Reflecting on your dietary preferences!

 I found this certificate from 1977.

Annikki won the First Prize in a Bangalore Exhibition cum Cookery Contest on "Wheat, Milk and Milk Products”.

Her entry was a vegetarian cake based on using yoghurt instead of egg. 

It was truly and delicious.

Although we are ”non-vegetarians” this is a very broad term. 

Annikki, on Christian religious grounds, does not eat, pork, prawns, as they are considered, by her religioius sect, as taboo. 

Pigs, crabs, lobsters and prawns are considered as scavengers and, therefore, unhealthy for human consumption. (Other Christians claim that God stated that there is a contrary view in the Bible.)

More clearly the biblical prohibition can be stated as follows;

“ Prohibited foods that may not be consumed in any form include all animals—and the products of animals—that do not chew the cud and do not have cloven hoofs (e.g., pigs and horses); fish without fins and scales; the blood of any animal; shellfish (e.g., clams, oysters, shrimp, crabs) and all other living creatures that ...”

Annikki’s Christian religious order, The Seventh Day Adventists,  are considered among the healthiest people of the world. 

Here are extracts from her book published in 1994  “…for the hour of his judgement is come…” (The Holy Bible Revelations, 14:7).

I eat everything which  I personally do not think disgusting! For instance, rats, snakes, and eels are not very appetising. 

I prefer South Indian Vegetarian cuisine, some of which is common to Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Telengana.

 

Masala dosai served with sambar and coconut chutney

 

Vada surved with coconut chutney

 Idlis (rice cakes) served with sambar

Non-vegetarian, eggitarian, vegetarian, and vegan. These are four distinct dietary choices that people make based on their personal, religious, cultural, ethical, and health considerations. 

While each category has its own unique characteristics, they all play a significant role in shaping individual lifestyles and the broader food industry.

Non-vegetarian, as the term suggests, refers to individuals who consume meat and animal products as part of their regular diet. This category includes people who enjoy a variety of meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood. 

Non-vegetarian diets are commonly seen in many cultures around the world, where meat-based dishes form an essential part of their traditional cuisine. 

 

Advocates of non-vegetarian diets often argue that meat provides essential nutrients, such as proteins and essential amino acids, that contribute to muscle growth and overall health. 

 

However, it is important to ensure that the meat consumed is sourced from sustainable and ethical farming practices to minimize environmental impact.

But the word non-vegetarian is stretched by some. Especially in West Bengal in India where they eat fish and call it the “vegetable of the sea”.

My favourite fish dish is the special fried Pearl Spot fish (Malayalam: Karimeen). 

Every time I land in Cochin/Ernakulam, I will go to the Grand Hotel restaurant and order this fish and have my full of it.

When we were little children and came to Cochin by train, we would go to a sea front hotel cum restaurant and order this fish and only then carry on our journey to Kottayam by car.

Here is the recipe  for Masala Pomfret (which is used mored commonly that Pearl Spot fish) from the famous culinary expert of Kerala, the late Mrs. K. M. Mathew.

This is a revised recipe as in the old days her recipe used 9 red chillis, and was one of the two spiciest Kerala dishes, the other being the red chilli curry, usually eaten with steamed tapioca.

 

 

 

It is often thought that India is a vegetarian country. 

 

This map recently published shows this to be false and only 29% of the country are vegetarians.  (Only 3% of the people of Kerala are vegetarians unlike 75% of Gujarathis.)

 

Most eat lamb (mutton), chicken and fish. The majority of Indians do not eat beef as the cow is a religious symbol to some as it provides milk. 

 

It is difficult to understand as the best milk in India comes from the buffalo and not the cow, so why is the buffalo not considered a religious symbol. 

 

But faith is what it is and it should be a personal choice to be respected.

It is also ironical that one of the largest exports from India is beef, and some of the largest exporters are the very people who hold the cow as their religious symbol. 

But such ambiguities exist everywhere in India, which is a patriarchal society which only gives respect to women on paper.

The men in India are the best examples of cowards.  

 

A recent study showed that when it comes to giving human transplants to even close relatives, men will run the 100 metres backwads superfast, under some pretext, and push their womenfolk forward as the donors. 

 

The eggitarian diet is a relatively recent term that emerged to describe a category of individuals who consume eggs but avoid other forms of animal meat. Eggitarians obtain their primary protein and nutrient source from eggs, all while abstaining from meat, poultry, and seafood. 

