Other Week: Day 9

Original Post: Ledesmo Does Lunch
Date: January 26, 2010 at 10:12 AM 

When I was working in the flooded forests of the Rio Ucayali in the mid-1980's (see Umberto Pacaya and Grias Predated), lunch in the field would usually involve fariña (the coarse, toasted meal of cassava), several (large) spoonfuls of sugar, and enough water from the river to get the mixture to the right consistency. Known in Brazil and Peru as "xibe", this simple, midday carbohydrate fix is eaten throughout lowland Amazonia. You mix the whole thing up in the plastic bowl that you brought to the field specifically for this purpose - or you just use your hardhat - and carve a little spoon out of a piece of wood. Ledesmo, one of the field assistants, demonstrates the proper technique for slurping down xibe in the image above. [NOTE: Bunch of things to notice in this photo: the bags of fariña and sugar in the bottom of the boat, the collecting pole (see Herbarium Specimens), the beautiful paddle carved from remo caspi (Aspidosperma excelsum Benth.). Christine and Miguel helped with the spelling of "xibe" - or maybe "xibê" (thx, guys)].

Homemade Streamers

This scan from an old slide shows a family in Jenaro Herrera making faux crepe paper by sewing sheets of toilet paper together. You probably didn't know this trick. Streamers made from the paper are going to be hung in Hernan Peña's billiard hall as decoration for the reception following my wedding (thx, Elysa). [NOTE: They sewed 40 rolls of toilet paper for this event; it was really quite festive].

Ledesmo Does Lunch

When I was working in the flooded forests of the Rio Ucayali in the mid-1980's (see Umberto Pacaya and Grias Predated), lunch in the field would usually involve fariña (the coarse, toasted meal of cassava), several (large) spoonfuls of sugar, and enough water from the river to get the mixture to the right consistency. Known in Brazil and Peru as "xibe", this simple, midday carbohydrate fix is eaten throughout lowland Amazonia. You mix the whole thing up in the plastic bowl that you brought to the field specifically for this purpose - or you just use your hardhat - and carve a little spoon out of a piece of wood. Ledesmo, one of the field assistants, demonstrates the proper technique for slurping down xibe in the image above. [NOTE: Bunch of things to notice in this photo: the bags of fariña and sugar in the bottom of the boat, the collecting pole (see Herbarium Specimens), the beautiful paddle carved from remo caspi (Aspidosperma excelsum Benth.). Christine and Miguel helped with the spelling of "xibe" - or maybe "xibê" (thx, guys)].

Overnight Boat to Jenaro

The overnight boat from Iquitos to Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera) would frequently be extremely crowded. And once all of the places to tie your hammock were taken, people would start laying out their blankets and towels on the floor under the hammocks.  I remember on one particularly crowded trip I had a mother and small baby sleeping directly under me.  I was so worried that my hammock would come untied that I never got to sleep. And crawling through this chaos to get to the bathroom (the little louvered door shown in the background)...

[NOTE: The boat that I usually took, Ferry's, was owned and operated by - you are not going to believe this - Noé, or Noah, Ferry. And Elysa (see Aurelio y Luz and Chota Family) and I were such regular, faithful customers that they gave us a beautiful bouquet of plastic flowers as a wedding present.]

Aurelio y Luz

Elysa and I were given a pair of cobalt-winged parakeets (Brotogeris cyanoptera) as a wedding present and they stayed in/flew around our house the whole time we were in the Peruvian Amazon (see Jenaro Herrera). The male was named "Aurelio", the female "Luz". I could never tell them apart. [NOTE: Zooming in on Elysa's watch, I see that we were up playing with the parakeets at 11:00 PM on a Sunday evening]. 

Herbarium Specimens (from the Archive)

Some of my work involves collecting herbarium specimens. The specimen, ideally, will have leaves, flowers, and fruits, and all of these plant parts need to be carefully pressed and dried so that they can be mounted on an herbarium sheet. Big fruits sometimes need to be sliced up to press and dry.   The top image shows the fruits of Rhigospira quadrangularis, or "yahuar huayo", being sawed into slices at the IIAP field station outside of Jenaro Herrera in Peru (see Jenaro Herrera). The fruit slices and leaves will be folded into newspapers and dried in the plant drier shown glowing in the background.

The bottom image shows one of the herbarium sheets made from the Rhigospira collection.  This specimen is in the herbarium of the Chicago Field Museum; duplicates of the same collection are deposited in the IIAP herbarium and NYBG. [NOTES: That's my wife sawing through the Rhigospira fruits (thx, Elysa).  Close inspection of the herbarium label suggests that I had mis-identified the species and that it was later corrected by A. Leeuwenberg.  And yes, the glowing plant drier did eventually catch on fire.  Originally posted on December 4, 2008].

Chota Family

This is Don Manuel Chota (see Learning the Names) and his family standing in front of the clay oven behind their house in Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera) in the Peruvian Amazon. A delicious, three-tiered wedding cake was cooked in this oven when Elysa and I got married. 

Learning the Names

I've always liked this photo.  This is Elysa and Don Manuel Chota in the arboretum at the Centro de Investigaciones de Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera and Herbarium Specimens) in Peru going over the names of some of the trees.  Don Manuel was an amazing woodsman.  He not only knew the local names and uses of a large majority of the trees, but, after years of working with Swiss botanists, he also knew the Latin names.  What is not so visible in the photo is that Don Manuel also wore big, clunky, black glasses, and in later years his eyes started to fail him. You would have to describe the plant to him in great detail to get the name. [NOTE: Don Manuel's wife made my wedding cake].  

Fisherman

This young man was leaning against the wall of Peña's store (see Jenaro Herrera) with his fish one afternoon when I came back from the field.  Noteworthy, because this is the exact place where I would collapse to catch my breathe every day after returning from the field before walking the five kilometers back to the CIJH field station. Thought it deserved a photo. [NOTE: The fish are piranhas].

Herbarium Specimens

Some of my work involves collecting herbarium specimens. The specimen, ideally, will have leaves, flowers, and fruits, and all of these plant parts need to be carefully pressed and dried so that they can be mounted on an herbarium sheet. Big fruits sometimes need to be sliced up to press and dry.   The top image shows the fruits of Rhigospira quadrangularis, or "yahuar huayo", being sawed into slices at the IIAP field station outside of Jenaro Herrera in Peru (see Jenaro Herrera). The fruit slices and leaves will be folded into newspapers and dried in the plant drier shown glowing in the background.

The bottom image shows one of the herbarium sheets made from the Rhigospira collection.  This specimen is in the herbarium of the Chicago Field Museum; duplicates of the same collection are deposited in the IIAP herbarium and NYBG. [NOTES: That's my wife sawing through the Rhigospira fruits (thx, Elysa).  Close inspection of the herbarium label suggests that I had mis-identified the species and that it was later corrected by A. Leeuwenberg.  And yes, the glowing plant drier did eventually catch on fire].