It's Friday, World Music Friday!
Today we travel to Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Southeast Africa. Madagascar reflects the origins of the Malagasy people in Southeast Asia and East Africa. The influence of Arabs, Indians, British, French, and Chinese settlers is also evident. Madagascar is considered one of the most beautiful places on earth, a place whose geography and ecosystems are diverse, colorful and fascinating. In recent years the country has become increasingly modern, particularly in and around the capital city of Antananarivo. Despite this push for modernity, many of the island’s people are still practicing a form of religious ancestor-worship known as Fomban-razana. Their spirits are believed to be active in looking after their descendants in a variety of ways. And their wishes are therefore to be respected and obeyed. This means that families and communities have various taboos/don’ts (known as fady) regarding the avoidance of certain actions, to ensure the approval of the razana. There are three category of fady: those related to actions - for example believing it is fady to sing while you are eating and if you do you will develop elongated teeth; those related to objects - for example, the Merina will not have funerals on Tuesdays as this may bring about another death in the family. Foreigners are exempt from having to adhere to fady, although it is sensible and considerate to find out as much as possible about this in regions you are visiting so as to avoid offending people. The most classical example of fady to which tourists might be confronted is the ban on the access to burial sites. Under the traditional beliefs, practiced by around half the people, there is one God who is neither male nor female. Some people also worship secondary gods or nature spirits, such as those which inhabit rivers or trees. It can be said that the fady has contributed much to the conservation of nature since several parts of forest and lakes were considered impenetrable as they keep the ancestors’ spirits. Let’s now listen to a Madagascan musician called D’Gary, known for the elaborate playing style of the acoustic guitar. His style developed from his interest in Madagascan music, and has been compared to the music produced on traditional instruments like valiha and marovany. Here a song called “Mora mora”, Have a musilicious weekend! (the picture above is from pure travel)
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So you are planning a road trip, or a long awaited trip to Europe, but want to have a little adventure and save money at the same time. Now, there is the option of searching on Airbnb as they are adding more and more listings for properties all over the world, including Europe, Asia and Australia.
You can plug in the area you’d like to stay in, and the dates, and you will see a number of listings by actual owners putting their place up for rent, for a few days, or for months out of the year. If you opt to use Airbnb, be sure to read the descriptions well, since some places will rent you the whole house or apartment, some places are renting out a room in an occupied house. Also, the house may have certain pets you should be aware of, if you are allergic in any way. Some listings are for RVs to explore the area or a National Park! How about a Treehouse for rent in the middle of a forest? Reading as many reviews as possible by other users is most important as well, as they will give you an idea of what kind of stay you will have, how clean the place is, how involved the owners will be during your stay and how much noise to expect from your neighbors. The NY Times recently had an article written by Stuart Miller about his own experience with his family on a road trip in the South of the United States, staying at different homes through Airbnb. If you do your homework and spend some time during your search, you will be surprised what kind of properties are available at an affordable price! Maybe a beach-front property with all your necessary beach gear plus BBQ grill for under $100 a night! Happy traveling and happy searching! In recent years in the US, Middle Eastern food has become somewhat of a fad, seeing food trucks pop up with irresistible falafel sandwiches, and hummus sold at every supermarket.
One of my favorite foods from the Middle East is their delectable salads. One in particular that we will mention today is the Tabbouleh (or Tabouli), a Lebanese traditional salad made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, lemon, olive oil and bulgur. Sounds very simple, but the combination makes a salad, or almost a dip that is just as satisfying on a toast. They are served as part of the Mezze, which is a selection of small dishes served to accompany alcoholic drinks as a course or as appetizers before the main dish in the Near East and the Balkans. Here is a brief history I found about Tabbouleh at ifood.tv. "Tabbouleh is known to have originated in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria. Edible herbs called qadb that are used in tabbouleh recipes even today, were eaten by Arabs since Medieval times. It is a part of the Arab food culture today, just as much as baba ghanouj, hummus and pita." Well, enough talking about Tabbouleh, let’s try making it at home. In the Northern hemisphere, you might want to make this when the herbs are at its peak in the summer, but these ingredients are available fresh throughout the year, so you can get started now! Here is an authentic Lebanese recipe, with lots of chopping involved. But the results will not disappoint! If you live close to NJ, and are craving for more authentic Lebanese flavors, I would recommend Headquarters Sannine Lebanese Restaurant in North Brunswick, NJ. Here is a yelp review on this restaurant. We have had nothing but positive experience at this restaurant, and we have been there many times. Tables are few, and service can be a bit slow, but that is part of the Cross-Cultural experience! |
AuthorUnicultural team and trainers, sharing our views and experiences on everything cultural. Archives
May 2016
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