig up and down stairs. My boy was so happy, he did have a great time and lots of fun with 3 classmates and another friend. I just would like to remember all these simple but happy moments as they're very precious for my son's youth and for us, the parents, as well. Today, there're many places where you can organise a birthday party with the whole class. They're nice places that offer a large space with enormous inflatables and every kid loves them. Dylan had been many times to these parties and we once organised such a party for him a few years ago. The kids enjoyed it a lot. Those parties are funny but they're very confusing, you mostly hear yells and see some figures running here and there. I personally love more intimate and cosy atmosphere.

Yesterday was really a cosy birthday party for my boy. He was very happy to stay with his close friends. I've always been convinced that the "essence" of a great party is to be with the person you love and to do what makes you happy, that's all.

To finish this post, I leave you a picture of snacks I baked myself but I have to refer the food blog where I picked up the recipe. Thanx to "La mia cucina" of Gianni for the idea!!!

Today is special because...

วันนี้เป็นวันพิเศษที่สุดวันหนึ่งของเรา เนื่องจากเป็นวันครบรอบวันเกิดของลูกชาย ปีนี้อายุครบ 11 ปีแล้ว หนูกำลังโตเป็นหนุ่มขึ้นทุกทีๆ โพสต์นี้อยากเขียนทั้ง 3 ภาษา วันเกิดลูกเรารู้สึกว่ามันเป็นวันแม่สำหรับเรา วันที่ได้มีลูกอยู่ในอ้อมกอดเป็นครั้งแรก จับต้องลูก ให้นมลูก รักลูก ทำให้เราได้รู้จักความรักอันยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดคือความรักของแม่ที่มีต่อลูก ในวันเกิดของลูก แม่คงจะไม่มีอะไรมากไปกว่าความรัก ความห่วงใย ที่มีต่อลูกเสมอมาและจะคงตลอดไป สุขสันต์วันเกิดนะครับลูกดีแลน

จากแม่

Oggi è un giorno molto speciale per me. E' il compleanno di mio figlio che compie 11 anni. Il mio bambino sta diventanto grande. Avevo voglia di scrivere in tutte e tre lingue che conosco. Per me la festa della mamma è oggi, cioè quando è nato mio figlio. L'ho tenuto in braccio per la prima volta, l'ho potuto accarezzare, allattare, amare...ho conosciuto l'amore più grande: l'amore di una mamma. In occasione del suo compleanno, non avrei niente di più speciale del mio amore per lui. Buon Compleanno Dylan!

dalla mamma

Today is the most special day for me. It's my son's birthday! He's 11 years old now. He's going to be a teenager soon. I wanted to write this post in all 3 languages that I know. For me, my boy's birthday is also my "Mother's Day" because the day he was born was the day I could embrace him for the first time, I could caress him, breastfeed him, love him...I could perceive how was the love of a mom like. It's the greatest love. Today, his birthday, I don't have anything that is more special than my love for him. Happy Birthday Dylan!

from mommy

Welcoming autumn with my blooming sunflowers

Summer's gone, I almost lost my hope to see the sunflowers I planted about 2 months ago. There were two plants, given by one of my friends. One died after some weeks but another survived. Its growth has been very slow, but it seemed to resist. It worked out several buds but they didn't develop much. Around the end of summer, I thought they would hardly bloom...but finally they worked out so well! My friend said it was a particular type of sunflowers. Look at the pictures! Their petals are very tiny and they look like round soft pon-pon.

I just wanna offer these beautiful creatures as a virtual gift for everybody ◕‿◕

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                                            ✿.｡.:* *.:｡✿*ﾟ ̈ﾟ✎･ ✿.｡.:* *.:｡✿*ﾟ ̈ﾟ✎･✿.｡.:

                                            ✿.｡.:* *.:｡✿*ﾟ ̈ﾟ✎･ ✿.｡.:* *.:｡✿*ﾟ ̈ﾟ✎･✿.｡.:

                            Wishing you all a great A U T U M N !!!

