I took the day off yesterday. Went riding around, exploring and getting lost. The more inland I went, the more disoriented I got, partly because the streets aren't straight, and partly because I have no sense of direction. Thank goodness for the compass on my iPhone. As long as I'm pointed east, I can get to the ocean and the old part of town, which I know. Had late lunch at a new place that was so crowded that I had to eat standing up. Had what's called "mini meals," which includes a few basic rice and lentil preparations, a whole wheat chapati, which is like a tortilla, and a small dessert. It's all vegetarian, which in India means no meat, fish, eggs--just veggies, lentils, spices and milk products.
A few sights: Christmas season in Pondicherry. In the upscale Nilgiris supermarket, I saw familiar-looking Christmas tree ornaments and snow-themed knick-knacks. But elsewhere in town, at little curbside stalls across the street from Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, I found more Indian-style wares.
This morning I stayed in my room and worked. For lunch, I went out and ate at Surguru, where I've eaten a couple times this week. Had the "business lunch," which means the usual thali meal on a round plate with lots of little side dishes, but minus the big pile of rice in the middle. With the rise and spread of prosperity, middle-class Indians are having the same weight and health problems that Americans have, so the business lunch cuts down on the carbs. Clockwise from the white stuff: chilled yogurt rice, to be eaten at the end of the meal with the spicy lime pickle in the little bowl; cabbage; gulab jaman (dessert--a little ball of dough, deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup); sambar--a kind of thin lentil "soup"; vegetable; yellow rice with grated carrots; Bisibela rice, which is sambar mixed with rice.
I love the way they line the plate with banana leaves. It's a modern variation on the traditional South Indian banana leaf meal, which looks like this. The stainless steel container at the top holds refills from which someone will serve you.
After lunch, I found a wi-fi cafe and spend the afternoon writing and sipping on an excellent cappucino. Then as I was riding back to the hotel, I passed a closed fruit or juice stall with a surprising item on its list:
I don't know what it is supposed to mean. I'm sure it's something familiar, since I know all the other fruits. (Actually, I don't know what "masambi" is, either.)
Near the hotel, I returned my bicycle to the Shri Manonmani Amman Cycle Store, then walked back to the hotel. The guard in the driveway asked me, "Where is cycle?" I'd grown fond of it--such freedom for $8 a day.
A few sights: Christmas season in Pondicherry. In the upscale Nilgiris supermarket, I saw familiar-looking Christmas tree ornaments and snow-themed knick-knacks. But elsewhere in town, at little curbside stalls across the street from Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, I found more Indian-style wares.
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People hang up these stars in front of their houses, sometimes on trees. At the bottom you can also see the tops of fake Christmas trees, which were kind of spindly-looking.
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| Nativity figurines |
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| Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, built 1791 |
This morning I stayed in my room and worked. For lunch, I went out and ate at Surguru, where I've eaten a couple times this week. Had the "business lunch," which means the usual thali meal on a round plate with lots of little side dishes, but minus the big pile of rice in the middle. With the rise and spread of prosperity, middle-class Indians are having the same weight and health problems that Americans have, so the business lunch cuts down on the carbs. Clockwise from the white stuff: chilled yogurt rice, to be eaten at the end of the meal with the spicy lime pickle in the little bowl; cabbage; gulab jaman (dessert--a little ball of dough, deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup); sambar--a kind of thin lentil "soup"; vegetable; yellow rice with grated carrots; Bisibela rice, which is sambar mixed with rice.
I love the way they line the plate with banana leaves. It's a modern variation on the traditional South Indian banana leaf meal, which looks like this. The stainless steel container at the top holds refills from which someone will serve you.
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After lunch, I found a wi-fi cafe and spend the afternoon writing and sipping on an excellent cappucino. Then as I was riding back to the hotel, I passed a closed fruit or juice stall with a surprising item on its list:
I don't know what it is supposed to mean. I'm sure it's something familiar, since I know all the other fruits. (Actually, I don't know what "masambi" is, either.)
Near the hotel, I returned my bicycle to the Shri Manonmani Amman Cycle Store, then walked back to the hotel. The guard in the driveway asked me, "Where is cycle?" I'd grown fond of it--such freedom for $8 a day.
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