April, 1998<\/p>\n
Hi everyone,<\/p>\n
We finally got on the Web at home, so hopefully we will be able to send more e-mail.\u00a0 Today at lunch we learned the meaning of the term comfort food.\u00a0 Our servant cooks for Saturday and Sunday evening on Saturday morning, then cleans the kitchen and leaves for the rest of the week-end.\u00a0 She has a five year old daughter and a husband, so we are glad for her to spend time with them.\u00a0 And frankly, it is also nice to be without her for awhile.\u00a0 This morning, Anita fixed waffles (using the old waffle iron you bought before I was born, mom; never thought it would end up in Bombay, India, did you?), and we found, in one of the boxes we had shipped with all our things, a can of smoked sausage from Yoder’s Country Market in Grantsville (it was part of an edible Christmas present we got from friends there).\u00a0 In the past, we would not have thought of eating canned meat with the fresh stuff readily available.\u00a0 This morning, it tasted like ambrosia!\u00a0 And speaking of ambrosia, Anita\u2019s cousin,\u00a0 a stewardess who works on a flight into Bombay once a month, brought us what seemed like THE MOTHER OF ALL CARE PACKAGES!\u00a0\u00a0Highlights: cheese and bread she bought in Amsterdam on the flight here, Doritos from the US of A (they melted in our mouths), and a true treasure trove of candy (including real, live, Easter chocolates).\u00a0 I have come to think that when one is feeling homesick, things like getting on the Web, canned sausage, and Doritos provide a dose of welcome comfort.<\/p>\n
And far better than comfort food is visiting with a relative.\u00a0 Her cousin is really great and a lot of fun to be with.\u00a0 This time, I did not go out with them, since I stayed with Eric who has been sick, but on Friday,\u00a0the ladies\u00a0got a pedicure at the five star hotel where the flight crew is staying.\u00a0 Then they went shopping, and came here for an authentic, elaborate Indian meal cooked by Patsy.\u00a0 The next day they went to Chor (thieves) Bazaar, a well known and interesting shopping area with everything from hardware (used motors, pieces of metal you turn at home to make your own bits or whatever, piles and piles of tools, handles, wires, you get the idea) to antiques, furniture, old clocks, Victrolas, ship navigation stuff, compasses, and who knows what all.\u00a0 Then they went to our jeweler.\u00a0\u00a0It’s great having a relative come in once a month.\u00a0 And she even hand-carries current bill payments back to the U.S. to drop in the mailbox for us.<\/p>\n
Last week, the children and I went to see some famous Hollywood actors, dancers and singers practice for performances in the United Kingdom and the U.S.\u00a0 It was fun and interesting.\u00a0 Because a couple of the local employees from work know some of these people personally, we had connections.\u00a0 We see Indian music videos on t.v., so it was exciting to see the same sorts of things live.\u00a0 Indian music videos and popular music is tied closely with popular Hindi movies, all of which have songs and dances.\u00a0 The style, a combination of rock, classical Indian, and a sort of naive innocence, is totally unique.\u00a0 The dance moves and the beat are entertaining, unusual to our Western eyes, and sometimes a tad embarrassing.\u00a0 What our culture is getting more overt about, the Indian culture approaches in a somewhat more covert or restrained way.\u00a0 You see more skin and direct contact in the US, but you see more clothed yet effective suggestions here.\u00a0 In fact for many, many years, actors could not even kiss on the screen!\u00a0 In romantic scenes they put their lips within microns of each other, but never made contact.\u00a0 Also, wet, clinging saris, typically from dancing in a rain storm, are a popular way to suggest sensuality!\u00a0 A lot of the dancing is just fun, peppy, energetic.<\/p>\n
This afternoon my daughter and I planted lettuce and herbs.\u00a0 We brought our own seeds, potting soil, and window boxes.\u00a0 We have a nice sunny ledge in the kitchen.\u00a0 Hope to get a good crop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
April, 1998 Hi everyone, We finally got on the Web at home, so hopefully we will be able to send more e-mail.\u00a0 Today at lunch we learned the meaning of the term comfort food.\u00a0 Our servant cooks for Saturday and … Continue reading