Thank you India!

Hi everyone! What an absolutely fantastic time I had in India! I have to say that this week has been the most challenging for me by far, but also the one in which I felt the most culturally immersed! Because of the difficulty of these recipes and the sheer volume of ingredients needed for them, I was only able to make four of the original five I mentioned in my first post for this country. It was fun to make these recipes and the aromatics of each dish was incredible. I really admire how much this culture embraces spice and what the earth and nature have to offer. Indian food is truly a way to bring anyone into the culture of this country. Walking into the local Indian food store near where I live, I was a bit lost but absolutely mesmerized by all there was to buy and cook with. At some points in the trips to the store, I forgot I was in the U.S! Those from India who come over to this country bring with them their culture through their food which I was really able to see first hand this week. I give the people of India credit for how they prepare their food- it is sure tricky and my food wasn't always the best tasting. What I found refreshing though, is that the more I strayed from the recipes because I simply couldn't find the ingredients, the more Americanized they had to become. The more Americanized they became, the less tasty they were. I guess the best way to enjoy Indian food is to do so authentically, respecting their unique ingredients and their incredible cooking skills.I respect more than ever the food of India and how so very much goes into it. I feel much more educated now as far as ingredients of the world go as well. I will forever be grateful for the very kind people at the Indian food store who helped me find what I needed throughout the week. Their friendliness touched my heart. Thank you India for your food that shows the beauty of your culture and your harmony with nature and authenticity.

The beginnings of what I needed to cook this food for the week...

Aratikaay a Masala Pulusu- made with plantains and very tangy.

Maakhidal- very fragrant and somewhat crunchy warm grain salad-like dish

Sambar- very popular in India. It is VERY spicy and can be made in many different ways.

Bobbatlu Poli- sort of like a whole wheat pancake with a sweet gram flour filling

 Sambar powder- a large mix of spices necessary to make Sambar.

I'll Be Back Really Soon!

Hi everyone! I know I haven't posted in awhile. I have been extremely busy and have had a few bumps in the road of my life in the past week or so. I also am having a hard time with Columbia. By the end of the week, I will have my end post for India- I finished the week on time, but I just haven't had time to post about it yet. By the middle of the week, I will begin my week in Columbia. I am very sorry for my short hiatus- it will all get done, I promise. Talk to you soon!

India!

Hey everyone! I have done a ton of shopping since my last post in preparation for a lot of Indian cooking this week! You will hear about my shopping experiences at the week's end, but in the mean time, I wanted to let you know the five dishes I will be making by the week's end. They are as follows:

• Aratikaay a Masala Pulusu- The recipe says it is a "spiced raw banana curry"
• Maakhidal- I am not sure exactly what this is... I'll let you know after I make it
• Sambar- Once again, not sure...but I do know it is from the south of India
• Bobbatlu Poli- The recipe says this is "a traditional dish from southern India." It appears to resemble a bread.
• Kajalu- The recipe says this is like a dessert that is made for celebrations like marriages and "festive seasons." It is from Andhra Pradesh

Here are some of the ingredients that I had to find for these dishes:

• Curry leaves
• Black Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• Tamarind concentrate
• Whole ginger (not the powder!)
• Cloves
• Split Black Gram
• Cinnamon sticks
• Toovar Dal
• A Coconut
• Channa dal
• Dhania Seeds
• Many others, most of which were familiar to me. I am so excited though to use these new ingredients! 

I am so excited to try these recipes. I can't wait to tell you about them as well as show you pictures! Talk to you soon!

P.S: Thank you indobase.com for the Sambar recipe and Culture Grams for the others!

Week 8- Off to India!

To India! Picture from travelnotes.org.

 Hi everyone! Today begins my first day in India! This week, I will be embracing the food of India, a large part of its culture. I am a bit nervous for this week, because from what I have heard, Indian food can be somewhat challenging to prepare. There is an Indian grocery store right near my house that is pretty authentic and so I will be going there today for some staples. This week will resemble my week in Canada in that I will be eating one Indian dish with each meal but my meals will not be composed of just the food of this country. As I finish my research for this week, I will compose a list of recipes that I will make by the week's end, just as I did in Canada. Well, I better get started- talk to you soon!

Thank you Eritrea!

Henna on my hand!

Henna on the back of my hand!

Henna- you can get it in a tube and already prepared

Additions to my first hand design

Henna on my foot- this is what it looks like after it dries and you pull off the outer part.

Henna on my leg drying!

