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CONTENTS 57

MAY 2021

40

Features

COVER ILLUSTRATION: VALERO DOVAL 26 40 57

inspiration food on your plate 11 things

My Most Rice: Filling Eye-Opening
Unlikely Friend and Flavourful Facts About Tears

Readers tell us Tuck into a bowl From responding to a
what they have learnt of hot, steamy sad event to crying
from buddies who goodness and reap with laughter, tears
are significantly the benefits. serve many purposes.
different to them.
DIANE GODLEY JEN MCCAFFERY
32
50 60
health drama
crime then and now
My Shocking
Diagnosis Caviar Krazy The Mattress

With an uncertain A muddy-tasting fish From leaves and
future and his days once used for bait feathers to latex and
possibly numbered, sparks a war between memory foam, sink
a writer decides to local fishermen, law beneath the sheets and
make the most of life. enforcement and read about our search
caviar lovers. for comfortable beds
GARY MADDOX FROM THE through the ages.
DAVID GAUVEY HERBERT
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD FROM LONGREADS.COM ZOË MEUNIER

ON THE COVER: SAVING THE MOON – PAGE 98

CONTENTS

MAY 2021

68 84 78

humour photo feature 98

You Call That a Clear as a Bell bonus read
Compliment?
From tinkles to Saving the Moon
Confused readers resonant chimes, these
share backhanders music-producing Space industry
that blurred the line vessels are found in entrepreneurs are
between an insult and cultures across the eager to exploit the
a kind observation. world, often forming resources of the moon.
parts of our rituals. Ceridwen Dovey
74 explores the ethical,
CORNELIA KUMFERT AND technological and
how to... ZOË MEUNIER legal debate.

Lift Your Own Spirits 90 90

Strategies to bounce quiz
back from bad days
and feel better about Napoléon
yourself. Bonaparte

COURTENAY SMITH AND How much do you
SAMANTHA RIDEOUT know about the
French military leader
78 and emperor?

parenting CAROLINE FRIEDMANN

Careful, You
Shouldn’t Say That

You often do not
know how much
adoptive parents have
been through and the
personal factors that
lead to the decision
to adopt. Here’s how
to use a respectful
tone when discussing
adoption.

JEN BABAKHAN

2 may 2021

Departments 118 HAVE YOU
VISITED THE
the digest 66 READER’S
20
18 Pets DIGEST
20 Health FACEBOOK
24 News from the PAGE LATELY?

World of Medicine Constantly
113 RD Recommends updated, our
Facebook feed
regulars offers stories,
videos, advice,
4 Editor’s Note humour, quotable
6 Letters quotes, cartoons,
10 News Worth
quirky
Sharing photographs
12 My Story
16 Smart Animals and more.
46 Look Twice
73 Quotable Quotes FOLLOW US
97 That’s Outrageous @ReadersDigestAsia

humour

44 Life’s Like That
66 Laughter,

the Best Medicine
82 All in a Day’s Work

the genius section

118 The Art of the
‘Good’ Meltdown

121 Family Fun
122 Puzzles
126 Trivia
127 Word Power

rdasia.com 3

READER’S DIGEST

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Moon’s Future

THE NEXT TIME YOU GLANCE UP into the night sky and marvel
at the beauty of a full moon, try to imagine its surface cluttered
with scenes of industry – scenes of mining, to be precise. Sounds
like some intriguing, yet unlikely scenario from a science-fiction
film? Not according to our feature ‘Saving the Moon’ (page 98).
Science writer Ceridwen Dovey investigates the new space race
currently taking place between space and resources companies.
Their goal? To mine the moon and use its natural resources to fuel
exploration of the frontiers of space. It leaves us wondering, just
how much are we prepared to risk?

My favourite article, ‘You Call That a Compliment?’ (page 68), is
classic Digest – funny, relatable and shareable. This compilation of
short real-life stories from readers reveals some hilarious moments
when, thanks to a fumbled delivery, words-of-praise end up being
received as a slight. Awkward, amusing and priceless
moments we’ve all experienced – and later come
to see the lighter side.

These stories, and much more, are in this
month’s edition. Stories guaranteed to spark a
conversation between every member of your
family. We hope you enjoy the many amazing
stories in this month’s magazine.

LOUISE WATERSON
Editor-in-Chief

4 may 2021

ASIA

Vol. 119
No. 699
May 2021

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Louise Waterson
Managing Editor Zoë Meunier
Chief Subeditor Melanie Egan
Art Director Hugh Hanson
Senior Art Designer Adele Burley
Art Designer Annie Li
Senior Editor Diane Godley
Associate Editor Victoria Polzot
DIGITAL Head of Digital Content Greg Barton

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Published under licence.
Reader’s Digest publishes 12 issues a year.

PUBLISHED BY DIRECT PUBLISHING ASIA PTE. LTD., COMPANY
NUMBER: 200607506M © 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. REPRODUCTION IN ANY MANNER IN
WHOLE OR PART IN ENGLISH OR OTHER LANGUAGES PROHIBITED.
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MCI (P) 014/12/2020 ISSN 0034-0383. MALAYSIA KDN PPS
1910/08/2019 (026008)

READER’S DIGEST

LETTERS

Reader’s Comments And Opinions

What a Surprise

I normally read my Reader’s
Digest from beginning to end but
wasn’t looking forward to
‘Indonesia’s Snake Bite Doctor’
(March) as I don’t like snakes!

To my surprise, I found the Bonus
Read most interesting with some
fantastic previously unknown facts.

Dr Tri Maharani – known as
Maha – must have saved hundreds
of lives by passing on her toxicology
knowledge to other doctors.

A wonderful lady. SHIRLEY APLIN

Roany’s Good Nature Sustainable Vehicles

Pam Houston’s story ‘He Trots the The race to reduce landfill is
Air’ (February) brought tears to my being won by Dutch researchers
eyes. It so beautifully and eloquently who have developed an electric
reflected her love, respect and car made from recycled waste
compassion for her horse, Roany, (News Worth Sharing, March).
and his intelligence and loyalty to This means sustainable vehicles
Pam. I felt like I was experiencing could soon become a fact instead
Roany’s life and dignified ending of science fiction – an exciting look
first-hand.   COLLEEN J. ATKINSON at what our world might look like.

Let us know if you are moved – or provoked – by any item in the magazine,
share your thoughts. See page 8 for how to join the discussion.

6 may 2021

The only road block standing in Letters
our way is ourselves.
YELLO?
MICHAEL WOUTERS
We asked you to think up a clever
Words to Live By caption for this photo.

‘An article a day...’ used to be part I would really have preferred
of the tag line of Reader’s Digest an Apple phone.
and to date I am sticking to that.
I read just one article a day so that JINI GREEN
the magazine lasts till I receive my
copy for the next month. It gives Always a fruitful call!
me pleasure and satisfaction to
keep it by my bedside and read it LEONARD MERRIFIELD
before I go to sleep. SALEEM RAZA
That banana is not real.
Broader Horizons It’s a phoney.

