Food for thought

What horrible weather today... lots of hail/sleet, and even some snow for Easter! How bizarre to have winter-like weather in Spring. Similarly, is it strange to eat some things during the 'wrong' season?

We went to visit some friends who made us a delicious 'autumn soup.' Here is the question, should autumn soups really be eaten in the spring? Veggie Hubby (who actually I should re-name Carnie Hubby as he is a carnivore) had no problems eating this tasty soup, but I mentioned that he often likes to eat seasonally. For instance, he will only eat clementines in November/December, whilst we were all happy to eat them still in March (probably not in summer though, when there is nicer fruit available). Carnie Hubby also wouldn't be happy to eat a heavy pie in the summer, when he prefers to eat lighter meals. He also eats his Christmas meal at midnight, like the French Catholics, which seems quite strange to us.

Is this really so strange though, to only eat certain things at certain times? Surely it is better for the environment, and also more natural to eat seasonal produce. Also, there are certain times of year when we eat certain things, for instance, hot cross buns at Easter, but not at any other time. People also tend to eat certain meals at certain times of the day, for instance, it doesn't seem right to eat a big steak or roast beef in the morning, or eggs and bacon at 10pm (not that I would ever eat these things at any time). Why is it though that we eat certain meals at certain times of the day? It certainly seems to be better for us if we breakfast like kings, giving us more energy throughout the day, and dine like paupers; yet a lot of people have the largest meal of the day in the evening.

Do we eat at certain times of day just because it is a 'residual rule' that we do so (Scheff, 1966)? Scheff defined residual rules as being different from explicit rules, the latter of which are written down (e.g. rules of etiquette, laws). Residual rules are social rules of behaviour, that are not explicitly defined, but are are so embedded in society that they 'go without saying,' and violation of these rules seems strange or abnormal. For instance, we look at other people when we talk to them, rather than staring into space, and failure to do so, or 'residual-rule breaking' may be a definition of being mentally ill according to Scheff. By breaking the residual rules of not eating certain things at certain times, does this make us abnormal and why there such undefined rules in place in the first place?

(By the way, if you're reading this autumn soup and hot cross bun makers, thank you, we really are very grateful and enjoyed it a lot!)

Random ramblings

It is 10.30pm and Veggie Hubby is watching Jesus of Nazareth. It is a loooong film (some 6 hours in total) and I'm totally bored. I feel like writing a stream of consciousness for the sake of it, as I have nothing better to do.

Well, actually I could read 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' which I am really enjoying but I have read a lot of it already today, and it is actually quite depressing. It angers me how women are treated in some cultures; that they are treated based on WHAT they are rather than WHO they are. For instance, one of the two main protagonists in this book, Mariam, is even treated like dirt by her own parents and much older husband, who was forced upon her when she was aged only fifteen, because her father was too ashamed of her to allow her to live in his house. The reasons they seem to have for treating her so appallingly are a) because she is a woman b) because she is the result of an affair, neither of which she (obviously) had any choice over. It does not matter to them that she is a sweet and trusting, if somewhat naive girl (because she hasn't received the education that she should have been entitled to). They seem to have no empathy at all for her, or her situation. OK, this is just fiction, but many women all around the world are quietly suffering at the hands of men. Reading this book makes me feel pretty lucky that I am a British woman, married to a 'modern' man.

Today, we have been preparing for Easter. This afternoon, we were looking at/photographing an Easter egg display in a shop window, which was really cute, with bunnies and sheep. Then, I looked up and noticed a beautiful rainbow. All of a sudden, it started to rain and not just rain but heavy sleet, with lots of hail and ice. So much for it being the start of Spring, but Veggie Hubby thought it was rather appropriate as it is Good Friday. The ground was quickly full of ice and slush. I haven't seen such a torrential downpour for a while. It gave a nice community feel, as everyone was huddling together in shop doorways, waiting for it to stop. However, I don't mind the rain much, I felt happy to run (it was raining too much to walk) through the empty streets, as it is not often they get that empty. We stopped in a coffee shop to dry off and have a drink. Tomorrow, we are going to visit some friends, and then on Sunday, we are going to spend our first Easter together, just the two of us. We are going to try to make our first Easter dinner together, and we may go to Church.

Imagine...

Thanks to Frankofile who challenged me to find memorable words:

Memorable words: Do you have favourite poem, something you learned as a child perhaps? Or do you find the words of song or a saying particularly memorable? A jingle from a TV ad? - Tell us what it is, why you like/don't like it, why you think it's memorable.

I actually found this incredibly difficult. There was a poem I read at school, but I couldn't remember the words, only the rhythm - hardly the most memorable poem! There are other poems that I can remember more clearly, but I cannot honestly say that they are particular favourites of mine. A jingle from a TV ad may be memorable in an annoying way, but I am not going to choose my memorable words as those that cynically endorse a product. Regarding songs, it usually tends to be the tune rather than the words of a song that I find memorable. Of course, the lyrics are important too, but I can often hum a tune without remembering them.

After a while though, I did manage to think of a song that does have memorable lyrics. In this song I believe that the lyrics are more important than the tune. It is not my intention to be controverisal here, but I have chosen 'Imagine,' by John Lennon:

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

It is the meaning behind the words of the song that I especially like here, rather than their intrinsic beauty. I think Lennon is right; a world without possessions, religion and land boundaries would most likely be a more peaceful one, as there would be little to fight over if everyone had the same harmonious view. I like his idealistic vision of world peace. Unfortunately in reality though, I am sure that there would always be something for people to fight over. I also think that many peoples' lives would have a lot less value without religion or national/cultural identity, so I am not completely endorsing Lennon's opinion. Nevertheless, I think that it is a memorable one.

Maybe yes, maybe no

When I was studying Islam for my GCSE's at school, I remember reading a story in my text-book that I really loved. I have quickly searched for this story online, and can't find it as a Muslim teaching, but found a version of it on a Catholic website.

Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who, many years ago, received a magnificent horse. All his neighbours came to admire the horse. They said to him, "You are the luckiest man in our village." The man replied: "Maybe yes, maybe no."

A few days later the horse escaped his enclosure and the neighbours came to console him. "What terrible luck," they said. The man replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

The next week the horse returned and following him were seven wild horses. The neighbours congratulated him on his good luck. The man replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

When his son tried to train one of the wild horses, it threw him and the young man broke his leg. The neighbours all commented on the bad luck. The man said, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

Then, the army swept through the village and conscripted all able-bodied young men but, because of the broken leg, they left the man's son. The neighbours, of course, told him how fortunate he was. And the man replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

I like the idea behind this story; that something that could be perceived to be good fortune is actually bad fortune, and vice versa. It is so true! For instance (two recent work-related examples from my life)... you can go to a job interview, and be disappointed if you don't get it, but perhaps it is actually for the best as there is a better job around the corner. Or, you can get a job and think that it is the best opportunity ever, but then it all turns sour. I often think of this fable, as at many times in life, it so relevant. Life is full of potentially life-changing moments, and we can never know what is around the corner.