What Is It?

Mostly Beshmalla and a Little Bit Of Teen

Whenever you go to a different country, there's always food that's new to you. In this case, it's growing in VB's yard. The gardener calls it "Beshmalla". Actually, some Egyptians are unfamiliar with it too. This past week, several young boys have been stopping to pick the fruit hanging over the fence that separates our yard from the street. The Beshmalla Tree is a few feet from VB's bedroom window. The boys were climbing up, to the point of practically breaking branches. You could hear the cracking. It was so disturbing our puppy, Lotus, growled and barked for the first time ever! Finally, yesterday the boab caught them in the act, and threatened to call the police. Their jaws dropped, their faces saddened, they dropped their cache of fruit, and then ran like the dickens.

After picking a few, washing them off, and tasting, VB has decided that the fruit is lovely. It tastes like a peach, with the texture of a plum. No wonder the boys kept coming back for more. But, if they weren't scared enough by the boab, Lotus will finish the job, should they dare set foot on my side of the fence!

Question: What the hell is it?

The next morning VB woke up, and the word kumquat was on her tongue. Nope, close but no cigar. Wiki had a link for Loquat, and that was it.

Confirming VB's guess is as follows (the bold type):

"Etymology

(Hungarian), "The name loquat derives from lou4 gwat1, the Cantonese pronunciation of its old classical Chinese name (simplified Chinese: 芦橘; traditional Chinese: 蘆橘; pinyin: lújú, literally "reed orange"). In modern Chinese, it is more commonly known as pipa (Chinese: 枇杷; pinyin: pípá), from the resemblance of its shape to that of the Chinese musical instrument pipa (琵琶). Likewise, in Japanese it is called biwa, similarly named from the corresponding musical instrument, biwa. It is also known as the "Japanese medlar", an appellation used in many languages: nêspera or magnório (Portuguese), níspero (Spanish), lokaat (Hindi), mušmula ili mešpula (Croatian nespola (Italian), náspolyanespra (Catalan), nèfle du Japon or bibasse (French). Other names include: sheseq (Hebrew), Askidinya, Akkidinya, Igadinya or Bashmala (Arabic), Akkadeneh or Akka Dhuniya (Lebanese), zger or Nor Ashkhar (Armenian), mushmala (Georgian), mousmoula or mespilia (Greek), muşmula, yeni dünya, or Malta Eriği in Turkish. The Armenian name Nor Ashkhar and the Turkish name yeni dünya literally mean "new world", while the everyday Turkish name for the fruit, Malta eriği, means 'Maltese plum', indicating perhaps confusion over the fruit's origin."

VB will have to keep a close eye on Lotus when she's in the yard as: "Like most related plants, the seeds (pips) and young leaves of the plant are slightly poisonous, containing small amounts of cyanogenetic glycocides which release cyanide when digested, though the low concentration and bitter flavour normally prevents enough being eaten to cause harm."

All quotes are from Wikipedia.



(Below - On the tree in VB's yard): "Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 3-5 cm long, with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow or orange and sweet to subacid or acid, depending on the cultivar."


(Below - The Beshmalla Tree): "It is an evergreen large shrub or small tree, with a rounded crown, short trunk and woolly new twigs. The tree can grow to 5-10 m tall, but is often smaller, about 3-4 m."



(Below - Picked and washed): "The loquat is comparable to the apple in many aspects, with a high sugar, acid and pectin content. It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts. The fruits are also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and are delicious poached in light syrup.

A type of loquat syrup is used in Chinese medicine for soothing the throat like a cough drop. Combined with other ingredients and known as pipa gao (枇杷膏; pinyin: pípágāo; literally "loquat paste"), it acts as a demulcent and an expectorant, as well as to soothe the digestive and respiratory systems. Loquats can also be used to make wine."


VB's not sure she's seen any at the vegetable stands, but for anyone who is in an area where they are sold, try them - they are delicious!

(Below - A halved Loquat):

Next question!
(Answered by the boab next door - he's got a huge tree hanging over the fence, and onto the road.)

TEEN:

(Below): Some rampant figs (teen in Arabic) that seem to be flying, and plopping all over the yard! On the left, still hard, and on the right, reddish semi-ripe. Fully ripe they tend to look deep red - purple. (VB hasn't tried any yet, since the ripe ones usually splatter upon landing.) VB thought the figs looked different from the figs she usually sees in shops here and in the US, and thought they looked interesting enough to share. She's not sure if these are for eating fresh, best for drying, or for as use in jams.



(Below - halved not quite ripe fig):




Now, if you see any of these, you'll know what they are.

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Karmann Ghia

Here's a nice 1960, 1200cc engine, Karmann Ghia we bumped into one day, quite by accident (as usual). The owner was helping two other men who were working on Range Rover.

