Reader's Digest Asia August 2021

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OATUSRARPSOLDTDKOCRASISETSS AUGUST 2021

SOCIAL MEDIA ISSN 0034-0383
SINGAPORE $9.90
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The Smart Guide PHILIPPINES P 199
for Parents and Teens

PAGE 50

My Best Friend
SCAMMED ME

PAGE 86

What You Need
to Know About
BLADDER CANCER

PAGE 56

LOST OVERBOARD
Adrift in the Ocean

PAGE 96

FOOD PAIRING
A New Way of Eating

PAGE 76



CONTENTS 32

AUGUST 2021

42

Features 42 56

26 food on your plate health

kindness of strangers Wheat: Widely Beating
Cultivated and Bladder Cancer
Another Nourishing
Chance at Life The key to successful
Grown on every treatment is early
A terrible road continent on Earth, detection. We outline
accident leaves a wheat plays a major the common
young photographer dietary role for many symptoms of bladder
injured on the side of people around the cancer and what to
the road and reliant world at breakfast, watch out for.
on a Good Samaritan. lunch and dinner.
LINA ZELDOVICH
SANTANU MITRA AS TOLD DIANE GODLEY
TO SNIGDHA HASAN 56
50
COVER PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES 32
parenting
home tips
9 Social Media Rules
Extraordinary Uses Every Parent Should
for Ordinary Things Teach Their Kids

We go back to the A social media expert
basics to find simple elaborates on how
solutions to common your family can be
domestic dilemmas. smart and safe using
this technology.
DON EARNEST FROM THE
BOOK EXTRAORDINARY USES FELISSA BENJAMIN ALLARD
FOR ORDINARY THINGS

ON THE COVER: 9 SOCIAL MEDIA RULES – PAGE 50

CONTENTS

AUGUST 2021

70 76 later discover was that
she was a crafty con
64 health artist who would cost
him dearly.
then and now Dynamic Duos
JOHNATHAN WALTON
The Alarm Clock Did you know pairing FROM HUFFPOST.COM
bananas with water
Waking up is never can help you recover 96
easy to do. We go back faster from exercise?
in time to consider the A wide range of food bonus read
crazy creations and when eaten together
inspired inventions can improve your Lost Overboard
that loudly broke overall health.
our slumber. A man washed
READER’S DIGEST EDITORS overboard during a
ZOË MEUNIER surfing adventure to
86 Indonesia’s Mentawai
70 Islands tells of his
true crime terrifying ordeal while
photo feature hoping to be rescued
Scammed By from the unforgiving
As Clear As Glass My Best Friend ocean.

Glass has inspired She was brash, funny BRETT ARCHIBALD
artists and architects and intelligent. He FROM THE BOOK ALONE:
from around the immediately liked her. LOST OVERBOARD IN THE
world to create these But what he would INDIAN OCEAN
masterpieces.
96
CORNELIA KUMFERT

2 august 2021

118

Departments

the digest
18 Pets
20 Health
24 News from the

World of Medicine
113 RD Recommends

regulars 16 HAVE YOU
4 Editor’s Note VISITED THE
6 Letters READER’S

10 News Worth DIGEST
Sharing FACEBOOK
PAGE LATELY?
12 My Story
16 Smart Animals Constantly
46 Look Twice updated, our
94 Quotable Quotes Facebook feed
offers stories,
humour videos, advice,
humour, quotable
40 Life’s Like That quotes, cartoons,
54 Laughter,
quirky
the Best Medicine photographs
84 All in a Day’s Work
and more.
the genius section 94
118 Grab a Rope FOLLOW US
121 Family Fun @ReadersDigestAsia
122 Puzzles
126 Trivia rdasia.com 3
127 Word Power

READER’S DIGEST

EDITOR’S NOTE

Stay Well, Stay Positive

FRIENDSHIP IS A GIFT, and one that we all treasure. Trusting and
confiding in each other is what binds friendships together, but when
those foundations are threatened, it can rock an individual to their
core. In ‘Scammed By My Best Friend’ (page 86), we witness how low
one scammer was prepared to go for financial gain.

This month’s issue offers an interesting read for everyone.
For adventure lovers, we marvel at the bravery and determination
of a man who survived almost 29 hours in Indonesian waters
(‘Lost Overboard’, page 96). Health-wise, we take an in-depth look at
bladder cancer and how to recognise the early signs (page 56), and
examine the nutritional value of matching certain foods together
(‘Dynamic Duos’, page 76).

For most of us, using social media is a regular part of life. Our cover
story offers ways that parents can share good social media habits
with their children (page 50).

We also explore the origins of the alarm clock in
Then and Now (page 64) and show how easy it is
extend the use of ordinary household items by
putting them to work in extraordinary new
ways (page 32). Who would have thought that
a pencil eraser could help repair a scratched
mobile phone screen?

We hope you enjoy these stories and
the many others we’ve selected for you.
Happy reading!

LOUISE WATERSON
Editor-in-Chief

4 august 2021

ASIA

Vol. 120
No. 702
August 2021

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READER’S DIGEST

LETTERS

Reader’s Comments And Opinions

Where Are We Headed? and others are impoverished.
Instead of wasting money
I have just finished reading ‘Saving investigating how to live beyond our
the Moon’ (May) and I can’t believe world, we should be exploring ways
what I read. Looking at the for every country to live in peace
overall picture, humans wanting to and plan how to ensure that
explore and set up civilisations out in everyone has sufficient food.
the universe, not to mention
establishing mining companies on MIKE HILTON
the Moon, makes me wonder, where
are we heading? Again, it’s all about
money. Wanting to establish mining
companies to bring minerals back to
our planet is beyond belief.

Instead of spending millions of
dollars on exploratory programmes,
we should be looking at securing
our world; many countries are
gearing themselves for more wars

Making the Most of Life Dad and me so much. Each month
I fly up from Melbourne when Dad
Thank you to Garry Maddox for has his session to drive him there
sharing his challenge (‘Surviving and pick him up. The in-between
My Shocking Diagnosis’, May). time, Mum and I go somewhere
My wonderful dad Neil Cox, nice instead of waiting at home
who is almost 85, just started worrying about how Dad may react
immunotherapy for cancer. in his session.
Garry’s story inspired Mum,

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 august 2021

Dad has embraced mindfulness Letters

and kale – two extra reasons we HAIRS LOOKING
AT YOU, KID
find laughter in amongst these
We asked you think up a clever
months. PAULINE COX caption for this photo.

A Long Love Affair He’ll be ‘bowled’ over with
his new cut.
Back in 1980 when I was in Year 8,
I had my first crush on Reader’s GABRIELLA HOLLOWAY
Digest. I accompanied my father to
a bookshop to buy textbooks and Oh no. Not the Beatles cut –
there it was – attractively placed that is so last century!
at the counter. It was love at first
sight. I have never missed reading KERRIL COOPER
an issue since. Short inspirational
Despite some economical cuts, he
Correction was failing to see the fringe benefits.

In the Malaysia Trusted Brands LIZZIE MCLACHLAN
supplement (June ‘21), on page 171,
Great Eastern, a Gold winner in the This new hairstyle is called
Health Card category, was abbreviated ‘The Corona’.
as Great Eastern (GE). The correct
abbreviation should have been GELM. TROY SIMPSON

WIN A PILOT CAPLESS Congratulations to this month’s
FOUNTAIN PEN winner, Lizzie McLachlan.