I have been a reader and LEIGH DUFFETT
subscriber of Reader’s Digest for
at least 50 years. At the age of 14, Peel-Free to Dial me!
I left my home in Staffordshire,
England, during the school KAMALRAJ RASAMANICKAM
holidays and caught a train to my
This phone is for monkey
WIN A PILOT CAPLESS business only.
FOUNTAIN PEN
PATRICIA LONG
The best letter each month
will win a Pilot Capless Congratulations to this month’s
Fountain Pen, valued at over winner, Jini Green.
$200. The Capless is the
perfect combination of luxury WIN!
and ingenious technology,
featuring a one-of-a-kind CAPTION CONTEST
retractable fountain pen nib,
durable metal body, beautiful Come up with the funniest caption
rhodium accents and a 14K for the above photo and you could win
gold nib. Congratulations to this
month’s winner, Mike Hilton. $100. To enter, email
[email protected]

or see details on page 8.

rdasia.com 7

READER’S DIGEST

grandmother’s place who lived

in the south of London. Before CONTRIBUTE

catching the train, I bought a copy of R E A D E R S D I G E S TA S I A

Reader’s Digest from a small shop. Anecdotes and jokes
$50–$100
Over the years I have been Send in your real-life laugh for
Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s Work.
fortunate enough to travel to many Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter
is the Best Medicine!
parts of the world and in most cases
Smart Animals
have taken the latest edition of Up to $100
Share antics of unique pets
Reader’s Digest with me. or wildlife in up to 300 words.

The magazine has given me My Story $250
Do you have an inspiring or
a wider outlook on life as the life-changing tale to tell?
Submissions must be true,
articles cover so many different unpublished, original and
800–1000 words.
areas that influence a life.
Here’s how to reach us:
I will continue to look forward to Email: asiaeditor@readersdigest.
com.au
future editions. MIKE HILTON Write: Reader’s Digest Asia

Saving Species Editorial Department
Singapore Post Centre
Your excellent articles, ‘Tracking PO Box 272, Singapore
the Tiger Butcher’ (February) 914010
and ‘Pooches versus Poachers’ Online: rdasia.com/contribute
(March), give encouragement that
all is not lost when it comes to the Include your full name, address,
environment. Commitment and phone number and email.
courage are being harnessed to Letters: We may edit letters and use them in all
save endangered species. print and electronic media.
Submissions: All submissions become our property on
EULALIE HOLMAN payment and subsequent publication in the magazine.
We may edit and fact-check submissions. We cannot
Family Finance return or acknowledge material not accepted for
publication. For terms and conditions, go to www.
The article in your Parenting rdasia.com/terms-and-conditions/submission-
section, ‘Navigating the Money guidelines. Figures refer to US dollars.
Lesson’ (February) has really
taught and provoked me to rescript
my approach to money. As I am
going to start my family life by
getting married in the near future,
the article helped me realise that I
have to deal with financial matters
along with my family.

AAMIR PERVAIZW

8 may 2021

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NEWS WORTH SHARING

Feeling Stressed? Try Watching a Cute Animal Video

Do you get captivated by cute pressure. Subjects watched
videos of cats and dogs on videos of quokkas, a small
the internet? Watching them but engaging marsupial, but
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that hanging out with pets in real from puppies to piglets and
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10 may 2021

News Worth Sharing

Sensory Room Improves Kiwi Designs Skylight
Inclusivity That Desalinates Water

Holidays provide a wonderful Drinking water is scarce for
break from routine. However, the 110,000 families living
for families with children on the in shanty towns along
autism spectrum, the sudden absence Chile’s coast. Windows are
of all things familiar and the disturbance also often boarded up which
to routine can be unsettling and removes almost all natural
overwhelming. light. But not for much longer.

The Reilly Room Project was founded New Zealander Henry
by special education teacher Gail Watts Glogau, who recently graduated
in honour of her son Reilly, who lived with a masters degree
with Asperger’s Syndrome and passed specialising in architecture for
away in 2018. Watts wanted to establish extreme conditions, wanted to
more inclusive holiday settings for create a sustainable, passive,
people with autism. The Big4 Adventure and striking feature inside the
Resort in the Whitsundays has become dark homes, and has designed
the fourth in Australia to incorporate a a solar-powered lighting
Reilly Room in their holiday park. fixture that desalinates water.
Inexpensive to manufacture,
Designed by Watts, the sensory one light can purify 440 ml of
room has all the features expected in water per day, and the leftover
an autism-specific educational setting brine is used in batteries that
such as a hammock, weighted blankets, power an LED light.
calming music, a variety of tactile
experiences and a toy box. Glogau’s invention is one of
six finalists in this year’s Lexus
Whitsunday regional councillor, Design Award. Even if he doesn’t
Jan Clifford, says that she hopes win, his device has already won
this spreads to other properties and the hearts of Chileans.
organisations.

rdasia.com 11

READER’S DIGEST

MY STORY

Shocking Secret
of the Gown

A childhood act of mischief leads to
almost half a century of guilt and sadness

BY Patricia Scott

My aunties all said my But my story is about my mother’s PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES
mother was a very beautiful ball gown.
beautiful debutante;
shy, demure and She had carefully wrapped it
dressed in the most in tissue paper and placed it in a
exquisite lace gown. cardboard box – carried from house
to house in Christchurch, as over
As the partner chosen by her the years my parents had upgraded
parents to escort her to the 1938 their dwellings – and it was hidden
Debutante Ball at St Margaret’s away in a top cupboard. From time
College, my father fell in love with to time it would be lifted out of its
her that night and eventually box and shown to us, and as small
they married, and the rest is the girls we would ogle over it and
unfolding history of our family. imagine the day when we might

12 may 2021

My Story

be allowed to try it on. That never put that on. It had puffed sleeves and

happened. a little Peter Pan collar and fastened

The top cupboard where the with a hook and eye at the neck. I

dress was stored happened to be in entered my mother’s bedroom to

my bedroom in the Knowles Street view myself in her long mirror. A long

house. One day, when I was around pause of mesmerised examination

the age of nine or ten, I climbed ensued as I looked at myself in the

up on a chair and reached into the gown from all sides. I felt like a

cupboard and took down the box princess and convinced myself that

containing the beautiful dress. I looked like a princess too, gawky

I placed the box on my bed and and unattractive though I was.

lifted the lid off and carefully, full I looked at the cute little flap

of breathless anticipation, unfolded falling from the waist at the back.

the tissue paper to reveal the lacy Then at the large appliqué floral

gown. Tentatively, I fingered the pattern on the front of the dress,

white lace, then carefully lifted the spider web pattern of the lace

the dress from the broken at intervals
box, letting it unravel
FROM TIME TO by the creamy satin

itself until it unfolded TIME, I’D TAKE ribbon which was
floor-length. I had an DOWN THE sewn horizontally
irrepressible urge to GOWN FROM across the fabric. The
try it on. My mother satin lining and the

was not at home, so I THE WARDROBE little domed placket
had time. at the side were all

