Men in Red Vests.

As you walk through Central London you always see men in red vests shouting ‘Big Issue’. The Big Issue had its first issue out in September 1991. It’s known as a social business, a legitimate way for the homeless to make money.

Joupin Ghamsari a University of the Arts student has produced a series of photographs following Jay a ‘Big Issue’ vendor, as he sold the magazine in different areas of London.

Check out the rest of the photo story at http://500px.com/Joupin/stories/27686/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-big-issue-seller.

To see more of his photos go to http://500px.com/Joupin.

Let them Eat Cake.

So there are two debates as to where Cupcakes got there name.

1. The cup was the measuring device used to bake the cakes, as the measurements were all equal  and needed a few cups of each ingredient.
2. The mixture was actually baked in a tea cup, making the perfect sized cake for afternoon tea.

Originally Cupcakes were called number cakes, as the number of ingredients used were always equal and easy to remember. Other names include the Fairy cake, because of its dainty size and the snack cake, just a few bites to fill you up. Within the last few years Cupcakes have become all the rage, with shops popping up all over the place. The Sprinkles store in Los Angeles even brags a Cupcake ATM machine, i think it’s safe to say having a sweet tooth is quite the understatement.

Show Time

Recently I’ve watched or re watched for the 20^th time some amazing films, from Luc Besson’s ‘Leon’ to something ever so more light hearted like Horton Hears a Who. All teaching wonderful things, whether it’s to be content with the era you live in or that wrapping a towel around your head and saying Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad wont make you sound or look like a terrorist. Enlightening indeed.

• Midnight in Paris

• The Descendant’s

• Crossing Over

• Hunger

• Leon

• A Separation

• Team America

• Sleepy Hollow

• The Truman Show

• The Shining

• Horton Hears a Who

Empire

The other day I watched the third episode of ‘Empire’ on BBC1. This episode followed Jeremy Paxman around India, Singapore and Kenya and focused on how the British integrated, whether it was through wearing the clothes, taking an Indian wife or taking the land.

Along with bringing textiles, gold and spices back to England, some of the native lingo came along too.

Did you know?

1. Bungalow: Originates from houses built in the Bengali style.
2. Veranda: Originates from Verum+tharai meaning open and space in Tamil.
3. Doolali: Meaning crazy or mad, came from the town Deolali, a place where the British soldiers developed ‘camp fever’ from boredom, before returning to the UK.

The Knitathon Has Begun

The art of Knitting. Dying out I thought ,but apparently not, everyone’s doing it even on the tube at rush hour. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon and join the knitters as the cold season is still upon us. Having a mother that is excellent at knitting was a good start, someone patient to show me what to do as I said ‘I don’t understand’ over and over again. Because it is hard! But only at first. So with my latest endeavour I decided to look up some facts on knitting, because I am pretty sure I couldn’t teach you online or teach it at all really.

1. The word knitting comes from the word knot, originally a Dutch word Knutten.
2. There’s a lot of debate to where knitting all started, but most signs point to the Middle East and North Africa.
3. The first piece of knitting that was found was in Spain under Arab rule during the 13^th Century. The word ‘Baraka’ meaning blessing was woven into it, in a Kufic style script.
4. During the Second World War, there was a real shortage of yarn, so women had to unpick and reknit!
5. During the 50’s the famous ‘twin set’ came about.
6. Elsa Schiaparelli heavily influenced by Surrealism designed a jumper that included the image of a bow within the pattern, the ‘bow-knot sweater’ this was revolutionary.

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Lucky Number 7

It’s almost time for Iranian New year 15 days and counting. The first day of the Iranian Calendar ‘Norouz’ meaning new day is also the first day of Spring, usually on the 21^st of March, but as this year is a leap year it’ll be on the 20^th and at 5:14 am UK time exactly.

Once new years strikes the tradition is that you go round and visit all your friends and family starting with the elders, this is called ‘Eid-Didani’. In return the elders give the younger members of the family gifts. This all began in the 2^nd century when the kings of different countries under the rule of the Persian empire would take gifts to the King of Kings ‘Shahanshah’, and it stuck.

An important part of ‘Norouz’ Is the ‘Haftsin’, the seven S’s, a spread/display that has a variety of things which are symbolic of the new year and life. Sort of like the Iranian equivalent of a Christmas tree.

The seven S’s:

1-Sabzeh: Wheat, Barley or Lentils are grown and sprouted in a dish, symbolising rebirth.

2-Samanu: A sweet sticky pudding made from wheat, symbolising affluence.

3-Senjed: The fruit of a Oleaster tree, symbolising love.

4-Serkeh: Vinegar, symbolising patience and age.

5-Somagh: Sumak, symbolising sunrise.

6-Sib: An Apple, symbolising beauty and health, hence the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

7-Sir: Garlic, symbolising medicine.

Other items such as candles, a mirror, goldfish, coins to name a few are also displayed.

Rose water: symbolising water.

Eggs: symbolising fertility, one for each member of the family.

Goldfish: symbolising life and animals.

Candles: symbolising fire and energy.

Coins: symbolising wealth.

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Other things going on:

The last Wednesday eve of the year is ‘Shabe Chaharshanbe Soori’, an evening of jumping over small bonfires and singing ‘Zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man’, literally translating to ‘my yellowness is yours and your redness is mine’, asking the fire for its strength and redness and giving it your yellowness and sickness.

Iranian New Year lasts for 13 days, the thirteenth day known as ‘Sizde bedar’ a national picnic day, where we eat, play games and throw the Sabze into a river, which over the thirteen days has supposedly collected all the sickness of the house and by throwing it out you’re shooing them all away. Unmarried girls tie knots in the Sabzeh, wishing it will bring them a husband.

