Estoy al punto de salir de otra excursion, esta vez para ver unos pueblos con templos del siglo XI y la estatua monolita mas alta del mundo. Es jainista. Los pueblos se llaman Halebid, Belur y Srvanabelagola, por si alguien se muere de curiosidad.
La experiencia de los templos es otro mundo totalmente distinto. Nunca he experimentado nada parecido. Las ceremonias (pujas) pasan superrapido, me parece, todo a la vez, lamparas de ghee quemada, agua sagrado, kumkum y polvos de colores por todas partes, te regalan flores, cantos mil, olores, colores, sonidos, la piedra fria debajo de tus pies. Impresionante!!
Y tuve una experiencia alucinante en un templo para Ganesh, Sri Satchichananda, o algo asi. Tambien se conoce como Ganapatti. (Por Ganesh). Pues nada. Asistimos un servicio con bhajan (esto es servicio con habla y canto, acompanimiento de violines, tambores, sitar y mas). Pues mientras iba escuchando el Swami rapado todo vestido en rojo, como hablaba en Telugu y luego pasaba a cantar y luego a veces todos ahi, empezaban a cantar tambien. Pues era un momento magico y alucinante y me cai dentro del sonido en un estado de paz total y quietud interior mientras que todo fuera vibraba super fuerte. Es como si podia percebir las particulas de aire y su energia vibrando muy rapido. Duro asi un largo rato pero luego tenia miedo y me saque del estado y luego no podia volver.
Pues resulta que los Swamis ahi han desarrollado un sistema de musica para hacer que la energia llegue a los individuos y al total (pero yo no sabia esto en el momento de escuchar). Pues alucinante! Es todo lo que experimente!!! Super fuerte.
Voy a volver muy pronto para ver si puedo repetir la experiencia.!!!
Besos a todos!!!
Escribo mas pronto!
XOXO
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
2 safaris and 22 chapatis later........
It's about time I dedicated some serious attention to describing the joys of Indian food. Don't worry, I'm keeping a detailed journal with short recipes of especially surprising foods.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I've always loved Indian food, but this is taking it to a whole 'nuther level. Everyone who comes to India talks about how they can't deal with all the spice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I disagree! I never tire of rice (they even have it for breakfast sometimes - you'd love it, Dad!) and I think a spicy breakfast is a great way to wake up to the day and get that extra burst of energy.
So, one of the best surprises has been the idli. This is a steamed rice flour bun, served with (as the rice is always served, sambhar - spicy sauce with veg). You can eat them with your fingers or a spoon (if the sauce is really hot or buttery). I remember trying them in US Indian restaurants but they weren't that great. Let me tell you, fresh steamed idli with piping hot okra and orange-y spicy hot sambhar is a fantastic breakfast!
Another popular weekend breakfast is dosa, sort of like a crepe, but made of rice flour (hand ground, of course!). This is also served with veggies, anything, potato, okra, beet, and sometimes chutney. Chutneys here are not the western idea of chutney. Here it can be blended peanut, chili, green tomato, for example (basically like a burning spicy hot tahini) or coconut, cilantro, peanut, etc. Basically, dosa is not too far off from pancakes or crepes, except for the rice factor, and the fact that you don't really put sweet anything on them.
Other tidbits (yum, yum):
----mixing food with your hand and constantly touching your food and playing with it like a kid is not only necessary, but insufficient mixing or not continually touching and re-arranging mini-handfuls of rice and veg is looked down upon
----there are quite a few rules about how you should push the food into your mouth, making eating with your hands as complicated as French dining etiquette (well, almost)
----I love eating with my hands now. It's so satisfying and fun!
----roti in the south is also made with hand-grounded rice flour, not with wheat like in the north. I've had some incredible masala roti, bursting with cilantro, hot chili, cumin, etc, soooo delicious. I've also had a variation of masala roti with hardish lima beans and dill.
----They use so many fresh herbs and leaves here. It's super healthy and bursting with green flavor.
----Another fantastic protein packed dish is sprouted seed and bean curry. Deep dark brown sauce, almost meaty in flavor, with 5 different kinds of beans, sprouted for extra life force energy!
----There's nothing like home-cooking! ;)
----They eat so many beets here that even a beet lover who can eat 4 big ones a week like me is a bit beet-ed out. I had beets like 5 or 6 times this week, I think.
----you don't need to use hand cream on your right hand because the ghee in the food is a natural moisturizer
----I could go on about the food for probably like 12 pages, which is why I'm thinking of buying an old typewriter or something so I can write about food to my heart and stomach's content!
So, I'll write about the safari later. It was fantastic but I find computers boring these days.
PS. Lots of love and I promise one day I will post some pics.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I've always loved Indian food, but this is taking it to a whole 'nuther level. Everyone who comes to India talks about how they can't deal with all the spice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I disagree! I never tire of rice (they even have it for breakfast sometimes - you'd love it, Dad!) and I think a spicy breakfast is a great way to wake up to the day and get that extra burst of energy.
So, one of the best surprises has been the idli. This is a steamed rice flour bun, served with (as the rice is always served, sambhar - spicy sauce with veg). You can eat them with your fingers or a spoon (if the sauce is really hot or buttery). I remember trying them in US Indian restaurants but they weren't that great. Let me tell you, fresh steamed idli with piping hot okra and orange-y spicy hot sambhar is a fantastic breakfast!
Another popular weekend breakfast is dosa, sort of like a crepe, but made of rice flour (hand ground, of course!). This is also served with veggies, anything, potato, okra, beet, and sometimes chutney. Chutneys here are not the western idea of chutney. Here it can be blended peanut, chili, green tomato, for example (basically like a burning spicy hot tahini) or coconut, cilantro, peanut, etc. Basically, dosa is not too far off from pancakes or crepes, except for the rice factor, and the fact that you don't really put sweet anything on them.
Other tidbits (yum, yum):
----mixing food with your hand and constantly touching your food and playing with it like a kid is not only necessary, but insufficient mixing or not continually touching and re-arranging mini-handfuls of rice and veg is looked down upon
----there are quite a few rules about how you should push the food into your mouth, making eating with your hands as complicated as French dining etiquette (well, almost)
----I love eating with my hands now. It's so satisfying and fun!
----roti in the south is also made with hand-grounded rice flour, not with wheat like in the north. I've had some incredible masala roti, bursting with cilantro, hot chili, cumin, etc, soooo delicious. I've also had a variation of masala roti with hardish lima beans and dill.
----They use so many fresh herbs and leaves here. It's super healthy and bursting with green flavor.
----Another fantastic protein packed dish is sprouted seed and bean curry. Deep dark brown sauce, almost meaty in flavor, with 5 different kinds of beans, sprouted for extra life force energy!
----There's nothing like home-cooking! ;)
----They eat so many beets here that even a beet lover who can eat 4 big ones a week like me is a bit beet-ed out. I had beets like 5 or 6 times this week, I think.
----you don't need to use hand cream on your right hand because the ghee in the food is a natural moisturizer
----I could go on about the food for probably like 12 pages, which is why I'm thinking of buying an old typewriter or something so I can write about food to my heart and stomach's content!
So, I'll write about the safari later. It was fantastic but I find computers boring these days.
PS. Lots of love and I promise one day I will post some pics.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Week Two! Mother's Milk, a Mysore Bestiary and mo'!
Now that I'm more settled in and remembered my password for my blog (duh!!!) I can write more!
Everything's going really well in Mysore; I'm even used to waking up at 5.20 in the morning for early practice! I only had one revolutionary yoga moment in my practice, and that was the one day I practiced at home, but this is definitely a magical place to practice and I know I'll learn a lot. As I'm learning in my Sanskrit class, my chant class, my yogasutra analysis class and the philosophy class I'll start tomorrow in the center!
Como muchos de vosotros viven en Espana y casi todos entienden espanol, voy a cambiar entre uno y otro idioma, y a lo mejor um bocadinho em portugues pra todos! (o para o riso!) Maybe not.
First things first. The Bestiary, otherwise known as, an inventory of the animals I've seen this week in Mysore.
1. Lots of cows (including babies!)
2. Lots of frogs (on the streets and in the pool I went to yesterday in an old palace. Nice life!)
3. 2 toads (sapos, grandes y gordos! despues del dia del monzon, y no era broma eso de que hay monzon - 4 horas de chuva, jolines!)
4. 3 brown pigs today. Must have been a family.
