OK ENOUGH ALREADY. I don’t want to read, hear or see another article about COVID19. I have been informed and advised. I am following all the recommended practices for hygiene, hand-washing and social distancing. But I just can’t take the constant deluge of doom & gloom news. It’s in my news feeds, on the radio, in the papers, on the news. It’s hard to not read something about the topic.
To relieve this glut of D&G news, I offer you some relief.
Did you know that Komodo dragons are one of the few vertebrate species that can reproduce through parthenogenesis? I did not.
“Komodo dragons have evolved to reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically because they mainly live isolated in the wild and become violent when approached”
– Facebook post by Chattanooga Zoo
A lady dragon Charlie, was placed by the Chattanooga Zoo with a male dragon Kadal, with the hopes that they would hook-up.
The zoo’s Tinder plans did not work. Charlie and Kadal had no chemistry. In an ultimate slap down rejection move, Charlie decided to do her own thing and hatched her babies anyways.
The zoo-keepers were suspicious and ordered DNA testing. The results came in. All three hatchlings were verified as 100% Charlie.
Isn’t Mother Nature wonderful!
Note though, that Mother Nature keeps a hold on balance. All three hatchlings are male. Genetically it’s impossible to partenogenetically produce a female.
Otherwise, well you know …
On a totally different topic …
While I was looking for a recipe for Hakka Noodles, I stumbled upon this strange but thoroughly captivating commercial for a brand of Desi-Chinese food in India.
Desi-Chinese refers to the Hakka Chinese who settled in the Tangra region of India two hundred years ago. They modified Chinese cooking styles to match Indian tastes and created a spicy new, fusion cuisine. Dishes like Hakka noodles and Chili Chicken are famous in Hakka Chinese restaurants around the world, and around the corner from me.
I mention Hakka Noodles twice, because it was both the reason for my web search, as well as a lethal weapon of destruction in the video. Watch for it.
By the way, I never did find a good recipe for Hakka Noodles. If you have one, I’d love to hear from you.
Toronto, Canada. March 2020
The Sandy Chronicles 
It is a bit of a mental switch to lurch from the reproductive habits of Komodos to noodles, but I managed. Actually, both topics were fascinating. Komodos from a chromosomal, evolutionary point of view and noodles from a geo-cultural one. Keep up the internet searches. I can ‘t wait to read what you unearth next!!
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Be careful what you wish for Amanda!
I’m glad if you find my random gibberish interesting 🙂
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Keep the posts coming, Sandy!! I love ’em.
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Loved the Bollywood dancing bit! 😀
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Bollywood dancing, fight action, romance and food. How could it go wrong?!
Glad you clicked through 😉
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Well, it’s only doom and gloom for humans. Nature is rejoicing. I count myself part of it. Maybe my most recent post would cheer you up. There are fish (and swans) in the canals of Venice and you can see to the bottom.
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I enjoyed your latest post Manja! Funny and we need the laughs 🙂
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Thank you, Sandy. 🙂
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I hear you Sandy – sometimes the news can really get one down!
How interesting – the things you found on your quest for Hakka Noodles. Are you looking for the Yong Tau Foo version? or the minced meat version? I ask out of curiosity but don’t actually have recipe of my own (my Mother-in-Law was Hakka but I never got any recipes off her).
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The Hakka Indian version is different from the Singaporean Yong Tau Foo and minced meat version. I’m Hakka too, although not from Singapore or India 🙂 I’m somewhat familiar with the Singaporean Hakka dishes.
The Hakka Indian noodles are spicier with more chili sauce, heavy on garlic and dark soya sauce with maybe a touch of vinegar. It’s made both with (shredded) meat and without.
Another friend of mine, looked it up & found a couple places serving Chindian or Hakka Indian food in Singapore. Apparently though, it’s not so common. https://eatroamlive.com/chindian-cuisine-the-perfect-mixed-marriage-best-indo-chinese-restaurants-in-singapore-for-a-vegetarian-meal/
Maybe one day, when everything’s settled back to normal, you can try it. Let me know if you do!
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Ooooh, this is so exciting …. I will definitely bookmark the link (thank you thank you) and venture out when we finally can.
This has been such an educational experience on one of our favourite foods …. love all the regional variations!
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When I Googled Hakka Noodles there were 9,590,000 results, none seemed gloomy or doomy. 🤣
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Did you try them all Mike? I want a GOOD recipe! 🤣
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No pasta for me Sandy, I’m doing low carb.
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