Heres hoping.

Weddings Iranian Style

Last week I went to London’s first ever Iranian wedding fair. To be honest it wasn’t all that great, with only 10 or so stands it was a little on the disappointing side. The event boasted a variety of both Iranian and English suppliers, but it did not deliver. Never the less I managed to learn more about the traditions of an Iranian wedding ceremony. The ‘aghd’ (wedding ceremony) takes place with a spread of various items all symbolising things to do with the future of the bride and groom.

With items such as:

Mirror (Ayne): A mirror is used to be able to see the reflection of your partner.

Two Candelabras (Shamdan): These candles are placed on either side of the mirror, one representing the bride and the other the groom.

Gold Coins (Sekeh): Coins are displayed hoping to bring the couple wealth.

Eggs and Assorted nuts (Tokhme morgh /Ajil): A mixture of nuts and eggs are displayed to symbolise fertility, the couple are supposed to display as many eggs as the number of children they want.

Termeh: Termeh is a traditional embroidered cloth, when placed on the ‘Sofreh’ it symbolises tradition and family, as it is an item that is passed down from generation to generation.

Flat bread (Naane Sangak): Flat bread along with cheese and herbs is another part of the display, hopefully brining prosperity to the couples married life.

Crystlised Sugar (Nabat): To sweeten up the newly weds married life.

Wild Rue (Esfand): This is a type of incense that is burnt in order to keep the evil eye away.

Pomegranates and Apples: These are both known as fruits of the heavens, bringing a little divinity to the ceremony.

Quran or Book of Poetry: A book is always placed on the Sofreh, either a book of poetry or if the couple is religious then a Quran, or sometimes even both.

Honey (Asal): After the ceremony the bride and groom feed each other honey, to make their future lives as sweet as possible.

Things going on during the ceremony:

While the ceremony is taking place the happily married women of the families hold a cloth over the couple. Each of them taking a turn to rub two sugar cones over the couple, literally showering the couple in sweetness.

While the ceremony is taking place one of the women holding the cloth above the bride and grooms head, uses a needle and thread and makes a few stitches, figuratively sewing up the mother in laws lips.

After the ceremony has taken place the couple feed each other honey followed by bread and cheese, as getting married is hungry business.

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Vive La France

When the word austerity comes to mind there’s a certain person I come to think of and it isn’t David Cameron. The late and great Marie Antoinette has always been remembered for her frivolous spending at a time when the people of France were hungry, but she wasn’t entirely to blame. So I thought I’d share some things that I’ve come to learn about the Queen of Deficit.

Did you know??

1. She was an Austrian Princess, who married the Dauphin of France at the age of 15. Four years later in 1770 she became Queen, making her the youngest French queen to date.
2. One of the charges against Marie Antoinette was that she had sexual relations with her ten year old son.
3. She is most remembered for the quote ‘let them eat cake’ translated as “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche’, which was a response to a member of court telling her the people of France had no bread to eat. A little naïve and oblivious to the condition of her people you might say. Her reason being that brioche was a cheaper alternative. Apart from this being recorded in Jean Jacques Rousseau’s autobiographical work, there is much speculation to whether this is actually true.
4. The people of France gave the name of ‘Queen of Deficit’ to her, as her extravagance was blamed for the ruin of France
5. The last words of Marie Antoinette were “Pardon me sir, I meant not to do it”, which were said to the executioner as she stepped on his foot moments before being beheaded by guillotine.

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Check out Sofia Coppola’s film of Marie Antoinette’s life, the most aesthetically pleasing film you will ever see in my opinion. Very Oo Lala indeed.

Manga at the Museum

When I think of the British Museum, Manga doesn’t usually come to mind. With all that history under one giant glass roof, Japanese Manga artist Hoshino Yukinobu has found a clever way of show casing some of the museums famous pieces in a modern graphic novel. ‘Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure’ is a spin off from the cartoon published in ‘Big Comic’ magazine. The ten episodes were published over the course of 5 months, but have now been published back to back in a new book, which you can pick up in the museums gift shop. The exhibition showcases some of Yukinobu’s finished drawings otherwise known as ‘genga’, as well as some sketches. Although the exhibition is quite small, there are some great drawings on show. His work is incredibly detailed and bold, this particular story follows the professors attempt at stealing some of the museum’s famous and already stolen goods. Ironic yes, but intended I don’t think so.

The British Museum is free for all as is this exhibition, so make sure you check it out before the 9^th of April 2012.

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What a delicious book.

Today I learnt about the life of a famous Iranian musician, Nasser Ali Khan. His story is told by Marjane Satrapi, the author and illustrator of graphic novel ‘Persepolis’. Her Latest book ‘Chicken with Plums’ is the short and bittersweet tale of the last 8 days of Nasser Ali’s life.

But unlike Satrapi’s usual autobiographical style ‘Chicken with Plums’ is a sad love story. When Nasser Ali’s angry wife breaks his Taar (Persian instrument) it is not only his music he comes to miss but an old lover Irane.

Marjane Satrapi has a close connection to the story as Nasser Ali was her great uncle, no wonder she knows about his fantasies of a certain Italian actress. With a brief appearance by Sophia Loren, ‘Chicken with Plums’ is a truly comic piece, pulling at the heartstrings of its readers.

With some incredible illustrations ‘Chicken with Plums’, has now come to life in a film coming out later this year, with appearances from Monica Belluci as the angel of death, it is one to watch out for.

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