A Lovely Summer Beverage (courtesy of the Novotel Hyderabad)

Friday mornings I attend a cooking class.  I don't actually cook at cooking class-I watch one of the Novotel hotel's chefs do all of the grunt work.  Then sample what was made :)  It is a very pleasant way to spend a Friday morning.  A typical week's recipes will include a beverage (non-alcoholic), a vegetarian dish, a meat dish, and a dessert.

The primary attendees are expat ladies who are looking for some chit chat, a coffee, and a few recipes.  Apart from the usual crew of expats, there is one Indian woman who occasionally attends (after arriving late) and constantly grills the chef as to how to prepare things without eggs, since she is a strict vegetarian.  (Here, egg yolks are considered non-veg, but the whites are ok).  It has never crossed my mind that one could make a cake without eggs, but rather than listening to the chef's suggestions, I find myself trying to come to terms with the whole "it's ok to eat egg whites, but not the yolk" thing, since you can't crack an egg without getting both.  It's the same for people who don't want to kill cows, but wear leather.  I just don't get it.  Be consistent!!  (Sorry for the small tangent...)

As for the recipes, there are some big hits as well as some big misses.  Sometimes dishes are too spicy, too time consuming, or too laden with oil.  When Indian desserts are demonstrated, we in the audience often gasp, cringe, or just stare in shock at the VOLUME of ghee (clarified butter) and sugar which are the primary ingredients.  Gulab Jamun, which can best be described as a donut hole fried in ghee, then soaked in sugar syrup, is Bill's favorite.  I should really show him the ingredient list which is as follows:
Ghee 2kg
Khoa (a solid milk product) 1kg
Sugar 2kg
Milk 1L
Cardamom Powder 10g 
Vinegar 20g
Saffron 1 pinch 


Watching the demonstration, eyebrows were raised, breaths were held, and cholesterol levels rose as  the chef began by pouring 2kg (4.4lbs) of clarified, melted butter into a large pot, followed by 2kg (4.4lbs) of sugar!!!  This is not to say that the Indian desserts aren't good, but they are typically very very sweet, and definitely not good for the diet.

Other times recipes are big winners when even the most composed ladies can't resist going up to serve themselves another helping, and background conversations end as faces are stuffed.  Such was the case with Chili Paneer, Stuffed Crumb Fried Mushroom with Garlic Aioli, and Aloo Gobi, Mugh Malai Tikka, and several others.

A recent beverage 'winner' was demonstrated few weeks ago: "Watermelon Zo Zo" (they do get creative with the names!), and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who went home and mixed some up:
5 chunks of Watermelon
3 sprigs of mint
splash of Lemon juice (optional)
Sprite


-Put the watermelon chunks into a glass and mash (muddle) them up
add the mint and do the same
add ice
top off with Sprite.


There is currently a stash of mint as well as a small watermelon in my fridge waiting for me to come and dig out a few scoops to mix up my next glass, which reminds me...I'm out of Sprite.

Watermelon Zo Zo: definitely a winner.  :)

Driving in India...or...Why we have a Driver

The traffic here in Hyderabad is not gridlock like you may expect in a city of 6+million people, perhaps because we live in the 'burbs, and perhaps because we don't go anywhere when it's really crowded with vehicles. Even without gridlock, there are plenty of frustrations. The assortment of vehicles is staggering: subcompact cars, motorcycles, bicycles, auto-rickshaws, bull-pulled carts, the ubiquitous Toyota Innovas, white Tata Indica taxicabs, huge and highly decorated "Road King" trucks, tractors pulling various carts and trailers, water buffalo, and pedestrians-we can't forget those brave souls who intersperse themselves in the mele. The honking of horns is heard from every direction and often goes unnoticed.

In addition to the moving hazards, the roads themselves pose their own threat. Instead of closing a road when it is under construction, a common method of blocking off, for example, a freshly dug hole, is to place bowling ball size rocks in front of the precipice. No signs, or warnings, just rocks. On other occasions, one might see huge piles of sand or gravel instead. It is the responsibility of the driver to avoid these literal pitfalls, and swerve, oftentimes, into the oncoming traffic lanes. The oncoming traffic is accustomed to this and is completely unfazed. In the truest sense, everyone really does "Share the Road".

