Mystery Food and Driving

Yesterday  I baked something and I am going to list the ingredients and you can try to guess what I made.  If you make it to the bottom of this post you will find out what it was. Here are the mystery ingredients:
1 heaping c Whole Wheat Atta
1 c oats 
1/2 spoon Cooking Soda
1 egg
1 small spoon vanilla essence
1 chocolate bar
1/2 c butter
slightly less that 1/2 c jaggery
slightly less that 1/2 c refined sugar

     Today was the kind of day that would make you want to stay in Bangalore forever.  It is monsoon season right now, and the weather has been beautiful.  Usually the mornings are bright and clear with fluffy white clouds that turn ominous in the late afternoon and let go with lots of rain towards evening.  Perfect for letting the clothes hang to dry in the sun in the morning and pulling them in just before the rain.  We went for a walk around the lake near our apartment this afternoon, and on the way back in chatted with some neighbors.   Our kids are making friends, I was really excited to see a group of girls run over shouting "Samantha" when we got back from our walk today.  Our neighbors are so nice here, it is a very diverse community and I didn't realize how much I have in common with so many of them.  They are from all over India, but North and South, East and West are so different from each other that they feel like foreigners here too.  Somehow I find comfort in that.  They don't struggle in the same ways I do, but I think we all find comfort in each other.
     Crossing the road in front of the apartment has become a game and the older 2 are getting really good at knowing when to run.  Samantha still likes to hold our hand, but Luke loves to run for it.  However, it has been hard to get used to looking left instead of looking right as we get ready to cross the street.  There have been a few close calls and some angry honks as we stepped out forgetting that everyone drives on the other side of the road here.  Nevertheless, I think I am realizing that I was made for the driving here.  I love it.  There are rules, but no one follows them.  So it seems like there are no rules, just do what makes sense as you drive.  Although what makes sense to me and what makes sense to some Indian drivers might be different, it is still a really fun experience.  I don't actually get to drive here, but there is something that beckons to me, making me want the opportunity to get behind the wheel.  The streets are crazy and chaotic, but it is becoming home. 
     On another note, I think that my children think they are celebrities.  In fact, I know Zoe does.  Everywhere we go people stare, wave and try to get a little closer for a good look.  The other day we had some people in the "mall" (pretty much like a super Target in the US) stop us and ask to take pictures with our kids.  They smiled better than they ever would have if I had asked for a picture.  I probably should have asked them to text me the picture, but I didn't think of it until later.  Zoe almost has the Miss America wave down perfectly now.
     We finally got our boxes we mailed to ourselves from the states yesterday. It is so nice to finally have toys! The kids are having fun with the toys too.  This apartment feels so much more like home with our things laying around.  I also hid a can of pumpkin in one of our boxes.  Ben laughed as he opened the box where it was located.  He probably would have told me not to pack it in the states, but he was excited that he is going to have pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving here. 
Now for the mystery ingredients: if you guessed that I made chocolate chip cookies, you were right!  Not exactly like I could have made in the states, but delicious none the less.  Enjoy your day!

Indian Food

Today I made my first real, delicious Indian meal.  I have to say, I was excited!  Everyone except Samantha loved it, but she was still mad from having to do math all morning, so I say it doesn't really count.  Hooray!  I made Masoor Daal with white rice and curds.  Here is the recipe, for those of you who are wanting to try something new, or if you just want to check out what we are eating.


Masoor Daal

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils (I used orange, but there are about 20 colors here to choose from) 
• 1 large Carrot, shredded or chopped
• 1.5 inces of fresh ginger root, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 scant teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (it comes in a powder here, I think you can find it in the states)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 
  
• vegetable oil
• 1 minced onion (the onions here are small and look like purple onions in the US)
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic (I used more because in India the garlic cloves are tiny)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (called Corriander leaves in India) 
• 1 diced tomato