25 modi per indossare una sciarpa / 25 ways to wear a scarf

Ho visto un video clip molto carino e lo trovo interessante e simpatico. Perciò vorrei condividerlo con voi lettori. Da sempre vado matta per le sciarpe! Lo siete anche voi?

I've recently seen a nice video clip on youtube. I like it a lot and I think it would be useful for my female followers ;-) Usually I go crazy for scarves. Let's try!

What I eat

I'm back, after a long absence! In summer you feel like doing any other things than writing your blog, don't you? This morning, it was very cloudy and finally it rained! We did need some fresh air. I've a lot of thoughts to share but I'm still keeping them in my mind. I hardly find enough time to write as I'm not the only person who uses the computer. Well, the time will come.

Today, I just thought to show some of my simple but deliciuos dishes. In Italy, where I live, you rarely find a "real" Chinese menu in Chinese restaurants, as for in Thai ones. I suppose they modify the tastes, the ingredients and the way of cooking to make the dishes more similar to those of the local ones, for the reason that customers would accept them more easily. (Let me say that Italian people generally are very traditionalists.)  Yet, I personally think that both China and Thailand have much more various kinds of food to offer and it's really a pity not to demonstrate our stunning tastes and scents. The first time that my husband tried Thai food at Bangkok, I chose the dishes that worth trying, he was crying and blowing the nose while eating because of the intensely spicy tastes, but he loved them a lot and he was so satisfied. When our Italian friends wanted to try Thai dishes, I invited them and cooked the dishes the way they have to be and.....everyone of them loved the food a lot (even though they had some tear drops at the edge of their eyes when eating!!). One of my husband's friends turned back several times to have a Thai spicy soup.

Here is a combined picture of some Chinese and Thai dishes that we serve on the table in our families. I've cooked them at home.  They're all common ones.

The left row from top: Som-tum (Thai famous salad of raw papaya, I replaced papaya by carrots); Sweet and sour mixed vegetables and pork; Tom-yum-kung (thai well-known spicy soup with shrimps and mushrooms)
The right row: Steamed rice and egged pumpkins; Steamed rice and Chinese red spiced pork

Just proud to present my cyclamens

"We'd better enjoy the colors of life before they fade."

Cited by me :)

Books I've read and loved lately

I love reading novels. I've read various genres, just a good one I don't mind if it's a romance, comedy, tragedy or thriller but particularly I'm likely to choose those which retrace the history of a country or those which give you the sensation of staying and experiencing life in another country. Talented writers are able to render the history and cultures enjoyable and light. There're two books of the same author that I've appreciated a lot at the moment. One of them, I read it last year in original language; that is English version and it's called "A Thousand Splendid Suns". The other, I just had the chance to read it this month in Italian version, and it's "Il Cacciatore di Aquiloni" or "The Kite Runner" in original version. The Afghan author Khaled Hosseini just passed on life in Kabul and the outskirts into your eyes as if you could really feel it. I just think the two novels worths a read so I'd like to recommend them, perhaps you may not know them yet!

Editing pictures

This's just for fun. I don't know why but last evening after cooking a simple dish for myself, using the organic long beans from my friend's garden, I thought of the way my daddy loves to eat. Each meal, my mom always prepared the table in this way: 1 plate,1 spoon and 1 fork for herself and her children but 1 bowl and 1 couple of sticks for her husband. My dad loves to have food from a bowl and pick the food with chinese sticks. He holds the bolw in the left hand and the sticks in the right one...as if he tasted the food better than having it from a plate and fork. My mom, me, bro and sis use the sticks only when we have noodles, never use them when we have rice.

So last evening, after thinking of my dad and his bowl of rice, I decided to have rice and the long beans & shrimps in red curry sauce (obviously cooked by meself) in a bowl and to use sticks. I just wanted to fantasized a little bit with the pictures of the meal editing them by the program photoscape. And the results are...

