Bamboo Expressions was proud to be involved with the HSCC Walk for the Animals sponsored by the Humane Society in South Burlington, VT.
An Arbor was donated for the occasion.
It goes without saying that any Humane Society is a worthy cause. People sometimes forget that not only pandas and other gigantic raccoons need our love and protection.
Pole dancing (the family-friendly variety) includes Tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines. Our 2" poles, conveniently supplied in a carton of 4, are ideal for this kind of dance, and we are happy to have supplied plenty of poles for this purpose.
But it's not just our friends in the Philippines who practice this kind of bamboo pole dance. We've seen it all over South-East Asia, parts of Southern China and even in Northeast India. A photo from Vietnam, where we hosted the directors of NMBA.
It was in Mizoram, India on March 12, 2010 where we were lucky enough to be present for the largest bamboo pole dance (the "Cheraw") in the world, as certified by none other than the Guinness Book of World Records. It was 10-minutes long, 10,736 people wide, and a sight to behold.
Some photos from the rehearsal, the day before.
And the actual dance itself:
For other types of bamboo pole dancing, involving bad pandas perhaps, that we leave to your imagination.
Today in China is Dragon Boat Festival, and like many holidays in Asia, bamboo plays its part. Depending how you feel about Classical Chinese Poetry, It celebrates / memorializes the suicide of a poet by eating sticky rice dumplings and racing dragon boats. Like the Easter Bunny, the connection to these events is a little tenuous, but everybody has a good time and nobody has to work.
Bamboo's part is related to the sticky rice dumplings: they're cooked in bamboo leaves, wrapped in string. The center has a core of fatty tasty pork. It's not a bad treat.
A least once a year I get the pig-roasting question.
Experienced pig roasters know that if you're going for that traditional tropical feel, bamboo is your plant, and not just because bamboo is strong enough to support the weight of an entire hog. Bamboo is less flammable than wood, which is why you see wood matchsticks but not bamboo matchsticks. The low flash-point of bamboo is also why bamboo, not wood, is used for incense sticks. Bamboo, so reluctant to burst into flames, provides that slow burn necessary for getting the attention of the gods. You just have to remember to punch out the nodes: otherwise the space between them heats up and pops, splitting the pole (the character for bamboo is included in the Chinese word for fireworks)
The market down the street from the factory uses bamboo poles as a feeding trough for their chickens.
It's a cute way to get the job done. Although it was past feeding time, one slightly amorous chicken was kind enough to demonstrate the method for us.
We'll be updating our website over the next few days, so please be patient. The new layout will make shopping easier, have more bamboo information and be easier on the eyes.
Shopping cart and ordering works well as as always, but if you get lost, please just send us a mail or give us a call!
Made a video for cutting bamboo, hope it helps.
Bamboo poles are light and strong, and one of bamboo’s more interesting uses in the use of aviation, particularly in early aviation. Bamboo and spruce were often used in early gliders, although spruce became more common. If aviation had taken off in China or Southeast Asia, one could imagine bamboo poles would have been used more often.
Took a photo, attached, which shows a bamboo glider on display in Orange County airport, CA. Bamboo poles in one of their more interesting uses.
As a follow-up to an earlier post….
The snows only lasted a week, but they did do some damage to the forests. Photo, attached, of some of the poles that were uprooted by the heavy snows.
Luckily wasn’t bad enough to seriously damage the local economy.
Here’s a cool (but simple) project that can be done with some Mao poles.
I saw it in India. Take a 3” to 6” pole, cut off a length of two feet or so. Make the ends attractive by beveling them out. Hallow out the center, add some rope, and ta-dah. An interesting planter you can hang from a ceiling or balcony.
Some photos attached, contact me if you need more info:
