Dasheen

I was just reading up on native foods and I’m already thrilled about the Dominican staples — dasheen, tannia, and yams. According to wikipedia, the name dasheen is French derived from de Chine, meaning from China. See the strong Asian roots? I call it taro. I’m predicting many yummy dishes from this starchy vegetable.

On another note, Phytophthora plagues this crop! Poor thing. In undergrad, I briefly worked on the effects of P. sojae on soybeans. Many websites still call it a fungus but I know it’s been reclassified as a fungal-like Oomycete. Ha! I did learn something in all those years of schooling.

As recently as last month, I was contemplating going back and applying to graduate school. I decided against it, only because I think that I would contribute more to society as a doctor than a researcher. (My scientist skills are so-so.) Still, I find it intriguing that every once in a while, random science facts permeate through me.

For instance, yesterday I was ’splaining the resemblance of making mayo to emulsion face creams: the suspension of one liquid into another to create a semi-solid? Hello0o0o0o0o0o0.

PIC: Taro rolls! The flecks of color are shrimp, carrot, vermicelli noodles, and dasheen.