Budino di uova morbidissimo!!

Le uova sono buone in tanti modi e non possono mai mancare dal frigo! So che suona strano...budino di uova...non l'ho inventato io ma da noi (intendo in Thailandia) è un cibo comune. Si può aggiungere degli ingredienti con fantasia. Mia mamma lo preparava con diversi ingredienti come cipolle, gamberetti essicati e funghi shintake. Questa volta l'ho fatto con un pò di cipollotto e carota grattuggiata. E' semplicissimo, vediamo che cosa ci occorono!

Per 2 porzioni:

-3 uova medie (io uso le uova bio che sono un pò piccole)
-un pò d'acqua
-un piccolo cipollotto (ho usato uno di quelli thailandesi dall'orto, sono molto più piccoli e vanno usati anche la parte verde che è buonissima!)
- un pò di carota grattuggiata
-2 cucchiaini di salsa di soia o un pizzico di sale

La preparazione:

1. Preparate una pentola per cottura a vapore.
2. Sbattete le uova in una ciottola poi aggiungete l'acqua a temperatura ambiente. La quantità dell'acqua è circa 1/3 di quella delle uova .
3. Aggiungete la salsa di soia o il sale come preferite.
4. Versate il contenuto in 2 tazze o ciottole tramite un colino (in questo modo ottenete il budino senza le bolle)
5. Mettete un pò di cipollotte tritate e carota grattuggiata. (Se volete, aggiungete un pizzico di pepe)
6. Quando l'acqua nella pentola bolle, mettete le tazze del budino a cuocere a fuoco medio per circa 15 min. (il tempo dipende dalla grandezza delle ciottole che usate)

Fate attenzione: se l'acqua nella pentola bolle troppo forte il budino verrà troppo duro. Per ottenere un buon risultato, coprite le tazze con la pellicola che resiste al calore o la carte d'alluminio per non far cadere dentro le gocce dal coperchio.

...e voilà!

Questa ricetta è ottima per i bambini, e così ho deciso di partecipare al contest "Cucina a prova di bambino" di Gianni nella categoria Preparate per loro.

An excursion into nature

I'd like to post some nice pictures taken during our short trekking. It was on Sunday 26th of June. Our boy Dylan loves walking up the mountain. Actually he didn't walk but he ran! After a couple of hours of walking among the nature, I really felt healthy and relaxed, nevertheless the contrast effect causing by my allergy to grasses. The location is a passage near my mom-in-law's house on mountain in the province of Bergamo. Let me show you the pictures of some wild flowers and the panorama.

When Nanà is "home alone"!

Who has read my older posts would know who is Nanà. She's our 4-year-old Birman cat. She has quite particular characters. Normally cats are independent. Ours instead needs someone to stay with. Actually it's said the Birman cats are very proper to who need a pet as companion.

I noticed her behavior when I was packing stuffs before going away in a weekend. I pulled out a big baggage, she turned around and around and sniffed. The next morning we went to my mom-in-law's house on mountain. My in-laws already arrived there the day before. We left Nanà at home because, from the previous experiences, she suffers a lot the trip, strangers and the new environment. Moreover, we were mostly obliged to close her in the loft in order that she couldn't stray in relatives' apartments or go down to the neighbour's garden. So we concluded that it'd much better leaving her home when we go away for only a weekend.

It happened that the next Monday, I was packing stuffs again to go for a short holiday at sea. When I pulled out the 2 baggages, she came close to me. Each time I put a piece of clothes there, she bited my hands, trying to impede me. We quarreled for a while but, becoming impatient, I stopped doing the baggage and went to another room. She followed me and was still biting my feet. I thought she's gone mad! That night, she slept on one of the baggages. Incredible! She understood we were leaving her home again.

