I have always been caught between the new and the old, modern Vs tradition. As a kid growing up in the city, summer vacations in kerala,India always made me realize the difference in the two lifestyles. There are so many things we have let go in the pursuit of technology. The simple life of our ancestors was so stress free.
There are no kachrewali knocking at the door to pick up the waste. Everything is "reused" there. Kitchen pipes are invariably let out in the garden. So no feeling of guilt while washing lentils or rice. All kitchen waste that go down the drain , promptly appear near the plants where you have a medley of animals feasting on it - hens,squirrel, crow, etc
Last month at my grandmother-in-laws house, i saw a crane pecking at the cow-dung water. My husband explained that it is picking the worms thriving in that water.
From these would sprout all kinds of plants - chillies, pumpkin.
Plastics were never heard of , though now they do seem to be appearing.
Our ancestors made curd on a daily basis. But now with various types of yoghurt being available in the market, it is so easy to pick up from the shop rather than making it at home. Over time we will forget how to make it at home and believe it is a very difficult thing to do. A few generations down the line, an enterprising person will decide to make it at home and realize what an easy thing it is. So while making huge strides into the unknown, we leave behind a few things.
The article that prompted this thought was a blog by a very sweet lady - Annie
http://annies-eats.com/2012/03/08/diy-greek-yogurt/
I never manage to make any of her dishes. But i just love reading her blogs - more than her recipes. Gives me an insight into her life, her thoughts.
While reading this particular article, it hit me that till last winter i would generally buy yoghurt packs from the shop - since they never turned out well at home. But then an elderly neighbor shared her recipe wherein she always has fresh homemade curd for lunch and dinner. Simple tricks like warmth of the milk, storage place, etc does wonders to the curd making process. So will this be another lost art here in India especially in the urban areas with our busy life's and easy availability of items ?
Here are a couple of blogs that expend on this concept
http://homemade-yogurt.blogspot.in/
