Roll with it, baby

As American car manufacturers race to produce a hybrid Cadillac Escalade that gets 20 mph (no, I'm afraid I'm not kidding here), the Filipino department of transportation is already light years ahead, with the incredible bamboo mobile. Chiefs of state cruise around the capital city of Manila in this stylish station wagon, conducting official business and making ceremonial appearances. Eat your heart out Fred Flintstone. (Statistics on the vehicle's fuel economy have not been made available — but check out that adjustable windshield, for increased aerodynamics!)

They get cuter with age

If Giant Pandas are cute, then baby Pandas must be downright adorable, right? Yeah, well, more or less. These cuddly critters came into the world just last month, but clearly they still have a long way to go.

"One month-old twin Panda babies are held by zoo keepers during their first appearance to the public at Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Oct. 11,2008. The female, left, and male cubs weighing 991gram and 861gram respectively, were born in Sept. 13." (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

I just hope those are super soft bamboo towels that they're wrapped in!

Good for the soul - great on the plate

On our recent trip to Santa Cruz, we made an incredible discovery: Bamboo Rice. Color me flummoxed!

No, Condoleezza's brother isn't hiding out somewhere in a hippy commune in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's the edible stuff. So what the heck is it, I wondered. A special kind of rice, or a special kind of bamboo? I mean, sure, bamboo is a member of the monocotyledonous grass family, Poaceae, just like rice. So some varieties must surely produce an edible grain, right?

Well, maybe there are some tasty bamboo grains out there, and maybe not. But that will have to be the subject of some future episode of this spellbinding blog. It turns out this was some kind of rice that's been infused with bamboo essence, enhancing the grain with a uniquely nutty flavor and earthly aroma. So we grabbed a bag from the bulk section of the New Leaf grocery store on Hwy 1, a few minutes north of downtown Santa Cruz, and rushed home with it.

To unlock the full potential of this exotic rice, I prepared an unusual recipe of spinach praram with tofu, smothered with thai peanut sauce. For the sake of culinary experimentation, I substituted homegrown chard for spinach, TVP chunks for tofu, homegrown parsley for cilantro, and half of the peanut butter was substituted with TJ's sun butter (made from organic sunflower seeds). Our own garden also provided the crushed red cayenne peppers. The results were delicious. (Feel free to email me for a complete recipe.)

Mega flora

Giant timber bamboo forests are amazing - and we saw a few on our last trip to Santa Cruz - but nothing surpasses the grandeur of an old-growth redwood forest where the trunks of Sequoia sempervirens reach 2-300 feet into the sky. I'm not sure how old-growth these stands in the Henry Cowell State Park are, probably no more than a century or two, but the sense of scale and the scents of clean oxygen are enough to intoxicate even the staunchest of carbon lovers.

We spent a beautiful afternoon frolicking in the river here at Big Basin and a tranquil night snoozing under the redwoods and what few stars could be seen through the redwood canopy. A much needed break from the fast paced rat race lifestyle of San Luis Obispo.

Believe it or Knot

Just when I thought I'd seen every possible application of bamboo, I came across the Tai Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out their website (textilearts.com/bamboo) and amaze yourself with contemporary Japanese textile art.

Tao here now

In the beginning was the Word . . .

After great anticipation, "The Tao of Fred" has finally been printed. Seize the day; order now and receive a very limited first edition copy of this rare collection of thoughtful and inspirational Limericks. Now available here at BambuBatu.com, under poetry.

Now for something completely different . . .

In our unending efforts to see the world from a new point of view, and to see that paradigm shift become a reality, we spend an inordinate amount of time turning the world on its head, engaging in deep meditation, and conducting meaningful discourse on the matters closest to our hearts.

As purveyors of bamboo, we are deeply concerned with issues of ecology, sustainability and habitat conservation, as well as fair and just social policies and labor practices. As an environmentalist, I have a passion for all things green. As a world traveler, I enjoy studying cultural characteristics and local customs. And as a writer and literary scholar, I'm fascinated by the poetic traditions that crop up in various eras and locales. Not surprisingly then, these interests intermingle to foster a zeal for literature from the green island of Ireland, and an irrational obsession with Limericks.

On that note, it pleases me to offer you the following words of wisdom for your consideration:


"Winds of Change"
There was once an iniquitous breeze
Blowing garbage with consummate ease
          As the Styrofoam floated
          I carefully noted
How quickly it grew on the trees

"Hug a Tree"
There's a movement we've recently seen
After treating the planet so mean
          The force of our mass
          Is killing the grass
So give up the gas and go green

"The Human Scourge"
Mankind is in need of a better direction
Consuming and killing with savage perfection
          Where lies the answer
          To this bipedal cancer?
What can be done to contain the infection?

"Scorched Earth Policy"
Open your eyes to this uncommon era
And dry up your tears ‘fore they run your mascara
          As the king plucks his fiddle
          The Earth’s in the middle
Defending herself in the war against terra

"Earth in Peril"
Old humans once honored their planet
It seems now they take it for granite
          But the Earth’s plenty strong
          She’ll heal before long
Global warming can’t kill us — or can it?

"Wasteland"
Rushing downstream like some ill-guided salmon
Our bodies are wasting with spiritual famine
             The flesh has grown fatter
             From meaningless matter
We’ve traded our souls for the almighty mammon

"Mars Attacks"
Mr. Martian stepped out of his cosmic two-seater
Joined by his wife, for he hoped to entreat her
             Unsure what to think
             I said, “How ‘bout a drink?”
“Why yes,” he replied, “take me straight to your liter!”