I found a really amazing program called the Gapminder the other day. (No it's not a delicious Pittsburgh meal, but it's pretty great).
Gapminder was created by Swedish doctor, Hans Rosling. Gapminder helps people to develop a fact- based world view. This program allows people to easily compare data from a variety of variables, many of which we discussed in this course.
Follow the link to and select Gapminder World. From here you can manipulate the x and y axis of the graph and select specific geographic regions and countries to look at. Take some time to play around with this-it's user friendly, has a nice aesthetic, and provides a wealth of information!
I've been feeling really nostalgic lately. Nostalgic for my beloved city, Pittsburgh. Later in the week I'll have some classic Pittsburgh cuisine coming your way but until then I'll leave you with this.
Regional Dialects: Pittsburghese.
"A dialect is a regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation" (Rubenstein, 110).
Fondly referred to as Pittsburghese, Pittsburgh has a unique and distinct regional dialect. Want to pick up some Pittsburghese? Check out this website.
Also, enjoy these: Pittsburgh Dad.
This native Pittsburgher has a series of videos on youtube called Pittsburgh Dad. It's pretty ridiculous but also a pretty accurate depiction of the Pittsburgh accent and dialect.
In the last post I described India as a developing country. I kind of just threw the term out there without any explanation. Until recently, I often heard and used the terms developed, developing, undeveloped etc. to describe a place. I never really knew what these terms meant or if they had any real descriptive value. How is it determined if a county is developed or developing? Who determines this? Do these terms really mean anything?
Well, it turns out there these terms do have meaning and they are something human geographers use to talk about a place. There is an objective set of standards that measure various aspects of a country to determine its development status. This is known as the Human Development Index (HDI). Measured and monitored by the UN, the HDI "is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living" (Human Development Report 2014: India, 1). This is a pretty broad and general statement. How do you quantify and measure something like access to knowledge or a decent standard of living?
The UN's got this part figured out too...
A long and healthy life is measured by life expectancy.
Access to knowledge is measured by: "i) mean years of education among the adult population, which is the average number of years of education received in a life-time by people aged 25 years and older, and ii) expected years of schooling for children of school-entry age, which is the total number of years of schooling a child can expect to receive if prevailing patterns of age-specific enrollment rates stay the same throughout the child's life."
Standard of living is measured "by Gross National Income per capita."
India's HDI value and rank
In 2013, India's HDI value was .586. This in the medium human development category. India ranked "135 out 187 countries and territories" (HDR: India, 2).
What can we learn from this table?
India's HDI value increased from .360 to .586 from 1980 to 2013. . This is an astounding 58.7% increase.
"Life expectancy at birth increased by 11.0 years"
"Expected years of schooling increased by 5.3 years"
"GNI increased by about 306.2%" (HDR:India, 2)
Inequality-adjusted HDI
The HDI is an average. And like all averages it has the potential to "masks inequality in the distribution of human development across the population at the country level" ( HDR:India, 3). It's basically the HDI discounted for inequalities (3). India's IHDI is .418. This is 28.6% lower than it's HDI. "As the inequality in a country increases, the loss in human development also increases" (3). IHDI reveals inequality in the distribution of the three dimensions of HDI.
Gender Inequality Index and Gender Development Index
In addition to the HDI and IHDI, the UN utilizes the Gender Inequality Index. The GII reflects gender based inequalities. Like the HDI, this is determined using three dimensions "reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity" (HDR: India, 4). India's GII value is 0.563, ranking it 127 out of 152 countries (HDI: India, 4).
Introduced in 2014, the Gender Development Index is a new measure that will be utilized by the UN. The GDI "measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development-health, education, and command over economic resources" (HDR: India, 5).
The Human Development Index and all of the additional measures that go with it, provide a comprehensive analysis of a countries development status. When studied in context, these things can be really useful tools for human geographers and provide a lot of insight to the daily workings of a country. Additionally, they provide useful information that can be used to provide people with a greater access to knowledge, standard of living, and longer and healthier lives.
