Mel's post re Indian food

So it's been observed that I haven't talked about food much. This blog post will change that. :)

I find it pretty funny that I anticipated coming to India and getting rid of my sweet tooth...ummm...well...that hasn't really happened. First off, there are the masala chai teas (we like the ones with cardamom)...which you may have read are everywhere. We've been getting them regularly in the morning and when we were at the village and city schools, we got them at 10:30am and at 2 or 3pm also. These are chock full of sugar. And we notice when they're not sweetened because we add sugar! But they're amazingly good...and will be one thing for sure I will continue to enjoy once I get back. mmmm...chai (and it doesnt taste anything like starbucks or a teabag...it's just pure goodness). Sometimes they're made mostly with milk, sometimes just the black tea with milk added at the end but either way...soooo good.

On occasion, we've also been enjoying mint tea (mint leaves and hot water, possibly add honey), and also honey, lemon ginger tea (one we tried had real lemon in it and was tart but really tasty - took away our sore throats we were getting from the train). Other drinks we've ordered are the lassi's, mostly the mango one which is a yogurt base. These are really smooth and tasty. We also found a street vendor who had a juice maker and we drank a glass of pomegranate juice on the side of the street. That was really refreshing. So refreshing in fact, that it's all Deb could think of for the next 24 hours...Here we are on a boat tour, walking through these amazing castles in the middle of a lake in Udaipur and her primary thought? :) "Oh my gosh..I can't wait until we get our pomegranate juice. Should we go get it right away when we're back or get the shopping done first then go straight there? Or get the gulab jamen first?" But my favourite...is the lemon nana. It's a mint and lemon drink..some are blended, some are more yogurty but the one I had today was utterly amazing. It was like lemonade (but less tart) combined with a mojito (with no rum). I could have downed two at once.

For breakfast, I've been thrilled to notice that museli and curd (yogurt) is served a lot of places over here. It's a nice change that I welcome...so I don't have to eat Indian meals 3x a day every day. :) And I do miss my homemade granola with my allspice and yogurt so this makes a very reasonable compromise while travelling. A few places cut up fresh fruit it in also which was a nice treat. Deb likes her Indian breakfast of curry and chapati or naan. :) For me, the sight of blended spinach curry (palak paneer) first thing in the morning..well, it doesn't make me ill but doesn't look appealing either. :)

The difficult part I've found travelling is lunch in these types of cultures. We both brought granola bars to eat which have helped but it's difficult in such a communal culture to find pack lunches. Street food of the fried dumplings and stuff are available but while Deb has been eating them, I've avoided just as a precaution to not get sick. So I usually eat minimally at lunch if at all as the culture is all about sitting down to eat this meal and sharing..ie going to a restaurant which isn't so feasible when you're on the go. So this is my challenge mostly..finding food to eat on the go during the day.

Dinners...I've found a few good ones and Deb is very proud of the expansion of my knowledge of Indian food. :) Chicken biryani..really yummy...any biryani is good actually. (Rice and veggies mix - like fried rice). Also, raita is really tasty. It's a vegetable salad served with meals which is pretty refreshing...usually in a yogurt sauce. We've tried pineapple raita and cucumber raita so far. Jeera rice is a good accompanyment to any curry...(rice with cumin, ginger, garlic)...and a really good curry I've been enjoying is called Nav ratan korma. It's a combination of cooked veggies and fruit. Some have included banana and cashews and raisins..the one I liked best had papaya. The sweet combination was really good with the veggie. Dahl is a really tasty dish as well (lentils), and we've had a few really good chicken curries in the past few weeks. (Or rather, I have since Deb is a vegetarian). :) Also a really good one, when we were in Mumbai - I had a pumpkin curry that was amazing...reminded me of Thai away home and the pumpkin curry there. And finally, we've been ordering Thali..which is an assortment of curries for one person so we can try a few in one meal but of smaller portions. As we've moved west, the portion sizes have dropped a bit so while we were both ordering individual portions at first (deb would finish hers, and I could never finish mine), now we're ordering and sharing so we can try different ones. I have also learned the difference between chapati and naan and their texture...both are good though. :) When we were at Lauren & Jonathan's, Deb ate one cold with sugar for breakfast. lol So when we're in Singapore, this is a mission of ours, to find warm chapatis (or naan) cooked in butter with sugar. (You see what I mean about the sweet tooth? :)

Dessert...I never liked the gulab jamen in Vancouver but here it's so good. (It's the dough balls that are soaked in honey). They're really really good. We got some street side when we were in Udaipur and enjoyed them in while waiting for the pomegranate juice guy. And then went back for more to supplement our dinner. :) The other thing is Kheer..(rice pudding). We've had some good ones..and some interesting ones too. Our last order wasn't the best we've had but some have been really tasty. Again - Deb ceases to speak when she's enjoying one of these..and can think of nothing else when it's potential is in reach. :) And today I found a chocolate brownie sundae...it had these chocolate wafers and actual brownie chunks in there and just hit the spot.

So yes - I'm enjoying food here also and it's been fun to notice the small differences in taste as we move through the different areas.

We're in Varansi now, moving onto Darjeeling tomorrow. We have the last of our epic train journeys starting tomorrow at 4pm..which will be a 14 hour train trip to Kolkata then we fly to Darjeeling for a few days. Our last train journey was really good..prayers were answered..we both managed to sleep well (as well as expected on a train) and got about 7 hours or more of sleep. We were in a 2AC, meaning 2 high, each side and it had more room and a curtain for privacy. Not that that means anything here as people open every curtain they pass just to have a look at who's inside..

we also had a sketch situation (it was fine..) at the train station which put us a bit on our guard. we arrived in at 2 or 3pm and stepped off the train and a second later there was a guy who picked us up right away. He followed us up the platform..not being subtle about following us at all..(at first I thought he was looking for opportunity to get our bags) but then he turned out to be a really persistent rickshaw driver. we stopped in a official office to ask directions to a pre-pay booth and thought it might discourage him..nope. he found us again (apparently we're not very good at imitating Jason Bourne) and it didnt matter how many times we said "nay nay" or "no thanks", he kept pace with us, right on our heels. Right up until we were at the prepay taxi, he got in a slight argument with a taxi driver but accepted we were not going with him. but still hung around. then surprise, we saw him later at our hotel...I guess he drove someone else but it was a little sketch to see him again. Just one of those things while travelling that keeps you alert and on your guard. But no harm and no danger. The train stations are a place to be wary of but they're not so dangerous as I had anticipated...lots of people there so not much can happen. Just lots of opportunity for men to stare at you. :)

ttyl
mel