I'm sorry, but there is no other word for it, I am pissed off. All because some stupid woman is unable to look after her child properly, a beautiful silverback gorilla gets shot. I don't know if you saw the report over the weekend, but at the Cincinatti zoo, a young child (4 yrs) crawled under a fence and tumbled into the gorilla compound. Not surprisingly the child got hurt because the big gorilla named Harambe, dragged him around the compound. I understand none of the child's injuries are very serious. The gorilla did not actually attack the child apparently. In fact he was touching the child very gently but it's thought all the onlookers screaming may have disturbed him. Also, the child started screaming too which may also have confused the gorilla.
Needless to say, I am not the only person who is outraged and I gather the Twitter pages are full of the subject. Personally, I cannot imagine anyone allowing their 4 yr old child to be out of sight long enough to crawl under a fence. I heard the mother calling out to the child saying "Mommy's here" but where was mommy when it was happening? The zoo say that if they had tranquilized the animal it would not have happened quickly enough and the child could still have been hurt, whereas, shooting it prevented any further problems. Everyone said it was important to save the child's life even if the rare gorilla died.
Harambe was a western lowland gorilla and their species is endangered. Zoos do what the can to help preserve endangered animals, they do not need this kind of thing which forces them to take such drastic action.
Saturday night we usually have something special for supper, like a fillet steak which is what we had last Saturday. I also cooked snow peas and sautéed mushrooms. Matt had a baked potato too. When I sat down to eat, I just did not want to eat anything, very rare for me. I ate the mushrooms and some of the steak. Put the rest in a storage box in the fridge. Sunday night, we had some tomato soup and an open faced sandwich made with asparagus pesto spread on the bread and then thinly sliced fillet on top - I added a couple of pickles and for me some horseradish. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I need to make some more pesto as I have none left in the freezer. I posted the recipe for it here a few days ago.
I came across this from the New York Times recipes I get regularly. Looks pretty good. Trouble is, horror of horrors, I am out of asparagus now too.
Wok-Fried Asparagus With Walnuts
Not all asparagus dishes are delicate and subtle. Try this stir-fry to see how well the sweetness of asparagus and spicy bold flavors go together
1 ½ lbs asparagus, pencil-size or medium
2 Tbs vegetable oil
Salt
½ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns, or use black peppercorns
¼ tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp grated garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbs palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 to 2 bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced, or use serrano or Fresno chiles
2 tsp soy sauce
½ cup toasted walnut halves
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 green onions, slivered
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1. Snap off and discard bottoms of asparagus, then cut into 2-inch pieces. (Halve thicker pieces lengthwise first.)
2. Set a wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add asparagus and season lightly with salt. Stir-fry for a minute or so, then add Sichuan pepper, five-spice powder, garlic, ginger, sugar, chiles, soy sauce and walnuts. Continue cooking over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat well, until asparagus is cooked but still firm and bright green. (It will continue to cook a bit off the heat.)
3. Transfer asparagus to a serving platter and drizzle with sesame oil. Sprinkle green onions over the top and garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Servings: 4
Tips
To make your own five-spice powder, combine ground Sichuan pepper, fennel, clove, star anise and cinnamon in equal parts.
Have a great day
Needless to say, I am not the only person who is outraged and I gather the Twitter pages are full of the subject. Personally, I cannot imagine anyone allowing their 4 yr old child to be out of sight long enough to crawl under a fence. I heard the mother calling out to the child saying "Mommy's here" but where was mommy when it was happening? The zoo say that if they had tranquilized the animal it would not have happened quickly enough and the child could still have been hurt, whereas, shooting it prevented any further problems. Everyone said it was important to save the child's life even if the rare gorilla died.
Harambe was a western lowland gorilla and their species is endangered. Zoos do what the can to help preserve endangered animals, they do not need this kind of thing which forces them to take such drastic action.
Saturday night we usually have something special for supper, like a fillet steak which is what we had last Saturday. I also cooked snow peas and sautéed mushrooms. Matt had a baked potato too. When I sat down to eat, I just did not want to eat anything, very rare for me. I ate the mushrooms and some of the steak. Put the rest in a storage box in the fridge. Sunday night, we had some tomato soup and an open faced sandwich made with asparagus pesto spread on the bread and then thinly sliced fillet on top - I added a couple of pickles and for me some horseradish. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I need to make some more pesto as I have none left in the freezer. I posted the recipe for it here a few days ago.
I came across this from the New York Times recipes I get regularly. Looks pretty good. Trouble is, horror of horrors, I am out of asparagus now too.
Wok-Fried Asparagus With Walnuts
Not all asparagus dishes are delicate and subtle. Try this stir-fry to see how well the sweetness of asparagus and spicy bold flavors go together
1 ½ lbs asparagus, pencil-size or medium
2 Tbs vegetable oil
Salt
½ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns, or use black peppercorns
¼ tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp grated garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbs palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 to 2 bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced, or use serrano or Fresno chiles
2 tsp soy sauce
½ cup toasted walnut halves
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 green onions, slivered
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1. Snap off and discard bottoms of asparagus, then cut into 2-inch pieces. (Halve thicker pieces lengthwise first.)