So you may be wondering, why food? What can food really tell us about a place? A lot. Examining a countries food preferences can give us insight into not only the cultural customs of the people but also to the environment, climate and agricultural practices of that region. Let's take a look at what food and agricultural practices can tell us about India.
Culture of Food Preferences
Taboo:A taboo is " a restriction on behavior imposed by social custom" (Rubenstein, 88). Religion dictates many food taboos. For example, for those who practice Hinduism, "eating cows is prohibited, as it is thought of as God's useful gift to mankind since it provides dairy products and is the basis for other products". Here is an article that shares some basic information about food taboos around the world.
Diet
Diet is determined by a combination of the following: level of development, physical conditions, and cultural preferences.
Level of development: "People in developed countries tend to consume more food and from different sources than do people in developing countries" (Rubenstein, 223). India is a developing country.
Physical Conditions: "Climate is important in influencing what can be most easily grown and therefore consumed in developing countries" (223). Below is a climatic zone map of India. India has great diversity in climate, ranging from montane (mountainous), to tropical, to arid.
Cultural Preferences: "Some food preferences and avoidances are expressed without regard for physical and economic factors" (223). (e.g. the food taboo discussed above)
This article, published by Princeton, provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of food and nutrition in India over the last 25 years. The publication includes several excellent maps, graphs and charts that provide information about: rural calorie consumption, calories from cereals, percentage of households reporting lack of food etc. This is a really wonderful resource, please take a look!
Resources:
Deaton, A. & Dreze, J. (2009). Food and nutrition in India: facts and interpretations. Economic and Political Weekly, vol 44, (no 7). Retrieved from https://www.princeton.edu/~deaton/downloads/Food_and_Nutrition_in_India_Facts_and_Interpretations.pdf
Rubenstein, J. M. (2010). Contemporary human geography. Prentice Hall: Glenview, IL.
Sorry for the long lapse in posting. It was a crazy busy week! But I'm back. And now we're off to India. Over the next week we will delve into different parts of Indian geography and culture. This week I made delicious Indian food! I'm no stranger to cooking Indian food-it's usually a weekly occurrence at my house. My mother-in-law is from Nellore, a city in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. I was told, when I got married, I'd have to learn how to make at least a few dishes :) Fortunately for me it's my favorite type of food! My mother-in-law is from a Brahman family: they are strictly vegetarian. Most of the Indian food I cook is vegetarian (my husband eats meat so we sometimes make chicken curry or chicken vindaloo). On to the recipes!
Indian cuisine varies greatly depending on state, region, religion, and caste. Telegu cuisine is incredibly spicy (supposedly the spiciest of all Indian foods- I know from experience :) ) Andhra cuisine is mostly vegetarian, though there are those who eat meat as well as seafood because of it's close proximity to the Bay of Bengal. Cuisine is heavily spiced and utilizes dal (lentils), tomatoes, and tamarind flavors.
Vegetable Korma
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, diced Coconut oil (or veg oil)
1 bag of frozen carrots and peas salt (to taste-you'll need a lot!)
1/2 bag of frozen cauliflower 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon garam masala (more or less to taste) 1 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes 1 tablespoon salt (more or less to taste) 1 cup heavy cream
Prep work: Dice onion Cube potato (bite size piece) Create ginger garlic paste-put garlic gloves and minced ginger and a little bit of water in a blender or food processor-blend until paste like) Blend whole tomatoes in blender or food processor (keep tomato liquid)
1. In a thick bottom pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds to the oil (on medium-low heat), moving constantly to not burn. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onions. After about 3 minutes add the ginger garlic paste, the excess water will cook off. Mix the ginger garlic paste and onions well. 2. When the onions are translucent, add the cubed potatoes. Add turmeric, mix turmeric, potatoes, and onions well. Add about a cup of water (this well help the potatoes soften).Let cook for about 10 minutes.
