Summer Street Fashion

Our summers are very hot, with high humidity in certain regions and extreme dryness in other; this calls for a sort of "loose"  street fashion style.

During summer days, the dominant sight has always been  one of half-naked people: bare shoulders, arms and legs. Favorite clothing items: shorts and sleeveless, strapless tops.

Nowadays , however, people are more aware of the sun's damage to the skin,   Besides, one has to walk only a short distance from the air conditioned car or bus to the airconditioned office or mall; so shorts are gradually been replaced by airy skirts or thin pants, and fewer backless tops are seen around.

Cotton is the best fabric for summer clothes; it's breathable, light, sweat absorbent ,and comfortable. There are various types of cotton ; a good cotton has a cooling effect on the body.

.My very favorite is the stuff manufactured in India. I've got an array of breezy indian- made cotton skirts, and some adequate t-shirts;   they make me feel each year that I'm more than ready to meet Summer. (For travel, I'll usually replace the skirt with thin pants made of cotton or rayon).  Here's a selection of my summer outfits:

thin rayon pants

As for accessories - not much is needed : a hat (made of cotton or natural straw), sunglasses, and sandals. 

In summer, we are usually lighter in  body weight ; so, coupled with the lightweight clothes upon us - we may sometimes feel we are at the top of the world.

Cochin - Nevatim. ( Part One - the museum)

From Cochin (Kerala, India) to Nevatim (Neghev, Israel) - a small indian-jewish community with a great history, an amazing little museum, and a stunning synagogue.

We reached Nevatim agricultural settlement at noon. After  passing a big, brown sign with the name 'moshav Nevatim'  in hebrew (see the header), and a traditional well  in memory of the founders, we were led by Mira, the local guide, to the building which houses a compact museum with some very interesting exhibits.

traditional well in memory of the founders

the well - closer view

building that houses the Heritage museum

front view of the building

entrance to building housing the museum

After a few introductory words, Mira, the guide, wanted us to watch a 16-minute documentary on the history and customs of her community and its immigration to Israel. Very captivating film  as it included  interviews with people who were among the first settlers of Nevatim, in 1954.

Mira - her back to screen, face to visitors

The walls  at the entrance and in the movie room were covered with black&white pictures depicting snippets from the community's life in India. (It is important to mention that they've had good relations with their non-jewish neighbors there ; no hostility/persecution experience whatsoever). 

listening to lecture;  pictures with life snippets on the walls

more  Cochin life snippets on the wall

Merchants in Cochin, they became farmers in Nevatim - not an easy transition, that from trade to agriculture. Apparently, the shy and modest indian community underwent this transition quite well. They  also got this small tourist attraction enterprise  - the Heritage Center which includes the museum and the synagogue.

Next  - open rooms with  a rich variety of encased exhibits from daily life in Cochin: clothing (daily and holiday),  jewelery items, household ware, religious and cultural artifacts (light holders, holiday lamps, Torah case) etc.

wedding clothes

bracelets

wedding rings

household ware

chandeliers

standing light holder

Hannukah lamp

Torah case

overview - room with lightholders and the Torah case

The Bowl of Rice and Ayurvedic Soap

Sometimes I wonder about remote ,unknown to me places, just because I happen to like and use some product manufactured there. So, I find myself seeking information on 'Andhrah Pradesh', a state in India, mentioned on my favorite ayurvedic soap; 'Harderwijk' , a city in Holland where the finest organic apple puree comes from; Costa di Mezzate, city in Bergamo, Italy, which houses the Molino Nicoli, the company which produces the finest cornflour; 'Oak Brook', a village in Illinois, USA, home to the headquarters of Paper Mate, the company responsible for my most beloved pencil . And other such locations.

Andhrah Pradesh (capital city - Hyderabad) is a large state situated on the southeastern coast of India. Historically it's called the "Rice bowl of India" as more than 77 % of its crop is rice. Although agriculture is the basis of the state's economy, information technology (software industry) and biotechnology (pharmaceutical companies) are at the top of the key sectors active in this state.

Andrah Pradesh State Assembly (web pic.)

ayurvedic soap

Anyway, I'm very pleased with the green bar of soap ( 18 herbs among its ingredients) produced there. It gives me the right feeling of cleanliness and freshness that I look for in a soap.

Harderwijk is a small city in the eastern part of Holland. It's main attraction is the Dolphinarium with its dolphin shows. However, it is also known for 'Natudis' , wholesaler of organic food and natural health products which has its headquarters and warehouse in the city. I like their sugarless 'appelpuree' which is based on the well-known Demeter apple. I buy this product mainly in winter , and it is eaten as dessert.

Dolphinarium Harderwijk (web pic.)

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organic apple puree

Costa di Mezzate is a commune in the province of Bergamo in Lombardy, Italy.This place houses the Molino Nicoli SpA , the company which produces the fine cornflour (gluten free) for polenta, the yellow boiled dish made from this kind of flour.

After trying various brands, I found out that this particular Nicoli cornflour is the best for preparing the polenta or its romanian counterpart, a staple dish called 'mamaliga', so I make sure I always have it on the shelf. 'Mamaliga' (polenta) tastes great with everything - especially with cheese, sour cream, omelette, beans.

Medieval Castle in Costa di Mezzate (web pic.)


cornflour for polenta

Oak Brook is a village, a suburb of Chicago in Illinois, USA. The place has many recreational facilities: polo fields, a golf course, swimming pools, tennis fields.
Mc Donald's has its headquarters here and so does Sanford, manufacturer of writing instruments and art materials. Paper Mate is part of the family of brands owned by Sanford. (In the past, there was another village , Bellwood , associated with Stanford and Paper-Mate). Anyway, as far as I know their products are manufactured in Mexico.

Paper Mate mechanical sharp writer pencil has been for many years and still is my best writing companion. I just love it. I can't live without it. It comes in a pack of six or twelve; yellow barrel, but also in neon colors. It doesn't need sharpening, it has a pocket clip, and an eraser. Its writing quality is great.

Oak Brook center (web pic.)

Paper Mate mechanical pencils

I'm all in favor of buying local products and encouraging the local industry, but that's not always possible. I suppose I can make my own organic apple puree, and I can even find a local cornflour that will suit my taste. There's ,however, nothing on the local market similar to the indian ayurvedic soap and to the Paper Mate sharp writer pencil.(sigh).