The best letter each month WIN!
will win a Pilot Capless
Fountain Pen, valued at over CAPTION CONTEST
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rhodium accents and a 14K
gold nib. Congratulations to this or see details on page 8.
month’s winner, Pauline Cox.

rdasia.com 7

READER’S DIGEST

pieces like ‘My Most Unlikely CONTRIBUTE
Friend’ (May) have made me a better
human being. Such stories give R E A D E R S D I G E S TA S I A
hope, make you empathetic, and
show the bright side of humankind. Anecdotes and jokes
It’s my regular mentor. Thank you, $50–$100
Reader’s Digest! SIBGHATULLAH KHAN Send in your real-life laugh for
Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s Work.
Medical Matters Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter
is the Best Medicine!
When an important article, such as
‘The New Truth Behind Cholesterol’ Smart Animals
(June) is published, I feel that the Up to $100
author’s credentials should be Share antics of unique pets
included. I realise that Reader’s or wildlife in up to 300 words.
Digest is not a scholarly magazine,
but I feel that not enough supporting My Story $250
facts were given in the article and Do you have an inspiring or
maybe in a couple of instances one life-changing tale to tell?
might dispute what was written and Submissions must be true,
ask for proof. Just a thought. Thank unpublished, original and
you anyway for a very useful and 800–1000 words.
entertaining magazine.
Here’s how to reach us:
DR MICHAEL ALLAM Email: asiaeditor@readersdigest.
com.au
Editor’s Note: Thank you for your Write: Reader’s Digest Asia
generous comment and for raising
this important point. To clarify, our Editorial Department
health articles are written in a style Singapore Post Centre
to help our readers grasp complex PO Box 272, Singapore
issues, with the details fact-checked 914010
for reliability and accuracy to the Online: rdasia.com/contribute
highest standards, a long-standing
policy at Reader’s Digest. The author, Include your full name, address,
Bonnie Munday, is an experienced phone number and email.
consumer health journalist, who Letters: We may edit letters and use them in all
spoke to accredited experts print and electronic media.
including cardiologists and authors Submissions: All submissions become our property on
of peer-reviewed research in payment and subsequent publication in the magazine.
medical journals. We may edit and fact-check submissions. We cannot
return or acknowledge material not accepted for
8 august 2021 publication. For terms and conditions, go to www.
rdasia.com/terms-and-conditions/submission-
guidelines. Figures refer to US dollars.

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READER’S DIGEST

NEWS WORTH SHARING

Coral Reefs Experiencing Revival After Cyclone

I n 2016, Cyclone Winston – the Five years later, those reefs are PHOTO: ALAMY
strongest cyclone to ever make experiencing a revival. Divers
landfall in the southern report that both areas, once
hemisphere – ripped through Fiji, graveyards of underwater rubble,
killing 44 people and damaging or are teeming with colourful fish
destroying more than 40,000 and coral colonies. The rebirth –
homes. The storm also decimated due in part to environmental
the vibrant coral reefs of the protections such as fishing limits
Namena Marine Reserve and Vatu- – is not just a relief to the people
i-Ra Conservation Park, the of Fiji, but a positive sign for
backbone of the country’s tourism other regions where reefs are
and fishing industries. endangered by climate change.

COMPILED BY VICTORIA POLZOT

10 august 2021

News Worth Sharing

Uninvited Guest remembers a friend
telling her just after
When farmers the final wedding
Jessa and Ben speech, “There are
Laws’s wedding two feet out”. She
was postponed last didn’t think twice about
year due to coronavirus, rushing in to help. And,
they couldn’t have imagined with a dozen dairy farmers on
that their re-scheduled wedding hand it was an easy birth.
reception, on their property near As for the dress? Jessa wasn’t
Portland, Victoria, would be concerned about muddying her
interrupted by an unexpected guest. $1200 gown as long as the calf was
safe. The new addition to the farm
Their cow, Fleyas Jacot Drama, has been fittingly named Destiny.
was due to calf and turned up
to the reception in labour. Jessa

Women’s Centre Teams Up With Homewares Company

Bábbarra Women’s Arnhem Land, Australia. with leading lifestyle
Centre provides The centre’s textile brand Kip&Co on
activities, workshop specialises in a limited-edition
employment and the production of hand- homewares collection.
training opportunities printed fabric designs The quilts, cushions,
to create higher that tell significant tea towels and bags
outcomes for ancestral stories of the were so popular, they
Indigenous women Arnhem Land country have been re-released.
and their families in and cultures.
the community of For more information
Manangrida, West In 2020, the women’s visit www.babbarra.com
centre collaborated

rdasia.com 11

MY STORY

The Longest Walk
to the Altar

The journey of a lifetime began with the first few steps

BY Carmel Valencia-Indrawan

“AND SO IT BEGINS,” over lunch about the Camino PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES
I said to myself. We de Santiago. Only a handful of
were a few minutes friends seemed to know about
into our long walk, the pilgrimage route, and I was
but getting to this first surprised that he not only knew
step had taken several years. about it but, like me, also had it
on his bucket list.
Six, to be exact.
In the summer of 2011, my It took another six years before
friend Nino and I started talking we finally found ourselves at the

12 august 2021

My Story

foot of the famous yellow arrows in Over the next 14 days we crossed
the spring of 2017. Over those years mountains and valleys, walked
we had grown to be more than just along highways and muddy trails,
friends, and we thought of this walk and through forests and desert in
as one long date. wind, rain and sunshine.

There is a network of routes to Spring had brought out more
Camino de Santiago, created by pilgrims on the walk, and the
pilgrims – or peregrinos – who spirit of camaraderie was evident.
have walked the path since the We were all walking for different
Middle Ages. Each starts at a reasons, from different countries,
different location in Spain, and at different paces, but all on
Portugal and France, and ends in the same path.
the city of Santiago de Compostela
in north-west Spain – where the Two words captured the feeling
remains of Saint James are kept that we were never alone: buen
in the Cathedral. camino (loosely translated as ‘have
a great experience on the Camino’),
The journey has evolved beyond an encouragement exchanged
its religious significance from a between pilgrims and residents who
thousand years ago. Today, every greeted us along the way.
pilgrim walks or cycles the Camino
for personal reasons.  Each day, with the weight of a
large backpack on my shoulders, I
Three things are typically found on came to realise just what six hours
a pilgrim: a backpack carrying their of walking under the heat of a spring
belongings, a scallop shell displayed sun in Spain felt like. But hot as
as a nod to Saint James, and a the sun was, the scenery always
Credencial, or pilgrim’s passport, for managed to steal my attention.
stamps to mark the journey.
The 300-kilometre trek will
Nino and I began our walk always be special to me, but there
in the Spanish city of León, 322 are particular moments that I keep
kilometres away. We had given with me to this day, and they are
ourselves two weeks to reach the afternoons when we arrived at
the Cathedral, covering around our destination. The relief of putting
20 kilometres a day. down my backpack coupled with
the thought of a warm shower and
Carmel Valencia-Indrawan, 38, lives in bed were always the best part,
Manila and is a storyteller by profession. followed by the excitement of
Since completing their pilgrimage in Spain, discovering a new village.
she and her husband have started a family
tradition to do one incredible trekking Most afternoons we would shop
adventure every year. at the local store for dinner and

rdasia.com 13

READER’S DIGEST

provisions for the next day, grab we fill it with allow us to broaden

a coffee and greet fellow pilgrims the beautiful lives we lead. And this

with smiles, in acknowledgement adventure had been one of them.

of the distances we had covered I stepped into the courtyard

since we last met.   where hundreds of pilgrims were

On our final day’s walk a profound congregated, looking up at the

thought came to me: The hours are Cathedral’s magnificent spires:

long, but the days short. On this we had finished the Camino de

final stretch we would Santiago.

cover another And now, a new

20 kilometres and enter walk was waiting for

the city of Santiago de Nino and myself.

