The Rich Italians and Humble Pasta (English & Afrikaans versions)

This morning I woke up early as usual, made coffee and lay watching the beautiful sunrise. I love swinging in the hammock while the wind blows, watching the kaleidoscope of sunrise colours filtering through the clouds. In the distance is Avea Island and the warm sunrays approach from that direction.

Elmo writes on my Facebook wall - Green of jealousy!

Anton writes something very interesting that I didn’t know and think a lot of you also won’t know. I quote:

‘Most pacific islands down your way are a day ahead of us. Samoa being the exception. They had a loooong year in 1892, having Monday the 4th of July twice to change their date back one day back…. And 1892 was already a leap year‘.

After battling for awhile I finally got online and managed to find this bit of information about the history of this day:

‘A similar adjustment of the date line occurred in 1892 when king Malietoa Laupepa of Samoa was persuaded by a major American business house trading in that region to adopt the American day reckoning instead of the Asian day reckoning. In a fine stroke of diplomatic flattery this was put into effect by ordaining that the 4th of July in that year would be celebrated twice‘
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Margaret Isabella (Balfour) Stevenson (1829-1897), the mother of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) who had settled in Samoa in 1890, described the occurrence of the ‘second 4th July, 1892’ as follows in her Letters from Samoa:
“Surely now I have been round the world, since at last I have done that to which I used to look forward, I have ‘gained a day.’ It seems that all this time we have been counting wrong, because in former days communication was entirely with Australia, and it was simpler and in every way more natural to follow the Australian calendar; but now that so many vessels come from San Francisco, the powers that be have decided to set this right, and to adopt the date that belongs to our actual geographical position. To this end, therefore, we are ordered to keep two Mondays in this week, which will get us straight.”


29 Augustus 2010

Late afternoon I put on my Facebook: ‘Had a full day. Met one of Italy’s wealthiest men. His 50m yacht is in our harbour. Then went for an island walk, made pasta for the locals - their first ever taste of pasta.’

This Italian guy and his friend saw me coming along, started shouting hello and in the same breath apologised for bursting in and imposing on my privacy. From the harbour they had seen a house on the hill and decided to take the steep uphill to the mansion. They were quite curious to discover a South African here and were keen to know how I keep myself busy in the evenings and over the weekends seeing as there’s nothing going on the island. They were both very pleasant and I enjoyed our conversation. The thin and gaunt one is extremely wealthy who only three weeks ago bought this beautiful yacht. According to his friend that was doing all the talking and translating, who also turned out used to be the head of the Italian Stock Exchange, this is one of the biggest yachts in the world. And he had to emphasise that this guy is very rich and has just sold his previous yacht to the richest man in Australia a few weeks ago.

From Greg’s house the yacht looked absolutely breathtaking and I later walked down to take some photos of it. It’s mast is approximately 60 meters high and at the bottom end of the yacht is a door, allowing one to walk down a few stairs to the water’s level. It’s so big that you can even drive a car onto it. Wow! I wouldn’t mind just having a look around to see what it all looks like, but I don’t even get invited on for a cup of tea or a snack!

So, I walked back and started the pasta dish that I had promised the workers. They looked at me with total dead-pan expressions when I asked them if they had ever eaten pasta. Ema pulled a face as if pasta must be the most revolting dish that she has ever heard of and wanted to be sure that one could really eat it. They know about ‘Two minute noodles’, but not other types of pasta. Well, I must say, with the little that I had at my disposal, I managed to conjure up a superb meal for them. I would really have liked to keep some leftovers, but they just kept on eating until there was nothing left and the little that there was left, they took to share with the other ‘villagers’! The thought came to me that we are so privileged to have so much to enjoy. These people have never even tasted a decent pasta dish, while we often complain with a hot loaf of bread under the arm. Even my recipe books had Ema drooling at the mouth with every food picture she saw.

At this stage the recipe book is also just mouth-watering pictures that I can only hope to look forward to the day when I can eat that kind of food again and not all this ‘Alien Culture’ food. Not that I’m moaning, at least I have food to eat, but I really would appreciate better facilities and a better variety of ingredients to be able to make a really good dish, and even to experiment a bit. But I suppose this is all part of what I need to get used to. All part of the experience.
　

Afrikaans Version:
Vanoggend het ek weer vroeg opgestaan en koffie gemaak en na die mooi sonsopkoms gele en kyk. Dis so lekker om net in die ‘hammock’ te le en ‘swing’ terwyl die wind so waai en ek na die son se strale kyk wat in alle kleure deur die wolke breek. In die verte is Avea-eiland en kom die sonstrale al hoe nader vanuit daardie rigting.

Elmo skryf op my Facebook ‘muur’ - Green of jealousy!

Anton skryf iets baie interessants wat ek nie geweet het nie, en ek glo baie van julle ook nie geweet het nie. Ek haal aan :

‘Most pacific islands down your way are a day ahead of us. Samoa being the exception. They had a loooong year in 1892, having Monday the 4th of July twice to change their date back one day back…. And 1892 was already a leap year‘.

