Posted on May 2, 2017 under Storytelling with one comment

Illusion

Reality

When it comes to food , we are, by and large, creatures of habit. The food we eat and our eating patterns are quite predictable. We tend to eat at the same time every day. Growing up in a big family, you could pretty well count on meat and potatoes, a few cooked vegetables and a home made dessert six days a week. If you were Catholic, you ate fish on Friday.

Way back in the 50’s, the only “fast food” was KFC. Maybe once a year, dad would arrive home with a barrel filled with “ eleven different herbs and spices.” These days, in many small towns across our nation, you can get many different kinds of food, such is the popularity of eating out. And if you happen to be traveling in a major city, then you can get cuisine from any part of the world.

After spending nearly six months in India, my palate was craving something from back home. India is a huge country and the food from state to state can be very different. I sampled food from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Rajastan and Bengal. There wasn’t a single meal that I didn’t enjoy. I even managed to sneak in a few Domino’s pizzas in Hyderabad.

So when my brother Don announced that he had found a good breakfast restaurant in the bazaar district of Delhi that served North American fare, I was all ears. He specifically mentioned that they served pancakes. I love Indian breakfasts. It’s a toss up between, idli served with chutney and sambar, masala dosa, or poori as my favorites. But the thought of pancakes had me salivating and you know what it’s like when you get a hankering for something. You just have to have it… and soon.

We took our seats in the hotel’s immaculately clean dining room. Two piping cups of black coffee were placed in front of us. Anticipation was rampant as I opened the menu and there it was . The picture was quite stunning. A large stack of buttermilk pancakes was crowned with fresh fruit, a hint of whipped cream and a drizzling of maple syrup.  I had visions of Oxford blueberries, Taylor’s strawberries, Haveracres maple syrup and a dollop of whipping cream… like the good stuff we used to get from Eastern Dairyfoods down at the end of College Street back home. I’m not sure if my heart was racing from the caffeine or the anticipation of a heavenly feast. Just for badness, I ordered the banana pancakes.

I have eaten a lot of bananas in India. There are many different varieties but at the end of the day, a banana is a banana.

Another splash of coffee and we were ready for the piece de resistance.

The waiter approached our table. At first, I thought he has gotten confused and should have been delivering our tray to another table. I looked down at my plate. The contents in no way, shape or form, resembled pancakes.

I have eaten a lot of chapattis in India. It is quite possible that I have eaten over 500 of them as they are served at almost every meal. I love chapattis especially when they are served with a zesty curry dish or spicy lentils.

My pancake consisted of one flattened chapatti filled with one sliced banana inside. I stared in disbelief and disappointment was etched on my face. The waiter walked by. I grabbed the menu and pointed to the picture and then redirected my gaze to my plate. “ Oh no. We don’t serve those kind of pancakes in this restaurant, ” said the pleasant young man.

When I got back to my room later in the day, I flicked on 98.9 XFM to listen to the Saturday morning show with Joe Chesal. That very day , the annual pancake breakfast was being held in the tiny hamlet of Kenzieville, complete with some old timers playing the fiddle. I checked my watch. With the 8.5 hour time difference, it was possible to fly home and maybe make it to the last setting.

I will refrain from ordering “Fresh Atlantic Lobster” at the hotel restaurant. I just might get a chapatti with some sardines.

All that glitters is not gold.

 

 

 

Posted on April 24, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 8 comments

 

Bup’s girls

 

It’s time to get home to my granddaughters.

After six months and many adventures, I will be making my way home later this week. With any luck, I’ll be having a cup of coffee at the Tall and Small on Monday morning. It has been an amazing experience and I will be sharing it with anyone who is interested at the library on May 17^th. I have a PowerPoint presentation to share with you. Lots and lots of pictures… and every one of them is worth a thousand words.

In no particular order these are the topics that I will be covering in the presentation: religious fervour; spicy food; demonetization; the Indian banking system; the eternal quest for a good wifi connection; garbage; noise pollution; poverty; fundraising; teaching ESL; language issues; the Daughters of Mary and much more.

