Beans

There was a time when women ruled the world. Men were considered to be good for a short list of necessities and were basically for entertainment purposes only. The reasons for this had to do with the fact that a woman’s 28-day cycle coincided with the 28-day cycle of the moon and there were 13 months.

It was believed the only way a woman became pregnant was by the wind or by eating beans. Therefore, men had little importance in the area of reproduction. For thousands of years in virtually every civilization it has been taught that the soul is as the bible references it, “but a vapor.” Or as Pythagoreans believed the soul or spirit is made of wind.

The Greek word for soul is ‘anemos, which means wind. Pythogoras was a Greek philosopher and founder of a religious cult in which he taught his followers vegetarianism sexual equality, reincarnation and that the eating of beans is not only forbidden but also punishable by death. He believed that man and beans emerged from the identical primordial slime, therefor, the eating of beans was equal to cannibalism.

The cause of this confusion came from the observation that after one consumed beans they expelled large quantities of air. It was concluded that when one dies there soul rests in a bean plant until a human eats the bean and by virtue of digestion the soul is released and free to continue its journey to heaven.

The simple act of covering our mouth when we yawn is meant to prevent evil spirits from slipping inside. We say “Gesundheit” when someone sneezes to prevent devils from jumping into the breach.

Early Christians prepared a bean dish on the day of the dead. Beans were left as an offering to spirits as protection from evil. Romans spit out black beans at midnight ceremonies while chanting “Deliver me from evil and protect me and mine from death, oh ye beans”. The Japanese still scatter beans around the house to drive out evil spirits. In some cultures beans offered as a wedding gift would insure fertility and the continuation of genes in a family. The Vedic people of India associated beans passion and thought them to be an aphrodisiac. Egyptians referred to the bean field as the place of resurrection. And we can’t forget Jacks magical bean stalk, his beans were supposed to take him to the land of unimagined riches.

All of this fun stuff aside, beans are a healthy staple and countries all over the world depend on them for sustenance. American Indians were combination gardeners, they raised green beans, corn and squash together. There are high levels of folate, vitamin c and A. Fresh beans contain phyto chemicals and all are high in niacin, protein, potassium, magnesium, thiamin, and B6. They are also an excellent source of fiber.

Bean, beans the musical fruit the more ya eat the more ya toot has always been one of my favorite songs so fix these here beans and sing along with me…..
Dangerous Dennis’s Barbecue Baked Beans
1 15 ounce can Red kidney beans
1 15 ounce can Garbonzo Beans
1 16 ounce can Pork and Beans
5 ounces of dangerous Dennis’s Barbecue Sauce (Clarks and Yachats Village Market)
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Mix it all together and bake for 35 minutes at 350.
Enjoy

To reach Crystal Hayes email: crystalhayes@peak.org