Compostela in the early Pilgrims find

afternoon. themselves on the

Although we’d path for different

walked over 100 hours reasons, and for Nino
and I the path was one
PILGRIMS CARRYthrough countless
cities, nothing quite A SCALLOP SHELL last adventure before
prepared me for AS A NOD TO we would take our
seeing the signpost SAINT JAMES wedding vows inside
for Santiago de the Cathedral’s chapel

Compostela for a few days later.

the first time. Some say it might have been

The road into the city – which the longest walk to the altar, all 322

runs around the outskirts of kilometres of it. Family and friends

neighbouring towns – is strewn with had travelled from across the

messages left by previous pilgrims, world to see us finish the Camino

some etched in trees, some spelled and takes the first steps in a new

out by tiny rocks, and some painted life together.

on walls. Our last hour on the road, I The priest gave us one last

looked up and read what would stay piece of advice. He said we may

with me well beyond the Camino. have finished the Camino, but

The wisdom painted on a wall read, our real camino now starts as a

“La vida es corta pero ancha.” Life is married couple.

short but wide.

I will always wonder how the right Do you have a tale to tell? We’ll pay
words find us at the right moment. cash for any original and unpublished
This was one of those times. Life story we print. See page 8 for details

indeed is short, but the adventures on how to contribute.

14 august 2021



READER’S DIGEST

SMART ANIMALS

Nature’s mothers nurture and defend their young

Bringing Baby to Visit from my large ceramic lily pond. ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES
One would stand guard high in the
LORNE HENRY old black bean tree that used to
shade the outdoor toilet,
From 2008 to 2019, I lived in an old while the other drank its fill. Then,
farmhouse in Lansdowne, a village they’d change positions. When
on the mid-north coast of New both were replete, they’d fly off.
South Wales, with no neighbours This occurred every day.
nearby. In the late afternoons,
a pair of yellow-tailed black When I hadn’t seen them for quite
cockatoos would fly over, on their some time, I’d wondered what had
way from the mountain forests to
who knows where, heralded by You could earn cash by telling us
their sad cry. about the antics of unique pets or
wildlife. Turn to page 8 for details
During the long drought in 2018, on how to contribute.
they’d stop in my backyard to drink

16 august 2021

Smart Animals

befallen them until, one afternoon
they returned with their young
chick. I was thrilled that they were
teaching it how to survive and
showing it the safest places to visit.

Mamma Mao ran downstairs and went outside
to find two dogs howling, trying
MUSTABSHIRAH HANIF to attack the cats. My father, who
had followed us, went to find
In the summer of 2005, a stray something with which to shoo
ginger cat gave birth to a litter of them away. Though I could not
kittens in our front yard, right see the dogs clearly, they were
near a neem tree. Our family the medium-sized strays that are
warmly welcomed the cat and common in Karachi, Pakistan.
her four kittens. We named the My sisters and I watched as Mao
mother cat Mao. helped her babies up the neem
tree, staying on the ground to fight
When the kittens were about off the dogs and protect her kittens.
three months old, my sisters and I
would watch on as Mao taught her By the time our father arrived to
young ones to climb the neem tree. shoo the dogs away, it was too late.
The dogs had severely injured Mao.
We especially enjoyed observing
the peculiar way Mao patiently Mother and my two elder sisters
taught her kittens to grip the tree rushed Mao to our neighbour’s
and climb. It was a very funny house, who was a vet and
sight as sometimes the kittens fortunately able to treat the poor cat.
would slip down the trunk and
at other times they would pay Two weeks later, a recovered Mao
no attention to their mother at rejoined her kittens at home. This
all and spend the entire ‘lesson’ incident taught us all a valuable
scratching at the bark! lesson about how far parents will
go to protect their young.
Time passed and after two
months of practising regularly
in the evenings, the kittens had
finally learnt to climb trees.

Early one miserable morning,
around 2am, we woke to a
commotion in our front yard.
Instantly, I knew that our kittens
were in danger.

My sisters and I immediately

rdasia.com 17

READER’S DIGEST

PETS

Why Does My Cat Do That?

The reasons behind some weird cat habits and quirks

BY Dr Katrina Warren

CAT BEHAVIOUR can often be puzzling and confusing
to humans. However, rest assured, your cat isn’t crazy,
there’s often a rational explanation for their actions.
Veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren shares her expertise
on some common and quirky cat behaviours to help
you understand why your cat behaves the way it does.

Our regular pet MY CAT ALWAYS SCRATCHES THE FURNITURE
columnist,
Dr Katrina Warren, Scratching is a natural behaviour for cats – it’s a
is an established way for them to mark their territory and is how they
and trusted animal remove the outer sheath of their claws to expose a
expert. new sharper claw underneath. If your cat does not
have a suitable surface to scratch, they will choose
your furniture or carpet. 

To protect your furniture, provide at least two
scratching posts. These posts need to be stable so they
don’t rock or tip over, have a rough surface and be tall
enough for your cat to stretch out when using it.

Cats tend to scratch when they wake in the morning,
so place one post close to where they sleep. Teach
them to use the post by playing games that encourage
them to stretch up the post.

MY CAT KNEADS ME ALL THE TIME If you have a

cat that loves to knead, you will know that it does look
like they are kneading dough. It usually occurs when

18 august 2021

Pets

a cat is in a relaxed, dreamy

state and they may knead

people or soft surfaces like

a blanket or jumper. Not all

cats knead and some do it

only occasionally. 

It is believed the habit

develops as a kitten habit and

stays into adulthood. Kittens

will knead their mother to

stimulate milk flow and may

create a lifelong comforting There’s no single explanation for why cats

association. may supplement their diets with grass

When your cat is kneading

you, they are relaxed and other cats or people who share

happy. their environment.

It is considered a social, friendly

MY CAT BUTTS ME WITH gesture, so take it as a compliment. 