I quickly undressed exquisitely sewn by

and then pulled the gown over a dressmaker, on a treadle sewing

my head, easing it down over my machine. It was so beautiful.

girlish frame. I was tall for my age Suddenly, reality hit, and I

and it was not overly long on me. realised that my mother would be

My mother’s waist must have been home soon, so I hurriedly undressed

extremely tiny as it fitted my waist and placed the gown carefully

with little room to spare. back in the cardboard box among

Then I found the little jacket and the tissue paper, put on the lid and

placed the box back on the upper

Patricia Scott, now retired, lives in shelf in my wardrobe. Mum came
Whangarei, New Zealand. She is keen on home soon after.
writing and is part of a writer’s group. She
also enjoys making personalised, humorous From time to time, I would take
cards for her friends, and gardening. down the gown from the wardrobe
and try it on and daydream – until

rdasia.com 13

READER’S DIGEST

one awful day disaster struck. I There was the beautiful gown with

accidentally spilt a bottle of ink over the dreadful ink stain. My heart

the bottom of the dress and the sank in sorrow for my mother. I was

lining. I was shocked and scared. overwhelmed with terrible guilt and

I knew I would be in big trouble sadness. I put it aside to bring with

should my mother discover it. It us, along with mum’s other treasures.

didn’t occur to me to try to remove As she was leaving Christchurch

the stain. Instead, shaken and probably forever, I decided to arrange

trembling, I stuffed it into the box an afternoon tea with a group of

and shoved it back onto I KNEW I’D BE her closest friends.
the wardrobe shelf, We had a wonderful

never to be tampered IN BIG TROUBLE time and Mum and
with again, and never, SHOULD her friends reminisced
never, never to be about their past
forgotten. MY MOTHER days. Somehow the

I lived with the DISCOVER IT conversation turned
dread throughout my to the debutante dress

teenage years that it and my mother said

would eventually be discovered with she never could understand how it

traumatic consequences. got a terrible ink stain on it.

At 21, I moved to Auckland, Suddenly, at the age of 60, I found

married, and got on with my life. myself in front of my mother and her

The years passed into decades and dearest and oldest friends – owning

my mother grew old and became ill. up, red-faced, the culprit, guilt and

She lived alone in Christchurch now shame washing over me. I was so

and was not managing, so I made the embarrassed and stunned that my

decision that she would come to live worst fear was finally being realised

in a nursing home near me. that I don’t remember the outcome.

As she was still in hospital, it fell I am sure my mother would

to me to sort through and move her have forgiven me, as mothers do,

belongings. I uncovered so many and at last I was released from that

memories as I pulled out box after awful secret carried deep inside me

box, for my mother never threw from my childhood. It was never

anything away. She had kept all the mentioned again.

cards and letters we had sent her,

ornaments and presents and all of Do you have a tale to tell? We’ll pay
her beautiful dresses. cash for any original and unpublished
story we print. See page 8 for details
Finally, I came to the familiar box,

now much tattier, and opened it. on how to contribute.

14 may 2021

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READER’S DIGEST

SMART ANIMALS

Interaction between humans and animals
leads to special moments

Four Little Ducks pedestrian crossings, one of which ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES
was located close to where the
REBECCA JULIAN carpark backs on to a childcare
centre. My husband stopped at this
Last October, my husband and I crossing but from the passenger’s
travelled an hour or so from our
home to attend his uncle’s funeral. You could earn cash by telling us
It was a very hot day so we decided about the antics of unique pets or
to pull into a fast food restaurant to wildlife. Turn to page 8 for details
freshen up before the service. on how to contribute.

The restaurant carpark covered
quite an expanse and had several

16 may 2021

Smart Animals

seat I could not see why. There were when Peter went out to check on
no people crossing and I told him to the hedgehog, he was nowhere to
move on and park. He suggested I be seen.
look over the dashboard and what I
saw was delightful. We didn’t see him again until
six months later. It was about 8pm
A father wood duck (judging by when I heard an unusual grunt
the markings on the wings) was and light knocking at the front
crossing with four little ducklings door. I peered outside, and to
in tow. The mother duck waited my astonishment, there was the
patiently but noisily by the side hedgehog. I opened the door just
of the crossing for the last of the a little and he barged straight in. 
ducklings to waddle off before I had read somewhere that
following. They headed straight hedgehogs carry hydatid tapeworm
for the bushes near the childcare so I tried to edge him out, I didn’t
centre, no doubt bringing much want him walking on my carpet.
joy to the children watching from
behind the fence. It was lovely to see The children, on the other hand,
that, regardless of the species, all were quite excited because usually
parents look out for their young. hedgehogs roll up into balls if you
touch them. However, this little
Appreciate the Help fellow did not. After sticking
around for a few minutes, he
JENNIFER FYN  ambled off. I came to the conclusion
that he had popped in to thank us
Returning home from a fortnight’s for saving him.
holiday, we noticed there had
been a lot of rain in our area. As I
was checking out some post holes
that my husband, Peter, had dug,
I noticed that they were a quarter
full with rain. I was surprised to see
that a little hedgehog had fallen into
one of them. I am still amazed that
he did not drown. Peter put some
gloves on, reached in and pulled the
poor thing out. It was quite late in
the evening so we put him near the
compost heap and gave him some
chopped-up lettuce and some water,
although I’m not sure he needed any
more water. The next morning

rdasia.com 17

READER’S DIGEST

PETS

Grieving the Loss of a Pet

Allow yourself time to experience feelings of sorrow

BY Dr Katrina Warren

PETS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LIVES,
providing great companionship and unconditional
love. We find so much joy in our relationship with our
pets that it is normal to feel intense grief when a pet
dies and that special bond is broken. Veterinarian
Dr Katrina Warren shares her advice on dealing with
the loss of a beloved pet.

Our regular pet DIFFERENT STAGES OF GRIEF It takes time to
columnist,
Dr Katrina Warren, recover from the death of a pet. You may experience a
is an established range of feelings, from sadness to anger, denial to guilt,
and trusted despair to pure sorrow for a long time. Our sadness is a
animal expert. testament to how much we love and care for our pets.
Not everyone experiences grief in the same way, so it’s
important that you take as much time as you need to
process your own personal range of emotions.

TALK TO A SYMPATHETIC LISTENER Pets are

increasingly viewed as important family members,
so it’s not surprising many people view the loss of
their pet as comparable to, or even harder, than losing
a human friend or relative. For many people, talking
to a sympathetic listener can help them accept their
loss. Seek help from those who understand or have
experienced your emotions and seek professional
help if necessary.

