The Yapa

In Ecuador, when I bought a pyramid of tomatoes at the market from Quechua-speaking women, the tomatoes were dumped in a small clear plastic bag, along with the yapa. The yapa is the extra. One more tomato (or pepper or whatever you’re buying) as a bonus. This post is the week’s yapa.

While thinking about Fairfield, Iowa, and the Yogic flyers buying groceries next to the local farmers (or more likely the local farmers’ wives), it made me recall another grocery shopping experience. When I lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, it wasn’t uncommon to turn into the pretzel aisle and find Civil War re-enactors in full regalia. The war between the states brought to a grocery store near you.

I’m reading The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha. I just read a wonderful passage about spirit houses. So as an addendum to my post earlier this week, I just learned that people also leave shot glasses of whiskey in spirit houses. In the book, a Lao man said the whisky helps keep the spirits out of his children’s dreams.

In perusing the Chicago Green Festival booklet, I was delighted to see an acquaintance who I last saw in Ethiopia listed as a speaker. He’s written a book - Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World (topics include beerodiversity and beeroregionalism). Go Chris!

And last, but not least, happy birthday to farmworker labor leader César Chávez (1927-1993). (Thanks for the reminder, Jen.)