Had received a dressing down because i had oedemas (in my legs). NO salt – over – well – yes I started… Now I know why that fairy tale in which the three daughters of the king were asked by their father: “how do you describe my love for you?” – the first said sugar – the second said like my best dress and the third answered: LIKE SALT… Only those who know how food tastes without salt – know how right the third daughter was… Well – the father was stupid – he kicked her out of the house… After years – when he tasted food without salt because they had no more salt left in the palace – he remembered how right his third daughter was and was very upset of himself… He then regretted bitterly what he said and did to her… WELL at least he knew at last – some NEVER know not even when they are dying – no – that is no longer abt salt…
OK so no more salt – nettle tea and not standing nor sitting too long… For a housewife THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM – right? Well coffee and salt – because coffee too – kept these oedemas alive – brilliant – how great! Yeah well – Ummi told me: look Amal had a very bad and heavy birth in both senses: Mohamed was 7 kilos – because of her oedemas… So we would like you to have an easy birth… nice very nice… WHO KNOWS WHAT??? She had 8 kids – OK – she must have known but every woman is different… whatever – she said also: I give you 10 days not more – the baby is anyway down already… (down Bessie I thought)… Well now the salty “question” was not so terrible anymore – some days more or less… BUT I MISSED IT ANYWAY! Maybe we humans are/were callously regarding the salt in the food – we could not do without it anymore? OK we had alternatives: the cucumber salad was good anyway: parsley, dill and chives incl. blossom were in there, Aceto balsamico (no, not fm Italy – fm Spain, was also good), yogurt, pepper and olive oil and some water incl. lemon because the yogurt had a strange texture…
Thanks to the chive it was even nice… In the rice there was NO salt at all… Try it… I had added chive there too, but the result was ZERO… GREAT – I had to go through this – a camel also went through the eye of a needle (LOL). With the last oranges I prepared a syrup – a normal one with blond oranges and one with bloody ones - the blond oranges were FAR TOO sweet the bloody ones were delicious! Unfortunately the season was over… however the hot syrup had been different than the cool one…
That is true – food tastes differently when cool or hot or warm – fat for example – try to eat meat fat when it is cold – not always very nice…
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Ummi had a cousin, she had a brain tumour when she was young. They operated her… WOW – what a sad story; she once had been VERY beautiful – and a voice – that is what they all said abt her… If she was only to sing, again – that was what all said… OK – since the operation she of course had her brain working in a strange manner – sure – a neurological surgery always had side effects… whenever she discussed sth – the next day she had forgotten EVERYTHING abt it… I know because Kerima told me a lot abt her. She very often invited the cousin of Ummi to her house because all in the family of hers took the kids away fm her because of superstition – they believed if the kids played with her they would become crazy as well – NICE superstition… Oh – I would face LOTS of that to come… you will read abt it later… it was also said (gossiped) that the “ugly” cousin (my husband calls her like that) was never to have children in her entire life… I only said to myself - of course – the kids would be normal – since she had been born normally and only had an operation – so her “cellular” chromosomes surely still were normal… anyway - she was happy that Kerima had her play with her kids – she said that so many times. Then she started crying and finally let go all which hurt her deeply… Salah did not like her – because he always said: “she sits in my mother’s house for more than 6 or more hrs and is losing time on everybody…” Nurheddin said the same – I was upset of both. Ummi finished both of their gossiping and said: “Khallas (over and out):– she is my direct relative – so it is NONE of your business!” I did not mix in that quarrel – I only thought: SHE IS SO RIGHT; who pays for ALL even for the wife of Nurheddin in Poland? Ummi – Nurheddin had not received his salary till then – not a cent… And Salah was bankrupt, too – he had used all my money for the bakery shop… So there was nothing left either… I needed stuff for the baby, some diapers, some more underwear etc… and the Gmaat (that is a special role for kids – which makes them like a sausage…) when all wrapped up like a sausage – the kid would 1stly not make any stupid things and would be quiet (because it mostly fell asleep)… In addition to that the legs would be straight that was “a nice side effect” as well… we also needed some more baby flasks – because mine were fm Switzerland and were too expensive to take along to that hospital – which was the GOVERNMENT hospital… so we needed the following: two pacifiers, one flask for milk, 4 little shirts, 3 cloths (to wash the baby with and or using them for the usual milky saliva… This Gmaat role and some little sweet socks – we paid 15 Dinars for that (at that time the Swiss Frank and the Dinar were 100/100). So it was abt one dinar to 0.75 Dollars. Salah was upset – he had to borrow the money fm the bakery shop and made a fuss, again… oh well – such is life… we still had NO diapers nor powder milk… Kerima said – powder milk was vital – not every woman was able to “deliver” milk on arrival… so that was very important to take along… HOW RIGHT SHE WAS – in advance! In addition to that – we did not even have a children’s room… The answer was very simple – she should sleep with me the first days… Anyway with mother – because of the “milk” story – i.e. breast feeding… And babies in Libya should NEVER sleep alone – OK – in Europe they had their own rooms and there were these baby walkie-talkies… whatever – I was in Libya not in Europe… So be it… Even Romana agreed to that – at night it was more comfortable to have the baby “at hand” (OK – I would say: AT BREAST) – than running around to the next room and back and forth and back… etc… so I listened to all of them and gave in – I only hoped secretly – that it was “COMMON sense”…
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