“A true friend should be like a privy, open in necessity.”
Today is the finest of almost fall days. The sun is brightly shining, only a few clouds drift around the blue sky and the temperature is 71˚. The house is cool but standing outside in the sun is warm. I was on the deck for a while which partially explains my lateness. Sloth explains the rest of it.
I have nothing to do today. Even the dog laundry was done yesterday. That amazes me as usually my own laundry is moved from floor to floor and then sits around for a few days. Gracie jumped right into her crate and went to sleep on the fresh, still warm bedding when I put it back on the bottom of her crate. I could hear her snoring most of the afternoon.
In Ghana, Thomas who worked for me did all my laundry except for the unmentionables. I did those myself. I had to use a bucket and hand wash them. I hated it and after a while went commando. Keep in mind I wore dresses all the time as that was the custom for women. It presented a problem only when I had to climb up to get into a mammy lorry. The only way to get to the seats was to climb then swing one leg at a time over the side of the truck while holding on to the top. I made sure nobody was waiting below me for obvious reasons. There were a few advantages to going commando and the most important was the ease of going to the bathroom over a hole. Squatting was minimally involved, but I won’t describe the rest of the process; just use your imaginations. I was an expert.
Peace Corps gave me a whole new skill set. I had expected to learn new things about Ghana: its history, its culture and most of all its wonderful people. I never expected to learn to pee over a hole or go to the bathroom in the bush. Those were just extras.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: 71˚, beautiful day, going commando, lateness of the hour, laundry done, mammy lorry, Peace Corps Ghana, sloth, sunny
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September 12, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Tasty Turkey Chili
1 large onion
2 tablespoons corn oil
1-1/4 pounds fresh ground turkey (ground without skin)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14-l/2-ounce can chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 to 5 green onions (scallions)
Peel and chop onion with the help of your assistant.
Pour oil into Dutch oven or large saucepan.
Place pot on burner.
Turn heat to medium.Heat oil for 1 minute.
Add onions to hot oil.Cook over medium heat,stirring occasionally with wooden spoon,for 5 minutes,or until onion is almost clear.
Add ground turkey to pot.tir with a wooden spoon,breaking up large pieces.
Brown turkey for 5 minutes,stirring often.
Stir in garlic powder or garlic, chili powder,black pepper,and cumin until well combined.
Open cans of pinto and black beans;pour both into large strainer.
Place strainer under cold running water.Rinse beans thoroughly and drain.
With wooden spoon,stir beans,tomatoes and their juice,tomato paste,chicken broth,and corn into pot.
Heat 5 to 7 minutes,or until thoroughly hot, stirring often.
Rinse and slice green portions of green onions.You should have about l/2 cup.
Stir green onions into pot.
Remove from heat.
Ladle hot chili into bowls.Serve with green salad and cornbread.
Yield: 8 one-cup servings.
September 12, 2015 at 2:27 pm
Thanks, Morpfy
I made a bit of a change. I hate beans so I never add them to chilis, but it doesn’t make much of a difference. I still love my chili! I think this is my first turkey chili recipe.
September 12, 2015 at 6:43 pm
whatever teases nyour tastebuds 🙂
September 12, 2015 at 3:27 pm
‘To go commando’ is a funny expression I hadn’t heard before. You never learn really important words in school (language classes) 😉
Camping in France was the most challenging toilet experience for me so far, small municipal camping sites often still had the traditional french hole toilets. I also remember holes in the ground in Austria and Bavaria decades ago.
September 12, 2015 at 6:13 pm
Birgit,
I don’t know where the going commando phrase came from, but I know it is often discussed when men wear kilts.
When I was in Morocco in 2010, I had to use a hole in the floor in a Berber home. Luckily my skills hadn’t deteriorated, but it was a bit more complicated because I was wearing slacks.
September 12, 2015 at 6:36 pm
I guess you haven’t seen the toilet paper TV commercial where the woman with the British accent asks people coming out of the rest room if they feel clean enough to go commando.
September 12, 2015 at 6:39 pm
Bob,
I haven’t seen it. I learned commando a while back when some guys were buying kilts and betting each other about going commando.
September 12, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Here’s one of the commercials
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5HPFqc-etcE
September 12, 2015 at 9:03 pm
Bob,
Strange commercial! I can see going commando while wearing a dress but not pants.
September 12, 2015 at 4:12 pm
About seven years ago we opened a helicopter training center in northern Italy near Milan. It was a joint venture with Agusta helicopters. The building was newly renovated and the contractor inadvertently installed “Turkish” style toilets. Basically a hole with a porcelain edge and foot impressions to align yourself with the hole. They were flushable and the contractor returned the next week and replaced them with western style commodes. I never squatted over the hole but just stood there and aimed for the middle. 🙂
Much of the world probably would be amazed at our toilets. My friend is a retired American Airlines International captain who installed the kind of toilets in his home that he found in hotels in Tokyo. They have seat warmers, built in sprayers and blow dryers so that going commando becomes a clean and comfortable experience. 🙂 I never asked him the cost of all that comfort.
I discovered that Italy is much like Mexico with an addional 2,000 years of perfecting procrastination and worrying about things tomorrow. This was in Northern Italy where they actually manufacture things. Maybe that’s why I would never buy an Italian car but love Italian wine and cheese. 😉
Today the sun is shinning and it’s in the mid 80s. Fall is on it’s way.
September 12, 2015 at 6:27 pm
Bob,
It is easy for guys to use those type latrines. Women can’t aim. Squatting is the technique for women.
I had a flush toilet in Ghana in my home. Most of the restaurants did as well. The compounds which didn’t have running water but relied on bore holes or wells had the hole type toilets, and there were a lot of family compounds off the beaten track.
Ghanaians are seldom in a hurry. Tomorrow was usually when to expect something like a shirt or dress being made. It was a lot of tomorrows, but the work was lovely and inexpensive-worth the wait.
The sun disappeared, and it is a bit chilly.
September 12, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Rhubarb Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
•
o 1 lb rhubarb
o 1/4 cup water
o 2.5 cups crushed strawberries (about 1.5 quarts)
o 6.5 cups sugar
o 1 pouch liquid pectin
Instructions
Step By Step
1. Sterilize Mason jars and prepare two-piece lids.
[To sterilize the jars, boil them for 10 minutes. If you live at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, boil an additional minute for each 1,000-foot increase in altitude. *If you wish, rather than sterilizing jars the processing time can be increased to 10 minutes. Keep in mind that if your altitude is above 1,000 feet the processing time needs adjustment.]
2. To prepare fruit: Wash rhubarb and slice thin or chop; do not peel. Combine rhubarb and water in a saucepan. Cover and simmer until rhubarb is tender, about 1 minute. Sort and wash fully ripe strawberries; remove stems and caps. Crush berries.
3. To make jam: Measure 1 cup cooked rhubarb and crushed strawberries into a large pot. Add sugar and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Skim foam, if necessary.
Immediately ladle hot jam into clean, hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Prepare jar rims. Adjust two-piece lids.
4. Boiling Water Canning: Process Half-pints and Pints 5 minutes*. Follow step-by-step directions for your pressure canner’s boiling water method. For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see **Altitude Chart for recommended time.
September 12, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Morpfy,
Rhubarb is one of those fruits I haven’t ever eaten. I have no idea why. I don’t ever remember it being served at anyone’s house either. Maybe this recipe, which looks easy and tempting with the addition of strawberries, will get me to try it.