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Hound Dog

May 12, 2010, 5:05 PM

Post #1 of 5 (5840 views)

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Whores, Turmeric, Ginger and Basil

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In the San Cristóbal de Las Casas indigenous market one can always find fresh turmeric or ginger root and fresh basil leaf but the Chiapas indigenous do not prize ginger root nor basil leaves as comestibles. I would have fun discussing this paradox if anyone is interested.

Oh, excuse me; the whores own the street and that´s OK. They watch our house when we are not there and they are nice ladies when unoccupied in their professional duties and even then they are quite pleasant.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on May 12, 2010, 5:14 PM)

YucaLandia

May 13, 2010, 6:25 AM

Post #2 of 5 (5795 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Whores, Turmeric, Ginger and Basil

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Hound Dog,
So, they use tumeric in cooking, but not ginger or basil, but sell all three?

Do they use ginger root as a medicine? Many indigenous cultures strongly link a root's, plant's, or seed's appearance to its healing properties. Since ginger roots often look like little bulbous humans, many animist cultures view ginger as a cure for many different human ailments, similar to the European's millenia of medical mandrake manipulations.

Basil?
The potent smell alone would qualify it as a medicine in many cultures?

This is all mysterious to us in Yucatan, since food is meant to be bland and have the crap cooked out of it by endless boiling, and herbs and spices are to be avoided, except for the occasional chile, which is more often served on the side (though pollo en china is a notable exception).
Say hi to the B-girls for the rest of us.
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.wordpress.com/

(This post was edited by YucaLandia on May 13, 2010, 6:27 AM)

Anonimo

May 13, 2010, 6:38 AM

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Re: [Hound Dog] Whores, Turmeric, Ginger and Basil

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I can get fresh basil and ginger root here in Pátzcuaro, but I've never thought to ask about turmeric.
By the way, occasionally a couple of stands in the mercado have black radishes. I'm accustomed to using it for an Eastern European salad; grated, with chopped hard cooked eggs, onion, salt and chicken fat. Locally, it's used to brew a tea that's said to be good for los riñones.

Saludos,
Anonimo

Hound Dog

May 13, 2010, 6:56 AM

Post #4 of 5 (5785 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] Whores, Turmeric, Ginger and Basil

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Fresh turmeric root is used for medicine, coloring food and used by the Zapotecs to color wool. It is an essential ingredient in the popular Chiapas tamal known as "azafran" which means "saffron" but is really Turmeric an flor de azafran which, I suppose could be considered the poor man´s saffron since saffron is so dear.

Basil is used in teas as a medicine and is used to dip in water and spray over just about everything from chicken to veggies in the open air market to refresh them as the day progresses. It is thought of as an "energy" plant.

Ginger is used in teas for coughs and in rompopo for more energy.

Most of the spices we use we find in the medicinal stands at the San Cristóbal indigenous market, including artichokes that are also used by the indiginous in a dreadful tea for liver ailments. One woman asked me to show her how to cook them for food as she had never met anyone who actually ate them for pleasure rather than as a curative. By the way, in my native France, when I was young in the 1950s, we were always told that artichokes were good for the liver.

I always have a good time when buying at the market as the indigenous always ask me what I am going to do with whatever.
You can also find vanilla pods in the medicinal section. They are used to refresh the skin..

The whores on our street are also used as a relaxent by local indigenous men but never under the tea form.

vichil

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on May 13, 2010, 8:26 AM)

Hound Dog

May 13, 2010, 6:46 PM

Post #5 of 5 (5716 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Whores, Turmeric, Ginger and Basil

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Just down the street from the massive San Cristóbal indigenous market and its frenetic commerce is the Maya Museum of natural medicinal herbs. A fabulous museum and garden in which ancient Maya medicinal herbs are grown in a garden setting and the processed medicinal herbs are actually for sale if that is your intent. After cruising through this garden and museum you can see that the Maya greatly valued herbs that fought intestinal disorders. In other words, they were always fighting the runs. The more things change the more they remain the same.