3. When the potatoes are soft, add the tomato puree. Add the garam masala and salt (more or less depending on taste- I typically add extra cardamom, cumin, and coriander b/c my husband does not like heavy clove flavor). Stir well. Let simmer for a few minutes. 4. Add frozen vegetables. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. 5. Slowly add the heavy cream (more or less depending on how tomato-ey you like the korma), be sure to stir constantly so that it does not curdle. Taste for spice. If needed, add more salt and garam masala. 6. Serve with jasmine rice or chapati . Garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro). Often people use cashew paste rather than heavy cream. I am allergic to nuts so I am not able to do this. Also, I tend to cook this food without a recipe, so I do a lot of "to taste". Experiment! Have fun! As my Amma says "Indian food is supposed to easy, healthy, and economical." Use what you have and be flexible. :)
Pachadi
(I'm trying to upload a picture of the many jars of pachadi I have in my fridge but it's not working) Pachadi ( or pickle) is a quintessential Andhra Pradesh food. Pachadi is a mix of heavily spiced pickled vegetables or fruits. Pickling fruits and vegetables is a great way of preserving them from the heat and extending their shelf life but also a way to ensure that no fruit or vegetable goes to waste. In a place, where historically, famine and hunger are very prevalant, pachadi makes excellent use of scarce resources. Pachadi is eaten mixed in with rice, rice and yogurt, or spread on idli, naan, or chapati.
I stumbled across this SUPER cool map the other day. It's called the Racial Dot Map. The racial dot map uses data from the 2010 Census to show the racial distribution of people in the United States. One dot equals one person. You can manipulate and zoom in on the map. It's pretty amazing. Do you notice any general trends? Are you surprised by anything?
I know this is an unrelated post but it was too cool not to share! Up next (hopefully tomorrow).... we journey to India! Specifically the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh!
"As music is a part of both folk and popular culture traditions, it can be sued to illustrate differences in the origins and diffusion of folk and popular culture" (Rubenstein, 82).
Folk Music
Folk music is of particular interest to geographers. Folk music provides insight to the daily activities and cultural values of a people group. Typically passed down orally from one generation to the next, folk music may change slightly over time to reflect the current live and values of that generation. Folk music provides an oral history of the migration, values, and daily life of people.
"The Turks who migrated to Anatolia brought their traditional folk music with them. This music expressed the feelings and beliefs of nomads who sang about love, sorrow and happiness" (Kneib, 86).
I found a great resource Purdue University. Follow this link and scroll down to the section on Turkish Folk Music. They have some really high quality recordings of Turkish folk songs organized by region. There is also a lot of other great information about Turkey on this page.
Popular Music
"Popular music is written by specific individuals for the purpose of being sold to a large number of people" (Rubenstein, 83).
Sources:
Kneib, M. (2004).Turkey: A primary source cultural guide.The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. : New York, NY.
Rubenstein, J. M. (2010). Contemporary human geography. Prentice Hall: Glenview, IL.
Geographers define culture as "the body of material traits, customary beliefs, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people" (Rubenstein, 80). Geographers are interested in culture because it informs the way humans interact with Earth and each other and it can reveal similarities and connections between different countries (migration, assimilation).
Folk Culture: Kina Gecesi
"traditionally practiced primarily by small, homogeneous groups living in isolated rural areas" (81).
A few days before my wedding, my dear friend Summeye, hosted a henna night for me at the Turkish Cultural Center in Pittsburgh, PA. It was a wonderful evening that gave me the opportunity to participate in a part of Turkish folk culture.
A henna night (Kina Gecesi) is a religious, folk ceremony in Turkey, that is traditionally held the day before the wedding. "It is a ceremony steeped in history and folklore, in which the family of the bride-to-be gives her away to the family of the groom". During the ceremony, the bride wears an ornately decorated robe, called a bindallı, and a red veil over her face.