This time yet, my in-laws took care of her. They told us on the phone that Nanà was angry with them. Anything they did for her never satisfied her; giving food, brushing her fur, etc. It seemed she did go mad. The day we arrived home, she finally stayed calm and returned normal. My in-laws said they almost couldn't stand aggressivity. How come! Nanà's used to stay with them. She might not want us to leave home.

A great time with my great friends

Yesterday I really had a great time with my Thai friends. I invited them to have lunch together and to up-date all the news. The 3 lovely friends are Thai wives who have lived in Italy for longer time than me. Ther're numerous Thai women in my city, more than I ever imagined but sincerely I prefer having only some but good friends. We talked a lot and surely we had a lot of fun. My boy, who's on summer holidays, had a smaller friend to keep company. He took the occasion to play as the big brother.

The night before, I marinated the chicken breasts in coconut milk, curry powder and some other ingredients. I grilled them with my friends for the lunch. In addition, I prepared a soup with stuffed zucchini and I also let them try the salted eggs I made. Cooking our dishes and speaking our language make us feel we're home! Seeing that lately I threw myself into the cooking field, I let you see my dishes. They were superb ;-)

They brought me the cakes and a Thai dessert but I didn't take the photo. I can say that another extraordinary day of mine ended.

Bento Hello Kitty pronto per il picnic!

Quando ho cominciato a fare il blog, ho pensato di scrivere i miei pensieri, esperienze nella vita, ecc...ma mai pensato di partecipare ai contest! Mi sono impressionata quando ho conosciuto man mano i blog di cucina, grazie alla mia cara amica Elena, quante belle scoperte ma sopprattutto come curano i propri blog con tantissima passione ed impegno! Io ammetto che come blogger sono molto pigra e lo sono pure anche in cucina. Dopo aver partecipato al contest Cucina Etnica di "Cocogianni o Cuocogianni?" non posso non partecipare anche a quello di Gianni del blog La mia cucina!!! (chissà se sarà l'ultima volta!?!?!)


Dunque, l'idea del contest "Cucina a prova di bambino" mi piace. Mi è venuto in mente subito quando ero bambina e guardavo i cartoni animati giapponesi, quanto mi sarebbe piaciuto un pranzo nella scatola o la famosa "bento" che i bambini portavano a scuola! Non solo nei cartoni ma anche nel mondo reale le mogli e mamme giapponesi sono molto brave a preparare i pranzi da portare via. E così ho deciso di provare a fare un bento raffigurando un personaggio o animale....qualcosa di carino con l'aiuto di Dylan, mio figlio che ha 10 anni. Alla fine abbiamo deciso di fare la faccina di Hello Kitty che è abbastanza semplice!


Per perparare il mio bento servono:
- 1 tazza di riso giapponese
- 1 1/1 cucchiaio di aceto di riso
- 2-3 cucchiaini di zucchero
- 1 cucchiaino di sale
- 1 piccola carota
- 1 patata
- 6-7 fagiolini
- un pò di mais cotti (ho usato mais in lattina Bonduelle)
- 1 uovo
- un pò di sesamo nero e alghe yakinori essicate
- 2 pomodorini
- 2 fragole
  
La preparazione:
Ho cotto il riso giapponese al vapore poi l'ho lasciato raffreddare. Nel frattempo ho cotto anche le verdure al vapore e le ho salate un pochino. Poi ho fatto una piccola frittatina. Quando il riso è appena tiepido, l'ho condito con 1 1/1 cucchiaio di aceto di riso, 2 1/2cucchiaini di zucchero e 1 cucchiao di sale. Ho mischiato ben bene il riso ed il condimento. Dylan mi ha aiutato a modellare un pugno di riso ed abbiamo ottenuto la forma di faccina di Hello Kitty. Abbiamo posato la faccina sul contenitore di vetro. Ho tagliato un pezzo di patata cotta e ho formato 2 orecchie. Ho usato i semini di sesame nero per disegnare gli occhi, un chicco di mais come naso e le striscine piccole di alghe yakinori come baffi. Ho usato un pezzo di carota cotta come fiocchetto.

