Visiting and tipping

[spyderella]

Many members of Shashank's extended family were visiting: aunts and uncles, cousins, his brother and brother's friends, his fiancee and her mother and little sister, and his sister's friends. They were all concerned that I would find the food spicy. (I think I may have disappointed them by not making much reaction about the heat. Sometimes you are

Comments

Yay, Indian food!

[royalbananafish]

Why are you surprised that ghee tastes like butter? 'cuz it is, um, clarified butter.

You can also toast mustard seeds without the oil. Cumin seeds, too.

I'm glad you get to eat food. When dwarfinthebarn went, $Company2 told him not to eat outside hte hotel--which even made them box lunches. Apparently a bunch of $Company2 employees have been very sick over there.

Re: Yay, Indian food!

[spyderella]

> surprised that ghee tastes like butter?

No, I know. It was just something that I had read about, so it had developed a kind of mystique. Ooooh, clarified butter. Clarified butter... I wonder what that's like.

So I finally find out and... it's like butter. =P

Oh, $Employer had plenty of rules for me. I've gradually broken... ah... yes, all of them. Oh, except for the raw seafood one. Which I'll promptly break in Austin.

[the_macnab]

There's music, at 5:45 in the morning, wafting over the sounds of traffic. A lone man's voice carries the song. It sounds devotional and full of intent.

I really like Ali Farka Toure, this wicked good bluesman from Mali who sings in about half a dozen languages. In DC I lived with a Malian for about six months; he dug that I knew Toure. Once, when one of Toure's songs came on where he sings in Bambara, I asked my roommate (who spoke Bambara), "What the hell is he saying, anyway?"

He listened for a second, looking bemused, and then started (loosely) translating: "Baby don't go, baby stay..."

Oh, right, I thought: he's a blues singer.

It's cool when they sound devotional and full of intent, but oh how often it turns out that they miss their Baby.

[spyderella]

> but oh how often it turns out that they miss their Baby.

Ah, I could relate to that, too.

*sniff*

[la_chispa]

Those roosters are late!

[spyderella]

My teammates all roll into the office after 10am, so I guess it's a cultural thing. =P

[la_chispa]

Culturally Indian roosters... hmm... weird.

[lolita000]

Happy (early) B-day! Will give you much hugs and an eager ear and eye to hear stories/see photos, etc., upon your return.

[spyderella]

Thank you! How very sweet. ^_^