HIS HEAD When a cat bumps its

head on you or rubs its cheek on MY CAT EATS GRASS There are

part of your body, it is called ‘head several reasons why cats eat grass:

bunting’. They may also do this they may be seeking the nutrients

to other people or your furniture. in the grass or, if they have an upset

Head bunting is a way for cats to stomach, inducing vomiting. Grass

leave their scent. Cats have scent also provides fibre and may help to

glands on their head that produce quicken their bowel movements.

pheromones and it is common for It is not a problem if your cat

them to exchange scents with enjoys eating grass, but make sure

it hasn’t been treated with

3 FUN FACTS ABOUT CATS pesticides. Alternatively,
offer your cat a pot of
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES • A group of cats is • Most cats have a untreated cat grass to nibble
called a clowder.  total of 18 toes – five on, especially indoor cats.
• Cats can sleep on each front paw This is available from most
for an average of and four on the back. plant nurseries.
15 hours a day – However, it’s not
some up to uncommon for a cat If you have any concerns
20 hours. to have more or less. about your cat’s behaviour
or frequency of vomiting,

please talk with your vet.

rdasia.com 19

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH

Know !
the Signs
of Sepsis

Acting fast could
save your life

BY Lisa Bendall

W e usually think of lethal, it can cause long-term PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
an insect bite or complications for survivors if it
bladder infection isn’t treated early.
as uncomfortable,
not necessarily dangerous. But You may have heard of sepsis
scratch your skin too much, or put by its colloquial name, blood
off getting antibiotics, and your poisoning, or its now obsolete name,
health could take a serious turn septicaemia. It develops when the
if you get sepsis – you could have body overreacts to an infection.
trouble breathing or feel faint or Instead of limiting activity to one
disoriented, with no idea why you’re area of the body, the immune
suddenly so sick. Sepsis is a medical system releases an abundance of
emergency that can turn deadly fast. germ-fighting chemicals into the
bloodstream, causing widespread
It’s a condition that kills about inflammation. It can eventually lead
11 million people per year to dangerously low blood pressure
worldwide, more than total deaths and organ failure, or septic shock.
from cancer. So it’s surprising most
people don’t know much about “You can think of it as collateral
sepsis. It’s not only potentially damage,” says Global Sepsis
Alliance founding president

20 august 2021

Health

Dr Konrad Reinhart. “It’s like in sepsis?’” You could be in urgent

war, when you’re defending your need of antibiotics or antifungals.

country. You may hit your own More serious cases may require

people.” IV fluids and drugs to raise blood

Usually, sepsis starts with a pressure, steroids to support

bacterial infection like pneumonia, circulation and blood pressure,

a urinary tract infection, or cellulitis and treatments like kidney dialysis

(an infection from a break in the or ventilation if organs are already

skin). It can also develop from a failing.

fungal infection, a virus or, in rare Anyone can get sepsis, although

cases, a parasite. old age and illness raise the

“Sepsis is time-critical,” says risk, and its effects may be long-

intensive-care consultant Dr Ron lasting. “Forty per cent of people

Daniels. Surprisingly, 80 per cent who survive it have one or more

of cases in developed SYMPTOMS persistent physical,
countries start outside INCLUDE psychological or
the hospital, according to SLURRED cognitive problem, like
the Centres for Disease SPEECH, impaired judgment
Control in the US. That’s CONFUSION or poor memory,”
why it’s vitally important AND PAIN notes Dr Daniels. They
that people recognise may also experience
the symptoms and seek traumatic stress, anxiety
immediate care. “The or depression. Some

more rapidly people can survivors have long-

present, the greater chance we lasting fatigue, and joint and muscle

have of improving their outcome,” pain. Only about half return to

says Dr Daniels. normal within a year.

Lives can be saved if people learn

WHAT SHOULD YOU WATCH FOR? the signs of sepsis, Dr Reinhart

If you know or suspect you have says. He points to measures such

any type of infection, consider it an as vaccinations for diseases like

emergency if you develop slurred pneumonia and flu, management

speech, confusion, extreme pain in of chronic conditions, and paying

a joint or muscle, severe shortness attention to cuts. “It’s also healthy

of breath, pale or mottled skin, a living. Avoid drugs, smoking, too

lack of urination all day, or just a much alcohol. Get exercise and

sense you could be dying. “Trust fresh air. Do whatever helps your

your instincts,” Daniels says. immune system cope with stress, so

“Be prepared to ask, ‘could this be you’re less susceptible to infection.”

rdasia.com 21

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH

Tips For that sees you go to sleep at the same
a Better time every evening, you’ll find it far
Night’s Sleep easier to get to sleep, and you’ll also
get much better quality sleep.
BY The Editors

I f you are not sleeping between 7-9 AVOID SCREENS When we look at PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
hours per night and enjoying deep
REM sleep, then you are at risk of screens of phones or tablets, the blue
having low energy levels and poor light which is emitted activates our
concentration, as well as contributing brains which encourages thinking
towards later life illnesses, such as and neurological activity which keep
Alzheimer’s. Here are some tips that us alert. This of course is the last thing
can aid a better night’s sleep. that you want before going to bed,
which is why it is essential that in the
DARKNESS Even natural light final hour before you sleep, that you
avoid using technology. Watching
will wake the brain up, so ensure television on a TV screen instead of
maximum levels of darkness in your a tablet or phone reduces the impact
bedroom. Even if you can fall asleep screen time has on your sleep.
with the light on, your brain won’t
allow you to fall into a deep sleep. FOOD AND DRINK To get the best

ROUTINE Going to sleep at the same quality sleep, it is important to avoid
food and drink in the three hours
time each night is a great way of before you sleep. Food is a source
increasing the quality of your sleep. of energy and if you have a big meal
This is because we are creatures of before bed then instead of resting
habit and our brains know when to and repairing cells, your body will be
anticipate a certain event or task. If focused on breaking down the energy
you are able to implement a routine which you have just eaten.

22 august 2021



READER’S DIGEST

News From the

WORLD OF MEDICINE

HOME IS WHERE THE However, new research suggests that PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
HEART-HEALTH RISK IS for most older women, surgery is
life-lengthening – and more tolerated
Life partners share a lot of things than some have assumed.
– and that includes their level of
cardiovascular health, according EXPLORING CLOSE TO HOME
to a JAMA Network Open study. IS ALSO A MOOD BOOSTER
Among the 5364 couples that took
part, the correlation was most often COVID-19 may have curbed the joy
the case because they both had the that comes from travel, but it doesn’t
same risk factors, whether it was have to end it. A Nature Neuroscience
high cholesterol, smoking, physical study showed that simply exploring
inactivity, obesity, high blood near where you live brings novel
pressure or poor eating habits. experiences that could lift your mood.
The researchers found those with a
However, on the flip side, wider variety of daily experiences are
researchers found that partners can more likely to feel happier.
also have a positive effect on each
other: participants were 2.3 times THE PROS AND CONS OF PPIS
more likely to quit smoking if their
other half did, and 6.4 times more One of the world’s most commonly
likely to follow the other’s lead in used drugs, proton-pump inhibitors
improving their diet. (PPIs) bring relief from acid reflux,
peptic ulcers and indigestion.
RETHINKING BREAST CANCER However, scientists have linked
SURGERY FOR OLDER WOMEN long-term use to an increased risk
of kidney disease, gut infections,
Breast cancer can often be stopped stomach cancer and diabetes. If you
through surgery – mastectomies have relied on PPIs for two years
and lumpectomies – but doctors
don’t always offer it or more, ask your
to women over doctor about
age 70, worrying risks and getting
that it may do your blood
them more sugar checked
harm than good. regularly.