(Me wearing a bindallı)
Traditionally friends and family of the bride and groom participate in the ceremony. All women in attendance carry a small candle and decorative cloth in each hand during the henna ceremony.
(Friends of mine carrying candles and sequined fabric)
With her friends and family forming a line, the bride walks into the room and sits in a chair placed in the center of the room. The lights are turned out and the friends and family form a circle around the bride.
(My friends walking in a circle around me)
Then the women walk around her singing a Turkish folk song: (English translation)
They shouldn't build homes on the high hills
They shouldn't give girls to faraway cities
They shouldn't upset the mother's one and only
May the birds carry the message
I miss my mother
Both my mother and father
I miss my village
I wish my father had a horse, he could jump on it and come
I wish my mother had a sail, she could open it and come
May the birds carry the message
I miss my mother
Both my mother and father
Traditionally, the best friend of the bride, carries a copper tray with candles and a pot filled with henna. She places a large dot of henna and a coin in the palm of the bride's left hand. She then covers the bride's hand with a red, silk bag. Now the bride is ready to go with her new family.
(Henna time!)
Here is a recording of the henna night song, Yüksek Yüksek Tepelere.
(It's totally okay if you feel the tears coming during this song... the bride is supposed to cry during this song, if not they will keep singing until she does).
Links: Here is a link to an article about the "new-urban" henna night. It's pretty long but if you'e really curious about this modernization of this traditional, folk custom... enjoy :)
Sources:
Rubenstein, J. M. (2010). Contemporary human geography. Prentice Hall: Glenview, IL.
Kneib, M. (2004). Turkey: A primary source cultural guide. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. : New York, NY.
Human geographers use a variety of tools to understand where a place is. Maps are one of them. Geographers use different maps to highlight different features of a place. What can we learn about Turkey from the following maps?
Turkey on a world map
Geographers us world maps, like this 3D rendering of the Earth, to understand where a place is in the context of the world. From this map we can see that Turkey is North of Africa, it is bordered by a least two oceans etc. Geographers use this map to gain a broad, general understanding of where Turkey is.
Turkey on a map with latitude and longitude
Geographers also use the geographic grid, "a system of imaginary arcs drawn in a grid pattern on Earth's surface", to describe where a place is (Rubenstein, 10). This map contains parallels, lines that run east to west (latitude) and meridians, lines that run north to south (longitude). Turkey is located at Sometimes geographers use latitude and longitude to describe the geographic location of a place. Turkey is located at 39.9167° N, 32.8333° E. Latitude and longitude provide very specific information about geographic location.
Turkey and its neighboring countries
Geographers also use political maps to talk about geographic location. Political maps show state and political boundaries. From this map, we can see that Turkey is bordered by Greece, Bulgaria, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Iran, and Georgia.
This political map highlights not only state and political boundaries but also continent boundaries. This gives us a key detail about Turkey's geographic location that has not been apparent on the other maps. Turkey is located in both Europe and Asia. About 3% of Turkey is located west of the Bosphorus strait, a strip of water that divides Europe from Asia. This part of Turkey is known as Thrace. The remaining 97% percent of Turkey, to the East of the strait, is in Asia. This much larger section of Turkey is known as Anatolia.
I decided to start my culinary adventure in Turkey. As a
half Turk (and very proud of it), I have a soft spot for Turkish culture and
cuisine. Last night, I made one of my favorite foods: börek. Börek is a very
popular and versatile Turkish food. Some of my fondest and most special
memories of my büyükanne (Turkish for Grandmother) are of her sitting, brushing
layer after layer of phyllo dough with butter and filling the middle with a
delicious cheese, spinach and onion mixture. Making this kind of börek is an
incredibly labor intensive process. Last night, I opted for something a little
simpler but no less delicious.