Directions

1. Rinse lentils thoroughly and place in a medium saucepan along with carrot, turmeric, garam masala, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and soupy. You can also do this in a pressure cooker, which is what I did because it takes less time, but most people don't seem to have pressure cookers in the states.  In India, they are a must have kitchen item :)
2. When the beans are almost done, saute the onions in oil until translucent then add garlic, cumin seeds, cilantro and tomatoes.  Saute for about 5 more minutes until the spices are fragrant and set aside.  Add to the lentils right before serving.  
3. Serve with rice (Basmati is a good choice) 
4. If you can find curds, it is like a soupy plain yogurt, it goes really well on the side

I have to admit that I forgot a few of the ingredients (ginger, cilantro and the tomato) but it still tasted GREAT!! So delicious! I had 4 distractions pulling at my feet while I was making lunch, so I think only forgetting 3 ingredients was not bad. :)

Things that are different

Happy Diwali!
Today is the main day for a major Hindu holiday, so there have been fireworks going off since about 4 am this morning.  When I say going off I mean that people have been setting off major fireworks in our apartment courtyard, as well as all over the city, all day yesterday and today.  These things are shaking the building and core of my being. The kids are having a great time watching the fireworks.  The views from our apartment are really beautiful, and I will take some pictures tonight with the fireworks and try to post them tomorrow.

Well, I posted yesterday some random stories, and I think today I will post some little things that are different.  This whole experience has made me want to get involved with refugees and/or international students some day.  It is really funny the things you just don't know when you move to a foreign country.
So here is a list of things that I have noticed so far:
1. There is a huge variety of rice that I didn't even know existed
2. Same for grains
3. Don't ask for Brown Sugar.  Apparently here that is the word for heroin.
4. My American accent makes it difficult for many people to understand me
5. Apartments don't come with appliances.  (Fridge, washer/dryer, stove, etc.)
6. Indian's don't use ovens-they don't even have them
7. I can put out a bag with a little coupon in it on my door at night and someone will come and deliver fresh milk to me in the morning. (Nice!)
8.You must boil the milk before you drink it (I still can't figure out if you actually have to or everyone just does it)
9. No one here understands why you would want to drink cold milk
10. Everyone takes off their shoes before entering a house
11. People here are happy to give you directions or items that you are looking for, even if they have no idea what you are saying.
12. Tomato sauce=tomato puree
13. American food is really expensive (and subject to a 14% luxury tax)
14. Babies are universal magnets
15. I love reading the newspaper here
16. I hope my kids learn to dance like on Indian TV
17. Corny is "brilliant" here
18.There are switches for all the outlets so you can turn them off when not in use.  So efficient!  (If your kids stop flipping them when you don't need them)
19. Toast works for all meals
Have a great day!  More adventures to come...

What should I eat?

I think I would like to start out by apologizing to my mother.  Mom, I am sorry for the time we went to the grand canyon and Elizabeth and Kim and I all walked along the edge of the path, thinking it was hilarious to scare you out of your mind.  I thought you must have always been scared of heights.  Now, as a mother with 4 kids and living on the tenth floor of an apartment building with 4 balconies I know you were terrified that we would fall, that when you looked down, you could almost feel the height in the pit of your stomach.  Although I have always loved roller coasters and heights don't really bother me, I know the fear that you experienced that day.
It has been an interesting week to say the least.  Ups, downs and everything in between.  We are finally here in our new home.  Soon I will post some pictures and you can see where we live.  Our apartment is nice, lots of kids and things for kids to do, which is nice because our kids have been having a pretty good time.
I am sure that as I go I will have many funny stories, but right now things are so overwhelmingly different I don't even understand what is funny yet.  Although I have to say, there are a lot of people laughing at me. When I go to the store I have to cross 2 "lanes" of traffic, which in the states is about 4 lanes of freeway traffic.  No sidewalks, no crosswalks, just run for your life while screaming "now, now" to the kids.  I almost prefer to go at rush hour, because the cars are moving much slower. Although they can be so close it is hard to squeeze through and then you have to watch out for motorcycles (who, by the way, will NOT slow down or swerve for you) The guards (there are guards everywhere, sometimes I am not even sure what they are guarding) and people selling things on the street all stop and watch and laugh while we go.  I am pretty sure that wherever we go we are a marvel.  Everyone stares, everyone touches Zoe, oohs and ahhs over her.  Everyone giggles at everything I say and do.  I don't quite get it yet, but I am sure soon I will be laughing over my current missteps.
In the states I am a pretty good cook.  Here we are all loosing weight because I don't even know what things are.  None of the foods are the same,.  We are having rice and veggies a lot, or going out, but everything you order out here is really spicy (even when they say it is not).  I LOVE the food, the kids are struggling.  The smell of India is something I love as well.  Many people told me I would hate it, but our apartment smells like Indian food all the time.  Really yummy Indian food.  Really yummy Indian Food that I wish I knew how to make.  Oh well, soon enough.  It makes me realize the need for a cook here.  I literally have no idea what to buy and I don't know how to cook it when I do.  We are having lots of experiments.  As soon as I learn how to make something worth replicating I will share and we can all delight in my accomplishment together.
For now that is all my tired brain can muster, but I know there will be plenty more as the days go by.

