Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Did you know?



Okay, so I'm always learning new things here in Nicargua and I thought it would be good to pass on the knowledge. Maybe you already know these things, but I was suprised.

Did you know that chickens sleep in trees?

Yup, I'm a Houston girl and not too familiar with livestock and country living. Maybe this is common knowledge, but I had no idea! I always thought chickens slept in a chicken coup and maybe that's how it is in the U.S. but here it's different.

We have an animal outside our apartment window that always makes noises at night. One night Jader's aunt was over and she said, "Is it a chicken?" I replied. "Ha, that's funny! Chickens in trees!" She didn't take time to inform me or maybe she didn't catch that I was clueless. It wasn't until later that Jader told me that chickens really do sleep in trees here. He said it's their way of staying safe from preditors. I think what we have in the tree outside is an owl. I've seen an owl flying around at night, but I can never spot him in the tree.

Did you know that mango trees give off tons of flowers?

The mango trees outside our house are about to give off mangos so right now they are filled with little brown buds that fly all over the place. It's been windy lately so they creep their way into the house, they fall upon all the clothes on the line and cover the ground like snow. I had no idea. But, the fruit that results from all those buds makes it well worth it!

Did you know that you can bake gingerbread without the powdered McCormick version of ginger?

I've never heard of baking gingerbread or any other yummy ginger good without using powdered ginger until coming here and not being able to find powdered ginger. I began to ask around and usually Nicaraguans don't bake with ginger, really it's rare for a Nicraguan to bake. It's not part of their culture like it is in the U.S. But, I did find out from a U.S. missionary that you can use real ginger root by grating it and toasting it then adding it to the recipe. I have yet to try it though. I have a feeling that my gingerbread will come out way too strong!

Did you know that molasses and cows are a great combination?

So, I discovered this while trying to hunt down molasses in Nicargua. I checked out all supermarket chains and small food stores and could not find molasses, but what I did find out is that it can be purchased from the veterinarian. Yup, because they feed it to their cows! Molasses actually can help improve a cow's appetite, increase the amount of milk a cow produces and cause the meat to be of higher quality. I haven't broken down and purchased the molasses yet because I'm doubting that it meets the FDA's mark of approval for human consumption. Hmmm, I guess I'll keep my eye open when I'm at the grocery store. Maybe some day it will be in stock.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for keeping us culturally in-tuned! The things we learn in other countries are so interesting!

    Praying for you guys!

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  2. I love this! Your information is like watching one of those cool shows on the travel channel- you know, the one where some lady goes around learning new customs and food habits, trying new things, and then telling us all about it. I always thought that person had the coolest job!

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