18 may 2021

Pets

NOT JUST A PET Learning to live Love for your pet doesn’t have to
end when their life ends
without your pet by your side is
hard enough, but to make matters ceremony between intimate
worse, sometimes it can be difficult family members and friends, or a
for people who have never owned bigger, more celebratory occasion
a pet to understand how much our that involves a wider circle of
pets mean to us. You might hear friends and, in the case of dogs
dismissive, ignorant comments such especially, their friends from the
as ‘it’s just an animal’, ‘you’ll get neighbourhood and park. For some
over it’, or ‘go get another one’. of us, having a larger ceremony is
Your pet is an important part of a way to express how much a pet
who you are, and you have every is a central part of daily life.
right to grieve. 
Compiling and printing a
CONSIDER A CEREMONY The picture book of favourite photos
of your pet can be another way
love you feel for your pet never of remembering them.
has to end, and they can live on in
your heart and memory forever.
Although you miss them deeply,
it can be helpful to honour them
and celebrate the wonderful
times you spent together. Many
people choose to hold some sort of
ceremony. There is no ‘one size fits
all’ response to death and loss. You
might have a simple and personal

CREATING A CEREMONY TO HONOUR YOUR PET

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES CEREMONY Combine PLACE Have the INVITATIONS Send
words, music and ceremony in a place an email or drop cards
actions that provide that you are in letterboxes informing
everyone gathered comfortable in; at friends and family of
space to share their home, in the park your pet’s death,
own experiences of where you spent time, inviting them to the
your pet, acknowledge or a special place you ceremony and asking
their death and can return to and are them to contribute
celebrate their life. able to shed a tear. stories and pictures.

rdasia.com 19

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH

A Hairy
Situation

BY Vanessa Milne

Sudden bald patches can have many causes
but fortunately most can be treated

Hair loss is often begrudgingly hair. Usually, most of your hair is in a PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
accepted as a natural part growing phase, during which strands
of life. After all, most people lengthen by about 1.25 centimetres a
will lose some or all of their month. This part of the cycle carries
hair as they get older. But when hair on for between two and eight years.
loss happens suddenly – handfuls
coming out in the shower or while After that, there’s a middle phase,
brushing – it can be truly distressing. lasting about three weeks, during
It can also be a signal of a health which the hair isn’t getting longer but
issue that needs to be addressed. also isn’t falling out. Finally, strands
enter a resting phase, where the hair
To understand why unexpected is loosened but sits in its follicle. Then,
hair loss happens, it’s useful to when the follicle begins to grow a new
know the growth cycle of healthy hair, the old one drops out.

20 may 2021

Health

Due to this cyclical process, we all back, while full-body loss is usually

lose up to 100 strands of hair each permanent.

day. “At any one time, about ten per Scarring from other autoimmune

cent of our hair is in the falling out conditions – including eczema,

phase,” explains dermatologist psoriasis and lichen planopilaris

Dr Jennifer Jones. When that – can lead to patches of hair loss.

balance is disrupted, there can be Similarly, ringworm, a fungal

too much hair in the resting phase infection, can affect the part of the

– and a few months later, you might head that it appears on.

find that a large amount of hair Some people on prescription

comes out all at once. drugs also experience a disruption

One of the main triggers for this of their growth cycle. For instance,

disturbance is hormonal changes hair loss is a known side effect of

in the body. Oestrogen ABOUT some blood pressure
keeps hair in the medications, statins
growth phase, while 90% and hormone
androgens shorten the replacement therapy,
growth cycle. For this OF WOMEN among others. “If
reason, giving birth you notice hair loss,

and thyroid issues – EXPERIENCE discuss it with your
both of which shift the SOME HAIR doctor,” says Dr Jones.
balance more towards LOSS AFTER “We can often switch
androgens – can cause medications.”

hair loss. “Stress is also CHILDBIRTH Treatment depends
a massive trigger,” says on the underlying

Dr Jones. “So life events cause. To discover

like divorce, bereavement or even that, a doctor might order blood

moving house have this effect.” tests, perform a small skin

Another common culprit is auto- biopsy or examine the hairs

immune conditions, most notably under a microscope. If the loss is

alopecia. This condition, which hormone– or stress-related, it is

affects two per cent of people usually temporary and resolves

worldwide, runs in families and within a few months without

can be activated by a stressful any intervention. For cosmetic

event. In some cases, alopecia is solutions, topical steroids can help

subtle; other times, sufferers lose thicken hair, and hair transplants

all their hair – including their body are another option. Some people,

hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. of course, simply embrace their

Patches of alopecia tend to grow baldness.

rdasia.com 21

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH MORNING WORKOUTS The

Get the Most top reason the morning is the
From a best time to work out is kilojoule
Workout burn, according to dietitian Emily
Tills. “When our bodies wake up
in the morning, our metabolism
and kilojoule burn rises as well to
accommodate the increase in blood
flow to the entire body and ‘warm
up’ the muscles for the day,” Tills
says. Exercising in the afternoon or
evening still burns kilojoules, but
since your body will soon rest during
sleep, it doesn’t capitalise on the
extra activity throughout the day
like a morning workout, Tills says.
Austin Martinez, a strength and
conditioning specialist, adds that
there are other physiological benefits
to working out in the morning, like
increased blood flow which helps
with mental capacity and prepares
the body for the day ahead.

BY Emily DiNuzzo AFTERNOON OR EVENING PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
WORKOUTS If exercising in the
Making time for exercise can
be as challenging as the morning isn’t an option, it’s still
workout itself. And exercise well worth adding a workout to your
timing is very subjective, day in the afternoon or evening.
explains physical therapist Bianca For many people, exercising is most
Beldini. It might take some trial and convenient after work. The bottom
error to find what works for your body line is the best time to work out is
but don’t let timing stop you from during a time that you can stick
working out as exercise has so many with that also feels best for you.
benefits. So, although the best time Consistency is key. “Our bodies are
to exercise is when you can, there hardwired for routine and habits, so
are extra benefits from working out if you create a consistent routine for
in the morning. your workout times, this will yield
positive results,” Martinez says.

22 may 2021



READER’S DIGEST

News From the

WORLD OF MEDICINE

VEGETARIANS NEED TO KEEP cent to 35 per cent. To prevent tooth ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
BONES STRONG damage, a dentist can make you a
bite guard to wear at night.
In theory, you can get the nutrients
you need without eating meat or And, to reduce the stress at the
dairy. Yet, a British study found root of this habit, many activities
a significantly increased risk can help. These include a workout,
of hip fractures in vegetarians, meditation, deep-breathing
pescatarians and especially vegans. exercises, watching a comedy, or
Protein and calcium, which are simply indulging in a leisure activity
both essential to bone health, are that you enjoy.
found in certain plant-based foods
such as beans, lentils, broccoli and BREAKING CHRONIC PAIN’S
cabbage, so be sure to include them VICIOUS CYCLE
in your meals.
People living with lasting pain
STRESS-RELATED DENTAL often avoid regular exercise. While
PROBLEMS ON THE RISE understandable, that habit can be
counter-productive, as physical
If you wake up with a headache or inactivity can make pain worse. A
sore jaw, you might be grinding Pennsylvania State University study
your teeth in the night – and you’re of people with knee osteoarthritis
not alone. Stress often triggers this found they were more sedentary
problem, and a survey conducted and avoided physical activities
last year in Israel and Poland
found that the pandemic they usually enjoyed on
is making the issue days when they fixated
more widespread. In on their pain. A
fact, during Israel’s psychologist can
first lockdown, coach people living
the rate of people with chronic pain
who suspected in avoiding this
they were grinding pitfall, along with
jumped from ten per other techniques to
improve wellbeing.