Ek het daarna op die internet gegaan en met baie gesukkel om aanlyn te kom, wel tog op hierdie brokkie inligtig gekom oor die dag in geskiedenis :

‘A similar adjustment of the date line occurred in 1892 when king Malietoa Laupepa of Samoa was persuaded by a major American business house trading in that region to adopt the American day reckoning instead of the Asian day reckoning. In a fine stroke of diplomatic flattery this was put into effect by ordaining that the 4th of July in that year would be celebrated twice‘

Margaret Isabella (Balfour) Stevenson (1829-1897), the mother of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) who had settled in Samoa in 1890, described the occurrence of the ‘second 4th July, 1892’ as follows in her Letters from Samoa:

“Surely now I have been round the world, since at last I have done that to which I used to look forward, I have ‘gained a day.’ It seems that all this time we have been counting wrong, because in former days communication was entirely with Australia, and it was simpler and in every way more natural to follow the Australian calendar; but now that so many vessels come from San Francisco, the powers that be have decided to set this right, and to adopt the date that belongs to our actual geographical position. To this end, therefore, we are ordered to keep two Mondays in this week, which will get us straight.”


29 Augustus 2010

Laat die middag beskryf ek my dag op Facebook : ‘Had a full day. Met one of Italy’s wealthiest men. His 50m yacht is in our harbour. Then went for an island walk, made pasta for the locals - there first ever taste of pasta.

Die Italiaanse omie en sy vriend het my hier van bo-af sien aankom en begin ‘hallo’ skree en in dieselfde asem omverskoning vra dat hulle sommer so inbars en inbraak maak op my privaatheid. Maar hulle het van die hawe se kant gesien hier is ‘n huis op die bult en besluit om die steil opdraende na die herehuis te neem. Hulle was heel nuuskierig om ‘n Suid Afrikaner hier te ontmoet en wou net weet hoe ek myself besig hou gedurende naweke en in die aande aangesien hier niks op die eiland aangaan nie. Beide was baie aangenaam en het ek lekker met hulle gesels. Die maer en uitgeteerde omie is die skatryk een wat slegs 3 weke tevore hierdie pragtige seiljag aangekoop het. Volgens sy vriend wat al die vertaal en praatwerk gedoen het en wat jare gelede Italie se Hoof van die Effektebeurs was, is dit een van die grootste seiljagte ter wereld en moes hy my ook daarop attent maak dat die omie ‘n baie ryk man is en sy vorige seiljag aan die rykste man in Australie verkoop het paar weke tevore.

Van Greg se huis af het hierdie seiljag asemrowend gelyk en het ek later afgestap om te gaan foto’s neem van dit. Sy mas is sowat 60 meter hoog en aan die agterkant van die seiljag slaan ’n deur oop sodat mens met trappe kan afloop na die watervlak. Dis so groot dat daar selfs ‘n motor kan inry. Wow, ek sal nie omgee om net te kon sien hoe dit op die seiljag lyk nie. Hulle het my ook nie eens genooi vir iets te drinke of ete nie!

Ek het teruggestap en begin om die pastagereg te maak wat ek aan die werkers belowe het. Hulle het my met sulke uitdrukkinglose gesigte aangestaar toe ek vra of hulle al ooit pasta geeet het. Ema se gesig het sommer so skeef getrek asof ek vir hulle die aakligste gereg beskryf het, en wou sy weet of ’n mens dit wel kan eet. ‘Two minute noodles’ is bekend aan hulle, maar nie ander soorte pastas nie. Wel, ek moet se, met dit wat ek tot my beskikking gehad het, het ek ’n uithaler ete vir hulle voorgesit. Ek wou so graag van die kos wat oorgebly het terugneem na my huis, maar hulle het net aanhou eet en dit sommer ook met ander in die ‘village’ gedeel. Die gedagte het by my opgekom dat ons so bevoorreg is om soveel te kan he en te geniet. Hierdie mense het nog nooit eens ‘n pastagereg gehad nie terwyl ons soms klae met ‘n warmbrood onder die arm. Selfs die foto’s van my resepteboek was vir Ema te wonderlik en het haar mond gewater met elke gereg wat sy in die boek gesien het.

Op die stadium is dit vir my ook maar net ‘n prentjie in ‘n boek en kan ek ook maar net uitsien na daardie dag wanneer ek weer sulke kos kan eet en nie al hierdie ‘Volksvreemde’ geregte hoef te eet nie. Nie dat ek kla nie, ten minste het ek kos om te eet, maar ek sou baie eerder meer geriewe en bestraddle tot my beskikking wou gehad om weer ’n lekker bord kos te kan voorsit en te geniet, en sommer ook te kon eksperimenteer met al die nuwe kosse en dinge wat ek nou aan gewoond moet raak.