Curried Out.

I’ll take this next opportunity to tell you all about the culinary delights here in this part of the world. Before I begin, however, there is an important distinction to be made between the cuisines of the north and south of India. The north is characterized by naan, samosas, butter chicken etc (everything you know and love from home), while the south is composed of chapati, roti, curry and dosas (pretty much the same as the food I had in Kenya). I will admit, the absence of all the delicious Indian dishes we are familiar with from back home came as a disheartening shock to me.

Monica, the woman who cooks at my apartment, prepares veryyy spicy concoctions of minimal variety. Rice, chapati, and curry are constants with some sort of lentil dish and every now and then there is chicken or mutton (a practice of sifting through bones like a ravenous scavenger). Occasionally, she prepares something called “Magi” which is instant noodles mixed with onions, garlic and an amalgamation of spices. I am such a sucker for instant noodles. It's all quite tasty, though a little monotonous.

Monica's daily copious creations

Indian food is all about the leftovers so that it may be nicely packed away in tiffin boxes for work the next day. So, as you can imagine, I eat a lot of the same thing for lunch and dinner. I like to have a little toast with jam or oatmeal every now and then to (un)spice things up a bit. I also bought an emergency box of kraft dinner at a grocery store – I look forward to that day. Yes, there are grocery stores around me with western labels, and I have also been told that I can ask Monica to prepare pasta or whatever else but I’ve decided to resist and only revert back to my culinary roots when absolutely necessary. It’s been a bit over two weeks now and I am proud to admit that I have not succumbed to a western restaurant or had western food once! It’s tough when Dominos, Pizza Hut and McDonalds are everywhere (and deliver!). Admittedly, I have inquired about the cost of a large pizza for future reference, and am excited to report that it is less than $10!! Mmmmm spicy curry pizza.

Ebony Restaurant buffet on the roof
with my friend Susie and her french friend

As far as going out for food, I went to The Kebab Factory the other night with my new roommates from Winnipeg (the founder of KHPT and his daughter) and the food just didn't stop coming. Yesterday, I went a little too wild at an Indian buffet (of course) on a rooftop in the downtown area with some friends. It was pretty fantastic. Other than that, I mostly just eat at home. As you can see from the picture above, Monica prepares sooo much food every day and it would be a shame to waste the spicy feast.

Manju's Cooking School 

Being as food-obsessed as I am, I have already managed to take a cooking class at Manju’s cooking school for north Indian cooking. It was really fun! There were only two other women there who seemed to be regulars, but they were hilarious Indian women who were definitely into the ‘foodie’ culture. Ironically, they just talked about the latest diets and problems with weight gain for the entire 4-hour class. They were also making fun of northern Indians, saying that they are all obese from their heavy curries with creams and curds, rather than the south Indian tradition of coconut milk-based curries. Despite the apparently high caloric count, the food we prepared was the best Indian food I had ever had. We made garlic-cillantro naan, kulcha (stuffed naan), bhatura (deep fried naan), palak paneer, paneer butter masala and malai kofta curry. Oh wow. Spectacular. The two other students cleverly came prepared with containers to bring some home. I just resorted to stuffing myself silly in my own biological container.

I have found that everything here surrounds FOOD. As a testament to this, the common greeting is not “How are you?” or “How is your day?”, but “Have you had your breakfast?” or “Had lunch?”

I was also surprised to realize how easy it has been for me to start eating with my hands. One part of me is just too embarrassed to ask for a fork at work, but another is just loving abandoning western practice for a bit and eating like a true Indian. Chapati is no problem – did that in Kenya – but the rice has been a constant struggle. There is serious strategy involved in the gather-clump-sauce-scoop-gobble process. Still trying to get the hang of that one.

I haven’t been sick once yet which is great news! I’ve been pretty careful not to eat from street vendors and very careful with the water.

Side note: the mangos here are spectacular. 

That’s all I have to say on the food front! I’m leaving for Koppal tonight until Thursday to do some initial field work, so I will report back upon my return!

Over and out.