My Coconutty Wisdom – Episode 5: A Podcast by KURINZI FOODSTYLE

A Podcast by KURINZI FOODSTYLE
தென்னையை பற்றி எனக்கு தெரிந்தவை!

Ms. Geetha from Bangalore shares her diverse life experiences. She discusses creating a coconut grove, utilizing coconut oil for healing, highlighting the impact of a healthy diet on lifestyle, and elaborating on nurturing positive relationships with teenage children. Alongside, she generously shares a recipe for coconut rice. Join us in tuning in to celebrate her wisdom!

Join us on a delightful journey exploring coconut-based products, from cherished childhood memories to contemporary experiences.

In each episode, special guests share childhood anecdotes, adventures, happiest moments, favorite songs, and more, culminating in the revelation of their all-time favorite dish crafted with coconut oil.

These heartwarming stories are sourced from our valued customers, friends, and family. We guarantee it’s a series that celebrates the unique wisdom of everyday people.

Podcast Transcript in English

Hey everyone, and welcome to Kurinzi Foodstyle, the podcast that’s all about health-centered living. I’m here to share the latest from Kurinzi VCO – “My Coconutty Wisdom” Episode 5, a special initiative from the Kurinzi team. 

In this series, we’re diving into the world of coconut-based products, from nostalgic tales to today’s experiences. These stories come straight from our beloved friends, family, and customers, promising us a series that’s both delightful and eye-opening.

Today, we have Mrs. Geeta to share with us her coconutty wisdom and I’m Nishi Andal reading it for you! Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Hey everyone, I’m Geeta. I just wanted to take a moment to thank the Kurinzi Foodstyle team for giving me this amazing opportunity. So, a bit about my family – my husband is deeply involved in pharmaceutical research, my son is currently in 12th grade, and as for me, I have a degree in engineering.

After completing my studies, I was eager to join the workforce and lend a helping hand to my parents. I headed over to Bangalore, crashing at relatives’ places while I attended as many job interviews as possible. However, as fate would have it, my parents had different plans. Suddenly, I was called back home, and before I knew it, we had guests over for a potential marriage match. One of the conditions my husband laid out was that I shouldn’t pursue a job, citing concerns about maintaining a peaceful family life with both of us working. It wasn’t an easy decision, but for the sake of harmony at home, I reluctantly agreed.

When I was asked to speak about coconuts, the first person who came to mind was my grandmother, my mother’s mother. In my mother’s house, there were six coconut trees. They’re gone now, but let me explain later. These trees are common in rural areas, and I’ve seen them since childhood. During holidays, we’d enjoy drinking tender coconut water. My grandma and mom used to make coconut barfi, my favorite sweet.

Though we had just six trees, they served many people. We never had to buy coconuts from the store. Grandma would extract oil from the coconuts and give it to us every year. Losing my grandmother during the pandemic was painful. They had to cut down those trees too because the leaves and debris were damaging the building. Despite this, we’ve kept up the traditions she passed down to us. And interestingly, my husband shares some similarities with her.

He always prefers wood-pressed virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, and groundnut oil. Once a year, he buys all the raw materials and gets them extracted at the local mill in his town.

When he turned 40, he went for a health checkup. When the doctor saw his normal cholesterol levels, she was surprised and asked us about the oil we use. He proudly mentioned our preference for cold-pressed oil. The doctor was amazed to see his cholesterol under control even after reaching 40 years of age.

We stick to traditional food habits, but that doesn’t mean we’ve always been perfect. About seven years ago, we found ourselves indulging in foreign foods like pizza, burgers, and KFC. However, over time, we made a conscious shift towards healthier options. We began cooking in mud pots and iron vessels, incorporating nutritious ingredients like black rice and various millets into our meals.

As I was speaking, I realised my connection with coconuts has been ongoing. When I married into an agricultural family, they had a big coconut grove. But my husband’s frequent travels between states meant he couldn’t visit the farm much. So, we settled in Bangalore eleven years ago. As my mother-in-law grew older, my husband decided it was tough to manage the farm from afar. Instead, we chose to plant more coconut trees on some spare land. My father took charge of this project, and now, after some time, we’re starting to see tender coconuts grow on those new trees.

I’ve just realised the challenges involved in raising coconut trees and, more broadly, how tough agriculture can be. We used to think that hiring people to work on the farm while my father supervised would be easy, but in reality, it’s anything but. It reminds me of a dialogue from the movie “Devar Magan” – “Tomorrow you will eat, and then your children, but the seed was sowed by me.” That perfectly captures my father’s hard work at the age of 72. It’s truly incomparable.

I dream of a day when we can eat all the vegetables and fruits grown in our neighbourhood according to the season, instead of buying imported produce from supermarkets. I wish everyone would use the rice, grains, pulses, or millets grown locally, promoting health and sustainability. Whatever is grown on the land is healthy for the people of that region – that’s something I firmly believe in.

Coconuts are packed with medicinal benefits. My mother had been dealing with joint pain for quite some time. Then, I stumbled upon a tip on Facebook. It suggested that consuming two dates and coconut on an empty stomach in the morning could help alleviate joint pain. Surprisingly, it worked wonders for my mother. Additionally, she would also apply coconut oil whenever she experienced pain, and it seemed to provide relief as well.

