so yesterday i got an email from cheap tickets notifying me that there have been "significant changes" to my itinerary. i called last night, and after just about an hour on hold, (calling from india to the U.S.), i was told that my flight home has been canceled. i was really tired and crabby at this point, (it was 12:30 AM), and the air india office was closed, so there was nothing i could really do about it right then. so i will not be returning to the states on the 6th as planned. i'm not actually sure when i will be returning, but christmas eve is just about the worst time to have to contact any airline. in the meantime i am still having a wonderful time here... contemplating staying a week longer or so, i mean if i've got to pick a new flight anyway, why not? tonight there will be christmas yoga on the beach and our dear friend ben is super amped for sunset caroling, (also, naturally, terrifyingly, on the beach), he even printed out the lyrics to the little drummer boy for me, imagine, he actually wants to hear me sing(!?) then we will be going to the restaurant at jardim a mar for christmas eve dinner, lots of seafood platters for everyone, and a veg platter for me. we're making mulled wine after that, and then there is a dance party for our nepali friend binesh's birthday. christmas in goa is lovely, my anglo-indian landlady has reminded me a full 4 or 5 times about the morning mass in english, so i will be going to church this year.
i will keep everyone posted as to my return, and i will be calling the loved ones on the christmas eve-evening. i am sending lots of love and holiday cheer to everyone. xoxoxo
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
christmas
so i have decided to stay here in goa for christmas. i have made a really solid group of friends here one of whom is jo, a lovely girl from whales, who is basically the christmas spirit personified. we're going to have a party and make mulled wine and decorate the beach hut and make christmas roti, which was my suggestion, see when jo asked the guys from jardim a mar, where i am staying, if we could use their oven to make christmas cake and they told her that they don't have an oven, i quipped, "that's okay, we'll make christmas roti!" and jo said "brilliant!" but now i'm afraid i don't really know what christmas roti is.... whatever it is i'm sure it will be delicious. my land lady has already informed me of the english mass on christmas morning so it may be the first time i've been inside a church for a non-touristy reason in quite a while.
as far as my health is concerned i am a little worried i might have a parasite, because the antibiotics aren't really touching the nausea and i still have no appetite. so i'm going to get some precautionary blood work done and take some bikinni photos and make the best of the situation.
as far as my health is concerned i am a little worried i might have a parasite, because the antibiotics aren't really touching the nausea and i still have no appetite. so i'm going to get some precautionary blood work done and take some bikinni photos and make the best of the situation.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
update
so i am still in goa. i got sick about a week ago with something that felt suspiciously similar to an illness i had in thailand almost exactly two years ago--and because i think i am tough and don't ever want to go on antibiotics, i wound up with a serious bacterial infection that spanned three weeks swallowing christmas and the new year.
this time it started as mild nausea, then proceeded to full-fledged nausea, i tried to take a tums, and vomited that up. every time i tried to eat food my stomach would clench in protest. if i did manage to choke a few bites of something friendly down, like say bananna, (mind you i've had no appetite), as soon as i stood up after the meal i would immediately feel faint and pukey. it got to the point where all i could do was drink cups of ginger tea, force-feed myself yogurt and sip daintily the broth from carrot ginger soup. now i know how anorexics feel! after about 2 days of this LA lifestyle i realized it was time to get on antibiotics. everyone kept on asking me if i was having "loose motions", which is the indian term for diarrhea. i tried to explain that i hadn't been having any motions really, which meant whatever i had couldn't have been dysentery, but then i wasn't eating either. then i started getting fevers, and of course i have been feeling weak from the weight-loss. so i am on my 3rd day of ciprofloxacin and paracetamol and i am starting to re-gain my appetite. this morning i had a fruit salad with yogurt and watermelon-mint juice, a veritable feast considering. tonight i've got plans to (try to)have italian food with some friends.
