Tri\’s Trivia and more…..

Do you know how the varakh on your sweets (mithai) is manufactured?

Silver foil, or varakh, as it is generally known in India, adds glitter to Indian sweets (mithai), supari (betel nut), paan (betel-leaf), and fruits. Also it is used in Ayurvedic medicines and on deities in many Jain temples. The silver-topped sweet is even served as prasad in temples and on auspicious and religious occasions. Varakh is also used in flavored syrups as in kesar (saffron) syrup.
Several years ago, as suggested by BWC, Indian Airlines instructed their caterers to stop the use of varakh on sweets (mithai) served on board their flights. Today, many ask for sweets without varakh, having realized the cruelty involved in its preparation.

Just how is varakh made and what is it that makes its preparation and consumption so sinful?

Varakh is not derived from an animal source. However, a crucial material of animal origin, ox-gut, is used in its manufacture. This ox-gut is obtained from the slaughterhouse.
In the by lanes of the villages of Ahmedabad (Gujarat state, India) and other cities, amidst filthy surroundings, placed between layers of ox-gut, small thin strips of silver are hammered to produce the glittering foil.
The intestine (ox-gut), smeared with blood and mucus, is pulled out from the slaughtered animal by the butcher at the slaughterhouse, and sold for the specific purpose. Note that it is not a by-product of slaughter, but like everything else meat, hide, and bones are sold by weight. This is then taken away to be cleaned and used in the manufacture of varakh.
The gut of an average cow, measuring 540 inches in length and 3 inches in diameter, is cut open into a piece measuring 540″ x 10″. From this, strips of 9″ x 10″ are cut to give approximately 60 pieces of ox-gut, which are then piled one onto another and bound to form a book of 171 leaves.
Next, small thin strips of silver are placed between the sheets and the book slipped into a leather pouch (note that the use of leather-an animal product again). Artisans then hammer these bundles continuously for a day to produce extremely thin foils of silver of 3″ x 5″.The leather and ox-gut, being supple, can withstand the intense manual hammering for up to 8 hours a day till such time as the silver is beaten to the desired thickness. When ready, the foil is carefully lifted from between the leaves of ox-gut and placed between sheets of paper to be sold to the sweet makers (mithaiwallas). A booklet of 160 foils weighs approximately 10 grams and costs about Rs. 200 ($5.00).
To make a single booklet of 171 sheets, the guts of 3 cows are used. And the yield per book is generally 160 foils of silver, the rest of which may be damaged or unfit for use. Thus one book, used on an average of 300 days of the year yields approximately 48,000 foils of silver which means that each ox-gut yields an estimated 16,000 foils.
The leather used for the pouch to hold the book (made from ox-gut), is cowhide or calf leather, and uses about 232 sq. inches of material. Assuming the size of an average cowhide to be 18 sq. ft or 2,600 sq. Inches, the yield per hide will be approximately 10 leather pouches.
Usually 4 foils are used per kilograms (2.2 lbs.) of sweets and the ox-gut of one cow is used to produce foil for approximately 4,000 kilograms (9,000 lbs.) of sweets. It is estimated (by Surveys) that the average consumption of sweets by a middle class family of four in India is about 100 kilograms per year.
Thus, an average middle class Indian family of four consuming approximately 100 kg of sweets per year for forty years consumes silver foil produced with the gut of 3 cows and one-tenth of a cowhide!
India is not the only country where foil is made by such methods. In Germany, small-specialized enterprises produce gold leaf, which is beaten down to 1/10,000-millimeter thickness, for decorative and technical purposes by similar methods. The Jews use the gold foil for as much the same purposes, namely for food preparations, as it is in India.
In India the 275 tons of silver that are beaten annually into varakh utilize intestines of 516,000 cows and calf leather of 17,200 animals each year.
Therefore, we hope that someone; somewhere will develop an alternative process for the making of varakh without using ox-gut.

Dear Diary,
>
>For my fortieth birthday this year, my wife (the dear) purchased a week
>of personal training at the local health club for me.
>Although I am still in great shape since playing football 20 yrs ago, I
>decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
>
>Called the club and made my reservation with a personal trainer named
>Vanessa, who identified herself as a 24 yr old aerobics instructor and
>Model for athletic clothing and swimwear. My wife seemed pleased with
>my enthusiasm to get started! The club
>
>encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
>
>MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but it was
>well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Vanessa waiting
>for me. She was something of a Greek goddess with blonde hair, dancing
>eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!!!! Vanessa gave me a tour
>and showed me the machines. She took my pulse after 5 minutes on the
>treadmill. She was alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I attributed
>it to standing next to her in her Lycra aerobics outfit. I enjoyed
>watching the skilful way in which she conducted her aerobics class
>after my workout today. Very inspiring, Vanessa was encouraging as I
>did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in
>the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
>
>
>TUESDAY: I drank
>a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out of the door. Vanessa
>made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air, and then
>she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill,
>but I made the full mile.
>Vanessa’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!!
>It’s a whole new life for me.
>
>
>WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by lying on the
>toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it.
>I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as
>I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club
>parking lot. Vanessa was impatient with me, insisting that my screams
>bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early
>in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is
>VERY annoying. My chest hurts when I got on the treadmill, so Vanessa
>put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine
>to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Vanessa told me
>it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other shit
>too.
>
>
>THURSDAY: Vanessa was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth
>exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl.
>I couldn’t help being a half an hour late; it took me that long to tie
>my shoes. Vanessa took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not
>looking, I ran and hid in the men’s room. She sent Lars to find me,
>then, as punishment, put me on the rowing machine – which

>I
>sank.
>
>
>FRIDAY: I hate that bitch Vanessa more than any human being has ever
>hated any other human being in the history of the world.
>Stupid, skinny, anemic little
>cheerleader. If there were a part
>of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with
>it. Vanessa wanted me to work on my triceps, I don’t have any triceps!
>And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the F***NG
>Barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill
>flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why
>couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir
>director?
>
>
>SATURDAY: Vanessa left a message on my answering machine in her
>grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today.
>Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner.
>However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up
>catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.
>
>
>SUNDAY: I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I
>can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next
>year, my wife (the bitch), will choose a gift for me that is fun
>– like a root canal or a vasectomy .