Mumbo Gumbo

THE ADVERT FOR SCIENTOLOGY IS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME OR ANY OTHER ADVERT COME TO THAT

I'm starting my international tour next week. For some reason I have agreed to go to New Orleans, but was staying for only two days. I was going to be arriving and leaving more or less straight away. So I changed it. Remakably easily. Now staying an extra day. I'm going to the American College of Cardiology congress. Of course it's a scientific meeting but I intend to have some fun too.

Things to do in New Orleans:
The Cajun Bayou and Swamp Tour
Steamboat Habor Cruise
Plantation Tour
Evening Steamboat Jazz Cruise
Cemetery and Gris Gris walking tour

I'm guessing New Orleans history and culture is not very different to Mauritian culture. The language, they say, is similar and so is the food. We'll see. I can't wait. The classic dish is the Gumbo

'Gumbo is a spicy soup or stew. It derives its name from the word Kigombo, an African word which means okra. The Gumbo recipe is in fomously associated with Louisiana and New Orleans but is also popular throughout the Southern States of America. It has it's roots and origins, like the people of Louisiana, in a fusion of European, especially French and Spanish, Indian and African.Gumbo is made using a thick stock, a thickener, meat and/or shell fish and vegetables like bell pepper, celery and onions. This soup is traditionally with rice. The rice served along with gumbo is cooked separately. Just before serving, gumbo is ladled over a heap of rice kept in a serving bowl. Gumbo is very popular during winter - ideal to beat the biting cold.

The stock or broth is prepared very rich and is prepared with whatever blends well with that particular variety of gumbo (chicken stock for chicken gumbo and seafood stock for seafood gumbo). Okra or roux is used as a thickener for this soup. Roux is often used as a thickening agent. Roux is prepared by heating up oil in a pan and roasting flour to it till it turns brown.

A traditional gumbo broth is made from either one or more kind of poultry, shellfish and smoked pork. Poultry chosen for preparing gumbo is usually chicken, duck or quail. For seafood gumbo, shellfish is the popular choice though freshwater crawfish, crabs and shrimps are also used to make gumbo. A vegetarian variety of gumbo is prepared during Lent where mashed greens are used instead of meat. Gumbo Z'herbes (with herbs) was a traditional dish was served on Good Friday containing at least seven herbs. Seven was considered lucky thus seven different types of greens like spinach, mustard leaves etc were used to prepare this dish.'


Sounds a bit like buryani. Like Mauritius, the history of New Orleans is defined by Imperialism and the Slave Trade

Apologies for Apologetics

'What a shame, another Muslim child is to born'. He meant born into a Muslim family rather then a Christian one. Still I was shocked. In fact it's taken me a whole week to actually believe that's what he said. A colleague, an eminent local cardiologist. I've kept telling myself I must have heard it out of context or incorrectly. I really hope I did.

Last Saturday morning was the second meeting of the 'Apologetics' group. According to Wikipedia 'Apologetics (from Greek απολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (usually religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists...Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul of Tarsus, including writers such as such as Origen and Augustine of Hippo, and continuing currently with the modern Christian community, through the efforts of many authors in various Christian traditions such as C.S. Lewis. Apologists have based their defense of Christianity on historical evidence, philosophical arguments, scientific investigation, and other disciplines.'

So that's where I was last Saturday, intrigued by the title. I have always wanted to find out more about Islam. It has seemed to me to be so close to Christianity and Judeism, that I have wanted to understand the differences. I can't claim a full understanding but I have become convinced that we all worship exactly the same God. We believe the final revelation was delivered by different people, for sure, but they pray to God and so do we. Same God.

The problem with this meeting, and again it started OK, the problem is, the premise was that we need to convert Muslims to Christianity. Starting from that position it is difficult to get very far, since they believe just as passionately that theirs is the true and final revelation.

What I did learn was the the Qur'an, the word of God revealed through his servant Muhammad (died 632AD age 62yrs), recognises the books of Moses and the Gospels as Holy texts. It refers to Mary, the most revered woman in the Koran, and to Jesus as a mighty prophet, but not God incarnate. They believe Jesus foretold the coming of Muhammad, incorrectly as our speaker demonstrated triumphantly. They also claim that the Bible has been altered at Nicaea (325 AD), which it was of course.

So there's plenty actually to argue about. Disappointingly again I didn't feel I could join in the arguments, as I had thought was the point of Apologetics. So I kept quiet. I didn't want another 'serpent' incident, but I really wanted to ask a question.

I really wanted to ask these Christian bigots 'Which God do they think Muslims are praying to, and do they believe He answers their prayers too?' So why do they need to believe in Jesus? CS Lewis, the greatest of modern Christian Apologists said that we are all sons and daughters of Adam, even those white middle class brats of the Narnia stories.

Why, JC himself said 'Love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself' He also said we are all children of God, including, presumably, Muslim children.

My Lecture Tour: from Heald Green to New Orleans

I'm watching a recorded episode of 'Bennidorm' and still reeling from the scoucers beating United. Despite that I'm feeling rather pleased with myself as I have successfully taken up running again. I'm sitting here doodling and putting together some slides for various presentations.
In the next three months I've been asked to give talks in Sheffield (Cardiology for GPs: Managing Acute Coronary Syndrome), Birmingham (Primary Care 2011: Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease) and London (Commissioning 2011: redesigning cardiology in secondary/tertiary care). Then I'm doing a training session for GPs on ECG interpretation. In April I'm going to New Orleans to the American College of Cardiology Congress and later to Palma, Majorca, for the GPwSI forum where I'm presenting a trial of one of the Thrombin inhibitors. The most exciting though, is a workshop I'm running in the next few weeks on commissioning community services which I've called 'Making it Real', for central Manchester GPs.
Apart from all that it's quiet of the professional front, well, except for starting the Primary Care Cardiology clinic next week.
So all to play for, and still top of the league.