October 20, 2014 -- Beetles

Rob and I went walking up the coast road, looking for birds, and after a while we came to a posted yet deserted, dry field – with the barbed wire smashed down – so we went on in. Deserted is a good play on words, because it was total sandy soil there, and very dry – sporting large clumps of cacti.  This was probably very old beach at one time.

We were watching a pair of Hoopoes through our binos when I noticed  (almost beneath my feet) a number of small, active beetles milling around.  And then on closer look, I saw they weren’t aimlessly milling, but excavating, and then rolling balls of something along the sand.  BOING!  It hit me!  Dung Beetles!

I felt like David Attenborough!  I have only ever seen dung beetles on nature shows.  Do they exist only on this side of the world?  Do we have them in North America?

The beetles were working away at a clump of old cow manure (my Skype name) and as we watched, we could see they were rolling it away, then stopping and instantly digging themselves into the sand with the dung ball dropping down into the hole.  I  thought at first it was just hiding out from our prying eyes, but having now Googled the dung beetle, I see that is what they do-  bury the ball and then lay eggs on it.  I will give you the name of an interesting site I visited on Google.  Also, there are a number of articles on the web about studies done that show the dung beetle navigates his way by the M ilky Way.  (The stars, not the bar)  Carolynn, this is for you (and for me – new fodder for our stress dreams).  To prove that this was the case, they made tiny hats for the dung beetles so that they could not see the sky.  The result was that they just aimlessly milled around and could not navigate.  Listen, if you don’t believe me, Google it yourself.  I wonder who got the job of milliner.  Did the little caps have ear flaps, did they tie under the chin?  How many were required?

The mighty Dung Beetle: www.nativeplantwildlifegarden.com 

I am attaching my video.

Hansi


[Editor's note: .MOV videos from Hansi's cell do not seem to translate well to this Google blog format, as can be seen below. If you would like to see a video of a dung beetle in action, go here.]

October 20, 2014--Language Barrier

Funny things happen because of miscommunication.

We picked up the phone at 6 am  to order coffee in our room, as there is no kettle and breakfast doesn’t start until 7:30 am.  “Please send 2 pots of coffee, 2 hot waters and 2 hot milks”. 

There was a long delay between the call and the delivery, but finally the chap arrived with… one cup, one saucer and one pot of tea.

At breakfast, I ordered two eggs, over easy-- and I tried to say that with hand gesture -- turning the hand over to give the idea.  Head nod, head nod.

It arrived.  One egg – sunny-side-up.  So I said to the waiter, “Could I please have that turned over?"  At which point he picked up my side plate, set it upsidedown on top of the egg plate and was about to invert the whole thing when I called a halt and said it was fine as is.  He was probably thinking, “Stupid woman. How hard can it be to turn an egg over.”

October 19, 2014 -- Sunday's Drive to Pondicherry

We hired a car to drive us to Pondicherry on Sunday and had to stop many, many times along the way to take pictures of the colourful temples that are just everywhere in this part of India. Pix attached. 

When we got to the Beach Road (800 meters of rocky beach) entering Pondicherry, we had to stop again for a photo of Gandhi’s statue, and discovered that the beach itself was chock-a-block with vendors selling snacks and people buying them.  

Ghandi's statue Pondecherry 

Typical Sunday?  Holiday Weekend ?  We’re not sure. Of course, these stalls are eye candy to me, so I had to take pictures. I LOVE market life – wherever it is – Waldman’s Fish Market, Kensington Market,  St. Lawrence Market – all bustling with LIFE.  People with a mission to sell something, and others with a mission to buy something. Colourful chaos!  All kinds of people buying all kinds of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bagels, samosas – I just LOVE  it!

Fruit vendor at beach

Rob living the life

Anyway, on the beach was just such a scene. Of course, the snacks being sold were relevant to this area.  I am enclosing a few pictures for illustration.

You might be surprised to learn that CORN is a big thing here.  It is  grown here, and (in season) people look forward to buying it from the vegetable carts. You find popcorn for sale at markets and “sweet corns” (like niblets) which are sold in little cups from pushcarts. Roasted ears of corn are a favourite and often you will see someone squatting beside a hibachi, roasting one ear of corn at a time for passersby to purchase on their way home from work.

So – on the beach were also many sellers of corn on the cob, and all THESE sellers had a clever, hand-cranked fire pot.  In the pot was some charcoal, further fuelled by corn husks as needed, and the fire in the pot was fanned with a hand-cranked blower.  Very, very clever.  

October 18, 2014 -- Two Strange Fruits

On our drive to Pondicherry yesterday, we stopped at a big fruit market, because I really wanted to see what was available here.

