What's for dinner? Dal, rice and SURPRISE!

Indian version of eggplant parmesan

When I seat down to a meal here in India, most of the time I have
no idea what I’m eating. Rice? Yes. Paratha (a sort of Indian flatbread). Yes.
Beyond that, well the dishes put before me appear to creatively highlight whatever vegetables are in season – during the winter it’s radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and some produce that remains a mystery to me. Dal (lentil dishes) are also frequently on our dinner plate. (By the way, my homestay host does all the cooking).

How does the food taste? Certainly not like what you have most likely eaten at an Indian restaurant in Minnesota.

Vegetables for sale in Dharamshala

It’s home cooking here; it is not spicy hot, but oh so flavorful. We eat meat maybe twice a week, and because it is part of a sabzi, the portions are small compared to what I serve in the USA.

We look forward to our frequent trips to the vegetable market as the produce is much more flavorful here, and I seem to be satisfied with smaller portions.
Chan’s salsa, which many of you have tasted and loved, is even better here with absolutely no spice.

We both have lost weight – more than 10 pounds each – and my digestive system, from top to bottom, is much healthier.

Our neighbor, prepares the soil for 

planting winter vegetables

Gardens are prevalent here - our neighbor who is a banker, is constantly working in his before work and on weekends, and as he told me ... "The ground doesn't sleep here." Crops are rotated and planted according to the season... the greatest challenge seems to be keeping a wandering cow from forging the goodies.

It’s now over two months since our arrival in Sidhbari, India, and with New Year’s just around the corner and our USA arrival date in late March, I’m focused on how to maintain some of the healthy changes I’m making here; however, it’s not easy to change over a half a century of culinary habits, but I realize for my own well-being I have to put forth the effort.

What I don’t eat or drink here in India

 Dairy- cheese, milk – taste is hard for me to get used to
Almond milk – limited availability, too expensive
Nuts (walnuts, almonds) too expensive

      Beef- not available

      Ground coffee (Nescafe available, but ground is harder to find)

e     Lettuce or any fresh leaf salad (I’m still to leery of uncooked greens – don’t know what parasites may be laying in wait)

      Beer- (I think for me it was more about opportunity than taste)

Poha is a traditional Indian breakfast

      Good artisan bread (just not readily available – access to oven baking is limited)

      Doughnuts and sweet rolls (Nothing compares to Donut Star in Eagan)

      Candy

         

What’s new that I eat or drink

   Lemon, ginger, honey tea.

   Chai

   Whatever sabzi that is put before me

     Lots of pulse-based dishes (beans and lentils)

COMFORT FOOD – my pretend taste of home

·         Peanut butter sandwich

·         Banana

·         Oatmeal ·         Chan’s salsa

·         French fries

Consider Shimla for your travel bucket list

Shimla is called the Queen of the Hills for good reason; the view of the snow-capped Himalayas is spectacular, and the architecture in the old town center is as if the British left their occupation of India only yesterday. You can see their influence in the buildings and the number of parks.

The road system there, too, seems much less intimidating than other parts of India I have visited – and these roads traverse the sides of steep mountains. I especially appreciated that Shimla’s main tourist and shopping area is for foot traffic only – that includes horses.

While the buildings need renovation, it is obvious that the Himachal Pradesh (state in India) is spending a lot of money to make this a destination for tourists and newly married couples on their honeymoon. Their work is evident with rebuilding of the old town hall, the quaint street lamps – and there is absolutely no trash!

We visited during the off-season so it was cold – but not by Minnesota standards - but a down jacket was necessary during the day and, because central heating systems are rarely available, double thermal underwear at night. However, a little cold meant accommodation prices were low. We stayed at a house from the colonial times, walking distance from the mall and good restaurants. I just love Arbnb!

Because if was off-season, scheduled tours of the area were not available. However, we grabbed a tourist brochure, looked at the one-day itinerary and hired a taxi to take us around. The highlight was a visit to Kufri, a village so high (about 10,500 feet) that you could call it the nose-bleed section of the Shimla area. 

We opted for a horse ride up even further and awaiting us was a panoramic view, that sucked whatever breath I had left out of me.

Of course, there were plenty of entrepreneurs trying to get into your pocketbook- target shooting (yes with a gun, be it B-B style); a haunted house and telescopes available to rent if you really, really had trouble seeing what was before your very eyes.

We opted (for $3) to dress up in traditional Kullu wedding attire, and celebrate our own marriage - I guess this is really what this trip to India is all about for us.

There and back

Our journey to Shimla was grueling - I complain about a 3-hour drive to Duluth in the USA or air travel taking five hours to a destination. Here, even short distances take time to traverse. We hired a taxi for the first leg of our journey to Kalka – that was about six hours. Upon arriving, we headed straight to the railway station to buy our tickets for the five hour journey on the so-called “toy train,” a 10-gauge railway that was built during the British in 1905 and, with its 100 tunnels, is considered an engineering feat.

Chan had tried to book tickets online, and just as with most everything else here in India, it may happen or it may not. It was a NOT for us!

At the counter, we learned that the only spots available were on the 3:30 a.m. train! So, it was that or nothing, and since this adventure was on our “must-do” list, we did it. Fortunately, we had booked a hotel for the night. Now, my booking criteria is cleanliness and within walking distance to where we need to go. This facility served its purpose and at 2:45 a.m. we walked down the deserted streets of Kolka to the train depot. By the way, we sat down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner featuring tandoori chicken.

While the train ride was cold - I mean really cold- it was worth every so-called inconvenience so that we could view the sunrise making its way over the mountain range.

We opted for a 12-hour bus ride to take us home. Two stops, including one for lunch, lots of hairpin turns on some pretty scary roads added up to another wonderful adventure.

View my complete Shimla photo album here. 

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The sun sets on our trip to Shimla

                                                                                                       

For a political junkie, India elections are the 'Super Bowl'

Election News: 90% of Sidhbari ward expected to cast their ballot as 12 vie for state assembly.

With so many candidates vying to represent Himachal Pradesh in the India state assembly and new ballot machines to help ensure the voter’s vote is actually going to their candidate of choice, elections are a big deal in the world’s largest democracy.

I know little about the politics here, so as an observer, I'll stick to the process.

The weeks leading up to the Thursday, Nov. 9, election were filled with noise – lots of noise. Since any form of electronic advertising is nonexistent, candidates garner support by hiring drivers to travel up and down roads blaring the message from loudspeakers - and then there are the parades of flag-adorned vehicles, horns honking causing traffic jams on the narrow roads. (I was told that candidates pay drivers to participate in the parades).

Two days before the election, campaigning stops and on election day, the schools close and many businesses are shuttered.

According to Akshat Sharma, the election judge at our nearby polling place, with about 1,100 registered voters in the (precinct), 900 were expected to cast their ballot. It wasn’t only the number of candidates that piqued people’s interest, he said, but the new voting machines that, assigned a symbol to each candidate.This visual provides a sort of safety check beyond just the candidate’s name. 

Anyone wishing to vote, must present the official registration paper with their photo and address, and only then are they allowed into the polling station.

Nothing moves swiftly here in India, including election results. 

The election procedure and ballot counting takes time. I’m told that it won’t be until mid-December before the winner will be announced. In the meantime, I’m curious if the various political parties are required to pick up the paper mess they have created with all the posters.

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Coming together one stitch at a time.

As many of you know, Chan and I are spending six months in India. The place we reside is Sidhbari, which is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, near the city of Dharamshala, close to the home of the Tibetan Government in Exile and the Dali Lama.

I couldn’t go to India or anywhere for that matter for this length of time without my sewing machine … there’s no way I could survive without this lifeline to home. So, I packed it up and spent $100 to get it here. 

I love to work with batiks, but I've found that the quality of batiks here is lacking. 

Shopping for batiks in Dehli. You sit, while shop owners shows you the fabric.

The fabric is too thin, and is difficult to work with and the colors are too muddy for my tastes.. I did make a set of place mats, but it was not easy. I am quickly learning how I have taken for granted the tools and fabrics that we have to work with in the USA.

Sewing- The thread of life

Sewing is so much part of the traditions and day-to-day living here. For instance, while ready made clothes are available (especially in Western styles) many people purchase and bring fabric to the tailor and within a couple days -at the most - you have a new suit or dress. The area where we are staying - because it gets cold -  is known for its  wool and it is like nothing I have touched (I don't think I'm the only one who gets joy from feeling up fabrics). Yak wool, angora, pashmina,

It is amazing the work that people turn out here with such rudimentary equipment. I am ashamed at how little I pay for their products here and at home.

I will be helping six women hone their sewing skills as they develop a niche market for the bags they create and sell to westerners who visit the area. The project is run by a dedicated woman who has created Nishtha Trust. Dr. Barbara, an Austrian, established the nonprofit decades ago and raises funds to support the various ventures that have been developed, of which the Women’s Sewing Cooperative is one.

As I impart the skills I have learned over the years about sewing, patchwork and marketing, these women will be teaching me about how to persevere in the face of so many personal and economic challenges.

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