Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Firstly, there is nothing more important than me and my family. The most precious thing I can give them (including me) is time. In my job, with all it's pressures, I singularly failed to do this. So we run for the hills and try to redress the balance.
Secondly, climate change is happening. It's a cataclysm, the scope of which is beyond our comprehension. This is why we are doing so little to stop it - we just cant imagine the scale of the upheavals to come, and we can't imagine how we, as individuals, can stop it.
Everything is stacked against effective action. Our economy is driven by consumerism and it is consumerism that is driving climate change. Our political leaders are paralysed - to curb consumerism would cripple the economic engine. We increasingly define ourselves by our economic position and the things we buy. We are what we buy. What politician dare restrict our ability to buy, our ability to define ourselves? It would attack our very self and would be political suicide.
And anyway, the real power lies with money - and the people with money want us to consume and they spend millions every second of the day persuading us to consume more. What hope do we have against such power? And everything we buy pumps a little more CO2 into the atmosphere.
Thirdly, I am no saint. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to change my life for the benefit of myself, and, I hope, the planet. Ultimately my reasons for doing this are selfish, and although I'll do what I can to keep my carbon footprint low, I'll make many choices that are not so good for the planet. Like anyone, I can only voluntarily make changes to my life at the speed I can. I don't intend to beat myself up over this - I do intend to change faster than most.
Fourthly, there is hope. Our lust to consume is a very recent phenomena. Not so long ago we principally defined ourselves by our relationships with friends and family and place and we defined ourselves by our usefulness to society. I believe that climate change will force us out of consumerism, and in its place we will find those core values, and rediscover a sense of wellbeing that is so missing from our current fractured existence.
There are lots of examples where this is starting to happen. The transition town movement is one - people getting together and learning to appreciate the things and people around them. I played a small part in helping Sustaining Dunbar get off the ground. (http://edubuzz.org/blogs/sustainingdunbar/about-us) What I found there were people striving to build a positive and resilient future and there are transition towns popping up all over the place - a really positive movement. (find out more about transition towns)
Fifthly, At the end of the day it's all bollocks. So let's all go off and have some fun - it's the most important thing we can do - but let's just try to do it without killing the planet in the process.
If you think there's something wrong, change what you can to make it better. I'm trying to lower my carbon footprint, step out from the 9-5 grind, rise from the weight of leadership and responsibility and have some fun again.
Comment is free!
We love your comments! But if you really want to keep it private you can email Simon
simon dot lee dot contact @ gmail dot com
simon dot lee dot contact @ gmail dot com
Contributors
Where I"m coming from - !CAUTION! a bit of a polemic
Secondly, climate change is happening. It's a cataclysm, the scope of which is beyond our comprehension. This is why we are doing so little to stop it - we just cant imagine the scale of the upheavals to come, and we can't imagine how we, as individuals, can stop it.
Everything is stacked against effective action. Our economy is driven by consumerism and it is consumerism that is driving climate change. Our political leaders are paralysed - to curb consumerism would cripple the economic engine. We increasingly define ourselves by our economic position and the things we buy. We are what we buy. What politician dare restrict our ability to buy, our ability to define ourselves? It would attack our very self and would be political suicide.
And anyway, the real power lies with money - and the people with money want us to consume and they spend millions every second of the day persuading us to consume more. What hope do we have against such power? And everything we buy pumps a little more CO2 into the atmosphere.
Thirdly, I am no saint. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to change my life for the benefit of myself, and, I hope, the planet. Ultimately my reasons for doing this are selfish, and although I'll do what I can to keep my carbon footprint low, I'll make many choices that are not so good for the planet. Like anyone, I can only voluntarily make changes to my life at the speed I can. I don't intend to beat myself up over this - I do intend to change faster than most.
Fourthly, there is hope. Our lust to consume is a very recent phenomena. Not so long ago we principally defined ourselves by our relationships with friends and family and place and we defined ourselves by our usefulness to society. I believe that climate change will force us out of consumerism, and in its place we will find those core values, and rediscover a sense of wellbeing that is so missing from our current fractured existence.
There are lots of examples where this is starting to happen. The transition town movement is one - people getting together and learning to appreciate the things and people around them. I played a small part in helping Sustaining Dunbar get off the ground. (http://edubuzz.org/blogs/sustainingdunbar/about-us) What I found there were people striving to build a positive and resilient future and there are transition towns popping up all over the place - a really positive movement. (find out more about transition towns)
Fifthly, At the end of the day it's all bollocks. So let's all go off and have some fun - it's the most important thing we can do - but let's just try to do it without killing the planet in the process.