Lo and behold – I found Custard Apples!  Back in 1967 or so, I worked with a woman who told me stories of growing up in India – the child of two missionaries.  One thing I remember is that her favourite all-time fruit was the Custard Apple, and it wasn’t until 2003, when I first came to Pune,  (in the South of India) that I ever saw or tried one. Not the prettiest of fruit, the Custard Apple has to be quite ripe to be tasty.  Back in 2003 I bought two.  The first I opened was not yet ripe - inside was a very disappointing white pith – and I found it weird and inedible.  But the second one was riper and softer.  Inside, the pith had turned to white goo, not unlike custard - with a flavour more like vanilla custard than soft fruit.  Who Knew!  These are tasty, and I wish they were available in North India.  I have attached a few pictures of the before and after. 

Halved custard apple

Custard Apple half gone

Custard Apple on a spoon

There were also chikku in the market, another fruit we purchased in 2003 while with our driver,  Mahendra.  The nice shopper who helped me choose two perfect Custard Apples yesterday, also told me which chikku to buy.  “They, too, have to be soft to be good,” she said.  Rob and I decided to eat it out of the skin with a spoon (like eating kiwi fruit).  Neither of us can think of any other fruit remotely like it.  Chikku was OK but I wouldn’t buy another one.  The first I ever tried was not soft and not very good. The second I tried was soft and not very good.  Lesson learned.  Interesting all the same!  See picture.

Custard Apple and Chikku

Chikku

We also bought green grapes WITH seeds (tasty) and little, fat bananas which  ripen on the tree here.  YUM.

October 14, 2014 -- Sundarams for Dinner on Market Day

This story is about a little, unassuming South Indian restaurant in our market.

Harpreet mentioned one day that Sundarams, near us, had the BEST south Indian food, so after dinner one night, we walked over to look at their menu.

They offer many different kinds of Uthappams, Dosas, and South Indian Thali – all of which looked so good on the menu that we were wishing we hadn’t yet eaten.

As luck would have it, Sunday we went to the market with Milo – who, expressed with worry, that she was going to be late home for preparing our dinner.  So we just said, forget dinner – we will go out!  (To Sundarams, heh, heh, heh).  And much later, we DID.  Winner of Best South Indian Food Award 4 yr. straight.

Everything looked so good that we decided to get two different things and share. Rob chose the Paneer Tomato Uthappam and then I told the waiter that I would have the Tomato Coconut Uthappam, and we were going to share.  All the while, the waiter is head bobbling, and saying YES, YES to everything we said – and then off he went to place the order. 

After some time, he arrived with two plates, one of which had the Coconut Uthappam on it – and he carefully cut it in half and flipped one half onto the other plate – placed a sauce on each plate and retreated.

It wasn’t HUGE but it WAS delicious, so we savoured it, but eventually it was gone with no sign of the second Uthappam.  Rob thought perhaps the Waiter didn’t realize that we wanted ONE EACH, so we got him back to ask whether he realized that we had also wanted a Tomato Paneer Uthappam, and he head-bobbled, said, YES, YES and off he went again.

Next time back the waiter had two plates, one of which had Tomato Paneer Uthappam and the other – you guessed it – another WHOLE Coconut Tomato one.

The problem often here is that you THINK you are being understood, because people always nod YES and NEVER say NO or appear NOT to understand.  What a SKETCH!  Needless to say, we ate them because they weren’t HUGE and they WERE delicious.  Milo got my leftovers for her dinner as it was not quite 9 pm.  (when she eats).

Hansi

October 14, 2014 --To Market with Milo

Before I write about going to the “Beeg market, Ma’ma” with Milo yesterday,  I have to mention another vendor who just rode past, calling something unfamiliar..

There have been several this morning – probably eight so far.  I do not usually get to the balcony in time to see what they have (if I don’t recognize the words) or if I do, I have missed the opportunity for a good picture  - as was the case just now.

This morning’s guy was collecting scrap metal – on a bicycle – and so far, he had a WASHING MACHINE and various old wrought-iron plant holds strapped to his carrier -  and still he was hoping for MORE!   I had not seen him before.   Wish I had that picture.

Several days ago, Milo mentioned that she was going to the beeg market on Sunday and Rob told her we would like to come along. 

We agreed to meet at 11 a.m. downstairs by the gate and set off up the street to get an auto rickshaw.  Milo arranged the price with the driver – 10 rs. per person to (I thought) Sector 19 market.  After some time, we were turning in to Sector 51, and searching the maze of numbers for the right address.  Milo said – “My friend!”  She had mentioned her friends were also going to the market.  I just didn’t know they were all going TOGETHER.  I think Rob and I were horning in.  Oh dear.