Hi everyone! Happy Monday! Yesterday was my last in Eritrea and it was a week that I definitely enjoyed! I did my best with the designs and they didn't always look the very best, but it was still really fun decorating my hands and feet. I learned this week a similar lesson to that in Micronesia. The people of Eritrea are so in-tune with nature and have been for years and years. To be able to take henna, born from a plant and use it to adorn the body is incredible. I admire them for how they see their bodies and how they see the Earth as a means of naturally adorning them. We can really look to Eritrea as we should to Micronesia as we try to save this sick Earth that belongs to us all. The beauty that comes with henna and even coconut oil is true beauty because it connects us all to our roots in nature. It means something to the people of Eritrea to decorate themselves with this natural ink and at the same time, they connect to their culture and the root of everyone-the Earth. Henna may be available at most beaches around the U.S but it may not always be accompanied by the true meaning behind it. Some of this meaning may be connected to the religion of the people of Eritrea, but a lot of the meaning is seated in what I have learned this week- appreciating nature and the human body and connecting those appreciations to each other and to culture. Thank you Eritrea for showing me this meaning!

Week 7- I'm in Eritrea!

Off to Eritrea! Thank you marketplace.publicradio.org for this picture!

Hi everyone! Though I started my journey to Eritrea on time, I just haven't had time to talk about it yet. This week my focus is the use of henna by the people of this country. Usually henna is associated more with the Indian culture, but women of Eritrea use it also to decorate their skin and even dye their hair! Henna comes from a plant and is made into a paste from its powdered form. Designs are made with the paste on the skin and then are left to dry for a few hours. The black layer is rubbed off leaving an orange tattoo of the design underneath. It really looks beautiful. At many American beaches, henna tattoos can be done for tourists but the art originated in countries like Eritrea, located right above the horn of Africa. This week, I will be decorating my skin (hands, feet, ankles, stomach) with henna and if I get adventurous, may even try it in my hair! Though I don't know the traditional designs of Eritrea (I have looked, believe me), I will do my best to avoid Americanized designs. You will see pictures of my attempted artistry on this week's closing post. I think appreciating this art form traditionally this week and not the way many Americans do will be very beneficial! I am excited to continue on in my travels in Eritrea!

Thank You Micronesia!

Organic Coconut Oil... yay!

It looks sort of like Crisco but it melts in your hands and smells like a coconut!

Yes, the back of my head... this is what my hair looked like as it was drying after I took a shower. (I put the coconut oil in before my shower and left it in for a few hours, then rinsed it in the shower). Notice the shine!

 Hi everyone! I know this end post is late, but a wrap-up is a wrap-up! My week in Micronesia was interesting and fun. As the natives of this group of islands do, I put coconut oil in my hair as sort of a conditioner. Where they live, these people also use it as a preventative of lice. Because I incorporate what I do each week into my daily life, I put the oil in my hair every night, though I am not sure if they do the same. They may only use the oil on their bodies and hair every few days. Some days I used the oil on my skin as a replacement for lotion.
The oil looks kind of like Crisco but it melts when it hits your hand to the consistency of any other type of oil. I just smeared it all over my head and left it in for a few hours while I did homework, ate dinner, etc. Once in the shower, I just washed it out with shampoo. Though I had to wash it twice, I didn't need conditioner the entire week! I have to say, it really did make my hair soft and very shiny as I read that it would. My hair smelled a bit like coconut for almost the entire day after I put it on. As for its effects on my skin, it really did work and the dryness on my arms and legs was much improved.
This week, I had sort of a partner in my journey. My brother's fiancee used the oil along with me a few times. She said that it prevents split ends in her hair which she tends to get easily because she uses styling products in her hair. Surprisingly, she said it also prevented her hair from getting naturally oily yet kept her hair very smooth. In her words, "I am going to have to start buying it by the tub!... It's the best!"
All in all, this cultural aspect of Micronesia really taught me how to better appreciate natural remedies. You don't always need expensive, chemical-filled creams, lotions and hair products to improve the health of your hair and skin. Nature really does take care of us in sustainable, natural and safe ways if we let it, just like the people of Micronesia already have. It's incredible that coconut oil can even help with lice prevention, though I thankfully didn't have to test it in that way this week.
It would be a real shame if cultures like that of Micronesia that really appreciate and explore what Mother Nature has to give us were destroyed. We can learn a lot from simple, older ways of living that are in such harmony with the earth. While progress is important, the roots of the earth we all share have a lot to give us. Thank you Micronesia for teaching me more about the beauty of the earth and how something as simple as using coconut oil can make us all more connected to it.