Click here for a great youtube video showing the organized chaos we experience every day.

In the face of this insanity, there is a small daredevil part of me that desires to join in the fray. That would mean both driving on the left side of the road (and car) and driving a standard transmission car, which, in my defense, I can do-although not well. Imagine the freedom of no real traffic lights, stop signs, and driving lanes! While driving standard transmission cars, I have the most difficulty going from stopped into 1st gear, so here I could feasibly only need to do that once per outing! Once I overcame the left side of the road, and the transmission, I would have to tackle that great unknown: the traffic. So for the time being, my inner daredevil is staying quietly subdued and strapped into the back seat while our trusty driver, Prasad, deals with the chaos around us.

There and Back

Our first trip home from India met all of our expectations and surpassed some. The crushing jet-lag, happiness at seeing friends and family we missed, the shocking amount of snow that fell our first weekend back, all were lasting memories of our time home. What was probably the most surprising thing was that after 5 weeks in the US we were eager to return to India. Certainly the warm temps that awaited us in Hyderabad were a factor, but more so was the life we left: one where we see friends frequently, have places to go, events to attend, school for the girls, a maid to clean, and the constant reminders of how lucky we are and how much we have.

I know that some friends and family members thought we were completely crazy to move to India, and would think about all the things/events they'd miss by being away from home. What I was able to put my finger on while at home was: life is what happens to you, not what happens around you. During the 8 months we were away, we didn't miss a thing.

Now that we've returned to India, Bill and I have decided that we're going to do an even better job of getting out, getting together and doing things. In the words of the great Bon Jovi:
"It's my life, it's now or never.
I ain't gonna live forever.
I just want to live while I'm alive...it's my life. "

Did anybody miss me?

When you're away from home from an absurdly long time, you often wonder: "Am I out of sight, and out of mind?" or "Did people actually miss me while I was gone?" These types of thoughts had been going through my mind lately as our return to the US drew closer. Then yesterday, I received an email from a friend about a girls weekend she had planned. In it she wrote: "When I figured out you would be back and could come, I nearly wet myself!!! P L E A S E come with us ... P L E A S E!!!!"

Questions answered. Thanks C!

A Thankful Countdown

Today, I've been inspired by friends' facebook statuses. Several of my friends (real friends, not just facebook people you know 'friends') are going to post one thing they are thankful for every day between now and Thanksgiving. I figured I should do that as well, but as a blog entry, because it lasts longer than a status update. So I'll start a running list:

Wednesday, November 11: I'm thankful we have money in the bank. A good chunk of my morning was wasted at the bank today due to incompetence and lies on the part of one bank employee. The upside of course, is that we have money to actually do banking with.

Thursday, November 12: I'm thankful for the safe arrival of babies being born to my friends and family. Just in the past few weeks my cousin Carla had a little boy, friends Tony & Liz had boy/girl twins and so did friends Rob & Alejandra! And there are more babies on the way!

Friday, November 13: I'm thankful that Bill arrived home safely from Paris.

Saturday, November 14: I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet new people, share stories, laugh, eat, drink, and be merry and to have a great driver to bring me home.

Sunday, November 15: I'm thankful that my girls are such good company and usually well behaved while eating in restaurants.

Monday, November 16: I'm thankful that some of the most wonderful people in the world are members of my family.

Tuesday, November 17: I'm thankful that my kids are healthy and happy

Wednesday, November 18th: I'm thankful that in the US, tap water is clean and safe to drink.

Thursday, November 19th: I'm thankful for our expat community, which is full of fun, happy, interesting people from all over the world, and who are quick to become friends.

Friday, November 20th: I'm thankful that I speak another language. It really can enhance your life and expand your circle of friends.

Saturday, November 21st: I'm thankful for the warm winter weather in India, where we can swim outdoors at Thanksgiving time.

Sunday, November 22nd: I'm thankful for a roof over my head and food in my tummy. There are so many people here in India that can't even imagine the things I take for granted.

Monday, November 23rd: I'm thankful for family days when the four of us spend time together.

Tuesday, November 24th: I'm thankful for the times when you laugh so hard that you cry.

Wednesday, November 25th: I'm thankful for my best friend in the whole world, who I'm lucky enough to be married to.