Anyway, we found the friend’s house, and just about the time she emerged, another rickshaw pulled up out front and the second friend debarked and got in with us too.  Now we were five in a rickshaw.  Three (squashed) on the seat, and two more, Lakshmi an d Sangita, on the back of the driver’s seat.  We putted along for quite a while, and then there was some by-play in Punjabi between the driver and Milo – who translated that only four were allowed in a Rickshaw in Chandigarh (as opposed to Mohali) and of course we had FIVE.  A few minutes later, the driver stopped beside the road and one of Milo.s friend’s, Lakshmi, got out and we roared away.  It transpired that the driver had spotted a policeman up ahead at the next round-about, so Lakshmi was elected to get out, scurry as fast as she could after us, and then reboard out rickshaw up around the next curve out of sight of the police.  We had to wait some time for her, as it wasn’t a trivial distance.

Milo, Lakshmi, and Sangita in the rickshaw

In about ten minute’s time, the same thing happened again and poor Lakshmi had to go once more.  I said I would go as I am a fast walker, but of course they wouldn’t hear of it.  This time, the driver could see traffic cameras at the next round-about, so again was worried about being challaned (ticketed).  Finally we had Lakshmi back and finally arrived at our destination.

This was what is referred to as a Tent Market. Many, many stalls crammed together under a huge tented area.  Each stall is numbered, in no particular order that I could see, and each stall selling shirts (countless) look exactly like the others selling shirts.   Same goes for jewelry, shoes, kurtas etc….and then there is the CRUSH of people in the narrow aisles and don’t forget folks, it’s under a TENT with the blazing sun outside.  Overwhelming is the word. 

Bangles at the tent market

Bracelet bangles

Milo and her friends looked in various stalls and bought some things.  Milo bought me a bracelet and was DESPERATE to get something for Rob, but they  couldn’t find a mutually acceptable item.  (This because Rob and I gave Milo money for Diwali and she wanted to reciprocate.)

Milo may be short, but she is a born Border Collie – I mean Leader.  She had all four of us on a very short leash – to be sure we didn’t get separated, AND so that she could show us all her favourite stalls.  Come on Sir, Come on Ma’am was her constant war cry.  What a hoot. Eventually we wended our way around to an open-air eatery with plastic tables and chairs tightly pushed together.  We managed to find a spot to seat five and then got in line to order Chana bhatura, which she had been talking about all week.  Curried Chickpeas with deep-fried rotis.  This little dhaba being exactly the kind of place Rob and I try to avoid (Delhi Belly), still we decided to go along with the others- and it smelled wonderful there.  My thinking – Chana bubbling away in huge pots, and roti cooked in boiling oil.  How much more sterile could they be?  (24 hrs later, and no ill-effects, BTW)

We had a good time with Milo, Lakshmi and Sangita.  I bought 4 white pillow cases to get dyed at the local dye-wala, as well as a Kurta Milo hounded me into buying (if it fits me I will be very surprised).  We came home in two rickshaws to avoid the possibility of a run-in with the police.

Hansi 

October 11, 2014 -- Karva Chauth Mehndi

http://www.calendarlabs.com/holidays/india/karva-chauth.php

Please click on the above link for a really good description of this latest festival.

Chaucer's Birthday aside, there really are so many festivals and holidays here that they literally run together in a week. 

I have been seeing the shops get decorated with hanging strings of lights, and every evening there seem to be more of them.  I believe this is for Diwali (Festival of Lights) coming next week.  So naturally, I assumed that the masses of bangle sellers and mehdi appliers who materialized in our local markets over this past week (crazy, booming business every evening) was all part of the Diwali event.

Wrong-O

Another Festival has surfaced BEFORE Diwali - and is happening today - four days after the full moon.  In preparation of this, nearly every married woman (Sikh and Hindu) in this part of India observes the occasion by having mehndi put on their hands, by fasting for the whole day and dressing up in new outfits.  The above link will give you more details, but I can tell you that the ladies here are CRAZY about this event.  At night in the market, outside in near dark conditions, there are countless mendhi appliers (mostly men) busily at work on a pair of hands with many women lined up for their turn.  My friend at work, Amandeep,  told me that last year she went to the market to get mehndi at 8 pm and did not get her hands done until 1:30 a.m.

This year, she and Harsimran  decided to take a half-day leave on Friday to get the mehndi done.  Jaspreet stayed back with me, and as luck would have it, Sheenam, from across the hall, admitted to being very good at mehndi applicaton so offered to do Jaspreet's hands.  The job pictured below took 1-1/2 hours.  Sheenam was BENT on putting some on me (didn't really want) but finally talked me into my name with Rob's in a circle.  In the intricate work on Jaspreet, Sheenam has worked in both Jaspreet's and her husband's names.  Kind of like Hirschfeld and "NINA.

Jaspreet and me with our merhndi designs done by Sheenam 

This mehndi is gooey henna, appearing browny-black when applied to the skin.  Once you wash off the goo (about two hours later) you are left with browny-red stains where the goo was - and I understand it lasts for many days.

Hansi