Spicy

You might remember, back in the early days of our India adventure, that I mentioned that the food here was much spicier than what we usually eat in NY. Robert and Zion loved it from the start, I quickly adapted, and Liel...not so much. She is super sensitive to spicy food. Super sensitive. I have a fair amount of sympathy for this, because I was the same way as a kid (my mom used to put ketchup in my burritos instead of salsa. And yes, I am embarrassed to be admitting this in a public forum), but I have still felt sad about all the delicious things she's missed out on while we've been here.

But! Last night!

We'd gone to Prakruthi for dosa, because holy crap, it is so hot that I can barely face cooking. And the fact that I'm still slogging along with my rice cooker kitchen is getting more and more frustrating and boring, but of course we're leaving so soon (16 days) that there's no point changing it up now. So anyway, I weighed my options (2km walk in 94 degree, 6pm heat? Or cook?) and off we went.

Now when you order dosa around here you always get a coconut based chutney on the side, and then depending on what type of dosa you ordred, you get another dipping sauce. Plain and masala dosa come with sambar, while onion and set dosas come with some kind of curry. My favorite dipping curries are the ones that feature turmeric and potatoes, and that's what we got last night.

And somehow, Robert managed to convince Liel to try some of the dipping curry. And even more amazingly, she liked it, and didn't find it too spicy! Of course it isn't spicy really at all, but Liel might have a bit of a stubborn streak (no idea where she got that from), and usually knows whether she will like something well in advance of actually trying it. And trying it had never yet, before last night, changed her mind.

Anyway, we sat there, all of us eating dosa dipped in deliciousness and talked about how lucky we are to have gotten to live in Bangalore for the past 5 months. It's a great town, and the entire experience, even the rice cooker, has been amazing.

It did cross my mind to wonder what Liel could have learned to eat, and enjoy, if we'd had another five months here. But I can be kind of greedy like that. It's kind of like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...if you give a girl 5 months in India, she's going to ask for 5 more months...

Shopping

Before I came to India my friend Sayantani told me that, "shopping in India is the most fun!" I have to admit, at first I didn't see the charm. My shopping experiences in the early weeks mostly involved a huge, American style mall, and tiny, cramped grocery stores in my neighborhood. I preferred the grocery stores (at least they were new and different, if not entirely delightful), but I wouldn't call shopping in either of those places "the most fun".

Things improved when I discovered the Karnataka Crafts Council shop, and the fruit and flower market in Malleswaram. And they improved even more when my friend Bitasta took me shopping in Malleswaram! Our first trip was to buy petticoats for my sarees (all two of them), but after a few weeks I realized that I needed more things, and since shopping with a friend is more fun than shopping alone I asked Bitasta if she would go along again. Luckily for me she very sweetly agreed!

So today, in the heat of the afternoon, we set out. We couldn't find an auto, so we just walked down Margosa Rd until we found the shop Bitasta wanted-- some place that sold silk sarees. I didn't want a silk saree, but I did need cloth so that the tailor could stitch me a blouse to match the saree my grandmother gave me.

(Side note: this saree is beautiful. Pure silk in robin's egg/seafoam and bright pink with gold thread. It was given to my grandmother when she lived in Nigera in the 1960s by an Indian friend.)

It took a while, but we finally found a cloth that seemed a pretty good match. It's cotton, as none of the pure silks or silk/cotton blends were close enough. I'm nervous that the pink is too bright, but we'll see how it looks when it's stitched up.

After that we stopped in to another shop so I could buy a gift for my new baby niece, Ada. As we were leaving Bitasta pointed out that they sold children's sarees (which are really a skirt with pleats sewn in and a pallau, plus a blouse). Back in we went! Liel has been coveting a child-sized saree since we got to Bangalore, but I hadn't even seen one (in a shop or on a child), so I didn't think they made them! Liel chose a really lovely one-- purple and gold. We have 4-5 weddings this fall, so I think she will get good use out of it, and it looks completely awesome on her. As I bought it she squealed with delight and told me she was the luckiest bat in the world, and loved her bat mommy who bought her pretty sarees. Heh.

Our next stop was to buy glass bangles. I love glass bangles. They're colorful and beautiful and just fantastic! I amused Bitasta and the clerks at the shop by buying nearly every color they sold. Then we went to a stainless steel shop...but I can't say why, as I want what I bought there to be a surprise for the recipient. Which I feel is pretty likely, because (much like the Spanish Inquisition) nobody expects a gift of stainless steel!

