Welcome to the sixth installment in the weekly Bamboo Shoots: The Care and Feeding of Pandas. One of the best parts about being a human is our ability to always learn new things. This week, I asked my Pandas what cool thing they learned this week. As you will see, the subject matter was wide and varied. I hope you'll learn some cool new things from them.
Rachel Schoenbauer, Pandamoon Editorial Coordinator
This one’s about food, specifically food that I never knew existed. One of the people I follow on social media recently encountered the term ‘turkey ham’ and this sparked off a huge discussion. Apparently (!) Turkey Ham is turkey that is smoked and treated in such a way that it behaves like ham. It’s pink, and will slab off properly, and tastes really good in sandwiches. I did not know that this existed for my entire life, partially because I am one of those who can’t really eat ham (I can eat bacon, but only in moderation, it’s /tragic/) so this had never been on my radar! Since it is not, however, ham, I think I’m going to have to try it.
Christine Gabriel, Pandamoon Global Publicist and author of The Crimson Chronicles
I actually learned a great life lesson today from an older gentleman I came across. He was excited to brag that he would soon be celebrating his 45th wedding anniversary. Upon asking him what the secret was to their long, successful marriage, he simply answered, “Know when you have a good woman, because lord knows there are few left. If you love her, and feel lucky to have her every single day, she’ll never look for anyone else except you.”
These few, simple sentences, taught me that true old fashioned love really does exist.
Laura Ellen Scott, Pandamoon author of The Juliet and the New Royal Mysteries
Straining the definition of “cool,” but I learned a lot this week. 1) The lyric is “She don’t lie/Cocaine,” as opposed to “She don’t like cocaine.” The first one makes a whole lot more sense, I admit. The only way I learned about this was because I was singing along in the car. Now my husband has ammo for life. 2) The Carville medical facility in southern Louisiana was once both a “leper colony” and a Federal minimum security prison at the same time. Learned that from the podcast “Criminal.” 3) I caught the dog is eating all the snap peas from our garden. I fear for the tomatoes. 4) The Comfort Inn on Chincoteague Island offers “Presidential Suites,” and for some reason that just cracks me up. We booked one for this weekend.
Elgon Williams, Pandamoon Global Publicist and author of Fried Windows (In a Light White Sauce), the Becoming Thuperman Trilogy, and the Wolfcat Chronicles
One of the things I enjoy about working with the general public on a nearly daily basis is engaging in conversation about what is important to them. Usually it is about family. Often it is also about health, battling cancer or other diseases. I learn by listening. And despite what my kids might tell you (and did in some of their posts about Father's Day) I am not the repository of all knowledge. But because I listen I end up knowing a lot of things others might call trivial tidbits. Yet, I also learn interesting things I might not hear anywhere else, because it comes from first hand experience.
Today I learned from purely personal empirical evidence that is the result of first hand experience that health care in Boston may actually be better than it is in Orlando. A lady told me that her relative who lived with her here was nearly unable to walk, but went back home to Boston to attend to family business. While there her condition worsened. Here in Orlando she’d seen a number of doctors who were unable to determine what was causing her problem. She was resigned to just live with it. At the insistence of her family she went to the hospital in Boston and after a few tests and consultation with a doctor, she was given a treatment that corrected her problem, eliminating a pain she was living with. And so, what I learned from this is that the quality of health care in our country may depend on where you live. And that is something that should concern us all.
An Tran, Pandamoon co-author of the Bath Salt Journals
I learned that DC is really ramping up their Justice League marketing.You just need to show us Jason Momoa, we already know he's superhuman. He doesn't need to BE Aquaman for reals! But jokes aside, I learned this week that gangs of aggressive killer whales are shaking down Alaska fishing boats for their fish. Animals constantly amaze! Also, are these honourary Pandas? Because: Panda or Orca?
Rachel Sharp, Pandamoon author of the Phaethon Series
I learned the word “Marfanoid” this week while researching EDS symptoms. Marfan’s is actually a different disorder, but some EDS patients demonstrate a similar “Marfanoid” appearance: large eyes, small jaw, long limbs, long digits, hypermobility. All this time, I thought I just looked like a grey alien from X-Files, but it turns out there’s a word for it! (Still sounds a little like an alien species, though.)
I hope you've enjoyed these glimpses into some of our Pandas. Be sure to come back every Wednesday for another interesting question and answer post.