【336-339】Scientists Developing New Ways to Fight 'Red Tide'

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AS IT IS

‘Viet-Cajun’ Food Mixes Vietnamese, Southern US Cultures

August 19, 2018

Cajun culture is celebrated in areas along America’s Gulf Coast, the southern coastline that borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of the Cajun population lives in the state of Louisiana. The Cajuns’ ancestors were French-speaking colonists who came to the southern United States from an area that is now part of Canada.

The Cajuns brought with them different parts of their culture, including music, dance and food.

Cajun food is known for its many different spices, combined with mixtures of seafood, meat and rice.

One of the most common ingredients is crawfish - a small, freshwater animal mostly found in rivers or small bodies of water. Crawfish can be cooked alone, or put in a traditional Cajun soup called gumbo.

Now, a different kind of Cajun food is gaining popularity: Viet-Cajun.

This style of cooking was created by the area’s Vietnamese immigrants.

The salt and pepper crab is one of the popular dishes on the menu at the Houston-based restaurant, Crawfish & Noodles, which specializes in Vietnamese-Cajun styled seafood.

One restaurant specializing in this kind of food is Crawfish & Noodles in Houston, Texas.

Trong Nguyen is the restaurant’s owner and head cook. He explains what makes his Cajun boiled crawfish special:

“We sprinkle that with Viet-Cajun seasoning right now…”

The mixture combines traditional Vietnamese flavors with common Cajun spices and ingredients. He says he thinks he developed a good sense of flavors from his grandmother.

“Back in Vietnam, my grandmom was a very great cook. So I have the taste (from) many years growing up with her. So I kind of had that taste in me while I work along, help her along, to prep the dish.”

Nguyen was 17 when he settled in Houston in the late 1980s as a Vietnamese refugee seeking political asylum. In the United States, he studied and worked several kinds of jobs. But in 2008 he decided to open his own restaurant to specialize in Vietnamese-Cajun food.

Muc Chien Gion (calamari) is one of the popular dishes at Houston-based restaurant, Crawfish & Noodles. Owner and chef Trong Nguyen learned how to cook by helping his grandmother, and his restaurant blends the flavor she taught him with the Cajun dishes o

He says many other immigrants along the Gulf Coast also turned to the seafood industry. They created new Viet-Cajun dishes using crawfish, shrimp, and even alligator.

While Vietnamese and Cajun cultures might seem different, they do share some elements from French influences. The Cajuns were French colonists and Vietnam is a former French colony.

Nguyen also uses a lot of French ingredients in his food and says other Vietnamese cooks also understand this connection.

“From there, the Vietnamese seemed to understand the culture more, so the Vietnamese dived into that kind of business.”

But Nguyen still uses a lot of traditional spices from his homeland.

“My version is, I use a lot of Vietnamese seasoning – mix it in some of the Cajun part to make it. Because Vietnamese like seasoning.”

he Viet-Cajun crawfish is one of the popular items on the menu at the Houston-based restaurant, Crawfish & Noodles. “The oriental spices are probably less salty than the traditional Cajun, different spices that give it a very unique flavor,” said crawfish

Mike Vandenbold says he was born and raised on Cajun food in Louisiana. Now, he eats at Crawfish & Noodles once a week.

“When we came here, the extra Viet-Cajun spice is what made it for us. And we like these better than the traditional Cajun crawfish.

Terri Tran, a Vietnamese-American, is also a big fan of this special mix of food.

“It’s very flavorful. There’s lots of seasoning on it, and the crawfish is cooked perfectly.”

Nguyen says he hopes the next generation of cooks will keep working to create even better versions of Viet-Cajun food to unite the two cultures even more.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Elizabeth Lee reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

spice – n. substance made from a plant that is used to give a special taste to food

ingredient – n. one of the different foods that a particular type of food is made from

soup – n. a hot, liquid food, made from vegetables, meat, or fish

flavor – n. the taste of a particular kind of food or drink

prep – v. prepare, make ready

shrimp – n. small, pink, sea animal that you can eat, with a curved body and a shell

alligator – n. big reptile with a long mouth and sharp teeth that lives in lakes and rivers

seasoning – n. salt or spices added to food to change the taste

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AS IT IS

Scientists Developing New Ways to Fight 'Red Tide'

August 19, 2018

A beach in Bonita Springs, Florida, on August 14, 2018, show the effects of a 'red tide.'

