Some time ago I waxed eloquent - if not exactly waxed, sang paeans of praise to - on the humble Moringa Oleifera, aka Murungai kai in Tamil and how it has suddenly been discovered by the West to be the latest "Superfood" in an unending chain of "New", "Magical", or "Super" foods.
The principal requirement for an object to belong to this category appears to be the ability to violate the laws of Physics and Nature; ie, provide something for nothing, mainly gain without any pain (like weight-loss without control over what and how much we eat, how much we exercise, etc). Moringa is only the latest in this genre which has at various times included Acai Berry, African Mangoes, and the like, and which to the best of my memory was started off by the Kiwi Fruit in the 1970s.
To those who doubted my ability to divine the future trends and stay a few steps ahead of the rest, I would recommend this article where the redoubtable Ms Vandana Shiva of sundry causes, mostly of the green persuasion, expatiates on the humble Moringa.
At a tangent, I am somewhat intrigued by the title that has been bestowed upon the aforementioned Ms Shiva (bestowed, or self assumed? My guess is the latter); she has been described as a "seed activist". What exactly is a seed activist? What does a seed activist do? Theses questions have been agitating my mind since I read this latest neologism, egregious even by the standards of global activism. The only satisfactory answer I have come up with so far is a seed activist is one who sows the seeds of agitation and sits back and enjoys the fun in considerable inactivity.
Enjoy reading more about Moringa; perhaps even a Sunday lunch of Murungai Sambar.
As for me I shall for ever live in the shame of not knowing that benzoil is derived from Moringa - I used to think it was the manufacturer-recommended engine oil for a Mercedes Benz.
Thank you Ms. Shiva for being my knowledge activist!
The principal requirement for an object to belong to this category appears to be the ability to violate the laws of Physics and Nature; ie, provide something for nothing, mainly gain without any pain (like weight-loss without control over what and how much we eat, how much we exercise, etc). Moringa is only the latest in this genre which has at various times included Acai Berry, African Mangoes, and the like, and which to the best of my memory was started off by the Kiwi Fruit in the 1970s.
To those who doubted my ability to divine the future trends and stay a few steps ahead of the rest, I would recommend this article where the redoubtable Ms Vandana Shiva of sundry causes, mostly of the green persuasion, expatiates on the humble Moringa.
At a tangent, I am somewhat intrigued by the title that has been bestowed upon the aforementioned Ms Shiva (bestowed, or self assumed? My guess is the latter); she has been described as a "seed activist". What exactly is a seed activist? What does a seed activist do? Theses questions have been agitating my mind since I read this latest neologism, egregious even by the standards of global activism. The only satisfactory answer I have come up with so far is a seed activist is one who sows the seeds of agitation and sits back and enjoys the fun in considerable inactivity.
Enjoy reading more about Moringa; perhaps even a Sunday lunch of Murungai Sambar.
As for me I shall for ever live in the shame of not knowing that benzoil is derived from Moringa - I used to think it was the manufacturer-recommended engine oil for a Mercedes Benz.
Thank you Ms. Shiva for being my knowledge activist!
