First Weekend in the Apartment

No new entries this weekend, we were busying acclimating. What continues to strike me the most is how extreme Bangalore is. Obviously, there are huge gaps between rich and poor in the US - and even in places like Norwalk you can see how each half lives. Here though, it somehow seems more in-your-face. There are constant reminders of how rich and poor this city is and how modern and backwards it is. You never know what you are going to get which makes it exciting and fascinating but sometimes frustrating as well.

Friday night we went to a restaurant called Gramin that took about 45 minutes to get to in the car but as we found out on Sunday, is only about a 15 minute walk. I did some online research Friday afternoon and it had been recommended by a few people so we decided to try it. I knew there was seating because I called to make a reservation and they didn't laugh at me on the other end. Still, you never can be sure exactly what you are going to get here. On the way there, we kept passing these places with limited or no seating or just small windows to get food - like fast food places. I began to wonder if maybe I wasn't taking us to India's version of Applebee's . We pulled up to what looked like a strip mall-type area when Chandan announced, "it is here, sir." Gramin was small - but did have comfortable seating. There were maybe 7 tables downstairs and a few more on an upper level and plenty of seating in an atrium area to wait. It gets so crowded that they'll actually take your order while you are waiting so once you are seated, you only wait a few minutes.

The other potential "problem" with eating out is that some menus don't describe what is in particular dishes. This menu was about 5 pages long with no descriptions of anything only a green dot to signify "veg" and a little red chili to signify "spicy." I flip through the menu - desperately looking for a cheat sheet and look at George who seems to be doing the same. We recognize the names of some meals we've had before but are looking to try something different. We know some staple ingredients like paneer, which they often describe as a cottage cheese but I would say has more of the consistency of a muenster - softer than cheddar but not spreadable. I sometimes mistake it for tofu because it doesn't really have a strong taste. We recognized that we have ordered "aloo gobi" before but "is that the potato dish we like or does it have cauliflower?" We couldn't remember.

At this point the waiter has brought us two copper cups with no handles and asks us if we wanted bottled water. George says yes and tries to order a Kingfisher - the local beer - to which the waiter replies "No Kingfisher." We make do with the water that now has a metallic taste from the cup. We ask the waiter for something with spinach and something with potatoes and nothing too spicy. EVERYTHING is spicy so you just have to ask for "not too spicy" which is usually just a little too spicy for me. Although I am convinced after two weeks, my taste buds are getting stronger (or are just numb). I start drinking out of the bottle and notice a large party behind us. They have ordered what look like small plates of nachos and I wonder what they are celebrating because they are clearly celebrating something.

They bring out our two dishes in small bowls and two medium sized, round cookies sheets with just a half inch or so of lip around the edges - not deep enough to make a pie but not truly flat like a cookie sheet either. No matter what type of restaurant we go to - cheap or more expensive, the waiters always serve you your meals which continues to feel strange to me. They give us a dollop of the spinach dish which also has corn mixed in, the potato dish that is in a tomato puree sauce and a slice of naan (flat bread) we ordered instead of rice. The only utensil we have is a spoon. We dig in with our hands and I am trying to be conscious of the fact that they do not eat with their left hands. (The left hand is the hand they use for other things...) But I have trouble with just my right and switch between both hands. I hope the party behind me forgives this as a "foreigner mistake." After dinner they bring you a small bowl with warm water and a piece of lime to wash your hands. It was the best $6 dinner we've ever had.

Saturday we ran some more errands. We did go to a mattress store that had been recommended to George but we weren't all that impressed. They are all very thin and very firm nor are they particularly cheap so no real resolution there. Much like George tries to insist our shower situation is just a like fancy cold water spa treatment, I'm trying to convince myself that these mattresses are good for the back and will do wonders for my posture. We also encountered other "firsts" since we've been here.

• On our way out, we saw a man on a camel walking down the street.
• We found a grocery store that sells Doritos for the low, low price of $6 - which is ridiculous even if we didn't spend the same amount on dinner.
• We saw two bulls lounging by the curb.

Saturday night we had a nice dinner on the sixth floor of one of the nicer hotels here. We had a view overlooking the city and we're treated to the Indian-jazz music of a live band.

Most of the things we see are in the car so it makes it difficult to get a picture but camels and bulls, and dinners in fancy hotels overlooking the city - that's Bangalore. Sunday we made our first trek through the city on foot...

P.S. I'm watching "Doogie Howser, M.D." It follows the "Wonder Years."