Ho talgiato la frittatina con la formina a stella per i biscotti. Ho tagliato qualche fetta di carota a forma di fiore. Ho tagliato il resto di frittata e le verdure a quadrettini, ho talgiato i pomodorini a metà ed ho formato delle mini spiedini usando gli stuzzicadenti che Dylan aveva decorato con cartoncini disegnati e poi colorati. Ho finito il mio bento decorandolo come mi veniva con delle verdurine e fragole. Il risultato è qui sotto!

E' un pranzo nutriente e completo! Sarà perfetto per una bellissima giornata di picnic ;-)
Per creare un bento bastano anche pochi ingredienti ma usate tanta tanta fantasia!!!

P.S. secondo me al posto di riso giapponese si può usare anche il riso italiano cotto bene.

Con questa ricetta partecipo al contest di Gianni "Cucina a prova di bambino" nella categoria Preparati con loro.

...and it's time to boil the salted eggs!!!

Yes, 3 weeks has passed and this morning I lifted the eggs out of the vases, placed them in a saucepan and covered them with water. The water began to boil, I reduced the heat a little bit and....there came one doubt. How much time would it take to cook the salted eggs??? I was completely convinced that it'd take the same time as boiling fresh eggs...but fortunately I began to doubt so firstly took a look on the internet and the website I clicked said it should take about half an hour. Really half an hour to boil some salted eggs??? I suddenly picked up the phone and call my (Thai) dear friend who had suggested me to do the eggs. She strongly confirmed that it does take more time to cook them than to cook the fresh ones. She usually let boil for about 15 min. Well...the webpage I consulted said 30 min, my friend 15 min...or it might depend on how high the flame is?? I just took a quick decision to let them boil on a medium-low heat for 20 min....

When the eggs were replaced from the saucepan and cooled down...I couldn't wait to open one of them!!! And here it is!!

II WAS PERFECTLY DONE!!!
It tasted well, quite salty ;-) I had it at lunch with a plate of stir-fry rice with veggies. I'm still ok until now, so they're not harmful to health :-P

My first experiment on salted eggs

A bowl of rice soup and a salted egg had been my favorite breakfast ever! Here I adapted myself with the classic Italian breakfast; home-made espresso coffee and some cookies. Sometimes I really miss the breakfast prepared by my mom, especially the salted eggs which were superb! I can't imagine if these preserved eggs are eaten in some other parts of the world apart from Thailand and China! In Italy it sounds so weird.

Normally we use duck eggs but I can't find them in any supermarket. My in-laws said they never heard anybody eating duck eggs before. Well, if we eat hen's eggs, why don't we eat duck's ones? I don't know if I'll get the same result with hen's eggs, but I should try. I'm altready dreaming my favorite breakfast! Let's see in the next 3 weeks if the eggs will be eatable.

This isn't really my 1st experiment as mentioned in the topic. In the primary school I made it in the class but this's my 1st time out of school ;-D I've never preserved vegetables nor fruits, it's not my habit doing it. We rarely eat preserved food, it may be because we've fresh veggies and fruits all the year.

Pollo al curry "Massaman"

Ieri ho preparato un piatto squisito di pollo al curry che si chiama "Massaman". Questa ricetta ha origine persiano. Mi sono documentata per poter dare un'informazione corretta. Nell' antichità, da 1676 - 1688 (anni cristiani), Re Narai governò la Thailandia e scambiò il commercio con paesi come Cina, Giappone, Iran, Inghilterra ed Olanda. Le spezie persiane ebbero successo per il suo profumo ed il gusto intenso. Fu scritto addirittura una poesia dedicata al curry Massaman da un noto poeta.  E così questa ricetta fu molto diffusa nel nostro paese fino ad oggi.

