Thursday, December 27, 2007

The "Humble" Samosa


Walking through the local market in Bundi, I came across a large crowd surrounding a little stall. Behind the "hungry" eyes were three men. Two of them were making fresh samosas, whilst the other guy was fishing out about 50 piping hot samosas from a huge wok of oil. He would then place a samosa on a piece of newspaper, squash it, then pour over 2 sauces, one a spicy, sweet, tangy one, the other a dahl.

One of these super fresh, swimming samosas cost only rps3 (AUS 0.08c). It was no wonder there was a huge crowd hanging around! It made me reflect on the take away food business, and how important it is in a place like India. It provides everyone with nutrition, great flavour, and all at an affordable price. I'm sure there are many people who look forward to this little stand opening every afternoon, and I was surely glad I had stumbled across it too!

The variety of snacks deep fried on the side of the road in India is immense. The flavour, freshness and price are the three things which stand out the most. All you need is some form of table, a wok and some oil, and your open for business. You can spend all day wandering and not set foot inside a restaurant, and still be well fed and entertained. This amusing side show starts early and finishes late, and will cost you only a handfull of rupees, plus your life story told on repeat.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

The "Indian" Smile


Although I am finding it quite hard to translate into appropriate words many of my Indian experiences, there is a small story which I will try and tell justly. It is so typical of day-to-day life here, but the impact it has on you is immeasurable.

I was walking with a friend late one evening down by the Ganges on Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi. It was a very cold night. There was an older man , most likely with no family, and definitely no home. He was lying directly on the icy cold concrete, under a wooden bench. He had a dirty, paper thin blanket, a tiny candle which he was curling his fragile body around, settling in for the long night ahead.

As we walked past, he stuck his head up, and with one of those beautiful Indian smiles, greeted us in a language that wasn't his native tongue, a "good evening".

So if you think your having a bad day, or someone or something is annoying you, just think about the millions of people without family, friends or someplace to call home, who can still manage a loving smile for a complete stranger.

Gopal Guesthouse, Jodhpur

There are 3 generations of family living and working in this heart warming, super friendly guesthouse. I was nursing a tender tummy(post 30 hours of the squirts) upon my arrival, and was given a family remedy to help my "iron gut" return to it's natural state.

Unfortunately I could only stay for a few days as I had a pre-arranged plan to meet friends in another town. Gopal is the type of place where 2 weeks would fly by before you realized, such is the friendliness of the family. When they found out I was a chef, I was in the kitchen immediately. They were desperate to improve their "western food" repertiore. My bare-footed lessons included spaghetti and tomato sugo, french toast, poached eggs, greek salad and roast chicken and roast vegies( the later been done in a gas tandoori oven!). In the meantime, I was in turn shown a few local treats.

The rooftop sitting area overlooks the magnificent Meherangarh Fort and is a wonderful place to sit, drink chai and discuss life with Mr. Shatki. Without sounding too cliche, it eally is that home away from home. When it was time to (begrudginly) leave, the family refused to accept any money for the food and drink my "back to normal stomach" had consumed. They also gave me a small gift for the few dishes I had showed them. The genuine hospitality shown at Gopal Guesthouse exemplifies Indian culture and it is the only place you should stay if you ever find yourself in the magical town of Jodhpur.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Taking off with LAM


When we stop to work it may be for extended periods of time, example one year. This gives us time to take in the town, city or island community we are contributing to. Some experiences are outstanding, some not so good, a golden rule we travel by is the people make the place and the good food is just a bonus!

If you have been thinking of taking off around the world but don't think you can leave your job behind, family, pet or comforts. Think again you can and you should! It's easy to travel, well no, it's challenging, tiring and sometimes alittle hairy (you know what I mean), but the rewards are life lasting. The people you meet along the way open some many paths, opportunities lay around every corner, life becomes a choose your own adventure.

Everybody travels now adays, oldies are out there with backpacks, families with kids, single women with toddlers, the list goes on and on......

Ok so maybe you don't think you've got the money, it's so expencive with airfairs, travel insurance, vaccinations and general living expences. It's true these things are expensive, you folk out thousands of dollars sometimes before you have even left your home country, so save a little harder before you go. Don't have that third, fourth or even fifth drink, take public transport instead of a cab, cut back on your smoking, eat dinner at home, stop getting take away coffee, cutting back on little things goes further than you think.

So you've done it you've saved your money, you've got your ticket (and the rest) your on your way. How long do you think you want to be away? From our experience it's a bad question to ask yourself, just be away and see where the journey takes you. The options for extending your finances are limit less wether you have a working visa or not, from voluntry work, to cash in hand there are always options, you just have to want them.

And the food, OH THE FOOD, wine and good times .......................

Sathi Lassi, The Best in the World???


Sathi's lassis' can be found in his aplty named shop, Sathi Lassi, on Chorbhuja Rd in Bundi. Bundi is a 4 hour bus ride south from Pushkar, in Rajasthan. His lassi is flavoured saffron, sugar, honey, cardamon, cashew nut, pistachio and raisins.The flavour is highly addictive and the texture is fantastic. It is so full of goodies, that instead of the usual straw, it must be eaten with a spoon.

Sathi makes only 50, fresh every morning, and sells for a bargain Rps20. They are approx 350mls, and one is generally not enough, they are that good!

"Dr" Sathi is a bit of a one-stop-shop, and he is always sporting a big grin and is up for a chat. He also sells a sticky sweet fruit and nut "confection", that will give you an altered view of Bundi town! Beware!

The South Indian Thali

There is always a central theme of rice, a couple varieties of dhal, rasam(a tamarind vegetable broth), pickle, puri(fried flat bread) or chappati and curd.It can be either basic or extremely glamourous. Prices can vary from Rps20(Aus0.60) to Rps 200(Aus$6.00).The accompaniments are spooned over the rice, which you then mix with your fingers to form small balls, then scoop in to your mouth. More rice and accompaniments will be provided until, with a wave of your hand, you indicate you have had enough.

Some of the delicous thalis from the coastal states of Goa and Kerala include a stunning wet fish curry and a separate piece of marinated, crispy fried fish. Washed down with a cold Kingfisher and the palm lined beaches a mere flip-flop away, life doesn't get much better.

The adjoining photo is from the Mango Tree restaurant in Hampi, a gorgeous garden setting overlooking the river, and will set you back Rps50(Aus$1.40)