5. Various assorted small monkeys.
6. Cats. A veces van corriendo en mi terraza.
7. Dare I mention all the spiders, in various sizes and colors!? Shudder!
8. Some horses. Once a mother with her same week baby colt. Una yegua con su bebe!
9. Dragonflies, 1000 butterflies, bats, grasshoppers (saltamontes), crickets (grillos), and other flying things.
10. I can't remember but I know there's more.
Now, on to my eye infection. It's almost all better now, no surprise I got one considering how I always stick my fingers in my eyes, it was red and pus-y and nasty but almost perfect now with only ayurvedic and homeopathic meds. The best part is that when I was going to get the ayurvedic eyedrops, I was walking with a girl and 2 guys stopped on a motorbike. This girl had bought some oil in this guy's shop or something. When told where we were headed, they very kindly started suggesting remedies. This week I've already heard, plain water in the eye, salt water in the eye, rub real gold on your eye, go to the eye specialist, use rose water! Etc, etc. So, the best suggestion this guy had (besides a tube of conventional medicine) was milk from a pregnant woman. He says it clears up eye infection instantly. I was like, perfect, thanks for the suggestion. I'll go look for a pregnant woman, and when I finally find one, I'll ask, excuse me but can I have some of your milk and put it in my eye? I got a lot of laughs from that one.
Ja, ja. Asi que nada. Es un poco complicado volcar fotos a esta pagina asi que por favor, un poquito de paciencia mientras que llegue todos los aspectos tecnologicos a esta pagina.
Y de la India. Es un pais increible, muchos constrastes, muchos colores, muchos olores (no huele tan mal como imagine). Me sigue sorprendiendo muchiiiiiisimo la generosidad de la gente. Gente que no tiene mucho dinero, y no les importa si no tienes dinero, te dicen que pagues manana o cuando sea, me han regalado muchas cosas, flores, la mujer donde vivo me ha regalado un outfit tipo tunico con pantalon, etc, y cuando te regalan cosas, es dificil decir que no. Incluso aqui en el internet cafe, a veces me han dicho que no hacia falta pagar, que es poco, que no pasa nada. Como lo escribo no parece mucho pero es una generosidad de dinero, regalos actos de goodwill, etc que no he visto en ningun sitio, y menos en sitios donde la gente realmente podria ser asi sin problema, como los EEUU y Catalunya! 180 grados de diferencia de Catalunya, donde cuentan 10 centimos, y 8 centimos, y tienen miles de euros. Aqui la gente no tiene miles, y no cuentan estas monedas. Y hacen muuuuchos regalos.
Other high points before I sign off here:
- the most incredible chai for 6 rupees at the coconut stand on the corner of the Main Road in Gokulam by the bus stop.
- playing with Megha and Bhumi, the 6 and 9 year old daughters where I'm living
- echando superbuenas siestas despues de comer toda clase de curries en mi pisito, con la brisa antes de la lluvia, el susurro de las hojas de platano, coco, etc y las risas de las ninas jugando
- suenos flipantes (y no todos buenos, pero siempre intensos!!!!!!!!!!! de verdad!)
- the ghee-infused flatbread sweet I had for dessert yesterday that Ratna made for me with coconut, ghee and some grain (incredible!!!)
- Sharath's recent adjustments he did for me, then him telling me what to do and saying, "Good" after. This is an unexpected and unprecedented comment from him. People go weeks and months with no compliments from him. I was trying. Later I was trying not to feel proud for the fruits of my efforts.
- Listening to Lakshmis talk in the classes. He's a young Brahmin Sanskirt scholar with a new baby and he speaks lots of wisdom and tells funny stories, too.