Questa ricetta è adatta non solo alla carne di pollo ma anche a quella di manzo e vitello. Che cos'è il curry Massaman? Dunque, è un insieme di vari ingredienti come peperoncini secchi, scalogno, aglio, citronella, radici di coriandolo, peppe, cannella e altri ingredienti che non saprei come si chiamano in italiano, o se hanno un nome italiano. E' ovvio che preparare questa pasta di curry in un paese straniero come Italia è quasi impossibile, non si riesce a trovare tutti gli ingredienti ma è facile trovare la versione pronta da usare in vasetto o bustina nei negozi alimentari etnici. Cercate "Massaman Curry Paste", è quello giusto! Ora iniziamo!!!

Gli ingredienti (per 3-4 persone):

500 gr. di carne di pollo (vanno bene sia cosce, ali o petto tagliato in tocchetti)
50 gr. di Massaman Curry paste
1 lattina da 400ml di latte di cocco (non comprate la marca Kathay, non è buono)
         si può sostituire il latte di cocco con latte intero
1 cipolla
2-3 patate
1 tazza di arachidi bolliti (li ho sostituiti con i fagioli cotti)
2-3 cucchiai di salsa di pesce (che praticamente è l'estratto di acciuge), sostituibile con un pò di sale
1 cucchiaio di zucchero di palma, sostituibile con quello di canna
3 pezzi di tamarindo fresco (sostituibile con succo di limone)

Come preparare:

- Mettete in ammollo il tamarindo (basta poca acqua), spremetelo dopo 10 min. ed ottenerete il succo di tamarindo
- Tagliate la cipolla in 4 pezzi e tagliate le patate a tocchetti.
- Mettete la metà di latte di cocco in una pentola e scaldatela.
- Aggiungete la pasta di Curry Massaman, girate e lasciate bollire pian piano sul fuoco basso per qualche minuto.

- Mettete la carne di pollo nella pentola, mettete il coperchio e girate ogni tanto per 10 min., sempre sul fuoco basso.

- Aggiungete i pezzi di cipolla e patate, versate l'altra metà del latte di cocco, tenete il coperchio sulla pentola e girate ogni tanto.
- Dopo circa 30 min. di cottura, aggiungete i fagioli cotti (ho usato quelli nella scatola), la salsa di pesce (o sale), lo zucchero e 2 cucchiai di succo di tamarindo (oppure 1 cucchiaio del succo di limone)
- Terminate la cottura, in tutto deve cuocere pian piano per circa 1 oretta.
- Assaggiate ed aggiustare il gusto come preferite.

- Pronto da servire! Naturalmente va servito con riso cotto al vapore, ma non è male anche da fare la scarpetta con pane ;-)

Buon appetito! Con questa ricetta partecipo al "Contest Cucina Etnica" di Gianni del blog Cocogianni o cuocogianni? come fuori gara.

Proud to present...Thai mango!

How much I love mangoes!!! It's the best fruit for me. We've many kinds of mangoes, some types should be served when raw, while some others are delicious when ripe. Thai mangoes are different from the Brazilian ones (sincerely I don't like the latter!).

Two weeks ago, one of my Thai friends gave me a couple of mangoes she got from Bangkok. It's one of the most delicious types we have. Its name is "NAM-DOK-MAI" and it must be consumed when ripe. My in-laws appreciated them very much. They reminded when they visited Thailand 11 years ago. They agree that mangoes are the most delicious fruits they've ever tried! This kind is quite similar to ripe peaches, but the taste is little bit sweeter. I'm showing you a picture here below.

This year we're not going to Bangkok, but we'll do it the next year. I've to wait another year to have delicious mangoes!!!