According to VB's little book, Volkswagens of the World, by Simon Glen:
"In July 1955 Karmann launched its own version of the VW Beetle with a sleek, two-door coupe' version styled by Luigi Segre of the Carrozzeria Ghia vehicle design company of Turin, Italy...However the floorplan for this Type 1 VW Karmann Ghia was wider than that used on the Beetle. This same wider floorplan was later also used for the Wesfalia-produced Fridolin van and for the VW 181 off-road vehicle. The floorplans, with engines, running gear and wheels, were made at the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg and then sent by rail to Osnabruck. Wilhelm Karmann GmbH made the Karmann Ghia bodies and then assembled and finished the product. These steel bodies made by Karmann were unique for their time in that, despite being on a production-line assembled vehicle, many sections were hand welded from many smaller pieces, even on the last of the model in 1974.

...Like the Beetle Cabriolet, production of the Type 1 Karmann Ghia could have gone on for longer. However, its production line was needed to make the new front-whell drive Volkswagen Scirocco sports coupe'."




More from the book: "Wilhelm Karmann GmbH of Osnabruck has a subsidiary company in Brazil called Karmann Ghia do Brasil SA, and has a factory at Sao Bernardo do Campo near Sao Paulo.

From 1962 to early 1972, Karmann Ghia do Brasil manufactured the same Type 14 Karmann Ghia Coupe' that was made in Germany. "

(Below): Photo from the book of a Brazilian model.





(Below): Another book photo:


(Below): Interior upholstery - The Boss Man wants this for his '65 VW Beetle convertible when he restores it. (He's thinkin' red with white piping.)





NEWS:


ON THE ROAD – FROM GERMANY TO CAMBODIA – IN A COMMUNIST JALOPY

"Towed by camels and laughed at by pedestrians, the lowly Trabant is a modern-day Marco Polo for a good cause.

BANGKOK, THAILAND - Move over, Herbie; here come the new stars of overachieving motorized underdogs. Hear them roar! OK, cough, wheeze, and sputter.

Meet Ziggy, Fez, and Dante – intrepid globetrotters, all three. Well, strictly speaking, only two remain: Dante gave up the ghost in Laos.

The decrepit champs are Trabants – "the worst car of all time" as autophiles label the infamous Soviet-era rattletrap; or "a piece of junk," as disgruntled owners used to put it across the former Soviet bloc, where the vehicle was once ubiquitous.

Yet a half century after its unveiling and two decades after its production ceased, the much-maligned car has finally proved its mettle."


The Thing is . . . it's so fun to drive
"VW buggie has safety issues, but it's a blast on trails."


Classic cars shine in the Havasu sun
"Car lovers will have another chance to see more classic vehicles on display next weekend when the Over the Hill Gang hosts a car and motorcycle show at Havasu 95 Speedway on Saturday."

(Video)
German Engineering is Sexy
"In this VW spot, Heidi Klum is interviewed by a classic Beetle."

Do you know where your car comes from
"A vehicle's country of origin could affect its quality

But just how German is Volkswagen?
Although the Volkswagen brand itself is German, not all of its cars are made in Germany. The company has 24 factories around the world. Its New Beetle and Jetta models are actually made in factories in Mexico, and the Touareg is made in Slovakia.
The boundaries in nationality aren¡¯t just becoming blurry for Volkswagen."

Storied Vehicles
"Meckler towed the 1959 Volkswagen Canadian Standard home in July of 1996. While he planned to drive it that summer, he realized it needed too much work first. When the snow started falling he and his dad, Vince, went to work.

"It's meaningful," he said. "It was my first car and something my dad and I did together, so it means a lot."

It was also an achievement Meckler will never forget.

"How many 19-year-olds can say they did this?" he said. "It's different from just getting a car to be able to get a car and totally gut it, strip it, and rebuild the thing ground up. It's pretty cool. A lot of work, but it was worth it."

(Check out the photos)
VW giving away a The Who-themed "Magic Bus" for charity
"This year, the Who are holding a concert to kick off a lottery to win a 1965 split-windscreen bus provided by VW Commercial Vehicles and carrying a paint scheme designed by the band's art director, Richard Evans. Of course, the imagery of band members on the bus appears to be from a time when Roger Daltrey could sing "hope I die before I get old" with conviction. The van will be on display outside London's Royal Albert Hall until the 13th of April, and £5 will get you a ticket for a chance to win the bus, as well as a free download of an unreleased live version of "Magic Bus."

Column: California couple slides into town, with police escort
"It took us four days to make it from California. VW buses are really fun. They go about 45 mph up a mountain. This is not fun."

Hot Wheels and Gallery 1988 Present Pop Surrealist Exhibit Showcasing Artwork Inspired by Classic Toy Brands
"More than 40 of the most notable artists, including Greg Simkins, Jon Burgerman and Bwana Spoons, were given white, 1:18 scale die-cast Hot Wheels® Volkswagen buses to customize for the exhibit. Each Volkswagen bus will be individually displayed and priced between $300 and $5,500."