24 august 2021



ANOTHER
CHANCE AT

26 august 2021

KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

A traffic accident left a young
photographer badly injured on
the road where he would have died,

until finally a car pulled up

BY Santanu Mitra AS TOLD TO Snigdha Hasan

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES New Delhi, March 31, massive hit me from behind. All I
1992: When I left the knew was I was no longer on my bike.
office for a news as-
signment that early I was flung from my bike and had
summer evening, I had hit the road. Before I blacked out, I
absolutely no idea that could see my helmet lying at a dis-
this was going to become a dateline tance, smashed into three pieces.
of my own life story.
As a young photographer with Hours, maybe days later, I opened
The Times of India in Delhi, I was my eyes. Was I at an airport termi-
on my way to a photo shoot before I nal? But why were the air hostesses
wrapped up for the day. I was thrilled in white uniforms? I realised I was
to be leaving for Paris in five days. I on a hospital bed and later learnt
couldn’t wait to fly out – I was going that I had been shifted to the ward
to visit friends and give my career a 19 days after the accident. Under the
boost, as I had also planned meetings influence of the morphine I’d been
with photo agencies there. I had, in pumped with, it took me some time
fact, received my visa only a while to understand this was the ICU of the
before I headed out for my assign- All India Institute of Medical Scienc-
ment at about 7pm. es (AIIMS). Even as I flitted in and
On Moolchand f lyover, with my out of consciousness, I could sense a
camera bag containing my equip- lot had happened already. And who
ment, passport and $500 strapped to knew what was to come? Later I dis-
my back, I rode my motorbike at mod- covered that the impact of the crash
erate speed. Suddenly, something was such that my skull had been
fractured, leading to a complication
called CSF rhinorrhoea, in which the

rdasia.com 27

READER’S DIGEST

fluid surrounding the brain drains soul had informed my colleagues

out of the nose. After the doctors with the help of the same phone

monitored me, waiting for me to sta- book. The doctors instructed that I

bilise, I was finally shifted to a private should be shifted to AIIMS immedi-

ward. A slew of surgeries followed – a ately as they didn’t have the facilities

reconstruction of the skull, my bro- to treat my case. In the commotion,

ken right wrist fixed and a rhinoplas- Madhumita couldn’t ask for the per-

ty. My jaw needed mending, too. son’s name or any other details. As-

I lived by myself in Delhi, and af- sured that I was in good hands, and

ter hearing about my accident, my my colleagues had now arrived, the

mother rushed from Kolkata – a 1500 gentleman left.

kilometre and 20-hour train trip – to It was a long road to recovery, which

be with me. My colleagues rallied turned out to be a life-changing expe-

around me and looked after me like rience. I got discharged after about

family. They donated eight bottles of six months, my face visibly altered. I

blood and stood by me throughout. sported a ponytail before the accident,

As I lay in hospital, I tried to piece but one of the surgeries had required

together that fateful my head to be shaved.

Tuesday. A friend, IT WAS A Even at home I un-
Madhumita Mitra, HIT-AND-RUN, derwent regular tests
who was the first to AND JUDGING and scans, and wasn’t
learn of my accident, BY THE AMOUNT able to resume work
told me that someone until January 1993.
had found me badly OF BLOOD, Even today, my mem-
injured on the flyover. I HAD BEEN ory gets foggy at times

It was a hit-and-run THERE A WHILE and I find it difficult to
case, and judging by recall things from my

the amount of blood I past.

had lost, it seemed that I’d been lying Life, however, slowly returned to

there for a while. The man drove me to normal. I did a four-year stint with

Moolchand hospital, not far from the a TV news channel before I started

scene of my accident. He saw Mad- freelancing. Though I never went

humita’s number in my pocket phone to Paris, I did get an opportunity to

book and because we had the same work in Nepal in 2003 and moved to

surname – I also had my press card Kathmandu. When I came back to

with me – assumed she was a relative. India in 2006, I decided to settle

“I rushed to the hospital when I down in Kolkata.

heard the news,” Madhumita told me. I would often think of the person

In the meantime, it seems, the kind who stopped on the flyover to help

28 august 2021

Another Chance at Life

me. I had no idea who he was, but It was amazing that 23 years lat-
I knew I owed him my life. I wish I er, the woman had spotted her at a
could tell him how I felt, but I did not get-together, after meeting her only
know how to find him. As life took briefly that fateful evening. Here was
over, these thoughts got buried in the my chance to meet the man who had
recesses of my mind. saved my life: I urged Madhumita to
find out his contact details. I had to
One evening in May last year when meet him now; I couldn’t wait any
I was cooking dinner, I got a call longer.
from Madhumita. She had been to
a social gathering that day. A wom- A few weeks later, Madhumita
an she didn’t know kept looking in called me, “The gentleman’s name
her direction. Curious, Madhumita is Mr Rajiv Nag and I have his phone
walked over to her and introduced number. Maybe you would like to
herself. “If I’m not mistaken, we met give him a call.”
briefly many years ago,” the woman
said to her. “Were you the person my “Of course!”
husband contacted, when we found I thanked her and hung up to dial
that accident victim on Moolchand the number right away. A man with
flyover many years ago?” a calm, rich baritone voice answered
the phone. Life, it seemed, had been
Madhumita was speechless. “It conspiring for me to meet him in per-
was like the events of that entire son – Mr Nag, who lived in Delhi, was
evening came back to me in a flash,” in Kolkata to visit a relative. So, off I
she said breathlessly over the phone. went to meet him.

rdasia.com 29

READER’S DIGEST

Although it was late at night, and the divider and, looking at the blood

he had to leave early in the morning that been lost, it seemed that life

for Delhi, the reunion was extraordi- could go out of him at any moment.”

nary. I fumbled for words of gratitude With the help of a cyclist who had

– nothing I said would describe how I stopped, Nag heaved the injured man

really felt. No ‘thank you’ would ever as gently as he could in the back seat

be enough. All I wanted was to see of their car. “With my horn blaring,

him once: I just had to see the face of lights flashing and the man crying

my saviour. in pain, I jumped a red light or two

I left soon after, but to reach the nearest

not without an image I FUMBLED hospital as quickly

that will stay with me FOR WORDS as I could,” Nag said.
forever – the smiling OF GRATITUDE “Each time there was
face and reassur- a bump in the road,
ing demeanour of – NO ‘THANK the injured passenger
Mr Nag. A man who YOU’ WOULD jerked out of the seat,
thought of nothing, EVER BE ENOUGH by reflex, and then

except that a life had fell back groaning.”

to be saved, no mat- Nag got support at

ter what, even as bystanders looked every stage. “We were helped along

on and vehicles swerved past as I lay by the traffic police to reach the hos-

there, on that flyover, bleeding. pital. The staff at Moolchand started

treatment right away, without wait-

WHAT DRIVES GOOD DEEDS? ing for paperwork to be completed,

When Reader’s Digest spoke to Rajiv and the policeman stationed at the

Nag, he was hesitant about us using hospital was very cooperative, too,”

the word kindness to describe his he said.

gesture. “It was more an act of duty,” The accident had taken place

said the modest software consultant, before 2004, when the Ministry of

now 62. Road Transport and Highways issued

“I was on the flyover, driving home a circular to police chiefs stating that

with my wife and three-year-old son,” there should be no legal impediment

he said, “when I saw cars braking for being a ‘Good Samaritan’ in a

ahead of us and then going past.” road accident.

Soon, they were stopped in their Didn’t the thought of being caught

tracks by what they saw. “A man lay in police and court matters worry

sprawled on the road, drenched in Nag at the time? “In life, if you keep

blood and groaning in tremendous thinking about things, you’ll never do

pain,” Nag recalled. “His head had hit them,” he replied.