Thursday, November 26th: I'm thankful for my family and friends both new and old. Every one of them has helped to shape the person I am today (wackiness and all)

Cool as a....what? A chili pepper?

I think we all must have visions of how we'd expect ourselves to act in different situations. For example, in an emergency we'd like to picture ourselves like the doctors on ER taking control of the situation, calling for the necessary tests, procedures, and instruments to control whatever trauma has come through the doors. Unfortunately, the reality of my levelheadedness under unexpected situations is less like ER and more like America's Funniest Home Videos, where freak-outs and screaming are the norm.

My first glimpse into the reality of my less than stellar reaction was in college when a fellow student had a seizure during a quiz. No sooner had the professor left the room (honor system here folks) than a guy sitting right near me started to moan, shake and convulse. Other classmates jumped into action. One grabbed his pencil from him so he wouldn't hurt himself, another ran down the hall to call the University EMS, and I, who always assumed I'd be the one jumping to action, froze. Completely.

So I really shouldn't have been surprised by my reaction when the unexpected came flying through the girls room as I was reading a bedtime story. I looked up, initially thought it was a moth, but in one flap of wings my brain registered: BAT!!! AAACKKKK!!! Now you need to use your imagination and picture me trying to grab sheets to cover my head while screaming hysterically at top volume "BABE THERE'S A BAT IN HERE! AHHHHH!" Keep in mind that the girls were still in the room with me and weren't freaking out. Then the bat dive bombed me and landed right between Sammy's pillow and the wall, which was about 3 feet from where I was sitting. Bill, by that time, had come into the room to see what was happening thinking that one of the girls was gravely maimed or injured, based on the intensity of my screams. With the bat so close to me, I took off running (screaming all the way) into our bedroom. Bill had seen the bat fly up over my shoulder as I flew past him, realized what the heck I was screaming about, and was sensible enough to scurry the girls out of the room. I however, was in "Save Yourselves!" mode. The girls and I hid in our bedroom, Bill in the guest room. The two of us guarded our doors while peeking out as the bat did laps around our apartment, and you better believe that we closed our doors as it approached.

Bill: What do we do??
Me: (from behind my bedroom door) Open the doors!! (meaning for HIM to open the double doors that lead to our balcony and outside)

The man of action, quickly left the safety of the guest room to fling open the balcony doors and was back behind the guest room door before the bat could finish its lap.

Another lap.

And another!!

Me: Go outside you stupid thing!!!

Two more laps around and...stillness (!) except for the pounding of my yellow-belly chicken heart.

Potatoes, Spinach, Mustard Seeds...then Repeat

Now that we no longer have a cook & I'm back in the kitchen, I bought a cookbook entitled "Complete Indian Cooking". So far this cookbook has been fantastic. Without even looking at recipes, this book met my formatting criteria. There are photos of every recipe, logical ingredient lists, and even step by step directions with photos! It has the exact same format of my favorite French cookbook (no it's not Mastering the Art...but I do own a dogeared copy) "La Cuisine Francaise" which I purchased at La Librarie Gourmande in Paris. Being in India means that some of our 'normal' ingredients are not available, so when in Hyderabad...do as the Hyderbadis do-eat (and cook) Indian food!

I've been thumbing and skipping around my cookbook and while making dinner this evening, I discovered 2 IDENTICAL recipes (with the teeny tiny difference that one calls for 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and the other calls for 2 tsp vegetable oil. That's not really a difference, since no one measures the oil going into the pan anyway. Isn't that cheating??? Shouldn't the cover say "324 deliciously authentic receipes for the adventurous cook"??

Recipe #1 (page 318) is located in the Vegetarian Main Dishes chapter and is called "Spinach and Potato Curry". This one calls for the Tbsp of oil.

Recipe #2 (page 407) is located in the "Rice and Vegetable Side Dishes and Light Snacks" chapter and is called "Golden Chunky Potatoes with Spinach and Mustard Seeds". Maybe the 2 tsp of oil makes it a "light" recipe!

I will admit that the photos are different, and the directions are worded differently, but they are definitely the same recipe.

Once I finish making the Spinach and Potato Curry for dinner tonight, I'll let you know how both recipes turn out.