- Descubriendo entre los mejores chocolateros que he probado en mi vida!! Y en el sitio menos esperado! A la esquina de mi casa, en una tienda tipo Mini-Mart que tiene todo, hay un pequeno escaparate con chocolates envueltos en papel super bonito. Pues, bien, de choc. negro, leche y blanco, y con sabores como anarcardo, crema de cacahuete, chili, cayena, cardamomo, flores de no se que, coco, pasas y no se cuanto. Y son bueniiiiiisimos. Entre los mejores de mi vida, y no se como consigue esta textura en este tiempo humedo y caluroso!!! Ya despues de descubrir, volvi al dia siguiente y pregunte, quien hace estos chocolates?? Esperando oir, el chico canadiense (que tiene un restaurante bastante cerca y tiene diploma del Cordon Bleu en Paris). Pues no, me contesta, "mi mujer". Yo flipando, no? Y resulta que si, y el ayuda a su mujer. Para algunos mas sutiles, dejan las flores, etc en sirope de azucar durante un mes para hacer algo tipo infusion y dice que pasaronn meses mezclando, etc. al principio para llegar a la temperatura correcta (tempering chocolate is difficult anywhere, more here, but this is where you get bad quality that after melting changes color, texture, or gets white bits). Total, es ni artesano de chocolates, es un artista!!! Bueno, ella y el los dos!!!!! Pero, de verdad, mejor que muchos que he probado incluso en Francia. Who wudda thunk it?
Unbelievable.
I'll sign off here 'cuz you've probably fallen asleep from boredom reading this.
Next time, expect some photo action!
Love,
Andrea!!!! (I was sore 2 hours ago, but not anymore). XOXO
Everything's going really well in Mysore; I'm even used to waking up at 5.20 in the morning for early practice! I only had one revolutionary yoga moment in my practice, and that was the one day I practiced at home, but this is definitely a magical place to practice and I know I'll learn a lot. As I'm learning in my Sanskrit class, my chant class, my yogasutra analysis class and the philosophy class I'll start tomorrow in the center!
Como muchos de vosotros viven en Espana y casi todos entienden espanol, voy a cambiar entre uno y otro idioma, y a lo mejor um bocadinho em portugues pra todos! (o para o riso!) Maybe not.
First things first. The Bestiary, otherwise known as, an inventory of the animals I've seen this week in Mysore.
1. Lots of cows (including babies!)
2. Lots of frogs (on the streets and in the pool I went to yesterday in an old palace. Nice life!)
3. 2 toads (sapos, grandes y gordos! despues del dia del monzon, y no era broma eso de que hay monzon - 4 horas de chuva, jolines!)
4. 3 brown pigs today. Must have been a family.
5. Various assorted small monkeys.
6. Cats. A veces van corriendo en mi terraza.
7. Dare I mention all the spiders, in various sizes and colors!? Shudder!
8. Some horses. Once a mother with her same week baby colt. Una yegua con su bebe!
9. Dragonflies, 1000 butterflies, bats, grasshoppers (saltamontes), crickets (grillos), and other flying things.
10. I can't remember but I know there's more.
Now, on to my eye infection. It's almost all better now, no surprise I got one considering how I always stick my fingers in my eyes, it was red and pus-y and nasty but almost perfect now with only ayurvedic and homeopathic meds. The best part is that when I was going to get the ayurvedic eyedrops, I was walking with a girl and 2 guys stopped on a motorbike. This girl had bought some oil in this guy's shop or something. When told where we were headed, they very kindly started suggesting remedies. This week I've already heard, plain water in the eye, salt water in the eye, rub real gold on your eye, go to the eye specialist, use rose water! Etc, etc. So, the best suggestion this guy had (besides a tube of conventional medicine) was milk from a pregnant woman. He says it clears up eye infection instantly. I was like, perfect, thanks for the suggestion. I'll go look for a pregnant woman, and when I finally find one, I'll ask, excuse me but can I have some of your milk and put it in my eye? I got a lot of laughs from that one.
Ja, ja. Asi que nada. Es un poco complicado volcar fotos a esta pagina asi que por favor, un poquito de paciencia mientras que llegue todos los aspectos tecnologicos a esta pagina.
Y de la India. Es un pais increible, muchos constrastes, muchos colores, muchos olores (no huele tan mal como imagine). Me sigue sorprendiendo muchiiiiiisimo la generosidad de la gente. Gente que no tiene mucho dinero, y no les importa si no tienes dinero, te dicen que pagues manana o cuando sea, me han regalado muchas cosas, flores, la mujer donde vivo me ha regalado un outfit tipo tunico con pantalon, etc, y cuando te regalan cosas, es dificil decir que no. Incluso aqui en el internet cafe, a veces me han dicho que no hacia falta pagar, que es poco, que no pasa nada. Como lo escribo no parece mucho pero es una generosidad de dinero, regalos actos de goodwill, etc que no he visto en ningun sitio, y menos en sitios donde la gente realmente podria ser asi sin problema, como los EEUU y Catalunya! 180 grados de diferencia de Catalunya, donde cuentan 10 centimos, y 8 centimos, y tienen miles de euros. Aqui la gente no tiene miles, y no cuentan estas monedas. Y hacen muuuuchos regalos.