 

This dietary choice allows individuals to enjoy a range of dishes that incorporate eggs while maintaining a balance between animal protein intake and ethical considerations. 

 

Some eggitarians may choose this diet due to personal taste preferences, religious beliefs, or environmental concerns associated with large-scale livestock farming.

 

Vegetarianism involves the exclusion of meat, poultry, and seafood from one's diet. However, vegetarians still consume products derived from animals, such as dairy and eggs. 

 

This dietary choice encompasses various subcategories, including lacto-vegetarian (consuming dairy but avoiding eggs), ovo-vegetarian (consuming eggs but avoiding dairy), and lacto-ovo vegetarian (consuming both dairy and eggs). 

 

Many vegetarians adopt this lifestyle for a combination of reasons, including animal rights, environmental concerns, and health benefits. Numerous studies have suggested that well-planned vegetarian diets can provide all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals required for a healthy lifestyle, while also reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases.

 

Many vegetarians will avoid eggs during their religious festivals, such as Pongal and Diwali. 

Recently we were invited to a truly wonderful Gujarathi feast by a couple in Oulu, making one wonder with such and array of great vegetarian dishes all over India, why it is necessary at all to be non-vegetarian.

A super Gujarathi vegetarian meal served to us in Oulu.

Veganism is perhaps the strictest form of plant-based diet and lifestyle, excluding all animal-derived products. Vegans not only avoid meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs but also eliminate dairy, honey, and any other products that have an animal origin or involvement. 

The primary reasons people choose veganism are ethical concerns for animal rights, environmental conservation, and personal health. By abstaining from animal-derived products, vegans aim to improve animal welfare, reduce carbon footprints, and promote a cruelty-free lifestyle. While ensuring proper nutrition on a vegan diet may require more careful planning and supplementation, many vegans assert that their decision brings various health benefits, including lower cholesterol levels, reduced risk of heart disease, and better weight management.

 

Non-vegetarian, eggitarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets represent an array of dietary choices with unique characteristics and motivations. 

Each category reflects personal preferences, cultural backgrounds, ethical beliefs, and health considerations. Understanding and respecting these different dietary choices is crucial as it promotes inclusivity and allows for a more diverse and sustainable food culture. 

One persoanl note is that many faiths also have different forms of fasting. 

Christians fast during theperiod of Lent, between Ash Wednesday and easter, as a memory to te fact that CHrist fasted in the wildrenerss for 40 days when he was repeatedly tempted by Satan.

Christians do not actually fast during that period but give up some of their favourite food and the money saved is given to charity.

The Muslims fast during the period of Ramzan, forom morning to evening, somer not even swalloewing therir own saliva.

Other religions do fasting in relation to the religious festivals associated with them, ands most are also associated with some health issues.

Coming back to Annikki's religious sect, they are not only vegetarian, but also do not consume coffee, tea, alcohol or any harmful drugs.

There is a more radical form of Christianity which believes that God will take care oif everything and do not even go to doctors!

Ultimately, the decision to adopt any particular diet and life style is a deeply personal choice that influences not only individual health but also broader environmental and ethical concerns.

Cricket World Cup - May thebest team win

Two fabulous catches by Sanju Samson

Being a Sanju Samson fan, I was greatly disappointed that he was not chosen in the Indian World Cup squad. He sadly has no godfather in Indian Sport!

I was also saddened that my school alumni from Bishop Cotton School, Bengaluru, Mayank Agarwal was not in the squad.

Pathetic turn out for World Cup games.

As I have already blogged, I was also very disappointed with the organisation of the first match and lack of a decent opening ceremony. As I asked is India a truly cricket loving nation?

However, as the tournament progressed, I was happy to see some excellent performances from new entrants, especially the young Afghani team. They really made a good step forward. I was taken aback by their loss against Australia when they were in the driving seat. 

There have been several reports of match fixing. I hope that it is not true as they are a great young squad and I have always been a fan of Rashid.

K. M. Mammen  (cousin Vinoo) giving the Man of the Match Award to K. L. Rahul.

My cousin, the Chairman of MRF Ltd., gave the Man of the Match to another favourite player of mine, K. L. Rahul. He did  give another such award in another game but I was slow to get my camera out.

I was disappointed with the performance of the English team especially as I am a fan of Moen Ali. Jos Butler has had a bad run right from the IPL onwards. 

The Indian team have been cruising. Harsha Bhogle, who is usually a good reader of the game,  had raised the point that it may be that the Indians have peaked too soon. This opinion was knocked down by Ravi Shastri, but I have never been a fan of Ravi Shastri, so his opinions do not matter to me. He is usually wrong!!

