Mutton Pepperoni

Most of the time we get to eat awesome Indian food. But a couple nights a week I get to do some American style cooking. We have to do a lot of improvising because many ingredients are not available, or are very expensive. Most Indian kitchens do not have an oven as almost everything they make can be cooked in a wok on a gas range. So "everyday" baking ingredients aren't even sold in stores, like powdered cinnamon and brown sugar. I think I've mentioned before that beef is not very popular here, so they use all kinds of other weird meats like mutton, and buffalo. Just so you know, mutton pepperoni is really weird.  Here's a couple pictures of the pizza I made a few days ago. It turned out really yummy in spite of the weird pepperoni (if I do say so myself :0).

Cafeteria Kitchen

Tim was given a grand tour of the school cafeteria kitchen. Here are a few pictures. They cook mostly rice, with a little chicken and vegetables. This is also where they cooked the independence day feast.

rice steamers

above: The three huge pots on the right are for steaming rice. They pipe in steam from a big boiler.

counter for chopping vegetables

huge pot

pot for making tea

boiler provides steam for cooking rice

coconut splitter

station for washing pots

above: looks like a back-breaking job. there are raised sinks outside where each student is responsible for washing his/her own plate and cup.

Tim posing with the cooks

Independence Day Feast

Ok, so I'm sure if you saw my post with all the pictures of pig butchering you're wondering how it tasted right? Well let me just say, yum, yum, yum! They cooked it in some kind of spicy curry sauce. Also on the menu was chicken curry, white rice, rice with tomato something, and curd. The chicken curry was slightly different than the pork curry, but if I had eaten them on separate days I probably would have said they were the same. I think I would have to be here for awhile before I could detect the subtle differences in spices, but it's all very good. Curd is like runny yogurt with onions and tomatoes in it. Really good mixed with rice and curry.

Anyways, the whole meal was a really fun experience. They handed us each a big metal plate on the way in. Then they dumped a big pile of rice on it, and on top of the rice they put the curry and curd. Then, my favorite part :), you mix it all around with your fingers and scoop it into your mouth. This was actually a dream come true for me because, ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to go to India so I could eat with my fingers. There really is a technique to it. You kinda scoop it up with your fingers and shove it into your mouth with your thumb. I believe it really is a superior method for eating. Think about it, a fork in an American restaurant has been in how many people's mouths? euwww! My fingers, only in my mouth. The Indian couple we were sitting across from said it used to be even better because they ate off banana leaves, no plates to wash! Eating with your fingers also keeps you from chomping down on the little bits of bones that get chopped up and cooked with the meat. AND...it's way more fun!

(You might notice in the following pictures a fork and spoon on my plate. I did not use them! They were given to us by our hosts because we are Americans, and everyone knows that Americans eat with forks. lol Not this one. :)

Preparing a Feast

Independence day celebrations anywhere are not complete without a feast. India is no exception. No hamburgers or hotdogs here tho! What's on the menu? Short-legged elephant, as they jokingly called it. A whole pig was butchered and made into delicious curry.

This little piggie weighed about 220 lbs. After killing the pig, they burned and scraped off all the hair. This way, every part of the pig can be used, including the skin. Thankfully, all the "undesirable" parts (such as brains and other organs) were cooked in a separate pot. I'm all about not wasting things, but I'm glad we weren't offered any of the weird stuff. Being ignorant of what you are actually eating is one thing, but I've butchered enough animals that I think I would be able to identify any odd parts that might appear. But then, you know, I might just eat it for the sake of saying I have eaten... whatever it may be. Pig brains couldn't be any worse than the grubs, turtle, or snake I've tried. Hmmm...

Mom, you will really enjoy this. They took the pig's bladder, blew it up like a balloon, and kicked it around. Just like Laura Ingals in Little House in the Big Woods!

WARNING: if you have a weak stomach, you might not want to look at these pictures

ignorance is bliss...

burning and scraping off the hair

yummy!

yes, that's the head

inflated pig bladder ball

How to Eat Your Dragon

Lest you get the wrong idea, we were actually eating dragon-fruit. Dragonfruit is a beautiful purple-skinned fruit about the size of an oblong grapefruit. The inner flesh is white with tiny black seeds, and has a similar texture to that of kiwi fruit. As to the flavor, it's pretty good. It's not bad anyway, well, it doesn't have much flavor at all really. Just slightly sweet, and very refreshing.

Step 1: slice open fruit

Step 2: lay halves side by side and comment on appearance

Step 3: smell, and continue discussing the unusual appearance. *note - be very thorough with this step before proceeding to step 4.

Step 4: taste

Step 5: smile!

The Honorable Bovine

Cows are very revered, and considered sacred by the Hindus here. It's very common to see them just along the side of the road here, or hooked up to a cart. The very high castes will not even eat milk or milk products. It's difficult to find beef for sale here, you have to know where to get it. Butter and clarified butter (ghee) are more readily available.  The milk here is usually watered down to make it more economical, and affordable.

The excrement from the cow is also considered holy, as gross as that may seem. They mix it with either yellow or green coloring, and spread it on their doorsteps. I'm not really sure exactly what this is supposed to accomplish, but it's connected to religious superstition somehow.

In case you were worrying about me developing a protein deficiency, I reassure you that we eat plenty of dead cows and chickens. Our hosts here feed us very well.

Looking pretty regal

Going Shopping

Hey everyone! I can't believe we've only been here for a week and a half. So many new experiences! I can't decide what to post about first. :) I think I'll start with a few of the interesting things we've seen while out shopping. The Friday and Saturday after we got here we got to go to a few stores. Shopping here is a little overwhelming, especially when everything is swirling because of jet lag. We are starting to get the hang of making a mental currency exchange every time we look at an item's price tag. For the most part, things are cheaper here. Most people here are Hindu and strictly vegetarian, so it is hard to find meat for sale. Especially beef because cows are particularly sacred. But if you need bananas, rice, or curry seasonings, no problem.

The results of our first trip to the grocery store, notice the "pupped rice" lol

Anybody care for a banana? The itty bitty ones in the first picture are the best, very sweet.

You know, I've really been craving a good eel. lol

Mom, I was gonna bring him back just for you, but he didn't fit in the suitcase ;)

This is the poultry market.