Walking, Swimming, or Growing, Let's Eat It All

If you have read up until this point you are very keen to the fact that I do not have to cook for myself while stationed in India. For those who have known me on a personal level you also know that I when I was in the States I enjoyed cooking for myself and others. Part of being a good cook is being open to the exploration new dishes and types of cooking.

First and foremost Stella is an excellent cook. With me being American she is doing her best to make foods that are similar to what I am used to. This was perfect for the first week, but I am already tired of pastas without flavor and the same cooked vegetables. To remedy this situation during my weekend explorations I swung past the local Food Mart and picked up the only Indian dish I knew by name, as well as a spicy curry flavored ramen noodles package. When she asked if I wanted dinner Monday night I showed her the stuff I purchased. She got all excited and said “I know Paneer, me make”. The purpose of this entry is not to dwell on the items which are easily identifiable though, it is about those other items which are weird, or are still marked up in the unknown category.

Each night I get served a side salad or vegetable dish of some kind. The most common being a slice of tomato, cucumber, and raw red onion stacked on top of each other aligned around plate. The second most common being raw cabbage shredded in the middle of the plate surrounded by a ring of raw red beet. And lastly an item that looks like a ½ inch around cucumber, but star shaped, and approximately 4 inches in length, fried and laid on a bed of greens.

Each night I have also been served a protein. The first was an item appeared to be chicken wings only slightly smaller. I have had them fried as well as within other dishes. They taste like chicken, but I hear frog does too. I have not confirmed that it is not monkey or pigeon, which are both plentiful in these parts. On more than one occasion I was served a meat that appeared and tasted like beef. As many know cows are sacred in India and they pray to them, this being said I would not imagine the little rich white kid who does not cook or shop for himself would be served a sacred cow. Dogs are too skinny around here to eat, and everyone knows you do not eat camel (though let me know if you have). Tonight I was served fish. I once remember seeing a special on the discovery channel about some lost tribe in the Amazon trying to survive, thriving on nothing but weeds and piranhas. I am positive I ate piranha for dinner, trust me it was the same size, and shape and the eyes matched. Oh yea I forgot to mention it was cooked whole, the skin and eyes were still on the fish. Touch of lime and it was super tasty though, not many complaints here. Well, let’s make sure I wake up tomorrow before I confirm that statement.

Breakfast is normally filled full of fruits. There is one little one that I can only describe as a non-furry kiwi. When opened it has the consistency of a over ripe banana, and it kind of has a brown sugar cinnamon flavor to it with matching color. I hear it is good in shakes. There is a large grapefruit sized fruit whose peel color is the mix of a lemon and a lime. When split it has seeds throughout again similar to the kiwi and a pale white flesh. Grapes are rather sour, and bananas are 4 inches to small. And tell me who has actually had a pomegranate? I am not talking juices and jams, I am speaking about the a bowl full of seeds surrounded in a rosy red sack full of juice. That’s right this guy has. Finally, when I wrap of this adventure I will surly miss mango's. Raw, juices, jams it does not matter how it is served, mango's are fantastic.

Still waiting on my plate full of meal worms wrapped in a banana leaf. Whose with me?

Good Eats

Blake