I have met so many wonderful, amazing people. I was invited out to dinner a few evenings ago. Two generations of families from Kolkata ( Calcutta ) in the state of West Bengal had me over for traditional dishes. The vast majority of my diet over here has been vegetarian. They refer to it as “ veg.” Throw in some meat and it’s called “ non veg.”  In one evening, I think I rebalanced the scale with a meal that was mostly meat and fish. There was one vegetable dish and some raw vegetables. I can hear some of you who have been to India gasping that I would consume uncooked vegetables. But when you’re in someone’s home, there’s a very good chance that they’ve been washed.

I shouldn’t tempt fate and say this … but what the hell. I managed to escape any kind of illness. I ate everything put in front of me with gusto and never had a bad reaction. I was always vigilant about the water and most public places have very good drinking water.

Back to the meal.

Besides rice ( I have eaten a lifetime supply of rice in six months! ) , the other offerings were: Dhoka ( a Bengali specialty ); Chicken Curry; Mutton Do-Piyanze; chilly chicken; lorshe maach ( Fish in mustard sauce ); aloo-Gobi ( Cauliflower and potato mixed in a sauce ) and curd. I think it was one of the most delicious ( and unbalanced!! )  meals I had ever eaten and the mother of the clan did most of the cooking. I raved about it and she was beaming. A lot of pictures were taken.

I would have to say that the single biggest challenge in a country like India is language. I now have a pretty good ear and could probably distinguish between Malayalam ( Kerala ); Tamil ( Tamil Nadu ); Telagu ( Telangana state ) and Hindi ( Delhi ). I realize that the problem is MINE. It’s really tough when you’re trying to get a cab or auto rickshaw and you can’t communicate effectively. I hope to learn a little bit of every one of these before returning. I know one verse of a Malayalam song and trot it out once in a while to the delight ( chagrin? ) of the locals.

I am ready to come home. It will be good to see everyone again. Do not be surprised if there is no Thursday Tidbits as it is likely a travel day.

Thanks for joining me for the ride.

 

Have a great week.

 

Posted on April 17, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

The Lotus Temple. Breathtaking

On the fly.

 If you receive this late, it’s because I might be  standing in the middle of a freeway searching for the ever elusive internet connection!

When I have time ( and an internet connection! ) I will give a thorough accounting of the past week or so. It has been quite an adventure to say the least.

On Saturday, I stopped by a church to watch a youth group decorate their church for midnight mass and Easter Sunday. They are also members of the choir. Sweet people and almost all college students. One of the girls spotted me sitting down back and came over to chat. Her English was excellent and we had a great hour long conversation. “ So, what do you know about Canada,” I asked? “ I know Justin.” I thought she meant the Prime Minister but it was the Biebs that she was talking about. She had also heard of Mr. Trudeau!

I attended the Easter Vigil. I haven’t had an all nighter since university. It started at 11:30 p.m. and mercifully ended at 2:30:27 a.m. This was followed by samosa and chai tea. I staggered to bed at 3:05 a.m. The good news is that I received an invitation to lunch on Easter Sunday by my Bieber fan and her family. I never miss an opportunity to spend time with local people.

A few other tidbits. Have I mentioned that traffic here is a total nightmare? ( Those of you who know me well know that I really want to say “ S.S. “! ) The official population of Delhi is around 20,000,000 souls. Unofficially, the locals say it is much higher. Now, we have been told that every family has at least three cars. Excluding babies and centenarians, there are still tens of millions of vehicles on the road. Getting anywhere is a major hassle.

The other day, I walked through a small village to go to the ATM and also to pick up a few cookies and peanuts ( and chocolate for Easter morning! ). As reported many times, wherever I go, I draw a crowd. The store owner and his mother were behind the counter waiting on about 8 people. I was immediately ushered to the head of the queue. As I was leaving, the son grabbed my arm and said , “ Come, come.” Across the street a small crowd had gathered for a Hindu worship. I was asked to perform Puja which I did willingly. And then the photo session began. I think everyone in town save the cows, dogs and chickens, had their picture taken with me in front of the shrine. Such is the life of a Canadian tourist.

 A great big shout out to my brother Tom who turned 60 on the weekend. He has been dealing with a cancer diagnosis for 8 years now and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Have a great week.

Be grateful that you live in Canada.