24 may 2021



READER’S DIGEST

26 may 2021

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: COURTESY MARY POT TER KENYON. COURTESY SUSAN LISS. COURTESY GIOVANNI PA Z VILL A . COURTESY JANA FISHER

INSPIRATION

My Most

UNLIKELY
FRIEND

Would you hang out with your spouse’s ex?
Or befriend someone who kicked you in the face?
These readers did and found lifelong companions

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ISTVAN BANYAI

I met my best friend, Bill Cervenka, at car.” I would always decline the offer,
work. I was 23, and he was 85, but it but he would say, “I’m walking you to
seemed I had more in common with your car whether you like it or not.”
him than with any friends my age.
We were both really stubborn. He Bill and I always took the same
always had an umbrella, and when- lunch break. He didn’t recognise
ever it was raining after work, he some of my dishes and often asked
used to say, “Let me walk you to your what I was eating. I always offered
him a taste, along with some of my
Oreo biscuits. Eventually it became
our tradition that every time a new

rdasia.com 27

READER’S DIGEST

limited edition Oreo flavour was re- each other and seeing each other for
leased, we waited to try it together. who we truly are. We’ve stood togeth-
er through difficult times and family
Bill passed away in April 2019. I hardships. We’ve shared wonderful
miss him every day. Now I always celebrations, and we were together
carry my umbrella and make sure to see the birth of our first grandson.
people without one don’t get wet. Even though we now live 2400 kilo-
And when someone declines my metres apart, Bob and I still take
offer, I say, “I’m walking you whether holidays with her and her husband,
you like it or not.” and Saturday is our ‘phone call’ day.
She has brought so much joy and love
Giovanni Paz Villa into my life. I don’t know what I’d do
without my best friend.
Tina is my best friend. She is also
my husband’s ex-wife. When we first Jana Fisher
met, she and Bob had been divorced
for more than 12 years, and he and Bill Greenhaw was a retired school
I had been dating only a short time.
We didn’t become close friends right principal who looked rather stern. He
away. It took years of getting to know
was an organist and highly respected

in our parish. I wore leather jackets

and rode a motorcycle. One day, I jok-

ingly asked him if he would like to go

out to lunch with me on my bike. To

my surprise, he accepted!

He was the opposite of me in so

many ways, but he enjoyed riding

with me on my bike. We took many

rides together, but he never told

anyone about them. I think it

brought out a sense of adventure in

him, and I was the only person he

felt comfortable sharing that side COURTESY BOBBY MILLS

of himself with. He was shy around

most people. At his funeral, I told

his family about our rides, and they

were astonished. I miss his kind

and gentle character, and our rides

together. Bobby Mills

28 may 2021

My Most Unlikely Friend

I had walked before him. I sent him

portions of my book in progress, and

he ended up writing a foreword for

that book.

I write him a long letter at least

once a month. I ask for his advice on

writing, life, faith, even dating. He

answers by email, never failing to

say exactly what I need to hear. I’ve

saved all of his e-mails, more than

125 of them. I can honestly say that

an 87-year-old man is one of my best

friends. Mary Potter Kenyon

We are the same age. And we both

like to sing. That’s where the simi-

larities stop. The differences go on

and on.

We met more than 20 years ago in

our local choir. Karen is a lovely, qui-

et woman who would never think of

using make-up. And then there’s me.

I put make-up on to take out the gar-

It was my husband, David, who urged bage, and I don’t have an inside voice.
me to read a book by Cecil Murphey
and to apply for a scholarship he was So, why are we friends? Because we
offering for a writing conference in
2012. By the time I learned I had won share our ethics and our music. We
it, my husband had unexpectedly
died. I wanted to meet the man who love each other for being ourselves
was responsible for my scholarship,
so I attended a conference where he and for being good people with good
was speaking. When I heard a few
months later that his wife had died, hearts. When we meet for breakfast, I
I began writing him letters. I may
COURTESY SUE WALLACE have been nearly 30 years younger show up in my brightly coloured top,
than he was, but this was one path
and she comes in with her hair tied

back and her charity shop jeans. I sit

and sip my coffee with soy milk while

she enjoys her glass of plain water,

and we talk for hours. We just work

together. She is one of my favourite

people. Sue Wallace

rdasia.com 29

READER’S DIGEST

I met Connie in 1976, when we were

both competing in a tae kwon do

tournament. Both red belts, we had

been paired to compete against

each other. As we sat next to each

other waiting for our match, Con-

nie began to talk to me. She was

friendly and had a wonderful smile.

I was struck by how nice she was.

Then we got up to compete. Connie

suddenly put on the fiercest face you

can imagine. This terrified me. Out

of self-preservation, I proceeded to

kick her in the head – twice – and

won the match.

Despite this, Connie and I be- In 1977, I was a ten-year-old tomboy
growing up on a farm. I still remem-
came close friends. And despite our ber Wayne’s voice on the phone tell-
ing me, “Suzanne, your horses are in
many differences, we have remained the garden again and Dolly [his wife]
and Hazel [his mother] are mad!”
friends throughout the last 43 years. Wayne kept me company while I got
the troublemakers out of the garden.
Connie is black and I am white. She
Wayne was 85 when I introduced
was raised in a big city and I was him to my husband. Now my husband
and I see him every time we return
brought up in a small town. Connie home to the farm. We have a standing
birthday breakfast date every year. In
is a moderate voter and I am a con- 2020, Wayne turned 100. COURTESY SUZANNE RYAN

servative voter. Suzanne Ryan

Connie now lives on the other side

of the country, but we keep in touch

through social media. One of her fa-

vourite things to do is to introduce

me as her bestie who put a foot in her

face. Susan Liss

Coded Message to Mars

The huge 21-metre parachute used by NASA’s Perseverance rover
to land on Mars contained a secret message. A binary code spelt out
‘Dare Mighty Things’ in the parachute’s orange and white strips. AP

30 may 2021



READER’S DIGEST PHOTO: JAMES BRICKWOOD/SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Garry Maddox:
“I learnt to live in
the moment”

32 may 2021

HEALTH DRAMA

Surviving My

SHOCKING
DIAGNOSIS

As a young man, I overcame non-Hodgkin
lymphoma. Twenty-six years later,
I faced a terrifying new challenge

BY Garry Maddox

FROM THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

rdasia.com 33

READER’S DIGEST

I t’s late June 2019, and I have no indication of what’s
ahead. Family life and work as a senior writer for a
newspaper in Sydney are going well, and I’m enjoying
training for an overseas triathlon. Since taking up
the sport six years ago, I’ve come to love getting
outdoors to swim, run or cycle nearly every morning.