A leading scientist says researchers in Florida are close to developing a way to control the algae known to cause deadly “red tide.” Michael Crosby heads the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, a leading research organization.

A 10-month-old red tide has been killing ocean life along Florida’s southwestern coast. Huge numbers of dead fish have washed up on beaches from the city of Naples up to Tampa. Red tide can cause problems for humans too. Contact with the algae can cause breathing difficulties, burning eyes and skin pain.

On Monday, Governor Rick Scott ordered emergency measures to deal with the crisis. Crosby said he welcomed the move, which releases more money and resources to solve the problem.

Scientists field-testing solutions

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suspects the red tide caused the deaths and strandings of hundreds of sea turtles this year. The agency also blames it for at least some of the 68 deaths of manatees. Other sea mammals killed include porpoises.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Harmful Algal Bloom scientist counts Karenia brevis (red tide) cells during water sampling processing, July 31, 2018.

The body of an almost eight-meter-long whale shark also washed up on Sanibel Island, Florida, late last month.

Crosby said, scientists are currently testing a process that would pump red-algae-filled seawater through an ozone-treatment system. Then the purified water would be pumped back into the ocean or waterway.

Crosby said the experiments were carried out in huge 25,000-gallon tanks. He said all succeeded in removing the poisonous algae. Crosby said the water chemistry returned to normal within 24 hours.

Scientists also are studying the use of seaweed, parasitic algae and other organisms to fight the red tide.

A ‘bad bloom’

Red tides happen almost yearly in Florida. They start in the Gulf of Mexico, where microscopic algae cells called Karenia brevis feed on deep-sea nutrients. Ocean currents carry the algae close to the coast, usually in autumn.

Work crews clean up dead fish along Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach, Florida, Aug. 6, 2018.

The current Gulf Coast Florida bloom is the worst in more than ten years. It began last October and has spread across more than 80 kilometers of coastline.

“It’s a bad bloom,” said Richard Stumpf, a scientist who studies red tides for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Stumpf said strong northerly winds that normally end red tides failed to form last winter. He said it is not clear why. And he said scientists are not sure if the winds will fail to form again.

Natural phenomenon

Scientist Michael Crosby said the red tide happened during the reproductive season for snook. The fish are important for both the environment and economy in Florida. Part of the emergency money ordered by the governor will be used to examine the red tide’s effects on that fish.

I’m Phil Dierking.

The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Phil Dierking adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

Have any environmental changes affected the oceans near your home? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

algae - n. simple plants that have no leaves or stems and that grow in or near water

ozone - n. a form of oxygen that is found in a layer high in the earth's atmosphere

parasite - n. an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it

seaweed - n. a type of plant that grows in the sea

strand - v. to cause (something, such as a boat or a sea animal) to become stuck on land

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AS IT IS

Refugee Grows African Eggplants in US

August 19, 2018

Janine Ndagijimana displays African eggplant also called bitter ball or garden egg, harvested from her field in Colchester, Vermont.

Janine Ndagijimana’s parents came from Burundi. But she was born in a refugee camp in Rwanda, a neighboring country. In 1994, her family fled Rwanda at the start of the genocide and settled at another refugee camp in Tanzania.

Ndagijimana arrived in the United States in 2007. She settled in the northeastern state of Vermont and began to dream of farming. While deciding what to plant, she thought back to her time in Tanzania.

It was at the refugee camp that she considered growing African eggplants, known as “intore,” in her native Kirundi language. She bought vegetables from farmers and sold them at the refugee markets. She saw that growers of African eggplant were making a lot of money, but she did not have the land to grow the fruit herself.

