Be Here Now (Var.)
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Seva
Today, instead of going with the group to visit a Hanuman temple a couple of valleys away (which entailed at least two hours each way of hairpin turns and going through a construction zone so dusty tying a t-shirt or scarf around my head would be necessary and having almost no opportunity to take care of biological needs), I chose to stay back. I honored the spirit of Hanuman with seva in the form of a morning helping tend the grounds.
In the afternoon I will walk into the village with two others who are in residence here. One a Canadian Indian who is a Kabir scholar, the other a Dutch woman who has been spending a month or two every year for the past decade.
There is a Siva festival going on. It is loud even up here on the hill. I will have my earplugs.
I am appreciating getting to connect to the space and the people who live and serve here in a way that I could not when surrounded by the rest of the group. It was very grounding for me, too, to spend a few hours gardening.
- Art and Culture | Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc) | Meditation
Signs Around Town
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Let There Be Vegan Kimchee
I was at Eastern Market earlier today. As kimchee has been on my mind (given the recent and resounding success with homemade sauerkraut), I checked for napa cabbage and daikon radish. I didn’t see it, but decided to ask anyway (after all, if we don’t ask for what we want, it is far less likely that we will get it–whether it is ingredients for kimchee, or help from a yoga teacher, or needs met in relationship).
Yes, they had a gorgeous napa cabbage and a big, beautiful daikon radish. They sell their own fresh made kimchee (it’s delicious), so I thought they might have the other key ingredient I needed: powdered Korean hot pepper.
I said that I enjoyed their kimchee and that I guessed they made it the traditional way, with a rice flour slurry and anchovies.
Yes, indeed, they do it that way.
I said I was making a simpler version, but did want the right kind of pepper. Did they have some?
The woman serving me, said yes, went in the back, cut open an enormous bag of powdered pepper and, along with the vegetables, sold me a few ounces of the pepper. From this enterprise, I’ve already made a deeper connection to one of my local small businesses, and in a week or two, I’ll also have a big batch of kimchee.
ps. I used Michael Pollan’s recipe as a rough guide. What I like especially about the recipe is that it expects variation based on quality and age of produce and personal taste. The cook is invited to pay attention instead of just follow by rote.
