88 lines
5.2 KiB
Standard ML
88 lines
5.2 KiB
Standard ML
HASHISH
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The Exotic Elixir
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By: Ezrider
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Welcome, Allow me to usher you into the den of tranquility. We shall
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utilize Hashish as our guide to exotic places. as the aroma fills your
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head, the sweet tingling is felt deep within your lungs. gliding
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effortlessly on heights of Hash to the east and the land of charras.
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Ah, Nepal!! The country with the highest mountain and it's Hash offers
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an incredible altitude also. For thousands of years hashish has been
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utilized by the inhabitants as both a medicinal herb and as an
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intoxicant.
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There are several countries that produce Hash, but only two basic types
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can be produced. These are either pollen or resin Hash. Nepal, which
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yields the resin variety, is known to have potentially the most
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powerful resin Hash. However, because the resins must be gathered by
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man, there are many variables that must be considered in seeking the
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highest quality resin Hash.
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Resin is gathered by hand-rubbing the Cannibis Indica, which is the
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Asian variety of marijuana. Proper care must be taken when rubbing the
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plants to insure maximum quality. To the unconcerned rubber, the plant
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is lifeless, to be attacked and wutilated so as to squeeze the joy juice
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from it's leaves and stalk, thus getting unnecessary weed fiber mixed
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with the resin. Others respect the herb and treat their plants with
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tenderness. They will converse with the plant as their hands gently
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stroke it, knowing that they are stimulating their mistress to secrete
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it's precious sap for them. When properly rubbed, the plant lives on and
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continues to produce resin until the rains comes to bring the harvest
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season to an end. So the wise harvester can visit his herbal lady daily,
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caressing her and building up the sparkling resins on his hands. The
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hands are periodically rubbed together to adhere the resin and form
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little beads of sticky Hash. More and more rubbing produces a sufficient
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amount of beads to be formed into balls or fingers of pugnent Hash.
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A tremendous amount of man hours are required to obtain a quantity of
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Hash and it's not unlikely for a hard working Hash rubber to gather only
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a kilo during the two month harvest season. This directly affects the
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market price and, of course, the availability, but considering the
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potential for quality this laboring can be easily rationalized. Since
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this actual labor is involved why not produce the very best? Easily
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said, but other variables must now be considered. The altitude of the
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plants should be mentioned as an important factor in resin production as
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the best plants thrive at the elevation between 5,000 and 7,000 feet.
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There is a Hash belt spanning thousands of miles and several countries,
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winding it's way through the Himalayan mountain range. Before you grab
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your hiking boots, let me say that not every hillside is covered with
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resin dripping plants because other factors are involved. For instance,
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the temperatures and the amount of daily exposure to the energy giving
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sun are controlling factors in the growth of a premimium plant. During
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the summer months the plants will protect themselves from the intensity
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of the sun by secreting resins. Thus the harvester is collecting the
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juices that flow from the plant rather that milking it.
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Another variable of quality is the precipitation level. Understandably
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the rains wash the resins away, so one must gather the vital fluids when
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the plant is near or at it's maximum output. If the harvester waits too
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long the resin may be carried away by the monsoons. Also, if the plant
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is rubbed early in the morning while the dew is still clinging to it,
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the water will accumulate with the resin. This usually makes the Hash
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harsh in the upper throat when smoked and will also cause the Hash to
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mold. This whitish mold is often mistaken for opium, but rarely will
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this be the case. Sometimes water is intentionally rubbed on the outside
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of a group of Nepalese fingers or a ball. This will cause a mold to form
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on the outside which will harden it and create crust to protect the
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moist interior. This is the basic packaging and protection of the Hash,
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but freshness can only exist for a short period this way.
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Occasionally resin has been adulterated with ghee or wax. The 'ghee',
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which is animal or vegetable oil, is used as a coating on the hands to
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assist the gathering of the resins and also as a binder to aid in
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adhering. This is also true with wax, and sometimes water might be
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introduced as a momentary binder. These adulterations do not yield pure
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highest quality Hash for the purest resin will adhere to itself. When
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considering the legend of opiated Hash, one should realize that opium
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smokers prefer pure opium and the Hash consumers prefer the purest
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Hash. If opium and Hash are mixed together it is usually because both
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are of low grade and when combined might become marketable.
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Our journey to Nepal has been brief but I hope all will make the trip
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again. Nepal was the last country in the world to make Hashish
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"illegal", but the Hash culture will witness the rise and fall of the
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prohibition. We shall explore new haights on further adventures into the
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realm of Hash. Until then, Best of Bowls! "Bom Bhola!!"
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