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Oddly enough, polenta, in multi-cultural societies, conflict arises where communities are divided by religion. Even those religious cultures that believe there is one god have deep divisions. Maybe it comes back down to tribe/race in the end .... I don't know.

polenta

Login, I don't remember the split windshield but the front of the van was so similar to the one of the green-brown car your address shows... and I see the wooden frame was still in fashion even in 1971. Thanks a lot for having been so kind to me.

belladonnis

Hey polenta I said in another post Ive been reading about Uruguay and it said that Uruguay was one of the least corrupt country in Latin America and also that with its political and labor conditions being among the freest on the continent!
I was also reading about some of the artists and one Carlos Pa'ez Vilaro' has a hotel that is his home also. It is beautiful! Called the livable sculpture near Punta del Este. I so want to go!!!

polenta

Thanks belladonnis. I trust our politicians, not to the point to be stupid but I don't think there is great corruption. Carlos Páez Vilaró has a mansion in Punta del Este called "Casapueblo". It's like a living sculpture and the landscape around it is supreme. I think it's more a museum than a hotel.
Maybe one day you could save enough money to come. A lot of cruises also come.

polenta

Let me show you one of the most traditional things Uruguay has (shared with Argentinians): the "MATE". People drink it at home but what must be very special for foreigners is that lots of people like this couple walk or go to the park or even to work or the university with their MATES and their thermos flasks full of boiling water. In this way they drink mate for hours. It's a national sport. Neither my husband nor I do it but our parents did and my son used to drink mate a lot while he was studying for his exams. It's a ceremony and it keeps you company. It's like tea for the British I guess.

http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/165687.html

GOLDIEGIRL8

Hey belladonnis You should also consider taking a cruise 2 hawaii. Its really beautiful here.

GOLDIEGIRL8

Goodnight. im going 2 bed. (if your wondering I'm vacationing in NM)

polenta

Who wouldn't like to travel to Hawaii? Must be beautiful.

Dragon

I was lucky enough to get an almost free trip to Maui (My parents rented a condo down there and gave me a plane ticket as a Christmas present) It was absolutly wonderful. The only thing I didn't like was arriving back in Calgary to a -25 degree day!

belladonnis

polenta OMG I just clicked on the link you left. It is so beautiful! I always try to take my girls on vacation somewhere that is fun but that they can also learn something from where we have been. We have only traveled in the states because they have been to young to go to far. Not this year or next year but soon we are coming to visit!!!!
i would also like to take my children to Ireland where my ancestors came from. One of my fathers cousins, with the help of her son and my father has done an amazing genealogy of my family and created a book for all of us. My brother was left the original when she died to carry on the work for the future generation of the Killen family.
Five brothers left Ireland in 1700 to come to America to have religous freedom. Our name was originally O'Killen but they left off the O to make the name more American sounding. My brothers name is Thomas, named after the father of the five brothers.
I hope I can one day take my girls to these places so I may see it through their eyes!

belladonnis

Dragon I had a friend that lived in Hawaii for about three years, she called me and said "Im coming home, Im ready for a climent change, I miss the snow". I went to the airport to pick her up, it was one of the coldest days in about 80 years. She got off the plane looked at me and said,"What the crap was I thinking"! I just laughed and said, "I told you so!"

Login

I hope you get to Ireland one day soon, belladonis ... it's beautiful and the people are very warm and welcoming. When you do go, explore the smaller towns and villages to see Ireland for real.

coho

I would like to add something about the luddite movement. When the mechanized cotton mills came into existence it put tens of thousands of self employed weavers out of work, over night, people who were self employed and self sufficient for generations became poverty stricken. I forget the exact statistic but more than a hundred thousand self employed people lost thier only means of making a livelyhood. The weavers had good self determined lives, were forced to go to work for slave wages in the new mills with 18 hr days, locked in these new factories. Clean rivers quickly became toxic and polluted by heavy metals used in the dying of fabrics. Many died in factory fires when they couldn't escape through the locked doors. Many weavers had been small property owners, often lost thier land and homes and died in poverty. Much like the small farmers being crushed by giant corporate factory farming today. May King Ludd Rise Again!

Login

I agree with you, coho ... and may the giant supermarket chains be stopped in their tracks from killing off the small traders.

polenta

it seems BIG BUSINESSES are taking over everywhere. Nice but sad story about the weavers. You can't stop progress but at the same time we should take care of those who will suffer by it. Difficult balance. There are many jobs that have almost disappeared. I remember having seen mattress makers 50 years ago... and who takes their watches to the repairman? People buy new ones. Here in Uruguay there were many French teachers who lost their jobs because French is not compulsory any more in high-schools. It's sad but how can you stop it? Maybe governments can only regulate it and individual people should also look around and decide wisely what's best for them and the next generation. What a difficult subject coho.

marius

A story for Polenta. My spouse usually does the shopping as he also does most of the cooking, especially baking. On his grocery list today was the word, "polenta." My brain said, "What? Polenta is an artist on TD. Spouse thinks he's being funny."

But ... I called him, and polenta is corn grits. Spouse says he's been buying it and I've been eating it, "forever." Mostly he uses it in breads, on breads.

So, wondering - are you a fan of polenta, do you have favorite recipes to share? (Sorry for all the questions but I'm nosy AND curious.) : )

Baldur

marius, polenta is cooked like a hot cereal.
You stir it into boiling water and cook it until it thickens (like cream of wheat). While still hot it is poured into a flat rectangular pan and refrigerated. After it's cool it can be sliced and fried in fat in a skillet.
There are many variations of this recipe out there.
Being basically ground corn grits you can use it in baking to add texture.

polenta

Baldur knows well. The story goes like this. I wanted to enter Think Draw with another nickname but it had already been taken. Maybe I saw a bag of polenta, typed it and now I'm polenta.
It's an Italian dish, basically it's like corn flour. Now it takes only one minute but before it was like more than half an hour stirring and stirring. It's a very cheap dish in itself and like with rice or potatoes, you have to add flavor to it, or fry it as Baldur says. It's popular in Uruguay in winter. EAT ME WHENEVER YOU WANT!!! LOL
And Marius you are a lucky girl. My husband doesn't know how to fry an egg. I'm the cook chez polenta.LOL

coho

I like to make polenta, after you cook it like oatmeal you put it in a pan with, goat cheese, tomatoes, basil, an i like dandelion greens, or steamed nettles just about any vegetable, of course garlic and onions. then bake it for awhile mmmmmmmmmmmmm really good with fresh picked mushrooms like matsutaki or chantrells! mmmmmmmmmmm

coho

Ps. I use the kind that takes awhile to cook, you gotta keep stirring or it sticks to the bottom of the pot.