30 august 2021

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FIXES A LOOSE BATTERY UNCLOGS A SINK

EXTRAORDINARY USES
Save time and money with these ingenious tips

ELIMINATES GREASE STAINS REMOVES WATER MARKS

32 august 2021

HOME TIPS

MAKES GLUE SAVES A BOTTLE OF WINE

FOR ORDINARY THINGS

for getting more out of the stuff you already have

Photographs by Joleen Zubek FROM THE BOOK EXTRAORDINARY
USES FOR ORDINARY THINGS
BY DON EARNEST

STOPS A WINDSHIELD CRACK DISINFECTS A CUT

rdasia.com 33

READER’S DIGEST

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT.

That’s a lesson our parents have long made clear,
but we’ve relearnt it the hard way over the past year
as the pandemic disrupted much in our lives. That
doesn’t mean you have to accept defeat, however, or
even delay. These 37 items are domestic superheroes:
they have secret skills and there they sit, minding
their own business under your sink, in your fridge,
or in a drawer. They look so ordinary. Yet once you
discover their powers, they will save you unwanted
trips to the supermarket, expensive visits from the
handyman, gnashing of teeth, and more.

1. Food & Cooking moisture that causes your fruit and
vegetables to rot. When the lining
SUBSTITUTE FOR YEAST Looking to gets dirty, just throw it out and replace
make a loaf of bread? Mix one tea- with fresh paper towels.
spoon of powdered vitamin C (or citric
acid) and bicarbonate of soda. What’s KEEP FRUIT FRESH Do your berries
more, the dough you add it to won’t and grapes get mouldy before you’ve
have to rise before baking. had a chance to enjoy them? Store
them in a colander – not a closed
REPLACE BAKING POWDER Substi- plastic container – in the refrigerator.
tute two parts cream of tartar mixed The cold air will be able to circulate
with one part bicarbonate of soda and through the holes and around the
cornflour. The cornflour slows the re- fruit, keeping it fresh for days.
action between the acidic cream of
tartar and the alkaline bicarbonate REVIVE SOGGY LETTUCE Don’t toss
of soda, which helps the compound those sorry leaves in the compost
maintain its leavening power longer. bin. Add the juice of half a lemon to
a bowl of cold water, put the soggy
PROTECT VEGETABLES IN THE FRIDGE lettuce in it, and refrigerate for about
an hour. Make sure the leaves are
Line your refrigerator’s crisper with completely dry before using them in
paper towels. They will absorb the salads or sandwiches.

34 august 2021

TENDERISE MEAT Soaking inexpen-
sive cuts of meat in vinegar for up to
four hours doesn’t just break down
tough fibres, it also reduces carcino-
genic compounds that form during
grilling. Experiment with different
vinegar varieties for added flavour,
or simply use apple-cider vinegar or
distilled vinegar. Just be sure to rinse
the meat off before cooking.

SAVE A BOTTLE OF WINE If the cork LEMON JUICE
breaks apart when you open a bottle, Besides brightening the flavour
no problem. Pour the wine through a of recipes, lemon juice can clean
coffee filter. It will catch everything and freshen your microwave and
but the liquid. your laundry. It’s also a potent
exfoliant, dandruff fighter, wart
2. Cleaning
remover and disinfectant.
GET RID OF SOAP SCUM Spritz that
gunk with cooking spray oil and let it To get rid of ring-around-the-collar
sit for a couple of minutes. The scum stains, mark them heavily with chalk
will come off with just a swipe of a before laundering to absorb the oils
towel. Then wash the surface with that hold in dirt.
soap and water.
REPEL DUST FROM YOUR SCREENS
RESCUE A RUG If you’ve spilled coffee
or tea on the carpet, there’s another Because televisions and computers
beverage that can clean the mess: are electrically charged, they attract
beer. Rub a few teaspoons (or more, dust. Fabric softener sheets will get
if you made a really big mess) lightly them clean and keep them that way.
into the fabric. Flat beer will also pol-
ish up your timber furniture. DISSOLVE TARNISH ON SILVERWARE

ELIMINATE GREASE STAINS Rub chalk Grab some potatoes and boil them
on greasy spots on clothes or table up. Remove them from the water
linens and let it absorb the oil before
you brush it off. If the stain lingers, rub
more chalk into it before laundering.

rdasia.com 35

READER’S DIGEST

rid of those annoying white rings
left by moist glasses, gently rub some
non-gel toothpaste on the wood with
a soft cloth. Wipe it off with a damp
cloth and let the area dry.

UNSTICK GUM Got chewing gum
rubbed into the carpet or on the wall?
WD-40 spray lubricant will loosen it.
This works on wax drippings, too.

FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS LIFT A SCORCH MARK If you singe
The dryer isn’t the only place your favourite shirt with a hot iron,
where fabric softener sheets can wet the area and cover it with corn-
help tame stinky smells. Tuck flour. Allow the cornflour to dry, then
them into cupboards, suitcases, brush it away.
waste-paper baskets, drawers
and even sports shoes for an in- 3. Home Fixes
expensive air freshener. The
sheets also work wonderfully to UNCLOG A BATHROOM SINK –
pick up pet hair, lift burned-on
residue from casserole dishes, WITHOUT A PLUNGER Cut off and
keep dust off blinds and screens, discard the top third of an old tennis
clean soap scum from showers, ball. Place the open end of what re-
buff chrome to a brilliant shine mains over the clogged drain. Block
the overflow hole with a damp cloth
and chase away fruitflies. and run a small amount of water
into the basin to make a seal with
and save them to eat later. Then place the edge of the ball. Using the ball
your silverware in the potato water of your hand, plunge down hard and
and let it sit for an hour. Remove and fast until the blockage is clear.
wash it. The tarnish should have dis-
appeared. CLEAR A BLOCKED DRAIN If the ten-
nis ball plunger doesn’t work, pour
REMOVE WATER STAINS FROM in half a cup of bicarbonate of soda
and let it sit for a few minutes. Then
TIMBER FURNITURE Did your guests add one cup each of vinegar and hot
somehow miss the coasters? To get water. Cover with the stopper for ten
minutes, then flush with hot water.
Repeat, and plunge, if needed.

36 august 2021

Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

FILL A CRACK IN THE FLOOR Cray- RESCUE A DROWNING LAPTOP You
ons make great fill material for small just spilled water on your laptop. Now
scratches, gouges or holes in many what? Power down and disconnect
floors. Select the colour that most any accessories. Open the screen at a
closely matches yours. Melt the cray- right angle, then place the laptop up-
on in the microwave over waxed pa- side down on a dry towel overnight
per on medium power, a minute at in a warm, well-ventilated place. The
a time, until you have a pliant glob next day, blast air into the machine
of colour. Now, with a plastic knife for 15 minutes with a hair dryer set to
or putty knife, fill the hole. Smooth the lowest heat setting. Keep it about
it over with a rolling pin, a book, or 15 centimetres above the keyboard
some other flat object. You don’t even and move it constantly to avoid cre-
need to sand it. ating hot spots.

