Thoughts of the day every day in 2014

[Anthea]

6 May

Such a lovely sunny day but far too busy working on a spreadsheet to see much sun myself

I do not enjoy spreadsheets - I would much rather have been outside working on my freckles

[Piling]

Hey, I have a question very very crucial because it concerns food & recipes.

What is exactly a 'roll' ? in some recipes, the pics are too various : sometimes as buns, sometimes as wraps, sometimes as what we call 'friand' (puff pastry). Is it a general name for many sorts of snack or has it its own definition and recipe ?

[Anthea]

Hey, I have a question very very crucial because it concerns food & recipes.

What is exactly a 'roll' ? in some recipes, the pics are too various : sometimes as buns, sometimes as wraps, sometimes as what we call 'friand' (puff pastry). Is it a general name for many sorts of snack or has it its own definition and recipe ?

A roll generally refers to a bread roll made from exactly the same bread mixture as in a normal loaf of bread - often served warm with lunch or dinner - torn in half rather than cut - very bad manners to cut bread roll at the dinner table

Bread rolls are cut when used with sandwich style fillings as a replacement for bread itself

Pre-cut buns are really American and used to put beefburgers in and are softer than bread rolls

Before the Americans came over here with their beefburgers - buns were normally filled with fruit - Hot Cross Buns - current buns etc

Also Americans use pre-cut long thin rolls to put hotdogs in

[Piling]

OK. thanks, now I understand what it is.

torn in half rather than cut - very bad manners to cut bread roll at the dinner table

The same in France : bread, even our baguette, has to be torn and never cut (bad manners).

[Anthea]

7 May

My oldest and dearest Kurdish friend has gone MAD

He has told me that if I help my young friend Mehmet for nothing he will not talk to me again to him

I think he is jealous because I often help Mehmet for nothing - I love my little friend he is like my son - this is what friends are for

I am so angry that I may even find a TURK to marry

[Piling]

Ha ha ! Typical Kurdish jealousy ! Even from a white bearded man, you can have such childish reactions Not the same that we call a 'jealous' man in Western. I think it has more to do with the time when they were kids and shifted from the place of the 'King Youngest Baby' to the lower place of 'Older son' when a new birth came in the family and the mum and all the harem only cuddled and cared of the little one.

I watched in Kurdish families a way from adults to tease kids : they put their hand on their mum, or on a toy, or anything else belonging to the child and with a mocking voice, telling : Ê min e ! (it is mine !). So of course, automatically the kid made a tantrum and all adults laughed and continued until they have fun enough…

Perhaps a coaching to prepare them at their future life of warrior fighting to defend their goods, wife and cattle from the invader

And then, the most common way for a Kurd to try to 'got you' or seduce you, or oblige you to care of him is to make you jealous : praising another female, telling that he will have (could have) many wives, etc.

The aim is to make the lady burning of jealousy and shouting : NO YOU ARE MINE ? Not at all : the good answer is to smile as a challenge and answer : ok, ok… full of self-confidence.

But of course, from Western people, it does not work like that and the cool answer 'OK, have your way, I will have mine" is NOT the right reaction

[Anthea]

Ha ha ! Typical Kurdish jealousy ! Even from a white bearded man, you can have such childish reactions Not the same that we call a 'jealous' man in Western. I think it has more to do with the time when they were kids and shifted from the place of the 'King Youngest Baby' to the lower place of 'Older son' when a new birth came in the family and the mum and all the harem only cuddled and cared of the little one.

