Desert Trips is a “subtle” and “suggestive” work that investigates the interior spaces, the voids. Ground cumin is a work that investigates two or three things I find interesting, among which are the use of repetition in literature and the potentialities of an aesthetic based on accumulation rather than resolution.
The book contains many repetitions, not only in the sense of literary tropes but also in the sense of actions: walking, returning, going out to get cigarettes, etc. It also contains many images that are repeated and/or transformed throughout.
I was talking to a friend of mine from college about my recent trip to the Sahara.
“What did you do there?” He asked.
“Oh, went hiking, climbed a few sand dunes, went camping.”
“Did you see any camels?”
“Well yeah, tons of them!”
“Wow, cool! Did you ride them?”
I looked at him for a second. “No,” I said. “That’s the kind of thing I’d like to do some time–but not this time.” He laughed and agreed that it would have been fun–but he understood why I didn’t bother.
There are many ways to get from one place to another in the desert: walking, driving (in a 4×4 or on a camel), hitching rides with truckers, flying overhead (in a plane or a hang glider). Each way has its advantages and disadvantages. Walking is slow but gives you a close-up look at the scenery and lets you interact with people along the way; driving fast lets you cover more ground but can be expensive or even dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing; hitching rides can be fun but can also make it easy to end up far away from where you want
I have been here a week and I am still jet-lagged. It is morning, but the light is fading from a gray sky. I am sitting on a carpeted platform in the desert, and in front of me there is a small fire whose smoke tails up toward the darkening air. There are twenty or thirty others with me, sitting, lying down, standing. We are looking at something on the ground, and we are waiting for it to happen.
We are in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, in southwest Namibia, near the border of Angola. The reserve covers two hundred thousand square miles — an area larger than France — with a population of less than two thousand people. On the way here we saw no other vehicles and no other people; we were alone on a long dirt track. We came over dunes so high they seemed to scrape the sky and passed into a red world where nothing grew and there was no sign of life except lizards that disappeared as soon as we stopped moving. The only sounds were wind in our ears and wind in the sand.
The last time I had been here was six years before, when I drove across the country from Cape Town to Angola with my wife at the time, who was from Namibia
Ground cumin is a little bit spicy. Try it out at home. You can buy ground cumin at any grocery store and use it to make a delicious meal.
Cumin, the dried seed of a plant in the parsley family, is among the oldest, most widely used and highly regarded spices. In fact, it’s mentioned in the Bible. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed cumin could heal wounds, repel insects and expel evil spirits.
Cumin seeds are tiny, but they pack a punch. They contain up to 33 percent oil, mostly linoleic acid (omega-6). They also contain beta carotene, calcium, potassium and vitamin E. They’re a good source of fiber too.
Mixed with water or broth and eaten with grains or legumes, cumin seeds can make a tasty meal. Cumin is said to aid digestion and help lower blood sugar levels when eaten regularly. It may also help prevent cancer.
It’s easy to grow cumin if you have a sunny spot for it: dig a hole about 5 inches deep, mix some compost into the topsoil, then cover the seed with ¼ inch of soil. Keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge in about 10 days. You can thin the seedlings to one per hole when they are about 4 inches tall.
Cumin seeds are available at Middle Eastern markets or – if you live near a Mexican
Cumin is a spice that comes from the same plant as caraway, fennel, and coriander. All are in the carrot family, and all come from dry parts of the world. Cumin has been used for thousands of years as both a spice and medicine.
Cummin was known to be used in ancient Egypt but was probably first cultivated in India, where it has been grown for at least 2,000 years. During this time period it spread throughout Asia, eventually reaching China and Japan where it is still in use today. The plant is closely related to parsley, carrots and parsnip.
Surprisingly enough, this popular Middle Eastern spice has made its way into many recipes of American cuisine. It is a common ingredient in chili powder and taco seasoning. It is also used in many Indian dishes including dal (a dish similar to chowder) and many curries including chicken tikka masala. Even German sausages are often seasoned with cumin!
The cumin plant is an annual herb that grows in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The plant has an aromatic, nutty flavor and is used as a spice in many cuisines. It is most often used in Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern and North African dishes.
Other names for cumin include Roman caraway, Mexican caraway, black caraway and brown cumin. The seeds are highly appreciated as a spice because they have a strong flavor and aroma.
The word cumin comes from the Latin term cumminum, which is a Greek word used to describe several different types of plants. The Greek word kyminon describes its use as a plant flavoring. In the Old Testament, people use cumin to add flavor to food served to the king of Persia.
Cumin also has medicinal purposes. Throughout history it has been used to help with digestion, but it also has been used in religious ceremonies as well as as a perfume ingredient.