Ginger has proved anti-cancer properties Written by Dr Harold Gunatillake-Health writer It is true that ginger used in Sri Lankan curries has a delightful taste when used sufficiently, but it is not freely used as in Japanese cuisines. Japanese wouldn’t touch Sushi without ginger pickling on the side of the plate. Pickled ginger is called gari or amazu shoga in Japanese. It’s served with sushi or sashimi and eaten between different kinds of sushi. It helps to clean your taste buds and enhance the flavors. Sliced young ginger roots are well boiled in water, then drained twice, and boiled again after adding vinegar and maple syrup. That’s how Japanese eat it between eating sushi. Never place the ginger slices on the sushi as it is against Japanese table etiquette. Sri Lankans seem to slice ginger bought from the market, crushed or cut into small segments and added with the spices ...

Famous “quotes” of Batticaloa Burghers Further to the “Burgher Buggers” as we were all fondly “referred to” by our Sinhalese,Tamil, Muslim & Malay friends in “My Lovely Island Home” there was one “lot” who will always be remembered for their very famous “quotes”. These were spoken in what was termed “broken English”, not scratched, slivered, or “slightly-dented”, but severely broken English These good folk were known as “Batticaloa Burghers”, who did not necessarily come from Batticaloa alone, but anywhere in Lanka, where the Queens English did not mean very much to them. While we were growing up in Ceylon, broken-English was all around us and we did’nt take too much notice of these warm & wonderful quotes but now, as I sit here writing these memorable sayings of the B.B., I cannot help but feel a tinge of nostalgia steadily creeping up into my heart and a wry smile makes it way ...

Most of the songs I have “written & composed” have been “love-songs”. This stems from the era in which they were written, the 50’s & 60’s. They were the years when “Love was in the air”. They were the songs that were written when, instead of violence, romance was paramount, in every sense of the word. Of course, love-stories did not always end with the “happily ever after” theme. Sometimes, as in my case, I ended up :- “BACK, WHERE I STARTED, AGAIN”. I’ve tried counting sheep, but I just can’t sleep I’m back, where I started, again As time passes by, like a faraway sigh The breeze seems to whisper your name My life had been lonely, until I met you Then,nothing else mattered, my dreams had come true Now you’ve said goodbye, & I was to blame So, I’m back, where I started, again. I want you to ...

“BURGHER BUGGERS” “BURGHER BUGGERS, TOLL-BELL TUGGERS THAT IS WHO WE ARE PORTUGUESE, DUTCH & BRITISH MUGGERS EVERY ONE A “STAR” WE HAD TO LEAVE OUR MOTHER-LAND THE ISLE OF SRI LANKA BUT WE WILL STILL BE BURGHER BUGGERS NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE”.(EVEN THOUGH) BURGHER BUGGERS BECAME BEGGARS AFTER DRINKING WHISKY (THEN) BURGHER BUGGERS, ONE & ALL STARTED TO GET FRISKY(WHICH WAS RISKY) ENDING WITH MORE BURGHER BUGGERS” & I could go on & on, but what’s the USE, we are “Better Burgher Buggers”& in Oz., we cannot LOSE”. An European group, historically from Sri Lanka, formerly “Ceylon, Seylan, Taprobane or half a dozen others, you could name”, consisting mainly of the male-line descendants of European Colonists from the 16th to the 20th Centuries, mostly Portuguese, Dutch & British, coupled with local Sinhalese. Today, the Mother-tongue of the Burghers is English but historically, other languages were spoken by the people, ...