VB was hoping to see some of these funky designs and more information was supposed to be available at the link below, but it doesn't seem to be up and running, yet. (www.hotwheels.com/40th.) Two photos are available at Edminds: Pop Surrealist Artists Use Hot Wheels Volkswagen Buses as Canvas.

TOWN VAN FIRE DRAMA - VIDEO
(It's actually a truck.)




Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

I've Been Tagged

Strangers, Lyrics by the Kinks (Video below):
Where are you going I don't mind
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
So where do I go what do I see
I see many people coming after me
So where are you going to I don't mind
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
So I will follow you wherever you go
If your offered hand is still open to me
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one

VB's been tagged, by "Here, there, and everywhere" aka Cairogal, and am responding very late

So, here's the deal:
*Post 10 random things about yourself
*Choose 5 people to tag and a reason you chose each person
*Leave them each a comment directing them to your blog so they know they are it
*You can’t tag the person who tagged you (you’ll have to make new friends)
*As a courtesy to the person who tagged you, please let them know when you have posted so they can have the sheer delight and extra work load of reading your answers)

For a little fun, VB has inserted some song lyrics and a video. She hopes it's not against the "rules". Besides it took VB so long to get around to doing it, she felt guilty and thought perhaps more entertainment was needed.

Here's the 10 random "things you don't know about VB" list:

1) VB has lived in: Cincinnati, Columbus, Findlay, and Cleveland Ohio; Sioux City, Iowa; Anchorage, Alaska; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Baku, Azerbaijan; Suffield, Connecticut; Cairo, Egypt; Garrison, New York.
2) VB has been to: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, D.C., Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, California, Maryland; Ontario; Greece; U.K; Austria; Germany; Czech Republic; Slovakia; Oman; Azerbaijan; the island of Guernsey; United Arab Emirates; and Egypt.
3) VB worked as a "social worker" for 7.5 years, which is probably why she relates so much to #4. Last position held: Child Abuse and Neglect Investigator.
4) VB's favorite movies are about dysfunctional families: Little Miss Sunshine; The Darjeeling Express - they make VB's family look normal!
5) VB likes gin. Okay, that's not true - VB loves gin!

So you've been where I've just come
From the land that brings losers on
So we will share this road we walk
And mind our mouths and beware our talk
'Till peace we find tell you what I'll do
All the things I own I will share with you
If I feel tomorrow like I feel today
We'll take what we want and give the rest away
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one

6) Even though VB blogs about VW's, her favorite car to drive is her 2005 Mini Cooper S, which is back in the States. It is such a fucking hot car! She's going to get herself killed in it, one of these days (most likely, by air bag smothering.)
7) VB does not have a high school diploma, but she does have a Bachelors in Arts Degree, with a major in Political Science, from a university (yes, it's the real thing).
8) VB is a dog person, but she feeds the feral cats who visit her house in Cairo.
9) VB has a congenital cataract in her right eye, which is farsighted, but she's nearsighted in her left eye.
10) VB is just a rider on this train. She has actually enjoyed the trip, and all the company too.

Holy man and holy priest
This love of life makes me weak at my knees
And when we get there make your play
'Cos soon I feel you're gonna carry us away
In a promised lie you made us believe
For many men there is so much grief
And my mind is proud but it aches with rage
And if I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one

VB's interested in finding out more about these folks, so she's tagging:
Lynda at Lulu's Bay in Cairo
Kaya at abudhabicalling
he and she
Peter at The Road To The Horizon
Elle at C'est la vie

I would've tagged Zeinobia at Egyptian Chronicles and buj from Buj Al Arab, but I think they've already been tagged on this one.

And for a video
The Darjeeling Limited: Strangers, by The Kinks (Lyrics interspersed with VB's list.)

Recognition - Finally!

Yessss! Finally, VB is acknowledged for something (leadership qualities)?!?!?!

Though she's not sure they're talking about the same "sneakers" she wears. VB thinks the poll was taken with Type A personalities who participate in physical activity more often than they really should. She's bought four pairs this past year, and below is a sampling. Obviously, hers are not your oft seen tennis, power walking, cross trainers, cycling, yoga, blah, blah, blah, (hideously fugly) shoes. Still, she thinks it's a good thing. On the other hand, who really gives a shit anyway? It just kind of makes her feel good about herself. And that's what counts.






Always buying sneakers? It's the sign of a leader: poll

"NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Got a passion for buying sneakers? It could be a good sign, with a poll finding that people who buy three pairs of sneakers or more a year are far more likely to be a leadership type that other people.

Mindset Media, a media company that examines personality traits of different consumers, found that people who buy more than three pairs of sneakers a year are 61 percent more likely to have the qualities of a modern leader.

These qualities were defined as having ideas and vision, and a style with others that is both inclusive and decisive....

Lauren Arvonio, a spokeswoman for Mindset Media, said sneaker buyers were more likely to fly by the seat of their pants.

"It is often said you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, and now we have some hard data to back that up," Arvonio told Reuters.

"What is interesting is that these personality traits held true across the board, regardless of age, income, or gender.'"

(There's more at the link.)