Going, Going, Gone

Well, the time has come to say goodbye to one place and hello to a new one.  Walking through our empty house felt surreal.  Many people have asked me how am I doing, how are the kids doing.  The truth is, none of us are really sure what is coming.  Our kids are doing great with all the changes happening, but they are also experiencing stress in a way they never have before.  At the same time there is an undercurrent of excitment.  Something big is coming.
All this to say that we left tearfully, but excited.  Tonight we are in London, and tomorrow we will be in our new home.  I am filled with fear, excitement, joy, dread, uncertainty.  The future is becoming the present.  We have been planning this for so long and yesterday we started the journey with a plane ride that went so well we almost wished we would have continued on instead of stopping for a break in England.
Thank you, thank you, for your thoughts and prayers.  Your emails and messages have been encouraging and such a blessing to us all.  So many people helped us get to the place where we are going, but there are a few who have been so much more than helpful.  We really couldn't have done it without you, so I have decided to write an acrostic in your honor.  Because everyone knows that an acrostic is the best way to honor someone.

F-Family is forever,
A-Amazing,
M-Magnificent,
I-Incredible,
L-Loving
Y-You are in everything we do

Yeah, I was "that girl"

This has been a crazy week of packing and moving, and along with those crazy times comes a few fun stories. Some of you may or may not know that I worked for a year just out of college as a manager for Target. I loved my time there, but one of my favorite things was the great stories I would come home with. I'm sure whatever your profession you have great stories, but in retail you get to interact with all kinds of people in a way that you never would get to elsewhere. Even celebrities need to buy the essentials, where do you think they go? Target.

Anyway, this week was my turn to be the one on the other end of the "this lady came into Home Depot today and..." story. But I didn't think it was fair that the guy that helped me is the only one who gets to share the story about the crazy lady who shopped at home depot, so I thought I'd post it. :)

I bought a swing for our swing set to repair a broken one for the renters, but I bought one with the wrong kind of hooks. (I know what you are thinking, I already shouldn't be allowed back in the store, I mean who doesn't check first to make are they are buying the right kind of swing? I mean can you even buy the wrong kind? Isn't it just a hook?) Anyway, I was going to return them and I don't have a receipt (of course. Strike 2) So I ask the man behind the counter if he can look it up on the computer. He says yes, can I see your credit card? I say yes, and I hand it to him. "It is not on that one, do you have another?" Yes, but I don't usually use it, here it is. "It's not on that one either, do you have another?" Me: "no, that's really weird, I just bought this the other day" He scans the swing "we don't sell these here" Me: "then where did I get it?" (strike 3) I mean really, is the guys supposed to know where I got it? Suddenly I remember buying it and I remember that I had to go to Lowe's because Home Depot doesn't sell swings. Awesome. So I say "I am going to put this back in my car, I just remembered I bought it at Lowe's." He gives me a look that says: "OK crazy lady"

So to the random man (who was actually very nice) at Home Depot: You are welcome. Thanks to me you had a story to go home and laugh over the dinner table with. And quite frankly, so did I.