and so, i may be staying here for the holidays... i know it's not "real" india, but it's just so damn comfortable and vacation-ey. my illness gives me a nice excuse to not move anywhere for a while. it's great, a whole day can slip by and i'll have done nothing! what a huge luxury considering how crazy my summer can be. all in all i don't feel too bad
this time it started as mild nausea, then proceeded to full-fledged nausea, i tried to take a tums, and vomited that up. every time i tried to eat food my stomach would clench in protest. if i did manage to choke a few bites of something friendly down, like say bananna, (mind you i've had no appetite), as soon as i stood up after the meal i would immediately feel faint and pukey. it got to the point where all i could do was drink cups of ginger tea, force-feed myself yogurt and sip daintily the broth from carrot ginger soup. now i know how anorexics feel! after about 2 days of this LA lifestyle i realized it was time to get on antibiotics. everyone kept on asking me if i was having "loose motions", which is the indian term for diarrhea. i tried to explain that i hadn't been having any motions really, which meant whatever i had couldn't have been dysentery, but then i wasn't eating either. then i started getting fevers, and of course i have been feeling weak from the weight-loss. so i am on my 3rd day of ciprofloxacin and paracetamol and i am starting to re-gain my appetite. this morning i had a fruit salad with yogurt and watermelon-mint juice, a veritable feast considering. tonight i've got plans to (try to)have italian food with some friends.
and so, i may be staying here for the holidays... i know it's not "real" india, but it's just so damn comfortable and vacation-ey. my illness gives me a nice excuse to not move anywhere for a while. it's great, a whole day can slip by and i'll have done nothing! what a huge luxury considering how crazy my summer can be. all in all i don't feel too bad
Friday, December 5, 2008
vegetable pulao
this is a wonderful rice dish that can be served as an accompaniment to vegetable, meat, or fish curry and a dry curry like cabbage thoran.
this recipe is for 4 people or so, but can easily be doubled.
vegetable pulao
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp salt, (more to taste)
small handful cashews
small handful raisins, (preferably white)
1 c. long grain basmati rice, (white, washed and drained)
small handful of diced green beans
1 diced carrot
1 diced onion
1/3 c. diced green cabbage
2 1/4 c. water
3 cloves
5 green cardamom pods
1 inch piece of cinnamon
5 black pepper pods
2 start anise
heat the ghee in a large pot and add the onion and salt.
when the onion is half cooked add the cashews and raisins.
when the raisins become puffed up add the green beans and sautee for 2 minutes.
add the cabbage and carrots and sautee for another 2 minutes
stir in the rice. sautee the rice for 8 minutes or so, until it just begins to have a golden color.
in this time you should also boil the water in a separate pot with all your spices.
when the rice is slightly golden add the boiling water and spices. bring rice to a boil then cover and turn down to a very low heat to steam. i am not a genius when it comes to cooking rice--actually i am lazy and i usually use my rice cooker. in this instance i think it should take 15-20 minutes to steam. i am sure when i try this on my own it will involve a little anxiety and plenty of trial and error. perhaps you are a person with more rice instinct than i.
good luck and enjoy!
this recipe is for 4 people or so, but can easily be doubled.
vegetable pulao
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp salt, (more to taste)
small handful cashews
small handful raisins, (preferably white)
1 c. long grain basmati rice, (white, washed and drained)
small handful of diced green beans
1 diced carrot
1 diced onion
1/3 c. diced green cabbage
2 1/4 c. water
3 cloves
5 green cardamom pods
1 inch piece of cinnamon
5 black pepper pods
2 start anise
heat the ghee in a large pot and add the onion and salt.
when the onion is half cooked add the cashews and raisins.
when the raisins become puffed up add the green beans and sautee for 2 minutes.
add the cabbage and carrots and sautee for another 2 minutes
stir in the rice. sautee the rice for 8 minutes or so, until it just begins to have a golden color.
in this time you should also boil the water in a separate pot with all your spices.
when the rice is slightly golden add the boiling water and spices. bring rice to a boil then cover and turn down to a very low heat to steam. i am not a genius when it comes to cooking rice--actually i am lazy and i usually use my rice cooker. in this instance i think it should take 15-20 minutes to steam. i am sure when i try this on my own it will involve a little anxiety and plenty of trial and error. perhaps you are a person with more rice instinct than i.
good luck and enjoy!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
new york
i am flying from india to new york on january 6th. i may need to crash on a couch for a day or two before heading to the cape. if you let me sleep on yours i will bring you a cool present.
where i'm at
right now i am in goa, at agonda beach. it's beautiful and peaceful and far less cynical and overdeveloped than palolem. rachel, (my friend from the UK), and i decided to take a beach vacation. since i won't be going to sri lanka after all i was pretty amped at the prospect of 2 weeks on a beach. we're going to return to fort cochin for the holidays, but for now we're relaxing. rachel has a lot of writing to do, (she's ghostwriting an "autobiography" for a psychic healer in the UK), and i've got a lot of yoga to do. right now i've got a cozy little room off the beach and in front of to an outdoor yoga studio. i will return to cochin refreshed and ready to dive back into my cooking classes.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
You Get What You Pay For
In the spirit of medical tourism, I bought two more pairs of glasses in India. After splurging the first time in Mumbai on a very nice pair of Ralph Lauren frames (which you have been seeing in our photoshoots) I thought it was time for something a little less designer. Behold...
