BLUE-BAR PIGEON and TRUFFLES

Total COVID-19 deaths:

• World:  1,627,626
• Europe:  461,548
• South America:  341,129
• Asia (including India and Middle East):  313,636
• USA:  308,091
• Africa:  56,740
• China:  4,634
• Oceania:  1,039
• Diamond Princess:  13
• Grand Princess:  7
• Taiwan:  7

At first glance, you might wonder, how could I possibly link a pigeon with truffles.  As those who regularly read this blog site know, there is a Blue-bar pigeon that follows me around the world.  Of course this is because there are so many of these world-wide.  You almost can't not see one whenever there is a large flock. 

The pigeon is so common, that they are wherever we are.  As an aside, a particularly amazing bird is the Arctic Tern, for it annually flies 25,000 miles, the circumference of Planet Earth.  They also have a life expectancy of 30 years.  Thus, in the average lifetime, the Arctic Tern equivalently travels to the Moon, back to Earth and return to the Moon.  What a life.

But back to my Blue-bar Pigeon, the first one interacted with me on 19October2020 in Venice, when I saw it eating my breakfast during my visit to the buffet.  This "same" pigeon came by to say hi that day when I had a multi-truffle lunch at Quadri.  Coincidentally, this might have been my best one day of travel ever, capped with a memorable concert of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the theater he wrote part of this musical masterpiece, and that performance link is from this location. 

First of all, looking at that blue-bar, the bar is not blue, but black.  It is called a rock dove, rock pigeon or common pigeon.  There are 1000 different breeds.  Pigeons were domesticated 5000 years ago, and have a wide range of sizes, colors and shapes.  Males and females look the same, except the iridescence on her neck is less intense.  They both mostly have orange eyes.  They mate for life and together take care of the nest.  Supposedly, there are 400 million around the globe.

The pigeon was central to Charles Darwins's theory of evolution.  They can be trained to find their way home from long distances.  While they live only 3-5 years in the wild, in captivity, they can have longevity up to 15 years.  They have been timed to fly at 92.5 miles/hour.  Unfortunately, their mortal enemy, the peregrine falcon, moves at up to 242 MPH.  On land, the cheetah goes as fast as 75 MPH, with Usain Bolt reaching a top speed of 27.33 MPH, and at sea, the swordfish at 60 MPH.

In Kakaako I grew up in an environment with a lot of pigeon coops.  There was a large one perhaps 25 yards away that was also a haven for cockroaches.  I remember my father building a small cage for me.  I was given a pigeon.  I think it was a blue-bar, and one day, it flew away and never came back.  One of the saddest days of my life.

At 2101 Craigside, a pigeon couple fell in love with a portion of our roof lanai and regularly hatched their brood.  There were usually two eggs each season.  It was a battle with my wife whether to tolerate them or not.  I prevailed.

They are constantly at risk in the air and on the ground, with a wide range of predators.  They are also known to carry parasites.  They are known to transfer avian influenza like H5N1.

Last month, New Kim, a Blue-bar Racing Pigeon sold for $1.9 million (or $30,350/pound) to a Chinese buyer.  The more expensive ones are usually male.  NK is a she, and will be used by her new buyer as a mother.  The center of breeding is in Belgium.

Speaking of expensive, Stanley Ho of Hong Kong in 2010 paid $300,000 for a two-pound white truffle.  That year a South Korean wine critic bought a similar size for $231,455.  In this 2012 photo, the mayor of Acqualagna, Andrea Pierotti, is holding what looks like a 2.4 pounder, which, according to this article, was gifted to President Barack Obama on his re-election.

In 1953 Giacomo Morra of Alba (Italy) also sent to President Harry Truman one of about the same size.  The President was enraptured, and requested the White House sign a five-year contract with Morra for a consistent in-season supply.  The International Alba White Truffle Fair is in its 90th year.

Legend has it that the largest-ever truffle was found in 1668 by Filippo Cortesti.  A pair of them weighing approximately 27 and 40 pounds.  However, Sotheby's (left) auctioned the largest recent truffle, only 4.16 pounds, for $61,000.

The presentation of my song #14 yesterday was somewhat lengthy, so I left out the competition, I could have inserted Andrea Bocelli, Mario Lanza and Enrico Caruso.  Here is Lanza playing the role of Caruso:

Song #13 is Koko Ni Sachi Ari, or Here is Happiness, music by Saburo Iida and lyrics by Kikitaro Takahashi.  I might have first heard it when I was in high school, sung by a McKinley High School classmate, Teddy Chinen.  He was a year younger, and not quite yet famous.  He later became Teddy Tanaka, met another singer at the Oasis night club in Honolulu, Nancy Lee Brown, and they entertained together for half a century until he passed away in 2014.

Another memorable performance came from Club Nisei.  I've forgotten the details, but, combined with the Shochiku Orchestra, the effort began in 1932 as the Okinawan Men's Club band, led by Francis Zanami.  I won't say much more, for this very early beginning produced a song in my Top Ten.

Rene Paulo had a piano version of Here is Happiness that did well in Hawaii.  He and his wife Akemi starred in a number of nightclub acts in Honolulu half a century ago.  He is now 90 years old.

I end with a short series of first puppy encounters, which is guaranteed to put a few tears in your eyes:

While, one more, for there are two typhoons in the South Pacific, Yasa (below), now a Category 5 monster, threatening Fiji, and Zazu, a Category 1, who just veered off before making landfall over Tonga.

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