Tamarind Easter?

[Chuck Bao]

Did you make Easter eggs this year? Do you give Easter eggs to strange kids? Okay, not strange kids, but kids that you don’t know. You know what I mean.

I’ve only just started a tradition of this, just a couple of years actually. And, I’m wondering about it.

I’m asking if it’s proper – giving out Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies to the heathen kids as if it’s Halloween.

I noticed last week that my grocery store that specializes in things foreign had Easter baskets on sale. But when I went back to buy them this week they were sold out.

After walking up and down every aisle, I noticed that they sold tamarind fruit in little wicker baskets. I bought a lot of them wicker baskets with tamarind inside.

There wasn’t any of that fake grass stuff either. So, I bought pastel cotton balls. Who buys pastel colored cotton balls to wipe their kids’ butts anyway? Strange, that.

But, there were lots of chocolate bunnies on sale. Lots. The chocolate bunny industry must be…what’s the word I’m looking for…globally prolific?

So, I spent all night making the boiled eggs and dyeing them. I really don’t have the recipe on making boiled eggs and the vinegar and food coloring portions, but I did my best.

Best effort:

http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/kanunu/easterbaskets2.jpg

When my friend came by this morning, the one who is supposed to help me distribute them to the kids at the street market today, he said that I should have just stopped and handed out the tamarind because 1) tamarind is healthier, 2) it’d be much less work, 3) it’d be much cheaper and 4) why go all out for something that people aren’t really going to understand.

So, we bagged up all the tamarind I threw in the trash and we’re going to give it to the kids along with the ugly dyed eggs and choco bunnies.

It’s a new tradition – a tamarind Easter.

What is your Easter tradition?

[Rogue]

CB,

I think the pastel cotton balls aren't so much for butt-wiping as they are for wimmins to take off their makeup and such. :D

[BajaOklahoma]

When my kids were younger, we would spend Saturday dying the eggs. My f-i-l would come over on Sunday and hide them for the kids to find. Unfortunately, he usually hid more than the kids found. We usually found the others in November whe the plants died back.

I used to buy the kids a "keeper" egg each year. Decorated wooden ones, marble or whatever.

[Soonrboy]

those cotton balls are from castrated bunnies.

[MamaMia]

Ah, you're so sweet to do that. Thats really nice of you. :)

Yes Chuck, I make baskets too about 4 times a year. Easter, Christmas and a couple of times in between. I fill them up with all kinds of things for people who are under the weather at my church. I put things in them that are miniatures, like one serving soups with some cracker packets, Burt's bees lip moisturizers and other Burt's Bees goodies, a toothbrush, an OU beaded bracelet, little soaps and lotions, a loofahs, a gel eye mask, a coffee mug I fill with ginger tea bags and 3 cinnamon sticks along with some bending straws that I tie with ribbon. I add some mixed nuts or pop corn, little peppermint taffy bites, a little jar of my homemade apple jelly, 6 shortbread cookies, a few miniature crosswords and other word puzzle books. Then I sprinkle Hershey's kisses in them and put the cards in them that the ladies at my church make and wrap the baskets up in cellophane and tie a ribbon on top. The ladies at my church deliver them to whomever needs one.

I just got a stack of OU football schedules at the stadium to add to them next time I make some up, which will probably be this summer some time. I make 12 at a time. I make 6 for the ladies and 6 for the gentlemen. I just found these really pretty wooden angels at that store that sells everything for a dollar last Thursday. Oh...yes, its The Dollar Tree. I was really excited about that! I bought 3 dozen and can hardly wait to use them. :D

[Chuck Bao]

Mom, you have a heart of gold.

And before anyone gets the wrong impression about my basket arrangement skills, for heaven’s sakes I didn’t even know what cotton balls are used for.

Several years ago, Thai New Year coincided with Easter when I was staying in a poor village near the Laos border. I had all the village kids help me dye some eggs. The local Buddhist monastery allowed us to have the Easter egg hunt on their grounds. We had a lot of fun. I gave the kids money for each egg found and then they got to eat the eggs. This year, Easter came one week earlier than Thai New Year, so a friend agreed to hand out the baskets with eggs, candy and tamarinds to the kids at the street market where he works.

Next year, I'll hand out the pastel colored cotton balls to the pretty women wearing makeup.