La primavera»» bella stagione «« ma purtroppo non per me ☹

Eh sì, è arrivata la primavera da un pò e me la sento già dal primo giorno! Al contrario degli altri vorrei saltare questa stagione visto che devo stare male e non mi godo le belle giornate di sole e la rinascità della natura. Sono allergica alle graminacee e mi sento così sfortunata perché mi sono trasferita della città alla campagna per stare bene!!! Comunque, non vorrei neanche drammatizzare la facenda. Quest' anno ho peggiorato, almeno mi sembra così. Ho continuato a tossire giorno e notte ed ogni cura non sembra funzionante. Sono stata così male che ho cercato su internet qualche consiglio o qualche cura che magari al mio medico non è mai venuto in mente. Chissà perché non ho fatto prima queste ricerche! Non ho mai saputo che stavo mangiando i cibi che mi dovrebbero fare bene (e che mi piaciono pure) ma invece non lo è! Dunque, copio qui qualcosa tra tante le mie nuove scoperte:

Gli allergici ai pollini (in Italia sono circa cinque milioni) non devono solo temere questa o quella pianta in fase di pollinazione ma fare attenzione anche alle cosiddette "cross-reattività".
Ovvero alle allergie che alcuni pollini possono scatenare in chi ingerisce certa frutta e verdura. 

Chiediamo il perché a due esperti di Humanitas, la dott.ssa Lucia Testoni e il dott. Massimo Giorgino, specialisti in Allergologia e Immunologia Clinica, presso l’Unità Operativa diretta dal dott. Michele Ciccarelli.  

"È frequentemente rilevata una cross-reattività tra pollini di alcune famiglie e vari alimenti vegetali”, spiega la dott.ssa Testoni che precisa: “Il contatto con alcuni alimenti vegetali in pazienti allergici ad alcune famiglie di pollini può determinare una sindrome orale allergica con fenomeni irritativi a labbra e cavo orale: il sintomo più comune è rappresentato dal prurito al palato, ma può comparire anche gonfiore delle labbra, fino ad edema della glottide. A volte l’ingestione di questi alimenti vegetali cross-reattivi può provocare anche manifestazioni cutanee o respiratorie come ad esempio asma bronchiale. Sono stati descritti anche casi di choc allergico. Tra le cross reattività più frequenti quella tra mela e betulla che si osserva nel 30-70 per cento dei pazienti allergici a pollini di betulla”.

"La sindrome orale allergica si manifesta pochi minuti dopo il contatto con alcuni alimenti vegetali", aggiunge il dott. Giorgino, "e si osserva in otto-dieci pazienti allergici a pollini ogni cento". È utile quindi che chi è allergico ed ha manifestato fenomeni di cross reattività conosca i "legami" tra piante e alimenti vegetali. I più noti sono questi:

- pollini di graminacee crociano con frumento, anguria, melone, limone, arancia, prugna, pesca, albicocca, ciliegia, kiwi, mandorla, pomodoro, arachide;

- pollini di parietaria con gelso, basilico, pisello, melone, ciliegia, pistacchio;

- pollini di betulacee con mela, pera, fragola, lampone, prugna, pesca, albicocca, ciliegia, mandorla, sedano, finocchio, carota, prezzemolo, kiwi, arachide, noce, nocciola;

- pollini di composite con miele di girasole o di tarassaco, camomilla, olio e semi di girasole, margarina, dragoncello, genepy, lattuga, cicoria, sedano, finocchio, carota, prezzemolo, anguria, melone, mela, castagna, pistacchio, banana, arachide, noce, nocciola. 

 

E queste sì che sono delle belle scoperte. Dunque, devo evitare tutti gli alimenti buoni e gustosi della stagione. Mi sa che perderò un pò di chili........

Ora cerco di stare meglio e mi fermo qua. Spero di avere qualcosa di più allegro o qualche ricettina simpatica da pubblicare, perché no?

Thai New Year's Day, Apr. 14th

I lately had a pause in the blog, having so many things to keep up with each day, but I did find time to post some brief news.

