Letter to Julia 20120704

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

**It's still the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show marathon on Shadowplay TV**

Say, that scrap metal collector looked like he was from Bollywood!  He seemed a bit too dapper to be gathering scrap.

**sob** My red hot chili peppers won't turn red!  I've been watching them for weeks.  I mean they're nice and big, but they won't ripen.  So I have to pick them while they're still green, otherwise they'll fall off and rot.  They taste sweeter than green peppers though, but there's absolutely no heat.  Now my pepper steak has turned green, too.

Petai is green, as well.  I don't know the English name for petai, but it is a fruit, or a vegetable, or whatever it is, that very strong smelling and strong tasting, almost akin to garlic, but without the nutrients.  It comes in long strands of seeds, kind of like a string bean, but flat and much larger.  so perhaps petai is some kind of legume.  The locals here devour petai with white rice and mixed entrees because it gives a certain extra kick to food.  The skin of the petai strand is thick enough for roasting, which enhances the flavor and scent of petai.  But in general, only the seed is eaten.