2. Set a wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add asparagus and season lightly with salt. Stir-fry for a minute or so, then add Sichuan pepper, five-spice powder, garlic, ginger, sugar, chiles, soy sauce and walnuts. Continue cooking over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat well, until asparagus is cooked but still firm and bright green. (It will continue to cook a bit off the heat.)
3. Transfer asparagus to a serving platter and drizzle with sesame oil. Sprinkle green onions over the top and garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Servings: 4
Tips
To make your own five-spice powder, combine ground Sichuan pepper, fennel, clove, star anise and cinnamon in equal parts.
Have a great day
I am sooooo angry about that poor gorilla. It was wrong to kill it all because the parents can't keep ahold of their kid. I'm glad that there's an angry backlash at the parents. And the zoo for not having decent bars so no one can crawl through. I really hate zoos to be honest.
ReplyDeleteFrom latest reports, it may not have been the mother's fault. I know you hate zoos JoJo, but they do a good job with breeding and preservation. Not only that, without them some people would never see these animals and never understand what conservation and preservation was about. Particularly when there are so many animals being shot for their horns, skins, furs, etc. etc.
DeleteI'm furious, too. If the woman had been paying attention to her child, the poor gorilla would still be alive. Such a shame.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction too Diane.
DeleteTough decision the zoo had to make. This incident will haunt the parents I am sure for the rest of their days.
ReplyDeleteBetty
Very tough Betty. In fact it looked as though the gorilla was being gentle but..... with all the screaming as well as the child screaming, it would have upset him.
DeletePeople are so blatantly stupid and this is just one more incident of showing this. First the parent(s) should be held culpable for the Gorilla's death and be fined heavily. They are at fault for letting their kid crawl away like that. The Zoo should realize that people are stupid and make sure there is no way people can climb under or be on top of any fence. I have seen many pictures and videos of stupid parents holding their kid up on a fence to get a better look. The gorilla was innocent and paid for it because of human stupidity
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. What about that stupid woman who jumped into a tiger cage for her hat. At least it was a double fence.
DeleteSo where was the mom? Or dad or adult? And why are the fences easy to crawl under?
ReplyDeleteThe mom was right there, you can hear her calling to the child Ivy. I guess it was such a small area nobody would have thought a child could, or would be allowed to crawl through.
DeleteI could not watch the video. But really, she should have been HOLDING the hand of her child. If he was that little.
DeleteI agree with you Ivy
DeleteIt's the laid-back parents who think children will be stifled who allow their children to wander about and then expect others to keep an eye on their child. I see so many 'careless' mothers staring at their smartphones while a child wanders close to traffic etc. Parenting is a commitment, and I still think you should have to apply to be 'allowed' to have children. . .there are too many parents who shouldn't be. . .
ReplyDeleteYup, I agree D.G. Licensing them would be a good idea. I have seen much the same thing with smartphone use.
DeleteI think I would have jumped down into the cage if it had been my kid. Poor gorilla. Why couldn't someone go in there and distract him with food? Accidents happen and kids are wily. I wonder about the security of the zoo enclosure rather than judge the parent.
ReplyDeleteI think it was basically impossible to do that Pinky. I agree, with the idea of distracting him. I know accidents happen, but as has been said, so many parents, these days, are so busy on their smartphones they are paying insufficient attention to their kids. The whole thing is a big tragedy, particularly for the gorilla.
DeleteHi Jo,
ReplyDeleteThat was an outrageous situation and the mother should of been way more attentive. It saddens me to find out that they couldn't of used a tranquilliser gun on the gorilla. Apparently, they thought it would take to long to kick in. Madeleine McCann's parents were equally as guilty.
That's a health meal. I need to start eating better.
Thank you, Jo.
Gary
You are so right Gary the mother should have been more attentive and because she wasn't, a valuable and endangered animal had to be destroyed. I didn't recognise the name of the little girl, had to look it up. But I agree, they should never have left her alone in the hotel like that.
DeleteYou and everyone else Gary. We don't eat healthily enough.
Having been 'blessed' with a child who must have been tutored by Houdini in escaping from me in a matter of seconds - we bought reins for him and were then accused by random passers by of treating him like a dog - I'd like to see some evidence that the parents were in fact negligent before they are jumped on. Not saying they weren't but it's easy to judge without knowing the circumstances. It doesn't excuse the shooting of the gorilla, though. That certainly seems a heavy handed and inappropriate response.
ReplyDeleteI do understand Helen, but I may be doing the mother an injustice but you see so many people engrossed on their cell phones that they are not paying attention to their kids. The whole thing is such a tragedy.
Delete