I watched in Kurdish families a way from adults to tease kids : they put their hand on their mum, or on a toy, or anything else belonging to the child and with a mocking voice, telling : Ê min e ! (it is mine !). So of course, automatically the kid made a tantrum and all adults laughed and continued until they have fun enough…

Perhaps a coaching to prepare them at their future life of warrior fighting to defend their goods, wife and cattle from the invader

I sometimes think the only time Kurdish women feel important is when they have a new baby and everyone visits them - in England the communities are often close-knit and everyone has to visit a new baby - the mother and child become the centre of attention for months

As you say the older child is ignored and laughed at - I ALWAYS tell the women off because I think it is a very cruel way to treat a young child - it makes a child think he has done something wrong - also if the older child rebels against getting treated like shit and laughed at - sometimes the mother actually HITS her child

And then, the most common way for a Kurd to try to 'got you' or seduce you, or oblige you to care of him is to make you jealous : praising another female, telling that he will have (could have) many wives, etc.

The aim is to make the lady burning of jealousy and shouting : NO YOU ARE MINE ? Not at all : the good answer is to smile as a challenge and answer : ok, ok… full of self-confidence.

But of course, from Western people, it does not work like that and the cool answer 'OK, have your way, I will have mine" is NOT the right reaction

Kurds really know nothing about Western women at all

My two friends are just that - FRIENDS - nothing sexual - one is like my brother the other like my son - I love them both dearly but I want to bang their heads together

[Anthea]

8 May

One of my friends asked me if I wanted him to bring me anything from the Turkish market - I told him that I would love a Mahsun Kirmizigul CD

My friend said he would not buy me one because Mahsun Kirmizigul was a fascist who had sold out his Kurdish identity - my good Kurdish friend who buys all his shopping at the TURKISH supermarket

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[Anthea]

9 May

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I think they are absolutely brilliant

[Anthea]

10 May

I made myself ill sampling foul tasting coffee while visiting coffee shops as part of my research

Conclusion:

Coffee Shops charge far too much for the coffee

The coffee is often far too bitter for the English market

Many people serving in Coffee Shops have difficulty telling the difference between all the various types of coffee/chocolate drinks we have come to expect in Coffee Shops - most of the staff are too young and too inexperienced - raison d'être teenagers are not paid as much as those over 21

Very little sign of "Service With a Smile" in most coffee shops I visited

I have discovered that many shops keep the same fancy high-priced cakes on display for weeks at a time - they look good but few people seem to buy them - preferring to buy fresh sandwiches or a few biscuits

[Anthea]

11 May

What an exciting life I lead NOT

Reading reading and yet more reading

People keep phoning me - not to ask if I need help but to make sure I do not relax to much

Relax I have 2 computers on the go - reading a large book - piles of notes everywhere

[Piling]

People keep phoning me - not to ask if I need help but to make sure I do not relax to much

Try Yoga

[Anthea]

People keep phoning me - not to ask if I need help but to make sure I do not relax to much

Try Yoga

If I got down on the floor I would never be able to get up again - parts of me still do not work properly - but never mind because:

I CAN WALK

Besides the only thing that would relax me would be banging my 2 friends heads together

By this time next week I will have finished my business plan, marketing strategy, leaflet design, pricing, floor plan and interior design, planning and assorted licensing applications, cash-flow forecast, staffing guidelines, health and safety policy etc etc etc AND found a source for non-halal farm produce

Then I only have 2 more business ventures to assist and one family to house

[Piling]

If I got down on the floor I would never be able to get up again - parts of me still do not work properly - but never mind because:

There are many yoga postures, even for disabled people, pregnant women, elders… You can even practice yoga on a chair. It is a fascinating field

By this time next week I will have finished my business plan, marketing strategy, leaflet design, pricing, floor plan and interior design, planning and assorted licensing applications, cash-flow forecast, staffing guidelines, health and safety policy etc etc etc AND found a source for non-halal farm produce

I add that you NEED relaxation exercises

[Anthea]

12 May

I add that you NEED relaxation exercises

I totally agree with you

Perhaps sitting in the park for a few hours - eating ice-cream will do me good

Free advice to the brothers:

I do NOT think that vegetable delivery is a very profitable business to get into - I suggest you learn some English and get a different job

Ask yourselves would you really be able to make enough money to pay each of you £400 every week?

With a bit of English you could do gardening - odd jobs - decorating