INDIAN GLASSES. SO EXCITING.
No really, the pair I got weren't actually as cool as these but I was tempted.
They came to a whopping $13 even with the eye exam included.
But alas, in India you get what you pay for and when I picked them up a few days ago I couldn't actually see out of them. So it fulfilled its destiny of being a true Indian experience, and we had to go to aaaaanother eyeglass shop to get new lenses made. Confirming the age old adage that the two things you should never skimp on our good shoes and glasses. In the meantime I can't wait to whip these optical monstrosities out in a few months when I get back to Bard. tres chic.
Un long petit déjeuner indolent
Today Katie and I had our last long and lazy breakfast at the Hotel De 'l Orient. Since our arrival to Pondicherry from Auroville, we have treated ourselves to 1 - 2 hour long breakfasts. A festival of fresh squeezed fruit juices, eggs any style, warm croissants, muesli & curd (my favorite), local fruit and an endless well of herbal teas and masala chai. 
Before, during and after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai the Hotel De 'l Orient has been a sacred space for us. Every morning Katie and I arrived at the hotel's restaurant greeted by warm and eager smiling faces, The Hindu and the most friendly and attentive service.
A wise Indian man by the name Ramesh owner of the hot new North Indian restaurant Dal Roti on Lily Street in Fort Cochin, told me one morning that he only served lunch and dinner because he believes that most people prefer to start their day with a native breakfast. He couldn't be more right when describing my preferred morning meal. Don't get me wrong I love dosa, idli, pongal, chapati and vada served with hot sambar and chutney, just as much as the next girl, but nothing beats a perfectly chilled and fermented curd with tasty and crunchy muesli and fresh sweet bananas.
A short lesson on breakfast:
English 1463, from break (v.) + fast (n.). Cf. Fr. déjeuner "to breakfast," from L. dis-jejunare "to break the fast." The verb is from 1679. The Engl derives from the concept that sleep prevents eating, thus an involuntary fast occurs during sleep; this fast is broken by the first meal - called breakfast.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
random fort cochin photos
my boys at solar cafe
and the amazing fruit plate they serve
fort cochin at night
rachel is a friend to the dogs
jude, rachel and bobby
jude thinks he knows everything
we meet faraz at kashi art cafe.
at a hookah bar in ernakelum VIP room yo.
and the amazing fruit plate they serve
fort cochin at night
rachel is a friend to the dogs
jude, rachel and bobby
jude thinks he knows everything
we meet faraz at kashi art cafe.
at a hookah bar in ernakelum VIP room yo.
goat break
i lovingly dedicate this post to etta, and take this opportunity to announce that i will be in chicago in march.
cooking class
i have been taking cooking classes with leena for a few weeks now, and i've accumulated over 50 recipes. she is a wonderful teacher, and an even better chef.
i take notes on dosa technique
leena rolls out chapatis, "thinner is more tasty"
leena's helper lady scrapes the coconut.
chilis, garlic, onion, mustard seeds, and curry leaves sauteed in coconut oil--the foundation of many south indian curries
this is a long-bean curry
and this is gulab jamun--an amazing desert that falls somewhere between cheesecake and donut holes. they are served in a tooth-achingly-sweet sugar syrup that is flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and rose petals... it's amazing.
i take notes on dosa technique
leena rolls out chapatis, "thinner is more tasty"
leena's helper lady scrapes the coconut.
chilis, garlic, onion, mustard seeds, and curry leaves sauteed in coconut oil--the foundation of many south indian curries
this is a long-bean curry
and this is gulab jamun--an amazing desert that falls somewhere between cheesecake and donut holes. they are served in a tooth-achingly-sweet sugar syrup that is flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and rose petals... it's amazing.
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