The players that have impressed me most are Rachin Ravindran of New Zealand, and Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada of South Africa, whose bowling run up is like a cheetah. I hope another favourite of mine, Ken Williamson, is coming back to form.

No Australian players are in my list of favourites. So I hope that South Africa gets through to the final.  I hope the better team wins in the India and New Zealand clash.

The persisting with Hardik Pandya shows that the BCCI is corrupt to persist with a player who is unfit on several grounds to play in the Indian squad. Always excuses to keep him alive in the squad.

I am sure the same situation will arise when it comes to Rishabh Pant!

The four semi-finalists have booked their places as I had expected. We hope all the teams show their fighting spirit and the best teams get through to the finals.

I will blog my opinion prior to the finals.

Martti Ahtisaari - My interaction or not?

 

Stamp of Martti Ahtisaari to be released 

in December 2023

Martti Ahtisaari was from Oulun Lyceo, where my daughter studied. He was the third Finnish President who went to  the Oulu Lyceo.

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg

Kyösti Kallio

The others were Presidents Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg and  Kyösti Kallio

I landed in Finland in 1984. My brother-in-law, a senior Finnish  bureaucrat in the Ministry of Labour,  looked at my bio-data and wrote a letter to Martti Ahtisaari, who was also a senior bureaucrat, introducing me to Martti Ahtisaari. He asked me to address a lettter to Martti Ahtisaari, giving details of my background and explaining how I could play a role in the Finnish hierarchy. 

That was in 1984! 

I am still waiting for an acknowledgement of the communications to both these letters.

That was my first experience of how the Finnish system works.

Three reasons are given for this. 

The first is that the person is least interested in extending a hand to the request. It is just ignored as being irrelevant. 99% of the action is this behaviour.

A second reason is that Finns like to do a serious evaluation of the situation before replying aletter. This is the typical answer given when one submits a job application.

When I was explaining this to a group of German journalists who were visiting Oulu Univeristy, about why they did not get reply to their letters to Finns, I gave the benefit of the doubt to this second reason. I was severely admonished by the Dean of our Electrical Engineering Department and Vice Rector of the University for denigrating Finland when holding a senior position in the University. (Not that I cared, as I believe in telling the truth as it is.)

The third is that Finns have very poor social skills. This is best explained by an incident of one of my students who went as an exchange student to Loughborough University. He was being hosted by a Professor. 

After his first night at the Ptofessor's house, when he came down to breakfast, the Professor asked him a rhetorical question as to how he had fared through the night. The student was silent for several minutes as he was thinking how he should answer that question.

This was explained to me later when the Professor of English in Oulu University gave a talk about Social English, as Finns have little knowledge about that aspect of life.

When Ahtisaari was President, he behaved like Prime Minister Narendra Modi does today, flying at the drop of the hat to all corners of the world. 

I used to keep track of the movement of Ahtisaari on a very popular  special web page calling him the "Satellite President". 

My personal assessment at that time was that he was building a base to either become nominated as the President of Europe or to get the Nobel Prize. 

He got the latter!

Credit must be given, as he was a great negotiator. He negotiated quite extraordinary peace  deals between warring factions. 

His contribution today in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would have been priceless. 

There is no-one who has stepped into this role since.

Although I did not ever meet President Ahtisaari, I did interact with his son when I was a serving member of the Ethnic Minorities Advisory Board (ETNO) representing English speaking members of Finland..

Compulsory army service in Finland for young men was considered absolutely necessary. Those who either chose to go for a stint in social service or those who opted out of it were thought to be traitors or pariahs.

This was until in 2000, when President Ahtisaari's son opted for social service rather than to do the army service! (He served as an assistant in the Labour Ministry in serving in  handling ETNO issues.)

It then became acceptable to not join the army service, although many Finns, even today, hold that it is a non-Finnish character.

My father-in-law had to join the army and served on the frontline as a sharpshooter during the entire 1938-1944 wars between Finland and Russia and then in driving out the Germans from Finland. He had no optioin then as if you did not join you would be considered a traitor.

After the war he became a committed Christian and opted out of further service in the army. His back was riddled with grenade shrapnel which meant he could never sleep on his back.

When our daughter interviewed him as University project, he talked about his service to her, but refused to talk about his actions on the front line. He wanted desperately forget those terrinble moments.

