How many attempts does it take to make supper?

 Last night after work my plans were to make supper.  I had most of the ingredients to make fried rice and decided to make plain rice with milk and honey on it for dessert.  For me, rice with milk and honey is a comfort food as it is one of the few “comfort” foods I can eat here.  For Bryan, the thought, let alone the smell, of rice with milk and honey makes him gag. 

Bryan was starving so while I made supper, he was going to make guacamole.  Can you believe it? We found avocados in the market and both of us were excited for such a comfort food!   While it felt like an avocado and looked like an avocado, it was a mystery fruit or vegetable that was hard like a potato and had a distinctive peppery taste when swallowed.  Bryan persisted and got it peeled and cut into small pieces.  The taste persisted too, and we couldn’t eat this crunchy, bland but somehow very peppery mystery food.   Meal item #1: not edible.

Meanwhile, I was excited to try to make fried rice.  I found our rice to be infested with bugs!  I had no idea plain, dry rice could attract bugs.  Sadly, we had to throw out our mostly full bag of rice.  We’re going to have to invest in some air tight canisters.  Meal item #2: not edible.

During our first shopping experience we purchased some premade, frozen appetizers.  I can’t remember their name but they are like rice and lentil dough balls.  I pan fried those and we at them with the all American ingredient: Ketchup!  They were edible, but not really a meal.  Meal item #3: incomplete and left us wanting more.

We considered our options which were to eat some stale chips, go get something from one of the restaurants close to the hotel, or just go to bed.  Instead, we got room service. J  Meal item #4: edible!

After moving every possible item that may get bugs to the safety of the microwave, refrigerator, or freezer we had a much needed heart-to-heart discussion.  The food we’ve tried to make has been bad at best and usually horrible if we could eat it at all.  We could figure out what to buy and where to buy it and what to make and how to make it with time but decided to admit defeat and see if we could find a cook!

We’ve known a cook to be an option all along, but I really love to cook and wanted to do it myself.  Instead, hopefully we can find a cook who will go and get the ingredients and come to cook for us.  I’m hopeful to learn from her and return to the states 1) well-nourished and 2) a better Indian cook!  

The view outside our apartment

This is the view outside our apartment window.  We estimate there are at least 100 people working on this 24 hours a day.  You can see all the construction crew if you look closely for the red vests and yellow or blue construction hats.  They are building a multi-story hotel or apartment complex.

I love to watch them build as some things seem very modern and others seem to be very difficult.  You can see they have large cranes, concrete, and rebar as well as scaffolding.  I've seen scaffolding made out of small trees so if I ever see that kind I'll do my best to snap a picture.

They work 24 hours a day and so far have been relatively quiet and for that we are thankful! 

What famous entrepreneur does Bryan resemble and other ramblings

We arrived in Bangalore nine days ago.  Since then we’ve been sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and are trying to quickly acclimate to our new life.  All things considered, the adjustment has been about what we expected and we're doing well here in Bangalore.  I haven’t blogged as often as I thought about it, so enjoy these random paragraphs.  They reflect our time thus far.

On Sunday or Monday we stopped by the front desk of our serviced apartment and someone told Bryan that he resembled Mark Zuckerburg.  I could not contain my laughter and Bryan’s response was simply, “Well, we are both white guys.”  I’ll let you be the judge!

Our grocery experience:

We went to a large grocery store our third day here.  It was our first true “day in the life” experience besides going to work and was much different than any grocery store in the US!  The supermarket was large enough that it sold a hair straightener in addition to groceries.  I think that was the most exciting purchase for me.  Unlike my shopping experiences at home, I did not make a list for two reasons:

1). I wasn’t sure what I would find and

 2). Our apartment came stocked with only pepper, so we had a lot of things to buy!

 Thankfully the store sold some familiar things like canned tuna, pasta sauce, peanut butter, and cereal.  That is where the familiarity ended. We spent a good amount of time reading ingredient labels (which really only works if you are familiar with said ingredients), picking out the things we knew we could eat like rice and lentils, and made a quick trip through the produce aisle which had a few familiar things and many unfamiliar things. 

