RoseMary, my beloved aunt, used to be able to talk in circles around me. A constant stream of words, detailed memories, bird-like observations of everyone around: this was RoseMary. Until about five years ago, that is, when vascular dementia took hold of this once-unstoppable woman. Now, she can barely string together a few words into a coherent meaning.
Last year, in a packed and fragrant spice shop off a teeming Old Delhi street, I spoke with the proprietor, who claimed that liberal use of turmeric in Indian cooking is the reason that alzheimer rates are so low in India. Nationalistic claim or truth? I squirreled away the information and continued inhaling the cardamom pod I had been given.
Today, the BBC included this article on the benefits of turmeric in their daily news feed. Any one know good Indian cooking classes in the Boston area? I need to sign up, fast.