SUBSTITUTE GLUE Egg whites can REPAIR A SCRATCHED PHONE
act as a replacement when you need
to adhere some paper or light card- SCREEN For shallow scratches, first
board together. clean the affected area using a fresh,
lint-free cloth dipped in water. Wipe
ADD INSULATION Cut window-sized it dry with a second lint-free cloth.
pieces of wide bubble wrap, then Then rub the affected area lightly
duct-tape them to windows for extra with a clean, soft pencil eraser, fol-
warmth and savings on winter fuel lowing the direction of the scratch.
bills. Don’t like the look? Lowering You might need to repeat this several
the blinds will make it less noticeable, times before the scratch disappears.
and keeping them closed once the sun
goes down will save on fuel bills, too. FIX A LOOSE BATTERY Got a battery
that won’t stay in place in a torch?
JUMP-START THE FIREPLACE Dried Ball up a piece of aluminium foil
orange and lemon peels make even and put it at the bottom of the can-
better kindling than newspaper. Not nister.
only do they smell better and pro-
duce less creosote than newspaper, HALT A WINDSHIELD CRACK If you’ve
but the flammable oils found inside developed a small crack in your
the peels enable them to burn much windshield, stop it in its tracks with
longer. Don’t want to wait for the some clear nail polish. Working in
peels to dry out? Put them on a bak- the shade, brush the crack on both
ing sheet in a 100°C oven for 25 to 30 sides of the glass with polish to fill it
minutes. well. Move the car into the sun so the
windshield can dry. But take note:

rdasia.com 37

READER’S DIGEST

CARDBOARD TUBES KEEP EXTENSION

CORDS TIDY The simplest way to keep
cords tangle-free in storage is to slip
wrapped cords into toilet paper tubes
and stack in a box. This also keeps a
single cord tidy behind your desk.

4. Gardening

ALUMINIUM FOIL FERTILISE YOUR PLANTS Don’t
Keeping your food warm is just throw out those old coffee grounds.
the beginning. You can also use They’re full of nutrients that your
acid-loving plants crave. Save them to
foil to clean a cast-iron pan, fertilise rosebushes, azaleas, rhodo-
sharpen scissors, fix a loose dendrons, camellias and evergreens.
battery, soften brown sugar,
build a seed incubator, keep REPEL INSECTS Scatter a border of
bees away from beverages, ash from your fire around your garden
improve outdoor lighting and to deter slugs and snails – ash sticks to
their bodies and draws moisture out
make a funnel. of them. Also sprinkle small amounts
over garden plants to manage in-
festations of soft-bodied insects. Be
warned that because ash is alkaline,
it shouldn’t be used on acid-loving
plants like azaleas, rhododendrons or
hydrangeas.

this fix is only temporary. Try to get KEEP FLOWERS FRESH Cut flowers
the glass replaced within a day or two will stay perky longer if you add a
at most. coin made from copper and an aspi-
rin to the vase water. And don’t forget
MAKE AN EMERGENCY SHOELACE If to change the water daily.
you’ve busted a shoe lace, cut off a
piece of duct tape that’s as long as 5. Health & Beauty
you need and rip off twice the width
you need. Fold the tape in half along DISINFECT A CUT No antiseptic dis-
its length, sticky side in. Thread your infectant liquid or hydrogen perox-
new lace onto your shoe and tie it up. ide? An alcohol-based mouthwash

38 august 2021

Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

can clean a shallow cut and disinfect SAVE YOUR SHAVE If you run out of
your skin. Alternatively, you can dab shaving cream, try slathering some
a few drops of lemon juice directly soft butter on your wet skin for a
on the cut. smooth, close shave. Baby oil and
hair conditioner are other options.
EASE ACHES For pain in your knee
or other joints or muscles, rub in MAKE A DEHUMIDIFIER A humid
some warming liniment and wrap cupboard, garage or storeroom can
the area with plastic wrap. The wrap wreak havoc on your health as well
will increase the heating effect of the as on your clothes. Get rid of all that
liniment. Test on a small area first to humidity with homemade dehumid-
make sure your skin does not burn. ifiers. To make one, just put some
charcoal briquettes in a large, clean
RELAX STIFF MUSCLES If you prefer lidded can and punch a few holes in
to soak your sore spots, take a bath the lid. Place one or more in humid
in Epsom salts and throw in a few areas. Replace the charcoal every few
tablespoons of mustard. The mustard months.
will enhance the soothing effects of
the salts. REPEL TICKS AND OTHER INSECTS

REMOVE A SPLINTER You can avoid Going for a walk in the bush? Smear
the agony of digging a splinter out some mentholated chest rub on your
with a needle by covering it with ad- ankles, wrists and neck before you
hesive tape instead. After about three leave the house. It might not be your
days, pull the tape off slowly, and the favourite scent, but mosquitoes and
splinter should come out with it. ticks hate it, and they’ll go in search of
a sweeter-smelling victim.

AWOL Book Returned

An overdue library book has been returned to a library in Scotland
– 38 years late. The novel To Sea in a Sieve by Peter Bull was

dropped off at a library in southern England, some 1000 kilometres
from its rightful destination. The Shetland Library finally regained

the absentee book after it was hand-delivered by staff from a
community library in England. “It was due back on 12 July, 1983 –

which pre-dates myself,” said the support services librarian.
Officials said it had been brought in by a woman who found it at an

estate sale in Suffolk. UPI

rdasia.com 39

READER’S DIGEST

LIFE’S LIKE THAT

Seeing the Funny Side

“You think I’m scary? Have you seen the size
of the dust bunnies under here?”

Beyond Words Horse Trading CARTOON: SUSAN CAMILLERI KONAR

Every year for my birthday, my My daughter told me she wanted a
husband buys me a particular pony but I had to tell her that it was
perfume that has a delicate floral impossible as her dad was allergic
scent that I especially love. to horses. She had a think about this
and then asked again. “When Dad
This past year, with money tight, dies, can I have a horse?”
I told him not to bother getting
me a gift. Instead, I asked that SUBMITTED BY JESS WARD
he handwrite a beautiful letter
encapsulating our 25 years together. Slow News Day

My husband leaned in, gently took On a trip to a rural village, a friend
my hand, and begged, “Can I please of mine stopped off at the only shop
just buy you a bottle of perfume?” in town to buy a newspaper.

SUBMITTED BY LISA COLLINS However, all the shop had was the

40 august 2021

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES previous day’s edition. “Excuse me,” Life’s Like That
he asked the shop owner, “do you
have today’s newspaper?” THE GREAT TWEET OFF:
FRUIT EDITION
“Yes, I do,” answered the man.
“It’ll be here tomorrow.” We’ve handpicked some fresh tweets
for you to go bananas over.
SUBMITTED BY H.H.
Basically impossible to carry
It’s Curtains For Him a watermelon around without
seeming proud or ashamed of it.
After our Siamese kitten ran up
our expensive curtains, snagging @SAMUELSAULSBURY
them, my wife took him to the
veterinarian to have him neutered, I only use shampoo that
hoping it would calm him down. smells like raspberries so people
don’t think it’s weird when I have
A few weeks later, my sister-in-
law brought her new boyfriend jam in my hair.
over to meet us. Before entering
the house, she offered him this bit @DAWN_M_
of advice: “Whatever you do, don’t
touch the curtains.” A cantaloupe is an antelope
that doesn’t.
SUBMITTED BY JAMES BELL
@LEONEARLGREY
Open Secret
I buy seedless grapes because
Dan, aged seven, was trying to let’s leave the grape-growing
open a bottle of paracetamol. I took
it from him, opened it easily, and to the vineyards.
explained, “It’s got a child lock on it,
so that children can’t do it, because @DARLAINKY
that could be dangerous.”
Grapefruit juice tastes like
Dan pondered for a moment, orange juice that just found out it
then asked, “But how did it know
I was a child?” has to work on its day off.