Meat is not consumed as much in India as it is in the States either because of religion or poverty.  The beef was purple. The pork was in an entirely different section of the store separate from everything else.  Bryan checked out that section while I was paying and reported that we likely won’t buy any pork while here.  I did not expect the eggs to be refrigerated (and they were not) but they had all expired well beyond their expiration dates so we passed those up too.  We purchased four boneless skinless chicken breasts.  The two we had were good J.

The trip was an expensive one and left me feeling underwhelmed.  Once in the safety of our car I told Bryan that I never wanted to go there again.  Since then, we’ve researched and learned that we will have better luck if we go to specific stores for their specific offering such as the bakery, meat market, etc. 

Tonight we went to a different grocery store with a plan and better expectations.  The grocery store is called Gourmet Food World and it offered a lot of foods we see in the states that may not be found in other local grocery stores.  This time my list was full of mostly traditional spices, lentils, rice, and a few fruits and vegetables but the traditional items were not available.  I stocked up on what I could and Bryan and I managed to fill the cart with nuts, chips, beer, and wine.  We asked our driver to take us to a butcher and he drove through some terrible traffic only to find the butcher closed for the evening. 

I think I'll have to get used to going to MANY different stores and until we get everything I'll try to make a meal out of what we have.  To date that means me making some very bland, bad meals.  OTnight after we ate leftovers I asked Bryan what else he wanted and he replied, "I don't know, maybe ground up glass" and we both had a good laugh.  Unfortunately that is about as good as anything I've made thus far.  Hopefully tomorrow night my fried rice will turn out ok!  I think I have *most* of the ingredients for that :).

Exploring

Saturday we did some exploring around our hotel.  There are a few points worth mentioning:

1.       It is hard to find things because few streets have signs.

2.       It is hard to take in the surroundings because you have to look down at where you are stepping at all times.  The sidewalks are not a guarantee and often are missing sections, uneven, or move when you step on them.

3.       We are cautious which streets we will cross (which really means only one-ways or small side streets) so our exploring was limited by our inability to cross a major street. (See This video to get a better understanding of why we are cautious to cross any street.)

Without a map and street signs we did not find what we sent out to find, but we did find a shopping mall, our church, and some horribly offensive smells.  The mix of smells is to be expected and thankfully none of the really bad ones stuck around.  There are a lot of flower shops that smell great, so that was a nice “treat.” 

Recipes coming soon (I hope!)

I spent a considerable amount of time in the last seven days trying to find traditional Indian recipes I could make in our apartment.  With any luck, I’ll be able to post pictures and recipes soon!  If not, there will have to be some major change so we can eat decent, nutritious food.  Wish me luck!

An update to answer some questions

We got some great questions so I thought I would dedicate this bog post to answering some of those questions.  Thank you for the great feedback!

What is the weather like in India?

India is a large country so the weather varies with the location like it does in the United States.  Bangalore is where we live and it is located in the south central part of India and the weather is quite moderate.  Right now the average temperature is 80 degrees during the day and 70 degrees at night.  During our 6 month stay the temperature will remain mostly the same and warm towards the end of our stay as the average high temperature in February is 86 degrees.  India gets monsoon rains which really soak the country and we are in monsoon season right now until the end of October.  Since we have been here we haven’t gotten any monsoon rains; just a sprinkle one day.  They say that the monsoon rains re-define getting wet as the rain can be so intense. It is very humid right now but that should change once the monsoon season ends. The locals are not used to the temperature variations we get in Kansas City so we have seen many people with stocking hats and jackets.  We’ve been comfortable in short sleeves and jeans though.

What do you eat?

This is a very timely question!  In the first 3 days we ate at restaurants around the hotel.  They have almost every food here except Mexican food.  We ate Pizza and Risotto at an Italian place, risotto and pasta at a Mediterranean place, at an Indian buffet, and at Subway (where a 6 inch sub, chips, and a soda cost $3.00).  We are staying in an apartment located within a hotel and the hotel has a great continental breakfast that includes typical Indian dishes, omelets, bagels, muffins, fruit, lettuce salad, baked beans, and a variety of freshly squeezed juice.  This morning’s juice selections were canned orange juice, (which tasted like it does at home), coconut water (they break open a coconut and the milky substance inside goes into the juice, watermelon juice, and beetroot juice.  Bryan says the beetroot juice tastes very “natural” (read: tastes like dirt) and I haven’t been brave enough to try it myself!

