vol.71
Hi there. This week I am going to write in a more casual style. By the way, two more weeks to Merdeka! What will happen on that day?
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CK Newsletter Volume 71: Sunlight and fruits and man
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When Akiko and I were in Shanghai the last weekend, we were quite surprised at the quality of the fruits. There were mangosteens, peaches and watermelons all over and we bought mangosteens and peaches. They look exactly like what they should look like. The mangosteens looked like I could have bought them in Malaysia and the peaches looked like those sold in Japan. And they felt genuine when held in hands. So far so good.
Then we sank our teeth into the fruits. Wow, the peaches were tasteless. The meat was hard and somehow we felt we have just eaten white carrot, instead of fruit. Then we tried the mangosteens. Those were OK, actually, quite OK. And then my friends told us the watermelons taste very much like peaches, meaning those were white carrot in red color being sold.
So the million dollar question is, why are the mangonsteens good but the peaches and watermelons bad? My guess is that both the peaches and watermelons were not exposed to enough sunshine. A few of my chinese friends came to that conclusion themselves. I didnt know sun light plays that big a role.
Two days ago I went to Akiko's uncle who is a rice farmer. He told us that this year's rice harvest could be very bad because the summer was not hot enough and not enough sun light was seen during the days where the padi needed it the most. When there isnt enough sun light the rice will become smaller hence it weighs less and the farmers earn lesser.
He gave us an interesting explanation. Rice likes hot weather. They like sunbathing. Sun is their food. When there is abundant of sunlight rice will grow and they will need only a thin layer of cloth - the rice bran, because the weather is not cold. If there isnt enough sunlight the rice bran will grow thicker to keep warm and as a result the rice wil become smaller.
Now I know why the watermelon produced during winter in a greenhouse is not as sweet as those produced in summer under the sun. I guess the same goes with the humans as well? It is always good to get some sun our health. Just try to avoid the noon sun.
Have a nice day!
sent on 09/8/16