Thursday, August 24, 2006
Doday dealings...
My Chachi used to have a lot of flowers in her front yard. What she didn't know when she planted them was that these flowers would be desired by many. Not the flower exactly, but the "khus khus day doday" (the bulbs of the "khus khus" plant).
Her front yard was full of these plants. According to eyewitnesses, elderly punjabi males ("babay" was the word one witness used) would come in the early morning, or late at night to snip the bulbs of these "khus khus" plants. At first it was just a couple of individuals, but the situation got out of control as their front yard became a hotspot for seniors.
My Chacha tried to halt access to the "doday" collectors by using a block of wood and rope to make the front gate virtually impossible to penetrate. This wasn't enough to stop the intruders... they just came around the back!
One morning my Chacha and Chachi awoke to see that all the "doday" had been stolen.
There was no way to stop these determined flower lovers, and my Chacha and Chachi got fed up trying, so they did the unthinkable... they ripped out all the "khus khus" plants.
You can't really appreciate the loss without seeing a before picture of their front yard; unfortunately I don't have one, but trust me... their front yard was FULL of flowers.
Her front yard was full of these plants. According to eyewitnesses, elderly punjabi males ("babay" was the word one witness used) would come in the early morning, or late at night to snip the bulbs of these "khus khus" plants. At first it was just a couple of individuals, but the situation got out of control as their front yard became a hotspot for seniors.
My Chacha tried to halt access to the "doday" collectors by using a block of wood and rope to make the front gate virtually impossible to penetrate. This wasn't enough to stop the intruders... they just came around the back!
One morning my Chacha and Chachi awoke to see that all the "doday" had been stolen.
There was no way to stop these determined flower lovers, and my Chacha and Chachi got fed up trying, so they did the unthinkable... they ripped out all the "khus khus" plants.
You can't really appreciate the loss without seeing a before picture of their front yard; unfortunately I don't have one, but trust me... their front yard was FULL of flowers.
Comments:
By , at
8/25/2006 9:13 PM
What is the scoop behind doday anyway? I have never heard of them or thought anything of the "khus khus", but now all of a sudden I hear the term doday everywhere and especially in reference to cha.
By pavandeep, at
8/26/2006 10:44 AM
"Khus Khus" is punjabi for poppy seeds... "Doday" are the bulbs that they're found in.
I'm sure that the doday were being stolen for the poppy seeds, and for NO other reason...
"Quite surprisingly, poppy seeds, known in India by the name khus khus, are quite innocuous and do not contain any alakloid. They are the only parts of the poppy plant not to contain any alkaloid. Not only are they not poisonous, they are used for flavouring food. They are white in colour, have a pleasing nut-like taste and are sprinkled over some Indian sweets. They have a very high protein content. They yield a bland oil, known as poppy-seed oil (khus khus ka tel), which is largely used for culinary and lighting purposes. They are also used as common flavouring agents and these days we have soaps, shampoos and perfumes boasting of the fragrance of khus."
I'm sure that the doday were being stolen for the poppy seeds, and for NO other reason...
"Quite surprisingly, poppy seeds, known in India by the name khus khus, are quite innocuous and do not contain any alakloid. They are the only parts of the poppy plant not to contain any alkaloid. Not only are they not poisonous, they are used for flavouring food. They are white in colour, have a pleasing nut-like taste and are sprinkled over some Indian sweets. They have a very high protein content. They yield a bland oil, known as poppy-seed oil (khus khus ka tel), which is largely used for culinary and lighting purposes. They are also used as common flavouring agents and these days we have soaps, shampoos and perfumes boasting of the fragrance of khus."
