Nature Prompt 4th week of January2023
Writing This Made Me Realize My E Veggies What Are They?
Vegetables bring joy to life.
I was getting ready to record an Episode titled “ How Would You Respond When I Ask How Is Your Self-Talk” when the following Notification from Medium came in:
You know what happens at that time
You got it! Dopamine gush
I allowed spontaneity to flow in by quickly skimming through the article and responding as under:
Thank you Dr. Preeti Singh for the mention. You always make a simple topic interesting. Your prompt is motivating me to participate. Let me see if I feed my motivation. Thank you
After recording and publishing the episode, I went back to my SMD ( Start My Day) Journal and checked what I wrote yesterday before going to bed. This is what I wrote:
Please give me a time slot to write tomorrow January 20, 2023( 7 am to 8 am)
You may call it synchronicity or prayer or connecting with Universe!
At 7 am I was automatically brought to my writing station. I have the exact content in my mind. I am writing the second article in my new Publication “Explore Your Magnificent Self”.
Doesn’t that sound like a God-given gift to a writer experiencing writer’s block?
To me, it is a BIG Yes!
Coming back to the prompt
Vegetables bring joy to life
As per the Prompt, these are the requirements:
You can write about your likes and dislikes of vegetables. You may write about a particular vegetable. You can write about how you use or grow a vegetable at home. What is your inspiration or how do you grow it creatively? Anything you like relating to a vegetable.
I am choosing to use an acronym, lead my brain to think of one vegetable per letter and see what I can create.
V-Vanilla: You might be wondering what? Vanilla is a vegetable? Absolutely. Thanks to my decision to use an acronym to write this article. I am also learning with you, by researching more! Vanilla is from the dried, cured beans or fruit pods of the green-stemmed climbing perennial of the Vanilla species, which is a member of the orchid family. I love the simple Vanilla flavor in my Ice-cream and Pudding.
E-Eggplant: This wasn’t my favorite until I got married. My husband and my In-laws love Eggplant and I would watch them having hour-long conversations about how to cook a variety of dishes using Eggplant. My favorite one is Ennai Kathrikai, one of the popular south Indian eggplant curry recipes made with tender brinjals. It is an ideal sweet and sour tomato and onion-based gravy, ideal for lunch and dinner when served with roti or chapati. It is a traditional Tamil cuisine curry but is hugely popular across all states of south India.
G- Ginger: Ginger is an underground stem. I love its pungency and generously use it in my cooking. I use it in curries, rasam, and preparing gravies and salt lassi (buttermilk) and tea. Eating ginger encourages efficient digestion, so food doesn’t linger as long in the gut. Green Beans
E- Edward Mango: The flesh has a rich, sweet flavor with a mild, pleasant aroma and contains a monoembryonic seed. The fruit is widely considered to be one of the most excellent-tasting mangoes in Florida. I like to eat it as is or sprinkle it with some Himalayan salt and red pepper ( the way it is served in Marina beach, Chennai, India).
T-Tomato: No Brainer! With my limited culinary skills, I see tomato as my best friend who shows up in time, when I am in dire need of knowing what to cook for the day. This friend makes my rasam, chutney, gravies, sauces, and curries delicious and praise-worthy!
A-Avacado: An avocado is a bright green fruit with a large pit and dark leathery skin. I learned about Avacado when I migrated to the USA and I thoroughly relish eating it as a semi-ripe fruit or in the form of guacamole (mashed-up avocados mixed with ingredients like tomatoes, onions, chilies, and lime)
B- Banana: The thought and sight of the Banana make me so happy. I love them for their health benefits and more importantly, I love them for making me satiated when I just eat one banana when I am super hungry.
L-Lentils. The lentil (Lens culinaris or Lens esculenta) is an edible legume. I cannot imagine a day without eating lentils ( also known as dals in India). Cooking lentils is an art. Each variety requires to be cooked in a certain way. Their lovely colors, shapes, and size plus the recipes ( Dals, Sambhar, Dhokla, Murukku, Bhajias- I will let you google and learn more) that can be made are phenomenal.
E- Elephant Foot Yam: Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the elephant foot yam is a tropical tuber crop grown primarily in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the tropical Pacific islands. It can be itchy when you cut this vegetable and requires that it be cleaned and boiled in tamarind water to avoid itching. It is not my favorite veggie, but I remember my parents impressing me to eat it as it’s a blood purifier.
S-Spinach: Except for the cleaning part, I love to cook both South and North Indian dishes using spinach. The obvious fiber content and its health benefits need no mention.
My appreciation to Debika Kumari
This is what I wrote:
I read your article when I was reading the following article: I could not even go further to read after seeing the pictures of your balcony flower pots, flowers. You have a green thumb and are very blessed to grow such beautiful flowers,
https://readmedium.com/vegetables-bring-joy-to-life-ecd38ecacf96
Thank you, Mia Verita for opening my eyes to a new perspective!
This is what I wrote:
Normally I use roses, Jasmine, Carnations, Chrysanthemums, and Hibiscus flowers in my Prayer altar to offer to deities. When I see Thistle flowers, I would not even look at them. Yes, it is true. Today by sharing how thistle flowers contribute to birds and small animals, you have opened my eyes to a new perspective. I will pay attention to them when I go for my walk. Thank you.
PS Please subscribe to my stories by email for the best chance to catch my original works! Your membership fee directly supports Lalitha Brahma and other writers. You’ll also get full access to every story on Medium. Become a member Visit Lalitha Brahma’s profile. You can connect with my voice in Lalitha’s Morning Musings Podcast here. Here is yet another way I can help.