I book in to see my doctor about a We have a quiet dinner, silently re-
lump under my left arm. He thinks solved that, as a family, we will do
it’s a harmless cyst. I get back to work everything possible to beat this thing.
and training. In early July a second
lump emerges on the left side of my Two days later, the surgeon con-
chest. The GP thinks it’s another cyst firms it’s cancer. “If you’re lucky, it’s
but, because it’s more noticeable lymphoma,” he says. “If you’re un-
and I’ll be away soon, I ask to have it lucky, it’s melanoma.”
removed. He sends me to a surgeon
who wants a biopsy before operating. I still hope to race in five weeks and
get treatment when I return home.
So on a wintry afternoon in late But after more scans and biopsies, an
July, I have a series of scans and a oncologist calls. It’s late on a Friday in
needle biopsy at a clinic. It goes on August, and I’m walking home after
much longer than expected. After the having my biopsy stitches removed.
doctor glumly studies the X-rays and
does another biopsy, I ask if he thinks The doctor admits to being shocked:
it’s cancer. He nods. it’s melanoma, metastasised. I ask
whether she’s shocked because of
Whatever either of us says next is how much cancer there is or how far
a blur. it has advanced. “Frankly, both,” she
says. There are tumours all around my
Arriving home, I tell my wife, Heath- chest, stomach and legs.
er, as calmly as I can what the doctor
said. Just as stunned as me, she’s It’s a sombre walk home.
immediately practical: suggesting I talk through the diagnosis with
we wait till we know more, and take Heather and Kip, trying to stay posi-
things day by day. tive but unable to forget those words,
“Frankly, both.” We go to a favourite
I break the news to my son, Kip, 27, Thai restaurant, and talk about any-
who is in his bedroom. He takes it in thing but the diagnosis in a bid to stay
slowly and calmly. We all know there cheerful. The surreal thing is how fit
is no point wasting tears now. I feel. Without those lumps, I’d have

34 may 2021

Surviving My Shocking Diagnosis

From the beginning, Garry Maddox’s son Kip and wife
Heather were with him in his fight against cancer

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR had no idea that I was dangerously ill. months of sometimes brutal chemo-
I work the following Sunday, write therapy. The treatment worked, and
I came out of the experience a better,
a couple of stories, then tell the exec- more grateful person. Heather and
utive editor about the diagnosis. It’s I had just bought a house, and with
a tough, awkward conversation for Kip a toddler I was determined to stay
both of us, but I’m relieved and grate- alive to be a good father.
ful when he offers whatever support I
need to get through it. Stepping back from work, I learnt to
live in the moment, appreciate what I
I have no idea when or where treat- had and make the most of life. Getting
ment will start. Over the next few well again, I was determined to live
days, I steel myself for what I expect with intensity, give back, have fun.
will be chemotherapy. I try not to get
too distressed. Whatever happens Now it’s a different challenge. Mela-
next, it will take time, and that’s time noma. “Australia’s cancer”, as my on-
I should try to enjoy. cologist calls it. With high UV levels
and outdoor lifestyles, Australia and
TWENTY-SIX YEARS EARLIER, a simi- New Zealand have the world’s high-
lar experience made me grow up fast. est incidence of melanoma. Despite
After being diagnosed with non-Hodg- decades of sun-awareness campaigns,
kin lymphoma, I went through six one Australian is diagnosed with

rdasia.com 35

READER’S DIGEST

melanoma every 30 minutes. It killed also upsets me. Don’t they know how

more than 1400 in 2018, according to serious this is? In calmer moments,

the Melanoma Institute Australia. I realise people are just doing their

The cascade of bad news contin- best to respond without knowing

ues. Five pathologists are unable what to say.

to specify what type of melanoma I The nights are the worst. There’s a

have, other than by a terrifying and lot to think about in the darkness: This

indecipherable phrase: “undifferenti- will end badly. There will be pain. Why

ated malignant neoplasm with prom- didn’t I do more with my life? Eventu-

inent lymphohistiocytic reaction”. ally, sometime past five every morn-

From a form given to me to sign in a ing, our kelpie, Kody, barks to be let

waiting room, I discover I have ‘stage in. As he jumps around and follows

four’ melanoma, meaning it has me- me back up the stairs, sniffing and

tastasised extensively around the snorting, the dark thoughts disappear.

body. Googling on my phone, I’m hor-

rified to learn there ONCOLOGIST DR

is no stage five. ALEX MENZIES

Six weeks after the works out of a mod-

first lump but before SOME VERY ern clinic in North

any treatment be- ILL-LOOKING Sydney, headquar-
gins, another lump PATIENTS ARE ters for Melanoma
emerges on my HERE. I WONDER Institute Australia,
stomach, and my IF THIS IS HOW the world’s largest
thighs begin to ache not-for-profit organ-
ominously. I’LL LOOK isation devoted to
SOON the disease’s clinical
Strange as it might

sound, I realise how care, research and

lucky I am. Only one tumour – in my teaching.

lung – is affecting a vital organ, and, Energetic, laser-focused and practi-

crucially, the doctors don’t think the cal, Dr Menzies says that after further

cancer has reached my brain. And testing there’s still uncertainty about

there’s a really touching amount of exactly what type of cancer I have. He

support from family and the friends thinks it’s most likely melanoma, and

and work colleagues who know about says the best treatment is not chemo-

the diagnosis. therapy but immunotherapy.

I tell as few people as possible. If Two powerful drugs, Opdivo (or

a friend is upset when I tell them, it nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimum-

upsets me. If someone says how con- ab), will aim to activate my own im-

fident they are I’ll get through it, that mune system to kill the cancer cells.

36 may 2021

Surviving My Shocking Diagnosis

Gary found peace swimming at his local aquatic centre

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR To start, there will be four treatments, in various rooms. I wonder if this is
three weeks apart. Only 50 per cent of how I’ll look soon.
patients get through all four because
of side effects, but even one treatment Two weeks into treatment it’s clear
can have a positive effect. immunotherapy is nothing like chemo-
therapy. Instead of being knocked flat,
The staggering $250,000 cost over then gradually recovering before the
two years is covered under the Aus- next treatment, each day is different.
tralian government’s Pharmaceutical Some days I feel good; others, tired and
Benefits Scheme. The drugs are avail- sick. Sleep is fitful.
able at a centre across the road so I
can start immediately if I want. I can I’ve worked out my own approach
hardly say “absolutely” quick enough. to getting well: enjoy every day, stay
in the moment, relish time with fam-
Half an hour later, I’m sitting in a ily and friends, eat well, stay engaged
leather armchair with a drip in my with the world, exercise, have fun and
arm for the first treatment: 30 min- keep mentally stimulated.
utes of Opdivo, 30 minutes of a saline
solution, 30 minutes of Yervoy. Some I love reading books and watching
very ill-looking patients – pale and films when I feel well enough. Swim-
thin – are being treated in armchairs ming is helping, too, even just slid-
ing into the cooling water at a nearby

rdasia.com 37

READER’S DIGEST

aquatic centre. Calmness comes as W hat really matters is that I’m

the laps pass. here now.