Ndagijimana remembered how a person would receive just 3.6 kilograms of food, which was usually only corn and beans, to eat for two weeks.

“Life was not easy because even the food they provided was not enough for one person,” she said.

To support her family

Vermont is one of the least culturally or racially diverse states in the U.S. Its population is 95 percent white.

In Vermont, she was able to use about 0.4 hectares of community garden. Later, a farmer leased her another 0.8 hectares for free.

“This is to support the family,” she said. She hopes that when the business gets bigger she can use the money she makes to send her children to college.

Since Ndagijimana planted her first crop in 2013, she has sold her 2,270-kilogram harvest through the mail to Africans in Arizona, Texas, Utah, Michigan and Idaho.

She is part of a growing number of farmers who have successfully used social media and the internet to sell crops from their home countries in the U.S.

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants said that other refugee communities also are growing and selling native crops around the U.S. For example, Burmese and Bhutanese farmers are raising and selling eggplants, peppers and herbsin Lowell, Massachusetts. In Dearborn, Michigan, Syrian and Iraqi refugees are growing peppers and mint.

Expanding her business

Ndagijimana hopes to eventually farm on 4.1 hectares. She has received help from a program called New Farms for New Americans. The program receives support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Vermont, or UVM.

Ben Waterman, of the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture meets with her weekly. He said she has also been teaching people how to copy her business model.

“Janine does her research and she really kind of weighs her options and makes use of a lot of the resources around here,” Waterman said.

I’m Phil Dierking.

This story was originally reported by Lisa Rathke for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

Do you have any crops from your home country you think would be popular in the United States? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

bean - n. a seed that is eaten as a vegetable and that comes from any one of many different kinds of climbing plants

corn - n. a tall plant that produces yellow seeds (called kernels) that are eaten as a vegetable, used to produce many food products, and used as food for animals

herb - n. a plant or a part of a plant that is used as medicine or to give flavor to food

lease - v. to allow someone to use (something) for a period of time in return for payment

mint - n. an herb that has a strong pleasant smell and taste and that is used in medicine and food

pepper - n. a food seasoning that is made by grinding the dried berries of an Indian plant along with their hard, black covers

plot - n. an area of land that has been measured and is considered as a unit

word-of-mouth - phrase. spoken language; informal or unofficial discourse.

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AS IT IS

Young Women in Myanmar Turn Away from Traditional Neck Rings

August 19, 2018

For hundreds of years, women in Myanmar’s Kayah area have worn bronze rings around their necks.

The rings are a traditional symbol of beauty. They also extend the necks of the women, making them very long.

But now, younger Kayan women are turning away from the tradition of their ancestors.

Mu Tu is one of the few women who knows how to make the traditional rings and put them on. She is 48 years old.

She says, "The shorter sets are easier to make. Everyone has their own preference. So if someone doesn't like what you've put on, you have to take it off and start over."

Maria Khaing has been wearing rings on her neck, wrists and knees since she was eight-years-old. She is now 83. She said, “My dad told me I looked like a boy. He said, 'so I will buy you a gun to hunt as a man'. But I said, 'every girl is wearing the rings, so I want to wear the rings too'."

Maria never removes the rings, even when cooking, eating or working.

"It is comfortable. At first it was hard but now it's fine. I eat and food goes [down]," she said.

Wearing neck rings was once expected of all Kayan women. But more and more have stopped wearing them.

Maria's granddaughter, 20-year-old Za Oo, is among those who have not kept with the tradition.

"They're heavy and uncomfortable. Also I don't know much about them, that's why I don't wear them," she said.

The rings make the women’s necks very long. But they also press down on the bones around the shoulders. Wearing the rings can also cause discomfort when swallowing.

Even Mu Tu admits that safety is a concern.

"If you don't make the rings correctly, someone can choke," she said.

Experts say there are now fewer than 100 long-neck women in Myanmar. That is down from about 300 to 400 in the 1990s.

Some people wonder, however, if tourists will still come to buy goods in Kayah when the long-necked women are gone.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Julie Taboh reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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