Our elder grandson has completed a year of his compulsory army service. The second grandson is taking  a year off from and is planning to finish his army service as soon as possible.

I advised him to complete it quickly as when one gets older, it becomes increasingly difficult to respond to "stupid" commands being shouted at you by younger people in the process.

I had one of my senior researchers in Ouklu University who went for his army service when he was over 25. He had been completing his Master's degree.

Within a month, he had to quit on psychological grounds as he could not handle the brain-washing process.

Martti Ahtisaari was probably not the best Finnish President that I have served under, although he had the background of being a bureaucrat before becoming President. In my opinion, this a dangerous combination, as the use of the bureaucratic process can result in a  power hungry person misusing the Presidency.

Sauli Niinistö

I think the best Finnish President so far has been our present one, Sauli Niinistö, because he understood humanity after he and his two children escaped the tsumani in Thailand by climbing up a tree! 

Having been the Finnish President, may we say sincerely to late Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari - Rest In Peace.

 

Nelson Mandela on the Palestine/israel issue

 https://www.facebook.com/reel/1554176501987563?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V

We fully endorse late President Nelson Mandela’s views expressed in this link. 

If one changes-principles at will, such people have no right to lead ANYTHING!

The hypocrisy, lack of spine, of those leaders and people standing behind ANYONE in this conflict ONLY shows their own personal agenda. 

No one has said THIS more clearly than Nelson Mandela!

We request you to read this blog entry of ours

  “Through the eyes of an Arab Israeli..” 

which was posted on 3rd October 2007!

(Meeting with Israeli Palestinian Human Right Activist Najib Abu Rokaya)

Finnish Immigration Policy - Where is it going?

My 2001 report to the Finnish Sports Federation on tools for integration.

ThisYouTube video “The Full Story” by Johanna Kauppinen is worth watching. It handles a look at the new immigration policy.

Annikki and I will try, in a later blog, to put it into perspective of my 54 years as a foreigner of interaction with Finland.

There is much you can do in your personal life which will have  a long term impact on your acclimatisation, especially if you have children!

For instance, is putting children in an International School the correct answer?

Racism is rife in Finland. It is hidden and can be a shock if it hits you between the eyes. 

I faced it in England in 1963 and again when I moved to Finland in 1984. How did I cope with it? How have our chldrn faced it and coped wih it?

If you have any questons, do write to us to help you through the problems.

10 Richest Mineral Producing Countries of Africa

My good Somalian friend, Liiban Ismaciil (aka Lee)  sent me this video link. 

https://fb.watch/ocR06AsV7b/

Is this comedy or is it based on fact? 

These guys are funny to be taken seriously!

Can anyone put this in today’s context?

If factual:

1. Where is all this wealth vasnishing? 

2. Why are  the ordinary Africans suffering?

3. Why are African countries having to live off “loans” from World Bank and IMF?

https://fb.watch/ocO-BnLWeu/

A Blast from My Past -

 While going through my ancient files, I came across this little blue notebook with my pet name on the cover.

SUSHIL is my Indian name, a tradition started by my paternal grandfather. 

In the past, we were given our official name, in which the first was the House name that you belonged to from your father’s side. Then you added your father’s name and finally your own name.

The own name would then be made Malayali and would be used by your family and family friends. Occasionally, you also got called by a “pet” name which could be associated with your standing in society, your contribuion to society or just endearment.

My eldest maternal uncle  was the late Padma Bhushan K. M. Cherian (Chetpet Appachen), . He got the name Cherian as being my grandfather's eldest son, he was given his great grandfather's name - Cherian.

Padma Bhushan is the award he was given by the Indian Government for his contribution to Indian journalism and work for Indian Independence. K stood for his family House name, Kandathil. M stood for his father's name. which was  Mammen Mappillai.

Take a look at the names of all my mother's  brothers in order of birth.

1. Padma Bhushan K. M. Cherian

2. K.M. Oommen

3. K.M. Eapen

4. K. M. Varghese Mappillai

5. K. M. Jacob

6. Padma Shri K. M. Philip

7. Padma Bhushan K. M. Mathew

8. Padma Shri K. M. Mammen Mappillai

The ninth member of the family was my mother, whose name should have been 

Padma Acca K. M. Mariam (Padma Acca being my personal title for her) as she held 7 fiery brothers together to help them build MRF Ltd. , Malayala Manorama, MM Rubber Co. Ltd. amongst a host of other companies. 