By late September, a month into my In October, after the third treat-

treatment, my side effects have been ment, my sleep gets worse as my legs,

limited to skin rashes and thrumming feet and hands ache again at night. By

aches in my hands, legs and feet, the afternoon, I need a nap.

mostly at night. I start the day by walk- Swimming gets me through it. One

ing the dog. Even if I don’t feel like it, I morning I swim four kilometres. The

head to the pool. next week, five. Three weeks later, six.

An easy 20 laps becomes 30 some Focusing on a smooth style and a low

days. I decide on a project: using treat- heart rate, I’m enjoying swimming so

ment time to improve my swimming. much that the laps pass easily.

I try to convince myself – almost trick Soon it’s November – time for scans

myself – that there will be a future. I to see how the four treatments have

can sometimes stretch to 40, even 50, worked.

steady laps.

As the weeks HEATHER AND

pass, I come to I have barely sat

terms with two as- A down when Dr Men-
DECADE AGO
pects of having can- STAGE FOUR zies breezes into the
cer that settle the MELANOMA WAS clinic. The scans,
overnight anxiety. EFFECTIVELY he says, show the
Instead of baulking treatment is work-
at being a patient, A DEATH ing “spectacularly”.
I accept that I’m SENTENCE I’m confused. “In a
part of this twilight good way?” I ask.

world of medical He smiles. Of the

struggle. I start wearing the rubber possible results from immunotherapy,

wristband I’ve been given that tells “This is as good as it gets.”

doctors and paramedics the drugs With further treatment – Opdivo

I’m taking. Instead of feeling different every four weeks – he expects the tu-

from other patients, I feel a kinship. mours to continue to shrink, even dis-

I try to smile instead of avoiding eye appear altogether. He thinks I’m head-

contact. ing towards being effectively cured.

And I decide that it’s OK if there I’m stunned. Heather and I have a

isn’t a future. I’ve been a good father coffee in the hospital garden, trying

and I’ve made the most of the time to work out whether to believe what

I’ve had since getting through lym- has just happened. I’m relieved but

phoma. bewildered.

38 may 2021

Surviving My Shocking Diagnosis

Over the coming weeks, progress and stomach cancers, as well as mel-
continues, and scans show the treat- anoma.
ment will need to continue once a
month well into 2020. But now when According to Dr Menzies, the only
Kody barks to be let in at 5am, it’s no cancers this type of immunotherapy
longer a relief that the night is over. It’s is not beneficial for are pancreatic,
the start of a new day. prostate and brain cancers. “Im-
munotherapy is the biggest break-
It’s not until I interview Dr Men- through in medicine in our gener-
zies for this story that I learn exactly ation,” he says. “Across the whole
how lucky I’ve been. A decade ago, he body of medicine, it’s been the big-
says, stage four melanoma was effec- gest breakthrough potentially since
tively a death sentence. With chemo- penicillin.”
therapy of little value, I would have
been given six to nine months to live, It’s 5.30am on a February morning,
less if it reached my brain. almost exactly six months since I
started treatment, and I feel strong as
Dr Menzies says 50 per cent of I arrive at the pool. I start swimming
stage four melanoma patients now in darkness and keep swimming as a
survive long enough to be effectively sparkling morning emerges, reaching
cured. “It’s been an absolute revolu- ten kilometres for the first time. The
tion,” he says. sky, I can’t help but notice, seems es-
pecially blue.
The two drugs that are saving me,
Opdivo and Yervoy, were adminis- FROM THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (APRIL 3,
tered as a combined treatment for 2020),© 2020 BY THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
the first time in 2016. Among a suite
of immunotherapy treatments that Update: Garry Maddox says that his
are revolutionising the way many doctors have given him the all-clear
cancers are fought, they are proving and he has stopped his treatment.
useful for certain types of breast, In October 2020, he competed in a
lung, head and neck, bladder, bowel ‘comeback triathlon’.

Million Dollar Dog

It won’t be a dog’s life for a Tennessee canine whose owner
recently died. Lulu, an eight-year-old border collie, will be living
the good life in Nashville after inheriting $5 million in her owner’s
will. Martha Burton, Lulu’s caretaker, said Lulu’s owner, Bill Dorris,
was a successful businessman who wasn’t married. His will states

the money should be put into a trust for Lulu’s care. AP

rdasia.com 39

READER’S DIGEST I may be small in stature, but I PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
am almighty when it comes to
I Am the feeding the world. This is no
baseless boast. I, unassuming
FOOD rice, can claim bragging rights
ON YOUR as being the most widely consumed
PLATE staple food on the planet. Some may
argue that more tonnes of sugarcane
Rice and corn are harvested each year, but
large portions of those crops are used
Flavourful for non-edible purposes. Whereas I,
and Filling the mere seed of the grass species
Oryza sativa, am the Earth’s most
BY Diane Godley important food crop; on average, I
provide you humans with one-fifth
40 may 2021 of the kilojoules you consume daily.

Ranging in size from five to 12 mil-
limetres, I also come in an assort-
ment of colours, varieties and names.
After harvest, when my husk is still
intact, you choose to call me paddy
rice. At this stage I am not edible, as
you humans are unable to digest my
rough outer layer. When this layer,
my husk or hull is removed, my bran
layer is revealed. I am now called
brown rice, although not all my an-
cestors are brown when dehulled.

As my colour is derived from my
bran layer and germ, or embryo,
some of my family are light yel-

low in colour, some red, while the
black grain is a class all of its own.
In fact, in ancient China, black
rice was out of reach of many
hungry mouths. It was known as
the ‘forbidden rice’, as only those
belonging to the upper classes
could afford to eat it. Black rice,

Food on Your Plate

which has a similar amount of fibre fluffy magnificence. While the deli-

as brown rice and a mild, nutty taste, cate aroma of freshly cooked jasmine

turns deep purple during cooking. goes perfectly with seafood dishes

W hen my bran and germ are and is used to make Thai desserts,

intact, I prov ide you w ith larger basmati, which is rich in amino and

amounts of dietary fibre, vitamins folic acids and has a nutty taste, is a

and minerals than when you remove popular choice for fried rice.

it to eat only my delicate white cen- Medium-grain rice is a favourite

tre, the kernel. But it would seem in Japan, Korea and Northern Chi-

taste reigns over nutritional value na and has a soft, moist, sticky tex-

when it comes to the food you hu- ture after cooking. My cousin arbo-

mans prefer to eat, MY LENGTH rio, also medium in
as the vast majority AND SHAPE ARE stature, started life in
of me sitting on your Italy. It boasts a firm
supermarket shelves IMPORTANT internal texture and
has been milled and creamy exterior and is

polished to remove FACTORS perfect for absorbing
the bran and germ, flavour and stocks.

revealing my pearly Mamas throughout

white kernel. One advantage of the the big boot have been using my good

milling process is, however, that my cousin for centuries to make the per-

shelf life is extended, as my outer fect buttery risotto.

layers contain more lipids which are My short-grain family, including

susceptible to spoiling – so you may glutinous or sticky, has a similar tex-

be on to something there. ture to my medium-grain clan and is

Different varieties widely used in Asian delicacies, es-
pecially sushi. The grain of my glu-

My length and shape are important tinous ancestor (so called because

factors when choosing the kind of of its glue-like texture, not because

dish you wish to make, as my distinct it contains gluten – it doesn’t!) has a

varieties and size provide very differ- low amylose content, making it sticky

ent outcomes after cooking. when cooked.