Things I"m going to miss
- Jour Fixe - especially Tagd and CDs from Sean
- Lennie's coffee, bacon rolls and flapjacks, always served with such...erm...charm
- Liz's happy hello in the morning
- Unpacking the Crunchy veg box (people of Dunbar - use them! - http://www.crunchycarrot.co.uk/crunchy_carrot_4/services.html)
- Our wood burning stove - we had a hybrid - http://www.dowlingstoves.com/stoves.htm
- Oh and that pumped up sense of self importance you get from being the big cheese
- Financial security
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(336)
-
▼
May
(61)
- Sunrise 04:19, Sunset 22:10
- Gardening tips
- Bon Appetit
- Har Har
- Friday night 5
- Almost home alone
- Rights of passage
- Censorship
- Youthfulness
- Civilisation
- Rain
- Simon's Rhubarb "Crumble"
- Lizard Cage
- Wort
- Yay!
- Common Grazing
- Some views 2
- Friday night 4
- Rhubarb Recipes and the eternal madness of capitalism
- Re-united
- A bit of inspiration
- More tales of friendship
- Beer for breakfast
- New Baby
- Not a fox (not in sox)
- Cats on the loo
- Sunrise 04:43, Sunset 21:44
- Saturday morning walk
- White van woman and other miscellany
- Landscapes are difficult
- Sunrise: 04:49, Sunset: 21:37
- Marketing
- Cats on the loose
- Fuffin Fuff
- Business name
- Cabbage Recipes
- The crofting way
- Environmentalists
- The Chairman of the Grazings Committee
- Washing underwear in public
- Sort of off-white beigey can man
- Friday night 3
- Today
- Self Portrait
- Planting Plan
- Delusions of grandeur
- Aaaaaarrrrgh
- Red car woman
- Jussi's pet
- Too hot
- Another glorious one
- A bit more history
- Wow
- Never enough time
- Friday night
- Another hard day at the office
- Tales from the kitchen 2
- Architects
- Beautiful morning
- They came from the East
- Carbon Monoxide
-
▼
May
(61)
My quick links
Cheapskate jazz collections
9 comments:
do you guys have red cabbage, too, or only green? our recipe's for red, but I'm sure it works for green, too. Have to check w/ the hubs, though - he's the resident cabbage expert...
Yes we can get red cabbage - can't wait!
http://saffrontrail.blogspot.com/2007/09/cabbage-curry-with-bengali-spices.html
Thanks Chris. But really all you need is a bit of this http://www.flickr.com/photos/vrog/183361135/in/set-72157594158652715/
some steamed cabbage and mash eh what?
Chris! - this looks good!
http://everythingiate2008.blogspot.com/2008/05/indian-cabbage.html
Alright, here we go:
INDIAN RED CABBAGE (Gujarati-style)
Ingredients:
one head of cabbage (red or green)
3-5 green chilies (we use five, but we eat SPICY!)
1 1/2 tspn. mustard seeds
1-2 cups baby carrots
a handful of cilantro
juice of one lime
Cut the cabbage in half, remove the white core, then cut lengthwise into very thin slices.
Cut the top off the chilies, remove the seeds and white inside part (spiciest part) from all but one of them, slice lengthwise into medium-thick slices.
Cut carrots into thin strips (julienne).
(Pictures in the link in the comment right above this one)
Heat at least 2 tblspns of oil (olive oil works surprisingly well, but Ritesh's mom would use canola) in a large pot, add mustard seeds when oil is hot. When the seeds start popping, add the chilies and fry on medium-high heat for a minute or two until they just begin to brown on the outside.
Then add in the cabbage and the carrots, some salt to taste and mix well. Continue frying for another couple of minutes, then turn off heat, add chopped up cilantro and lime juice and serve warm or cold.
Tastes better still the day after.
Instead of cabbage, you can also use beets for this recipe, or even carrots only.
Just watch the spice level so it's not too much for Ailsa.
Enjoy!
Nice one Pedi - thanks. I had to google cilantro - we call it coriander and that ingredient is the most likely sticking point, fresh herbs are hard enough to find but fresh exotic herbs...
We'll get it and try out your recipe as soon as we can.
(Other viewers can see the recipe in full colour at http://everythingiate2008.blogspot.com/2008/05/indian-cabbage.html)
if coriander/cilantro is hard to get, parsley will do, too. Indian cuisine is pretty forgiving...I've made Indian kidney beans w/ basil, and it turned out great. Ritesh's very own mom uses Italian rosemary foccaccia bread in some of her recipes - so hey, whatever works. As long as you have mustard seeds and chilies, you're good to go.
Post a Comment