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.

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.

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.

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.

this is fort cochin

i love it here immensely.