We had to wait for our driver to start so he could take us to a grocery store so we experienced grocery shopping last night.  It was an adventure, and I’ll post more about that some other time.  Locals eat a lot of rice-based dishes that include lentils (they are like beans) and other vegetables as the majority of the population are vegetarian.  The meat selection is much different in India than it is in the United States.  We got some chicken breast at the store but the eggs here (and a lot of places in the world) are not refrigerated.  Beef is hard to find and the beef in the store was the deepest purple color.  I think it was maybe buffalo?  We didn’t try any yet. 

I love to cook and will have to re-learn how as there are different products available here than at home.  Last night I “made” a meal that is similar to a TV dinner at home and it was not our favorite.  We bought an Indian cookbook and I’m going to learn to cook out of there.  Wish me luck!

What kind of work are you doing?

Bryan and I work for a health care IT company.  We are here for Bryan’s job.  He is a project manager and has a team of at least 10 people that live in India and are also project managers.  They make sure the project is in scope, people are getting their work done, and that the project is completed on time.  They also help to identify risks and communicate those risks or concerns with the “right” people.

I’m fortunate to work for the same company and to be able to do my job from India.  I work in the sales support department and help potential clients understand what our company can offer them.  Basically, I do a lot of writing and research.

What languages do you speak in India, and can you speak languages other than English?

There are many languages spoken in India as Hindi is the main language but there are more than 20 dialects spoken across the country.  English is the language used in most businesses and because there are so many Hindi dialects many Indians use English to communicate with one another if they do not speak the same dialect. There are a fair number of people here who also speak Arabic.  There are many international companies here in Bangalore including Dell, HP, Yahoo, and more so in our hotel we hear almost every language including French and British English.

Bryan and I both studied Spanish in High School and in College.  Unfortunately, we do not use it every day so we’ve forgotten some of it.

What religions do they follow in India?Most locals are Hindu but there are a good number of Muslim people as well.  There are some Christians here but they are the minority.  Last night when we were driving home from the grocery store there seemed to be some religious celebration going on that we think might have been a Christian one.  There were fireworks, people in the street singing and being reverent.  It was really cool to see.

What do people wear there? Do they wear dots on their foreheads?This is something I asked on the first day too as I wanted to make sure that my clothing was appropriate and our relocation expert told me “anything goes in India.”  From what I’ve seen that seems to be true.  Some women cover their head and some don’t.  I am not sure what determines if they do or do not but if I figure that out I’ll let you know!  Men mostly wear dress pants or jeans and a polo or pressed shirt.  I've seen both men and women with the dot on their forehead.  The dots that people wear seem to be a fashion statement similar to piercing ones ears.  I think it used to mean that you were married but that is not always the case.  Women wear saris, salwar kameez, and sometimes burqa’s.

What is it like to drive there?

Driving here is crazy!  There are so many people and while they have driving lanes, traffic lights, and sidewalks they seem to be more a suggestion than a rule.  People use their horn to signal.  At home the horn is usually used if people are annoyed, but here it seems to be more to tell those drivers around them that they are changing lanes, in a blind spot, etc. Most if not all expatriates (foreign nationals living abroad) have a local driver.  Ours is NAMED. He has been married for 14 years and has a 13 year old son.  He works long hours and at least 6 days a week. We couldn’t navigate Bangalore without him!

Here is a good video of what traffic is like.   It gets worse than that, but our driver is very good and makes us feel safe.

What kind of animals are there?

Animals are everywhere in India!  There are a lot of cows in all of India, including roaming around Bangalore.  Many families have a cow and you often see them outside but I’ve heard they also go into some people’s homes.  Cows are sacred in Hindu and from what I can tell, are the only “safe” creatures on the roads!  There are also a lot of dogs that roam around and I’ve seen a lot of horses and donkeys that are used as a means of transportation.  Often times they are carrying produce like fruits and vegetables.

I'm sure we'll be posting more adventures to come!

Living in Bangalore India for 6 months



           

Preparing to leave KC



Exhausted, but in Bangalore and excited!

It's official - - we now live in Banaglore, India! More than 24 hours after leaving our house and 3 flights we landed in Bangalore feeling exhausted and excited at the same time. Today we are getting situated in our apartment so I wanted to share some pictures of our new digs.