Other high points before I sign off here:
- the most incredible chai for 6 rupees at the coconut stand on the corner of the Main Road in Gokulam by the bus stop.
- playing with Megha and Bhumi, the 6 and 9 year old daughters where I'm living
- echando superbuenas siestas despues de comer toda clase de curries en mi pisito, con la brisa antes de la lluvia, el susurro de las hojas de platano, coco, etc y las risas de las ninas jugando
- suenos flipantes (y no todos buenos, pero siempre intensos!!!!!!!!!!! de verdad!)
- the ghee-infused flatbread sweet I had for dessert yesterday that Ratna made for me with coconut, ghee and some grain (incredible!!!)
- Sharath's recent adjustments he did for me, then him telling me what to do and saying, "Good" after. This is an unexpected and unprecedented comment from him. People go weeks and months with no compliments from him. I was trying. Later I was trying not to feel proud for the fruits of my efforts.
- Listening to Lakshmis talk in the classes. He's a young Brahmin Sanskirt scholar with a new baby and he speaks lots of wisdom and tells funny stories, too.
- Descubriendo entre los mejores chocolateros que he probado en mi vida!! Y en el sitio menos esperado! A la esquina de mi casa, en una tienda tipo Mini-Mart que tiene todo, hay un pequeno escaparate con chocolates envueltos en papel super bonito. Pues, bien, de choc. negro, leche y blanco, y con sabores como anarcardo, crema de cacahuete, chili, cayena, cardamomo, flores de no se que, coco, pasas y no se cuanto. Y son bueniiiiiisimos. Entre los mejores de mi vida, y no se como consigue esta textura en este tiempo humedo y caluroso!!! Ya despues de descubrir, volvi al dia siguiente y pregunte, quien hace estos chocolates?? Esperando oir, el chico canadiense (que tiene un restaurante bastante cerca y tiene diploma del Cordon Bleu en Paris). Pues no, me contesta, "mi mujer". Yo flipando, no? Y resulta que si, y el ayuda a su mujer. Para algunos mas sutiles, dejan las flores, etc en sirope de azucar durante un mes para hacer algo tipo infusion y dice que pasaronn meses mezclando, etc. al principio para llegar a la temperatura correcta (tempering chocolate is difficult anywhere, more here, but this is where you get bad quality that after melting changes color, texture, or gets white bits). Total, es ni artesano de chocolates, es un artista!!! Bueno, ella y el los dos!!!!! Pero, de verdad, mejor que muchos que he probado incluso en Francia. Who wudda thunk it?
Unbelievable.
I'll sign off here 'cuz you've probably fallen asleep from boredom reading this.
Next time, expect some photo action!
Love,
Andrea!!!! (I was sore 2 hours ago, but not anymore). XOXO
Friday, July 11, 2008
Here we go
I'm going to start writing right away and it won't be profound because otherwise I'll never do a blog.
Funny, now I've got nothing to write about. Maybe I should wait til I post some pictures.....
India's great, and I'm not even sore yet!
Today, Shivaratna (the young mother who's Maya's age and has 2 beautiful daughters) taught me a lot of basic words in Kanada and Hindi. Important words, like mango, woman, fire and monkey.
Then she told me a lot of ingredients and secrets in her cooking, which I need to write down soon so I can become a master Indian cook!
Love you all!!!
PS. The yoga is great - just not revolutionary yet.
Funny, now I've got nothing to write about. Maybe I should wait til I post some pictures.....
India's great, and I'm not even sore yet!
Today, Shivaratna (the young mother who's Maya's age and has 2 beautiful daughters) taught me a lot of basic words in Kanada and Hindi. Important words, like mango, woman, fire and monkey.
Then she told me a lot of ingredients and secrets in her cooking, which I need to write down soon so I can become a master Indian cook!
Love you all!!!
PS. The yoga is great - just not revolutionary yet.
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