So that was my excellent shopping trip. It was particularly idyllic today, despite the heat. The roads were pretty shady, and we passed tons of pushcarts selling fruit, and people shopping and selling on the sidewalks.I think there might be one more in my future, and that both pleases me and makes me sad. I can't believe I might only get to shop in Malleswaram one more time! 

We've come a long way (but are still piglets)

We haven't had dosa in upwards of 2 days and the kids were not happy about it. So tonight we headed out early (by Indian dinner standards) to have dosa.

But when we got to Prakruthi it was mobbed! At least 2 dozen people in line, and not a single available table. Robert sighed in a very sad yet resigned way and headed for the back of the line, but I suggested that we go to Nesara instead. Sometimes I have my moments.

So we walked over to Nesara. It was a bit crowded for the time of night, but we got the last booth (the kids favorite) and settled in.

We didn't need to discuss our order, because we always order the same thing when we have dosa dinner at Prakruthi. At Prakruthi. That'll be important in a moment.

The waiter came over, smiled and held his pen and notebook ready.

"Three plain dosa", said Robert. The waiter nodded and scribbled in his book.

"Two masala dosa", Robert continued. The waiter looked up, surprised, and did a quick mental count of the number of people at the table. Four. He raised is eyebrows, but wrote down the masala dosa too.

"One onion dosa", Robert went on. The waiter's eyes bugged out and he stared at Robert in disbelief. "And one set dosa."

At this point the waiter actually laughed at the apparently absurd amount of food we were ordering. Robert and I laughed too, partly out of embarrassment, but mostly in amusement at the shock our huge American appetites were eliciting. The kids were oblivious.

While we waited for our food I noticed a white couple across the room taking a long time with their menus...a sure sign that they hadn't been to Nesara often. And I'd never seen them around campus before. So I was not surprised that when a waiter came to take their order confusion promptly ensued. My guess is that they tried to order Indian food, not knowing that at the IISc restaurants it's not available between about 4-7pm. Robert and I tried to decide if they spoke English and needed help, as things didn't look like they were clearing up, but then one of the managers came over, and after a lot of head shaking, pointing, and finally some head bobbling everything seemed worked out.

And then our dosa came.

Now, the dosa at Nesara are more expensive than those at Prakruthi. But so is everything at Nesara, so we hadn't thought much of it. However, in the case of the dosa, at least, there is a reason for the price difference. And the reason is that you get more food. Probably about 50% more food. Suddenly the waiter's shock made more sense (though in fairness, the people who take our dosa orders at Prakruthi still sometimes laugh about them, and we've been making them about 3 times a week for months).

But we plunged bravely in, and managed to eat nearly everything we'd ordered. The fact that we didn't actually eat it all is just another indicator of how very much food there was, because I think this is the first time since we've been in India that we haven't eaten every last scrap of food at our table. We're like locusts that way. Or piglets.

Piglets are much cuter than locusts. Let's go with piglets.

Growing

The other day I measured Zion's head. Which is, you know, a perfectly ordinary, motherly thing to do. I'm sure my mom measured my head annually. Sure of it.

Ahem.

Anyway, I measured his head. It was 22", but that was a pretty meaningless number to me. I knew Zion had always had a pretty big head, but I wasn't even sure how big my own head was! So I continued on to logical move B and measured Robert's head.

And it was 22".

So in disbelief I measure Zion's head again. In case I'd fucked it up the first time.

It was 22".

"Oh my G-d", I blurted out. "Robert, Zion's head is as big as yours is!"

We marveled at that for about 2 seconds, and then had the kids put on their shoes so we could go to lunch.

Zion was hanging out with me while we waited for our food to be ready. We chatted about this and that (which is to say: he talked at me about his current book and/or game obsession), and then he hugged me. I patted his head and said something like, "You sure are getting big!"

"Yes", he said, looking pleased. "And it must be pretty embarrassing for Daddy that my head is already as big as his!"

TEN YEARS!

Robert and I have been married for ten years today. Ten years. It blows my mind! And then I try to imagine what it must be like to have been married for twenty years, or forty, or sixty...and I hope that I am lucky enough to find out someday. 