Tomorrow we have our city orientation and need to do some grocery shopping.  There are more adventures to come!

Chicken Pasta

Easy Chicken Pasta

I forgot to take pictures of our supper last night, but it’s a great, fast dish and I don’t want to forget to tell you about it. Bryan made this for me the night we got engaged and every year around this time, the time we got engaged, I get hungry for it.

Food is very nostalgic for me. Once a year I splurge and buy a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I try to eat oatmeal or Fiber One cereals so Cinnamon Toast Crunch is quite a treat! I love it because when I was a kid my Grandma and I would eat this cereal together when I went to her house. I cannot see Cinnamon Toast Crunch without thinking about my Grandma.

This chicken pasta is the same. Every time I make it I remember the night we got engaged, how excited we were, and how we spend the most of the remaining weekend on the phone sharing our excitement. Just last night we re-lived some of those fun memories.

Chicken Pasta

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can tomato soup

1 soup can milk

1 tsp basil

2 c. Penne pasta

Brown the chicken breasts in a pan. Remove the chicken and place the soup, milk, and basil in the pan. Combine with a whisk and simmer on low. Add the cooked chicken to the mixture once the soup and milk mixture is combined. Meanwhile, cook pasta per package directions.

Serve the pasta and tomato sauce on a bed of pasta. Serve with corn or a side salad.

Extreme Baking

I have not blogged for almost 6 months. I cannot say that I have a good excuse and I assure you that we have eaten in the last few months. I wrote (but never posted) this post in September. Bryan was gone on a work trip so I was at home to entertain myself. Read on to find out what happens when I’m stressed and alone. And, look forward to more frequent blogging.

I got home last night and I wanted to relax but I felt the need to accomplish something so I decided to bake. For me, baking is a great stress reducer and results in a good smelling and awesome tasting product. I did what any not-so-normal human being would do; I whipped up a double batch of my Grandma’s cinnamon rolls and a batch of monster cookies.

This made perfect sense to me, you see, because while the sweet roll dough was rising I would make the monster cookies and in between tending to the dough, I would bake the cookies. In addition, I would use the oven and not have to turn it on later. This is multi-tasking and makes me smile because I’m lame like that.  

You should be asking why a family of two needs a double batch of cinnamon rolls and monster cookies. The honest answer is that we don’t. However, we were moving in October so I knew we would have much help. These items freeze well and will come in handy later.

I wish I could say that I had pictures but my hands were so covered in flour, dough, and cookie particles that it just did not happen. I also wish I could say that I remembered how much a single recipe of my Grandma’s cinnamon rolls makes! My arms got sore during the kneading process – so sore they were shaking. (This is a sign that I need to work on my arms strength but I am going to ignore this fact. I hope you do too.)

Then, I made the monster cookies. There was nothing new there. I put them in the fridge to chill and went back to the rolls just as my mom called. “What are you doing?” she asked. I nonchalantly told her about my baking expedition and she said, “You know that Grandma’s cinnamon roll recipe makes TWO 9x13 pans on its own. You are going to have FOUR 9 x 13 pans of cinnamon rolls.”

Oh. Shoot.

The rest of my night involved a cinnamon roll assembly line of rolling, buttering, cinnamon-and-sugar-ing, rolling, slicing, and baking. I did not get to the monster cookies (imagine that) but my house smells great and I have a freezer full of goodies to feed an army. At 10:30 the last pan of rolls came out of the oven and I naturally wanted to eat one. Should someone really indulge in a cinnamon role at 10:30 at night? Alone? I didn’t think so, so I considered taking a pan to my neighbors. They would certainly enjoy them, but I do not think baked goods and a random visit from a neighbor is really welcome after say, 9:00 PM. So, I did the only logical thing. I ate the smallest one – you know – for quality control. They are good and will be better with frosting. Next time I will take pictures and blog about these rolls and post some tips and tricks I remembered through the process.

I am going to bake the monster cookies tonight but I am a slow learner as I also have plans to make a carrot cake, a salad for work, and a salad for supper tomorrow night.

If you do not hear from me please come find me under the piles and piles of dishes!

I made it out of the baking extravaganza and our moving crew really enjoyed the cinnamon rolls. I have had at least two additional baking extravaganzas since this September night but I will have to tell you about that later.