I followed a recipe from The Turkish Cookbook. The cookbook
is organized into regions: this recipe is from Gümüşhane, a city in the Black
Sea region.
Spinach and Egg Börek
“It is said that no
Turkish girl should marry before mastering the art of making these pastries” –Nur
Ilkin
Dough: Filling:
1 1/3 cups of flour 2 tablespoons of
butter, melted
1 teaspoon sea salt 2 medium onions, finely chopped
½ to ¾ cup of water 1 ½ pounds baby spinach
leaves (I used frozen, chopped spinach)
Freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly
beaten
Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
Slowly start adding the water, mixing and kneading well to make a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into egg-sized pieces, roll them into balls, and place them on
a plate. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the butter and sauté the onions until
translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and sauté for another 5 minutes,
mixing well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add beaten eggs. Cook,
stirring until mixture resembles scrambled eggs. Remove from heat and cool. [I
added feta cheese to the mixture after it cooled].
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the balls into rounds
[the recipe says 10 inch rounds, but this was way too large-think pierogi
sized]. Place a spoonful of the filling in the right side of the rolled dough,
spreading it all over the right half. Fold the left side of the circle over the
filling (making a half moon or “D” shape) and gently press with your fingertips
or fork tines to seal the edges together tightly. Repeat.
Heat a large nonstick pan and cook boerek for 3 to 4 minutes
on each side until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and place on a
serving platter. Serve hot. – The Turkish Cookbook, Nur Ilkin and Sheilah
Kaufman (pictures of my borek to come!)
Here is an article from NPR about borek. Included is a recipe for cigar borek (my Grandmother used to make these as well).
Recently inspired by the closing of the Conflict Kitchen, I've decided to continue their mission on a personal level. The Conflict Kitchen, located in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh, served food of countries in conflict with the United States. They use "the social relations of food and economic exchange to engage the general public in discussion about countries, cultures, and people that they might know little about outside of the polarizing rhetoric of governmental politics and the narrow lens of media headlines" (2014. Conflict Kitchen). Food is a great, nonthreatening way to experience other cultures. Though I'm not the best at it, I love to cook. I'm pretty open to trying new things and enjoy experimenting with recipes. Once or twice a week I will make a popular recipe from another country. I will use this as a platform for exploring the history, geography, and culture of that country, state, or region. Get ready to eat like a geographer!
A few days ago, I heard an NPR broadcast about pidgin language in Hawaii. A pidgin language "mixes a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary of a lingua franca, [language of international communication], with another language" (Rubenstein, 112). I wasn't able to find the full broadcast that I listened to but I found a short radio broadcast and excerpt from a video that provide a great glimpse of the unique, diverse, pidgin of Hawaii.
"Human geographers study cultural features,
such as economic activities
and cities."(Rubenstein, 2013)
"it use[s] natural science concepts to help
understand human behavior, and conversely the use of social science concepts to help understand physical processes. (Rubenstein, 2013)
"the
systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human
understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface." (The College Board, 2013)
"Human
geography combines economic and cultural geography to explore the relationships between humans and their natural environment, and to track the broad social patterns that shape human societies." (The BBC, 1996)
Prior to this course, my understanding of and exposure to the field of Geography was rather limited. I thought of geography as little more than something that has to do with maps. I enjoyed looking at maps and was thankful for the work of geographers (where would I be without GPS and google maps? Lost. That's where.)
Geography is however, much more relevant, meaningful and complex than "just google maps". As a discipline, human geography seeks to explain not only where things are but also why things are. Human geographers combine natural and social science to try to answer the big questions: who are we, where did we come from and where are we going? (Rubenstein, 2013)
At the heart of human geography is the principle of connectedness. People do not develop in isolation. Rather, we grow and develop within various spheres of influence: we are shaped by other people, past and present, and by our physical environment.
When we think like geographers, we see the interactions between the myriad features that make us who we are as individuals, members of local communities and citizens of the world.
