Ponto de Vista

In South Ex market, I spotted the chhuri-sharpening guy — sharpening knives with his self-powered bicycle tool. Pretty cool, eh?

Certain canines move in higher echelons than even we do… Here’s one that’s being driven somewhere in air-conditioned comfort…

I learned recently that the US and India have agreed on a trade – Mangoes in the US for Harley Davidsons in India.
The first South Indian mangoes are already in Delhi. Red and green on the outside, golden orange and pulpy inside, they are divinely sweet.
Mmmmmm
mmmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmm.

Here’s a description of some varieties that India produces. And here’s the Press Information Bureau of India’s scientific take on the nutritional properties of the incomparable mango: “Good mango varieties contain over 20 per cent of the total soluble solids (sugars). The acid content of ripe dessert fruit varies from 0.2 to 0.5 per cent and the protein content is about one per cent. Mango is also considered to have medicinal properties. The ripe fruit is fattening, diuretic and laxative. It helps to increase digestive capacity and the brain power.” 😉

At Dilli Haat, the toilets are VeRy visible. In the foreground is Piya, who also moved back from the US — about a month before I did.

This is a view of the very festive Mata Ka Mandir in Jhandewalan taken from a window at work on the 8th floor of Videocon Tower (an extreme eyesore of a building) in which we work. Reflected in the glass are (from left to right) me, Rani, Rajat, and Ragini

A neat art installation put together impromptu by the bouncer at the Morrison Cafe in South Ex 🙂
When we arrived, the helmets and gloves had just lined the bottom two steps. The bouncer had been creative during our short stay…

Look at that baby mouse — beseeching me not to eat him. I resisted for a long time, then I figured, with all apologies to the poor dear, James, and Ami — he was made to be eaten. And in Delhi’s heat, he’d simply spoil if I didn’t put him to rest. <sigh> Broke my heart, but he was delicious! And now I have a L. A. Burdick box from the heart of Harvard Square to keep trinkets in.

The same weekend Prashant came up, I had to eat a solitary lunch in South Ex II. The promise of “Indian-Mexican” lured me into the Gourmet Gallery. I chose the ‘mushroom enchilada’ which was described as ‘button mushrooms skewered and served with lettuce and a piquant sauce.’

They weren’t kidding. They meant it literally. (See the sauce bottle?) I was horrified and vastly amused. Finally I got them to give me a piece of bread to go with it. The staff then argued with me and said this is an enchilada. The tortilla only comes with a burrito or a taco. So there!!!!!!

I stopped by at Green Park market to buy gujjia — a dumpling stuffed with sweet coconut that’s traditionally consumed at Holi. But a) there was an hour’s wait for fresh ones and b) the dude behind the counter wasn’t wearing gloves when handling the rest of the sweets. So I opted for jalebis…
Greasy? Check. Deep fried? Check. But hot and definitely free of germs? Check.
One dude made dough squiggles and fried them, the other soaked them in chashni, cardamom & saffron flavored sugar syrup, and then packaged them. Yummy.

Hello from the motherland. As of March 1, I am no longer in the United States; I am, for the time being, a denizen of New Delhi, India. I’m going to try to update this blog regularly with photos and information to do with my life, what I noticed (ahem, of course) and suchlike 🙂 Stay tuned 🙂

I’m also going to cheat madly and start backdating photos as I post them — because though the blog wasn’t set up, I’ve been taking notes for it since I got here 😉