Strength: Tomato Pappu and Terry Fox

I have been pondering the idea of female strength lately. My own and my loved ones.  I have some fierce females around me, my friends.

My thoughts have been coming from a variety of places. It seems that a number of us have been having really tough years. People are sick. Jobs are lost or in trouble. Life is unfair or difficult. Evil is afoot. But even in the face of all this, we have earned promotions, gotten jobs, supported our families financially and emotionally, made choices that are the right ones for us, parented our children, others people's children, and supported each other - most of these at the same time.  We are wonderful friends to each other, particularly in times of need. 

Where does our strength for this come from? I am not exactly sure, but I know for me, community has helped me so very much. I am lucky to have friends that are willing to listen to me cry on skype when I was newly moved to Canada, J was in Switzerland, and I fell apart, which is still the lowest part of my time here.  I am also lucky to have new friends here, who have continued my Hyderabadi culinary education and who have introduced me to Terry Fox.

There is no greater inspiration in Canada than Terry Fox. And inspiration is strengthening to me.

Please take a few minutes and watch the clip if you are not familiar with him.

In September my sister Hil and I volunteered at the local Terry Fox run in Etobicoke, our area of Toronto. There are runs all over Canada, and all over the world*. Everything is donated and run in a very "mom-and-pop" fashion, so there are no corporate donors to give you t-shirts or a medal when you finish.  Most of the money raised during Terry's events is given directly to cancer research - an astonishingly high percentage.  The run is non-competitive and open for a few hours, so you begin when you want and finish during the open window.  Survivors, like Hil, get red t-shirts.  I realized then that Hil is still grappling with being a survivor. It is really hard to be 23 and be a cancer survivor.  It doesn't seem to go together.  As Terry knew.   

Some of you know I'm in South Carolina right now, with my Aunt who is ill with cancer. She is the Aunt who fed me popcorn for breakfast, and always made me laugh as a moody teenager, and offered me her home when I got married to J - we were married on the beach outside her home.  And now she is very, very sick.  Through this all, she continues to make me smile and laugh, and show that same kind of strong, Morrisey-woman streak the men who marry us bemoan.  It is such a honor to be a part of her female community, and my mom's, and my sister's, and my cousins', as we tend to her.  The care that her husband, her 83 year old husband is showing her, is one of the most beautiful loves I have ever seen. He sleeps on an air mattress next to her bed every night. He gets her food and drinks and her medicines. He tucks her in so gently and keeps her smiling through her questions.  

So, my strength comes from community, and family, and from myself.  I'm not sure I'm finished with this question, but it continues to interest me.  

Below, find N's recipe for Tomato Pappu, an easy peasy lentil dish. Because my community in Canada has been helping me continue my cooking lessons from FA.  YUM!

*Check out how to start your own run.

Tomato Pappu (Dhal)
Vijaya Niranjan
 

1 cup  red lentils (masoor dhal)
4 cups  water
5   plum tomatoes (canned tomatoes taste better)
3  green chillies, sliced
1  medium onion, chopped
2  garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp thalimpu ginjalu
½ tsp paspu (turmeric powder)
1 tsp  salt
fresh coriander

Wash red lentils.  Add two cups of water, and cook on high in the microwave for 8 minutes.
Heat oil over medium heat in thick saucepan.  Add garlic and cook until lightly browned.  
Add thalimpu ginjalu, chillies and chopped onions.
When onions are lightly browned, add tomatoes and turmeric powder.  
Add lentils and mix well.
Add two cups of water, salt and coriander leaves. 
Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!