Words and Artwork by katherine sandoz
Harvesting cinnamon, like love, is no easy feat. So said the Arab traders who specialized in moving and marketing the aromatic throughout the Middle Ages.
In order to create a value-added commodity, these expert salesmen and packagers suggested that cinnamon could only be reaped through death defying efforts. Think dinosaur-size snakes guarding fully stocked Sri Lankan caves. Or a house-size bird living in the clouds on a nest made of cinnamon sticks. The only way to collect the much sought after cure-all; arrange ox meat under the nest. When the birds bring the heavy flesh to the treetops, the nest falls loosing the exotic for collection. And very well-crafted, a man navigates a raft traveling from Ethiopa using no oars or sails, armed only with his courage.
Finding love and cinnamon takes guts!
“armed only with his courage”, 11″ x 8.5″, mixed media, 2014
This and other works for Salted & Styled available here.