(Her brother, K. M. Jacob, died early and my name is Jacob as I was born shortly after he died. )

Without her strong hand  and mutual love and affection with her brothers, this family would have broken up into fragmernts a long time ago. (This story will appear in my memoirs in due course.)

So you will note that each of them has the K. M. prefix before their own name.

My paternal grandfather took another route. 

His name was Raja Mantra Pravina Dewan Bahadur Maliyakal Kuriyan (Mysore) Matthan.

Raja Mantra Pravina Dewan Bahadur was the title conferred on him by the Maharaja of Mysore for his services to the State of Mysore. The House name is Maliyakal, which is also my house name. His  name from his father was Kuriyan (which be also spelt as Kurian). The pet name "Mysore" was given to him by the people of Mysore for his contribution to the state. His personal name was Matthan, but he turned it to his surname name. This was because he saw it as part of the western society he had become involved with and he changed from being a Syrian Christian to a member of the Protestant Church.

So his male children were

1. M. George Matthan (Commissioner Mysore Government)

2. M. Kuriyan Matthan (CEO Tata Engineering Consultancy Services, after being the Chief Engineer of the B. E. S. T. in Bombay)

3. M. Matthan Matthan (DCM) 

4. M. John Matthan (CEO BHEL & CEO Integral Coach Factory)

5. M. Jacob Matthan (LIC Chairman)

My mother's family were all professionals and business  oriented, while my father and his brothers were all professionals, all of whom reached the pinnacles in their professional life.

Coming to my name, it should have been Maliyakal Matthan Jacob, but as my paternal grandfather turned around the system, I got the name Maliyakal Jacob Matthan, but an Indian name was also added, which is SUSHIL. (My elder sister was Nalini, my elder brother is Ranjit, and my younger sister was Thangamma.). Sushil is used by my other family members and family friends who have known me since childhood.

But this is a digression, as the reason for this blog is that I found a small notebook a couple of days ago which had an article written by me in 1975 about the potential for trade between Finland and India.

Written by me 48 years ago, when I was just 32 years old, there may not be much technology  significance today.

What interested me is not the content of the article but that I was able to write an article before my access to a computer in beautiful long hand, something which vanished when I returned to Finland in 1984, 9 years later, as my handwriting skills vanished. With the advent of the computer, and arthritis hitting me quite hard simultaneously, I resorted to using the compuiter for my writing to avoid the pain.

When I joined the University of Oulu, I was given access to IBM XT and AT computers, along with the IBM Mainframe. 

My earlier computer access was when I was working in MRF.  IBM opened their computer centre in Madras. All we had was preparing punched cards relating to the stocks in store. 

I did not stay with the IBM Computers for long as I spent most of my time trying to remember key strokes and functions and less time creating my documents.

One day, a young lady arrived at the door of my University room from a company called Systema Oy. She convinced me to look at what she was selling. It was an Apple IIC computer which had a "mouse" and the commands were simple to remember.

I took to it immediately and my productivity went up 2000% compared to that of my colleagues. 

Soon I had others working on my Apple IIC all day creating all sorts of scientific experimental stuff. 

I had to wait till they went home to get my work done, which became quite simple as it was productivity oriented. What took them 4 hours on their computers, my productivity with my Apple Macs took hardly 2 hours! (This was at the time of the cumbersome DOS system.)

Within a year, all my colleagues were clammering for their own Apple computers, but I had moved on to a Mac, the Mac Plus,  the Mac SE and then the Mac Portable and then the Mac PowerBook, my first own computer. 

There is an interesting side story when I bought my PowerBook. I claimed it as an expenses and claimed depreciation for the whole year, although I had bought it only in December. 

The Oulu Tax Office declined to give me the depreciation for the whole year. I went to Oulu Court. There I showed that I could do a whole year's work in less than three weeks. The judge ruled in my favour. 

After that the Oulu Tax Oflice never questioned me on my claims!

I was continually ahead of my colleagues who were always playing catch up with me.

I would go in on a Saturday morning and upgrade all the software on the Macs of my colleagues.

As a result, despite being a third world country intruder in Finland, I got upgraded from an ordinary researcher to the Laboratory Manager and then to the Chief Engineer.

The secret of my success was that they needed me more than I needed them! 

I do hope you will enjoy this handwritten 20 page article of mine. 

It shows my vision of 35+ years ago, even  before I moved to Finland. It also shows my commitment to promoting India and its culture, products and technology to Finland.

Remember one of our Guiding Principles:

"Go where you are appreciated!"

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