Thanksgiving in Delhi?
There's no Thanksgiving in India, but there is turkey. This is what I ate last night at Briar's house, and two nights ago I attended a Thanksgiving dessert at someone's bungalow. I have no Thanksgiving-related plans for today, but tonight I am attending a dinner party here that my landlords are hosting. I could go for turkey at the American Embassy Club... or get a home-cooked Indian meal. Clearly, I'd pick the Indian food any day.
Prem and Abha, my landlords, enjoy encouraging, and indulging, my appreciation for all things Indian. Abha always gives me a little plate of every new dish that she cooks, or a cup of masala chai, and waits for me to announce that it's delicious (which it really is!). The other night I decided to wear an Indian suit to the Thanksgiving dessert, and Abha rushed to her closet to find jewelry and a scarf that would complement it. She wants to take me shopping soon for more Indian clothes, and Prem announced the other day, "You must marry an Indian boy."
This past week I explored some of the cloth, craft, and jewelry markets: Sarojini, Dili Haat, and Lajpat Nagar. These markets are unbelievable. There is SO MUCH stuff -- so many fabrics, colors, jewels, trinkets, decorations-- and so many vendors shouting for your attention from all sides, that it's overwhelming. If you're in the mood for it, it can also be exhilarating
(This past weekend was a crafts fair hosted by the American School, where vendors were strictly instructed not to shout at people and not to haggle with them. The atmosphere was consequently much calmer, but I found that I actually missed the chaos of the Indian markets).
This week I also went to Safdarjung's Tomb-- a beautiful monument in a quiet garden in the middle of Delhi. I visited more organizations and homes for people with disabilities, including the National Sports Council for the Deaf. I went with my Brazilian friend Rafaela to an Italian film about student revolutionaries in Pisa. I went to dinner one night at the American Embassy Club and then clubbing at The Ashok, a former palace that has been converted into a hotel. I've been riding auto-rickshaws around and trying to speak Hindi with the drivers... my Hindi is quite terrible...
Yesterday I went for a run around my neighborhood and it was a huge success. Not in the sense that it was a particularly long or difficult run, in fact, I only ran for about 10 minutes, but the good thing is that I felt totally comfortable and safe running around. I'd been worried about wearing running clothes, because women never show their legss. I asked Prem whether it would be ok to run here in Sunder Nagar wearing shorts and a tshirt, and he said that it would be absolutely fine because there are so many ex-pats in this neighborhood that people are used to it and because, being an upscale neighborhood, most Indians here are fairly westernized anyway. I decided to give the run a try and it was great-- I don't think anyone even looked twice, plus, it was perfect running weather. This makes me all the happier about my living situation. It is so nice to come back to this peaceful, quiet, beautiful colony after a long day in Delhi. On the other side of the colony's outer road is all of the noise, traffic, pollution, chaos of the city... but here I can say goodbye to all that.
Prem and Abha, my landlords, enjoy encouraging, and indulging, my appreciation for all things Indian. Abha always gives me a little plate of every new dish that she cooks, or a cup of masala chai, and waits for me to announce that it's delicious (which it really is!). The other night I decided to wear an Indian suit to the Thanksgiving dessert, and Abha rushed to her closet to find jewelry and a scarf that would complement it. She wants to take me shopping soon for more Indian clothes, and Prem announced the other day, "You must marry an Indian boy."
This past week I explored some of the cloth, craft, and jewelry markets: Sarojini, Dili Haat, and Lajpat Nagar. These markets are unbelievable. There is SO MUCH stuff -- so many fabrics, colors, jewels, trinkets, decorations-- and so many vendors shouting for your attention from all sides, that it's overwhelming. If you're in the mood for it, it can also be exhilarating
(This past weekend was a crafts fair hosted by the American School, where vendors were strictly instructed not to shout at people and not to haggle with them. The atmosphere was consequently much calmer, but I found that I actually missed the chaos of the Indian markets).
This week I also went to Safdarjung's Tomb-- a beautiful monument in a quiet garden in the middle of Delhi. I visited more organizations and homes for people with disabilities, including the National Sports Council for the Deaf. I went with my Brazilian friend Rafaela to an Italian film about student revolutionaries in Pisa. I went to dinner one night at the American Embassy Club and then clubbing at The Ashok, a former palace that has been converted into a hotel. I've been riding auto-rickshaws around and trying to speak Hindi with the drivers... my Hindi is quite terrible...
Yesterday I went for a run around my neighborhood and it was a huge success. Not in the sense that it was a particularly long or difficult run, in fact, I only ran for about 10 minutes, but the good thing is that I felt totally comfortable and safe running around. I'd been worried about wearing running clothes, because women never show their legss. I asked Prem whether it would be ok to run here in Sunder Nagar wearing shorts and a tshirt, and he said that it would be absolutely fine because there are so many ex-pats in this neighborhood that people are used to it and because, being an upscale neighborhood, most Indians here are fairly westernized anyway. I decided to give the run a try and it was great-- I don't think anyone even looked twice, plus, it was perfect running weather. This makes me all the happier about my living situation. It is so nice to come back to this peaceful, quiet, beautiful colony after a long day in Delhi. On the other side of the colony's outer road is all of the noise, traffic, pollution, chaos of the city... but here I can say goodbye to all that.
posted by Molly at 7:03 PM
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