I had a C-section (caesarean) while delivering my child, and it took a good three months for the wound to fully heal. Then, one visitor suggested applying coconut oil to the area. Sceptical but willing to try anything, we gave it a shot. To our surprise, we noticed significant improvement within just a week.

During the Corona pandemic, my husband’s oxygen levels dropped, and he was in a serious condition. He ended up spending around 8-9 days in the ICU. During those tough days, it was our traditional food that came to the rescue. The doctors were administering lots of steroids as life-saving medicines, but we were all too aware of the immense side effects they can bring. Given his background in the pharma industry, my husband was especially cautious.

As the days passed, I couldn’t shake off the worry about the potential side effects like increased sugar levels and weight gain once he recovered from COVID. To counter this, I made sure to include plenty of millets and fibre-rich vegetables in his diet. Additionally, he started consuming coconut milk daily to improve his oxygen levels.

It was a true testament to the power of our food choices. It’s moments like these that reaffirm the importance of sticking to our traditional food habits. And it’s a lesson I hope to pass on to our children as well.

My son has a keen interest in studying robotics, and I’ve encouraged him to apply his learning to agriculture back in our homeland after completing his studies. Surprisingly, he shares the same vision. As parents, we can’t teach our children everything, but we can guide them and let them explore on their own.

I strongly believe in allowing children to play outdoors and face challenges independently. It’s something I’ve learned from personal experience. When my son decided to join a boarding school for 11th and 12th after completing his tenth standard, I found it hard to accept. He faced many challenges and struggled, but ultimately, it was a valuable learning experience for him.

Now, he’s the one giving us advice. We made a conscious decision not to let him watch cartoons on TV since he was little. We heard from a doctor that it could stifle a child’s thought process and creativity. Instead, he spent a lot of time playing, with cars being his favorite toys. As he grew older, his interest naturally evolved into researching, disassembling, and assembling cars.

He’s developed a habit of updating me on everything that happens in his day, which I appreciate. It’s amazing to see how his early upbringing without cartoons has led to such a strong interest and engagement in hands-on activities and learning.

Children must trust us so they feel comfortable sharing everything with us. They need to believe that discussing things with their parents will make everything alright. To build this trust, we should spend quality time with our children, talk to them, and make them understand that besides parents, nobody else truly wishes for their well-being.

These aspects are especially critical for kids in today’s generation. We should actively listen to whatever they have to say, fostering open communication. Dealing with teenagers has always been a challenge across generations. It requires immense patience because they may not always listen to us. However, if we lose our patience, we’re the ones who ultimately lose out. So, it’s important to approach these situations with patience and understanding.

In my experience, it’s during the 11th and 12th grades that children begin to gain a better understanding of themselves. They start to realize the value of their learning at this stage. However, it’s important for us as parents to give them space and independence rather than constantly hovering over them. Of course, we should still keep an eye on them and monitor their progress.

When my son went to a hostel, we started receiving minor complaints about him from the management. But before that, he used to share everything with us. It was quite amusing because often, before the complaints reached us, he had already narrated the incidents to us. We would end up recounting the stories as if we had witnessed them firsthand. It was a funny little routine we had, but it showed how much he trusted us and valued our input.

It wasn’t easy for them to accept that a 16-year-old boy could discuss everything with his parents. At one point, they even accused him of lying to us. However, whenever there were complaints, we would visit and prove that he spoke nothing but the truth. He faced a lot of politics and encountered jealousy from others. Throughout it all, we continuously reassured him of our unwavering support.

Our son began to trust us, and only us. Despite facing ignorance and jealousy, he held onto our encouragement. Slowly, he transformed his negatives into positives. Compared to other students, he stood out in his thinking and creativity. While he used to rank 7th or 8th, he now consistently secures the first position without any stress.

The management now believes he will bring pride to the school, and we share in their confidence. Initially, he struggled with communication and socializing, but he learned from his experiences. We now have faith that he will excel wherever he goes. It’s true that society plays a significant role in shaping an individual.

These aren’t just advice; they’re my personal experiences. Despite hearing child psychiatrists advocate for allowing children more freedom, we often doubted whether it would work. However, I felt compelled to share our journey. Voila!

I’d love to share a recipe with you that includes coconut. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s one of my all-time favorites.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups grated coconut
• 1/2 cup boiled rice
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon each of mustard seeds, urad dal, and cumin seeds
• A handful of roasted groundnuts and cashew nuts
• A few cashew leaves
• 2 dried red chillies
• Salt to taste

Heat a pan on the stove and add coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, roasted groundnuts, cashew nuts, cashew leaves, and dried red chillies. Fry them until they turn golden brown and fragrant. Now, add the grated coconut to the pan. Fry it until it loses its moisture and becomes dry. Add salt to taste and then add the boiled rice to the pan. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Your coconut rice is now ready to be served and enjoyed!

Thank you for your patience and listening to this podcast. Once again Thanks to kurinzi foodstyle.

With Love,
Geetha,
Bengaluru

A huge shoutout to Mrs. Geetha for this lovely sharing. 

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Thanks a lot for tuning in to Kurinzi Foodstyle’s my’ coconutty wisdom. Let’s catch up on our next episode and until then, have a great week!

Thank you!