Long-grain varieties, such as jas-

mine (which is mostly grown in Thai- Adaptability

land and is named after the jasmine But I am eaten in more ways than

flower) and basmati (mostly grown in just a bowl of hot, steamy loveliness.

southern Asia), expand to more than When I am ground, I am turned into

double their dry length during cook- a gluten-free flour. With my flour I am

ing and deliver a plateful of firm and used to make rice noodles and South

rdasia.com 41

READER’S DIGEST

Indian pancakes. I can be used to baked and made into the lightest,
thicken soups and stews, as well as crispiest rice crackers. I am turned
provide an alternative to wheat flour into vinegar, as well as wine and
for humans suffering from coeliac cooking oil. I was even added to the
disease. mortar of the Great Wall of China
during the Ming Dynast y (1368-
My flour’s relatively neutral taste 1644) to give it extra strength and
makes it perfect to be mixed with help it survive earthquakes. Is there
milder flavours. This gives me an no end to my uses?
advantage over other grains as I
am not overpowering and therefore Did I mention that I’m also versa-
less flavour enhancers are needed. tile to grow? In fact, I can be grown
Did I also mention that my flour is almost anywhere, as long as I am
hypoallergenic, making it ideal as watered well.
infant cereal?
Given my many attributes, it’s no
But my uses don’t stop there. I am wonder that they say ‘rice is life’.

EASY VEGETABLE PILAF Instructions
Heat the oil in a deep
Ingredients • ½ tsp basil leaves, frying pan with a lid over PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
• 2 tsp olive oil dried (crushed) medium heat. Add the
• ½ onion, diced • 2 cups chicken broth onion and cook
• 1 ½ cups white long- • 1 cup peas and carrots 3 minutes, until
grain rice, uncooked mix, frozen translucent.
• ½ tsp garlic salt • 1 cup cooked potatoes
• ½ tsp ground turmeric (if desired) Add the rice and stir,
until the rice is lightly
toasted. Add the garlic
salt, basil and turmeric to
the pan and stir until
evenly combined.

Stir in the chicken
broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer,
cover and cook for
10 minutes. Stir in the
peas and carrots (and
potatoes), cover and
cook for an additional
10 minutes. Fluff with a
fork and enjoy.

42 may 2021



READER’S DIGEST

LIFE’S LIKE THAT

Seeing the Funny Side

“I wish they would stop putting food in my hat.”

Parallel Interests Medical Advice C ARTOON: LONNIE MILL S AP/ THE C ARTOON BANK

Looking out of a restaurant window, After she quit smoking, my mother
I noticed a woman struggling to gained 23 kilograms in six months.
parallel park. After a good few Concerned, she asked her doctor,
minutes of watching her move “Do you think I have an overactive
backwards and forwards, I went thyroid?”
outside to offer my help, which she
readily accepted. After I parked her “No,” he said. “You have an
car, a man came over to thank me. overactive fork.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Are you SUBMITTED BY LORRAINE YOUNG
her husband?”
Taking It Easy
“No,” he replied. “I’m the guy
parked behind her.” “Gorgeous night for a walk.”
Me, moving from couch to chair.
SUBMITTED BY MITCHELL PLANTIER
@alyssalimp

44 may 2021

Out of Reach Life’s Like That

I recently received a call from a THE GREAT TWEET-OFF:
telemarketer asking to speak with FAMILY EDITION
my husband.
It’s all relative for the folk of Twitter.
“Unfortunately, that’s impossible,”
I told him. “He’s in heaven.” My little sister discovered we have
different dads; now she’s trying to
“In that case,” he said, “what’s the
best time to reach him?” say we’re just friends ...

SUBMITTED BY CAROL WHITE @NTNASTYY

Wise Beyond Their Years Opening gifts that say “From
Mum and Dad” and knowing that
My granddaughter’s life philosophy:
“Money can’t buy happiness, but it Dad is going to be just as
can buy cows. Cows can make milk, surprised as you are.
and milk can make ice cream, and
ice cream can make you happy.” @KELLLICOPTER

SUBMITTED BY JOELLEN TURNER Instead of ‘XOXOXOXOX’ my
mother ends every email with
I was out with my 11-year-old
grandson for a picnic in the park ‘MOMOMOMOM’.
and it was a lovely day. I looked up
at the sky and asked, “Do you know @ERINBODE
what clouds are made up of?”
My grandmother sewed and
Without looking up from his crocheted until she was into her
mobile phone, he retorted, “Sure, 90s and her hands just couldn’t
Nana, music files!” do it any longer. So don’t expect

SUBMITTED BY DAISY TRUBY me to be putting this phone
down anytime soon.
I asked my cousin’s four-year-old
@DARLAINKY
nephew, “What are you going to
My uncle only polished the front
be when you grow up?” He replied, half of his car because it was the only

“Still me!” SUBMITTED BY R.M. part he saw when he drove it.

@GALGOSRGREAT

My two-year-old nephew learnt to
imitate laser beam sounds, a rite of
childhood. Getting hit with a lot of
imaginary beams, a rite of unclehood.

@MATTHEWPLEASANT

rdasia.com 45

READER’S DIGEST

46 may 2021

SEE THE WORLD...
Turn the page ››
rdasia.com 47

READER’S DIGEST

...DIFFERENTLY

It may be hard to believe,
but this particular Saudi

Arabian event has nothing to
do with vehicles. At the King

Abdulaziz Camel Festival
in Rumah, held during
December and January, it’s all
about, as the name suggests,
camels. Celebrating the
culture and way of life of
Saudi Arabia and Bedouin
traditions, the festival attracts
about 300,000 camels and
their owners as well as many
visitors. Events include a
camel beauty contest, races,
auctions and exhibitions on
the special place camels have
occupied in Arab history.

PHOTOS: (PREVIOUS SPREAD)
FA IS A L A L-N A S SER/A FP V I A G E T-
TY IMAGES; (THIS PAGE) FAYEZ

NURELDINE/AFP VIA GET T Y
IMAGES

48 may 2021