Ten years ago we were both PhD students. We had a kind of shoestring wedding that turned out to be incredibly gorgeous (thanks in largely to the beautiful setting-- Santa Barbara can't be beat-- and our awesome friends and family). It was like a fairy tale. A fairy tale with freshly grilled burgers, a donut cake, pink sparkly Birkenstocks, and a day spent outdoors in absolutely perfect spring sunshine. We were too broke to go on a honeymoon at the time, and it was the middle of the semester anyway. We hoped that someday we'd have a proper job or two, and be able to afford a fabulous anniversary trip. 

In the decade between now and then we've both finished our PhDs, had two kids, and lived in Ohio, New York, and India. We've made offers on four houses, but haven't actually bought one yet. Robert got tenure (and tenure sleeves). Our lives have been full of homeschooling, knitting, cooking, gardening, grading, teaching, reading, playing, travelling, writing, and mixing cocktails (not necessarily in that order). 

And today, here we are, in Bangalore! I'd say the past 4 1/2 months here have been a pretty fabulous anniversary trip indeed. The kids made us anniversary cards, we'll have lunch and dinner at our two favorite restaurants, watch a movie with the kids, mix a couple of gin and tonics and try to stay cool. 

I am so blessed it takes my breath away. Not only have I had ten years with my beloved, the best husband and partner I could ever wish for, but together we have all of this as well. What an amazing world. 

Mangoes

Mango season has begun here in India, and I'm so happy to be here for at least part of it! I love mangoes, and had been told that mangoes in the US simply didn't compare to those available in India. And now I can taste and decide for myself!

I bought two different types of mangoes this week- the small sindhura mango, and the larger badami mango. The sindhuras I bought still aren't ripe, but today one of the badamis was, so Zion and I ate it (Robert wasn't home, and in any case he and Liel both find magoes, "just OK"). It was delicious! It was so delicious, in fact, that within 10 minutes of finishing it Zion was lying on my bed staring at the ceiling and wondering if any of the others were ripe, and if they weren't, when they might be. After a few minutes of this he got up and went to the kitchen. He came back, mango in hand, to inform me that he thought this one was ripe.

"I'm obviously not as experienced as you, mommy", he said, "but I think this one is ripe. It's skin is mostly yellow, it is squishable, and it smells delicious."

I thought it could use another day, but this new did not deter Zion, who wanted to try it right now. So I peeled it, and we ate it (and I think I was right. The bits I got, closest to the pit, were on the sour side. But the bits Zion got were sweet as sugar!). Zion declared "the king of mangoes".

After that he checked all remaining mangoes, sindhura and badami alike, in case I'd missed any other ripe ones. He sadly reported that I had not, but made note of the ones he thought would be ripe soonest.  Then he told me about his mango-checking strategy.

"When a mango is ripe it will have a good color-- yellow, or orange, or red--, smell delicious, and squish", he told me.

So there you have it :)

Summer, with various bugs

It's summer here in south India. And yes, it is hot! Temps are hovering around 100 most days, and lows are only in the high 70s at night.

A few nights ago we had a huge thunderstorm. That was pretty cool (except that the thunder kept me from sleeping. In part it was just the noise, and in part I was worried that the kids would wake up scared, even though they've never done so in a storm before. But this one was really loud! Eventually I got up to check on on them. They were both sound asleep, sprawled across their beds. In the morning they expressed surprise upon learning there had been a storm at all), but we've had bit of rain each of the next two days, and now there is standing water all over campus. In addition to my general hatred of mosquitoes, I now have the additional concern of diseases they carry. So I'm really, really hoping that things dry out again soon.

And then tonight Robert came home from some interviews he'd been doing in the city and announced that the termites were swarming outside. Which was, in fact, somewhat obvious at that point as the 10 seconds the front door was open allowed about a dozen flying termites into the apartment. This is my first encounter with flying termites; I'm hoping they don't swarm for long!

Finally, there are the ants, who for some unknown reason are swarming the kitchen with extra vigor, and paying particular attention to the faucet on the sink. I gotta admit, that's a new one for me. Luckily the resident geckos are also paying extra attention to the kitchen, or at least hanging out there more, so I hope to see a decrease in the ant population soon. We see one tiny gecko pretty often. He had an accident to his tail, making him easy to identify, and leading the kids to name him "Stumpy". The adult gecko they spotted in the hall tonight (no doubt gorging on termites) has been christened "Fatty".