SUBMITTED BY PENNY WARD @JERMHIMSELFISH

Simply Country rdasia.com 41

I listen to country music because
I like to kick back and hear a guy
with three houses teach me how to
appreciate the simple things in life.

DONOVAN WOODS, MUSICIAN

I Am the

FOOD ON YOUR PLATE

Wheat

Widely cultivated and nourishing

BY Diane Godley

You know that muffin you A staple for much of the world, I am PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
munched on at morning a firm favourite amongst you humans.
tea? And that burger you In fact, I am the world’s most widely
enjoyed for lunch? Even cultivated crop. New foods embracing
the spaghetti bolognaise me emerge weekly, and I am crucial in
you’re planning for dinner tonight... food security for the world’s growing
I, omnipresent wheat, play a huge population.
part in every one of those meals and
many more. Frankly, without me, sitting down
to any meal of the day just wouldn’t

42 august 2021

Food on Your Plate

be the same for many. I provide the result was a pleasing and more reli-

grain in bread and breakfast cereals, able type of wheat which gave rise to

and a whopping 97 per cent of the the varieties you use today for mak-

ingredients in your morning bowl of ing bread. While they didn’t know it

Weet-bix – sans milk. at the time, those goat grass genes

In fact, you humans have had a contributed to my ability to tolerate

love affair with me ever since Neo- cold and disease.

lithic times, when I was still a wild The evolution of agricultural prac-

grass swaying in the breeze. These tices and the ability to mill, store

nom ad ic people gat hered a nd and trade my grain not only changed

threshed me until my seeds became the availability of food for early hu-

loose, which they pounded into flat mans, but helped to start fledgling

cakes and baked on townships. As people

hot rocks to make the TODAY, I CAN BE became more estab-
world’s first bread. I lished, they travelled
was added to a pot of FOUND GROWING further, tak ing me

water and simmered ON EVERY with them to trade.
over a fire to make a CONTINENT IN Did I mention that
crude gruel.
I was the ideal com-

To say I have a long THE WORLD modity? I am dry, so I

ancestral history is was easy to transport,

something of an un- simple to transform

derstatement. My family tree goes into food, and able to provide seed

back some 12,000 years to a clan of for the next year’s crop.

wild grasses located in the ‘Fertile Early trade followed routes in the

Crescent’ (western Asia and north- Mediterranean, with Greek and Ro-

ern Africa) called Triticeae. Through man civilisations being some of the

their keen powers of observation, earliest importers of me from West

early humans selected grass heads Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

with large seeds and varieties whose I was also thought to have travelled

grains were easily separated from the Silk Road into China.

their hulls. Through a fortuitous accident

Some thousands of years later, your around 2600 BCE, I became even

farming ancestors began cultivating more in demand. By mixing beer into

the more edible of my wild cousins, flour, Egyptians produced the first

emmer (Triticum turgidum) and raised loaves of bread. There is even

einkorn, cross-pollinating emmer proof of these early loaves of bread in

with a tough, inedible weed called the British Museum. As was discov-

goat grass (Aegilops tauschii). The ered all those years ago, gluten, the

rdasia.com 43

READER’S DIGEST

protein component of flour which Since the 1960s the world’s pro-
gives dough its elasticity, is a valu- duction of me has tripled. In that
able commodity in manufacturing decade, a farmer would average
products made from me and has 1.1 tonnes of wheat per hectare. Fast
greatly enabled the proliferation of forward to 2020, and things look a
processed food. whole lot different. Eric Watson, a
New Zealand farmer from Ashbur-
Eventually, I was farmed wherever ton on the Canterbury Plains, set a
I could gain a foothold. And with my new Guinness World Record with
popularity growing from strength to 17.4 tonnes of wheat per hectare in
strength through the centuries, to- July last year, breaking his 2017 re-
day I can be found growing on every cord of 16.8 tonnes.
continent in the world. I can even be
found inside the freezing Arctic Cir- I may be able to grow everywhere,
cle, along the steamy Equator, and at but obviously I do better in some plac-
lofty heights of 4500 metres, such as es than others. Watson says he owes
the Himalayas. his ultra-high yielding successes to the

BANANA BREAD

• Preheat the oven powder into a bowl, • Stir in the mashed
to 180°C. then stir in ¼ cup (55 g) bananas and ½ cup
firmly packed soft walnuts, then pour the
• Line a loaf tin with brown sugar. mixture into the
baking paper. prepared tin.
• Whisk together 100ml
• Mash 2 bananas sunflower oil, 100ml • Bake for 50-55
with a fork. milk and 2 eggs, then minutes, or until a
add to the flour mixture. skewer inserted in the
• Sift 250 g self-raising centre comes out clean.
flour and 1 tsp baking
• Leave to cool for 15
minutes, then gently tip
out onto a wire rack to
cool completely.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

44 august 2021

READER’S DIGEST

region’s fertile soils, abundant rainfall which is found in a wide range of dish-
and good amounts of sunlight, which es such as tabbouleh and kofta.
provide his crop with a long, slow
growing period. Durum (Triticum turgidum durum)
is the second-most cultivated wheat
The most prolific form of me eat- crop and is ground into semolina to
en today, comprising 95 per cent of make pasta, noodles and couscous.
all wheat grown, is common wheat Other varieties of me are spelt, em-
(Triticum aestivum vulgare), which is mer/farro, einkorn and kamut (an
milled into flour. ancient grain from prehistoric times
that has not changed through mod-
Hard varieties of this flour have ern breeding programmes).
high proportions of protein and are
used for baking bread. Softer varieties, I am high in carbohydrates (71%),
which have lower amounts of protein, a source of protein (although my
are often referred to as ‘cake flour’ and protein doesn’t provide good quali-
are used for baking cakes and making ty nutritional value for you humans)
biscuits, pastries and crackers. and when eaten as whole grain, pro-
vide a rich source of antioxidants,
I can also be puffed, flaked and ex- vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.
truded, methods commonly used to
manufacture breakfast cereals and Be aware though, once refined, like
muesli bars. My bran can be added to the flour used in white bread and
muffins, cakes and bread to increase fluffy cakes, my dietary fibre is negli-
their fibre content. And by parboiling, gible, so to get my full nutritional val-
drying and coarsely grinding I am ue aim for food using whole wheat or
turned into bulgur, or cracked wheat, whole grain.

Get Paid Doing What You Love

A company recently announced it was seeking ‘nap reviewers’ to
get paid $1500 each to take daily naps for 30 days and document

the experience. EachNight.com, which offers comparisons on
mattresses and bedding, said it was researching the ‘pros and
cons of napping’ and needed reviewers to document their mid-day

rests. Needless to say, the positions were filled quickly. UPI

Another website offered two friends $2000 to spend 21 hours
playing video games. FrontierBundles.com, which sells internet and
phone service packages, wanted to know whether the duo felt they

played better with their best friend or on their own. FEMALE FIRST

rdasia.com 45

READER’S DIGEST

46 august 2021

SEE THE WORLD...
Turn the page ››
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READER’S DIGEST

...DIFFERENTLY

48 august 2021