How many people in the world know that in Thailand we celebrated our New Year's Day in mid April?? Yes, according to our calendar, not only in Thailand but also in Burma, Cambogia and Laos, April 14th is the beginning of the year! We call it "Songkran" which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac. From 13th to 15th are regularly natinal holidays. As tradition, people go home to celebrate with their family. We have a partucular and funny festival. Everywhere people splash water to each other, no one minds to get wet. Tourists too enjoy to play with the Thai's. It's really a pleasure as water helps cooling down the temperature (it's the hottest month of the year).

Moreover, there're some Buddhist rites in temples and traditionally we pay respect to the oldest family members or the olderlies in the villages so as to be blessed by them.

At Rome, the abbassy of Thailand certainly set up a celebration for Thai people in Italy. This year, it's quite special for me because a Uni friend of mine came to visit Italy. I and other 3 Uni friends (who stay in Itlay for work, another one for family like me and the last one for a study) all met at Milan. We did had a great day on the Songkran Day.

Before leaving, I just wanna show our gorgeous orchid flower. This's the 1st time we reached out to save an orchid plant!

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE !!!

Let's eat asparagus!!

I just read a very interesting article about the "asparagus cure" and found it worths sharing. The text below is being copied from a forwared e-mail I've got from one of my dear friends, I'm not writing it myself.

Asparagus -- Who knew ?
From a friend –
My Mom had been taking the full-stalk canned style
asparagus that she pureed and she took 4 tablespoons in
the morning and 4 tablespoons later in the day. She did
this for over a month. She is on chemo pills for Stage 3
lung cancer in the pleural area and her cancer cell
count went from 386 down to 125 as of this past week.
Her oncologist said she does not need to see him for 3
months.

THE ARTICLE:
Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a
friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy
of an article, entitled, Asparagus for cancer 'printed in
Cancer News Journal, December 1979. I will share it
here, just as it was shared with me: I am a
biochemist, and have specialized in the relation of diet
to health or over 50 years. Several years ago, I learned
of the discovery of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that
asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked
with him on his project We have accumulated a number
of favorable case histories. Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1, A man with an almost hopeless case
of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who
was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting
the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to
detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a
schedule of strenuous exercise.
Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old
who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years.
After years of medical treatments, including radiation
without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3
months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor
had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he
was put on the operating table where they found
lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable.
The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case
hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the Asparagus
therapy and immediately started taking it By August,
x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had
disappeared..
He is back at his regular business routine.

Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of
years with skin cancer. She finally developed different
skin cancers which were diagnosed by the acting
specialist as advanced.. Within 3 months after starting
on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin
looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman
reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her
kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10
operations for kidney stones, and was receiving
government disability payments for an inoperable,
terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of
this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of
materia medica', edited in1854 by a Professor at the
University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was
used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even
referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of
asparagus in dissolving stones. Note the dates!
We would have other case histories but the medical
establishment has interfered with our obtaining some
of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to
spread this good news and help us to gather a large
number of case histories that will overwhelm the
medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and
natural remedy.

For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked
before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just
as good as fresh. I have corresponded with the two
leading canners of asparagus, Giant and Stokely, and I
am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or
preservatives.
Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to
make a puree, and store in the refrigerator. Give the
patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and
evening. Patients usually show some improvement in
2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a
cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on
present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do
no harm and may be needed in some cases. As a
biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what
cures can prevent.' Based on this theory, my wife and I
have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with
our meals. We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to
suit our taste with breakfast and with dinner. I take
mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold. For years we
have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as
part of our regular checkups. The last blood survey,
taken by a medical doctor who specializes in the
nutritional approach to health, showed substantial
improvements in all categories over the last one, and
we can attribute these improvements to nothing but
the asparagus drink.
As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all
aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a
result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better
with the latest theories about cancer.

Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called
histones, which are believed to be active in controlling
cell growth.. For that reason, I believe asparagus can
be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth
normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and
in acting as a general body tonic. In any event,
regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is
a harmless substance. The FDA cannot prevent you
from using it and it may do you much good. It has
been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that
asparagus is the highest tested food containing
glutathione, which is considered one of the body's
most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.