Benjamuna's Blog

Stories…. with a touch of India….

The colours of…..food March 21, 2014

Filed under: INDIA — benjamuna @ 8:47 am
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I’m not a “foodie“. I never explore food. But wherever I travel, I take pictures of food. Especially at markets. Street vendors are unbeatable… some with their food laboriously displayed with an artistic flaw. The bazaars of India; Chor Bazaar or Crawford market in Mumbai, or  Old Delhi for example… there is food on display everywhere. I don’t taste it (for many reasons), I don’t care about the smell be it good or bad. I care for the colours.

carrot

I like carrots though… The carrots in India are not orange, like ours. They’re red, and thus seem even more tempting. These carrots are cut by many helping hands in The Gurudwara Sis Ganj (Sikh temple), Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi.

chilli 2

Chilli… Irresistible – unpredictable. It can ruin a meal, but most of the time it adds colour and taste! (maybe that was an understatement).

chilli

D_Allo curry

I must admit…, it looks delicious! It’s a curry. Allo curry. Potato curry With loads of other greens and reds…Strong perhaps, the chillies are floating freely. This is from a street vendor in Old Delhi. I always question the hygiene… – No, says Anju my guide. – The turnover is so fast,she says, it sells so fast that nothing gets bad.

lime

Lime… When I go to my local shop, there are 20-something lime on display. What I like in the markets is the abundance, it underlines the colours….

papaya

Papaya:

Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the “fruit of the angels” by Christopher Columbus.

Impossible not to have a bite. It looks good, – meaning it tastes good. And it looks good in terms of colour and texture.

A_pao bhaji

I thought for an instance it was pizza…absolutely not. It’s Pao Bhaji, mixed vegetables. And it’s not solid 
A quote – for your information since I myself can’t shed a light…:

Pao bhaji is a Maharashtrian fast food dish that originated in Mumbai cuisine. The pav-bhaji is a spicy preparation with a mixture of vegetables, either whole or mashed, a generous dose of fresh tomatoes, a dollop of butter, optional toppings of cheese and dry-fruits and fresh fruits, consumed with warm bread gently or crispy fried in butter – an all-time, anytime favourite with Mumbaikars.

banana

I just have to include the – my – bananas…

I have travelled by car in India. I have stopped at dhabas, at hotel restaurants, at small cafes – I have eaten – but never felt really satisfied. The banana comes to my rescue, always. You’ll find them along the road, in many variations. Most of the time much more tasty than the ones at home. And the best thing, encapsulated in the skin, the fruit can be eaten with no further worries….

C_kachori

Kachori is an Indian snack… spelled in many ways, made in many ways…. This is Delhi-style….

dal

Dal on display…. a mellow colour symphony! Dal, also spelled dahl, dhal or daal, is a Hindi word meaning pappu (lentils). It’s impossible to avoid dal when in India. I would call it a gravy, or  stew, eaten with rotis (flat bread), for example. Dal is known as the staple food in India. If you have nothing else to put on the table, dal is most of the time there – as  source of proteins and very often as an only source of food for the poor.
The photo shows various lentils.

 

 

Colours – colours…. March 19, 2012

Filed under: INDIA — benjamuna @ 8:38 pm
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I was going through the photos from my last trip to India and came across four women I met in Cochin (state of Kerala) last November. Well women…., they were dolls on dispaly outside a shop; dressed in mauve, and they were absolutely gorgous. It was impossible to pass, and I felt the urge to go inside – in search of more treasures. I wanted to explain the young shop assistant that I came in because of the dolls – but it was a dead end…. her English was poor and as much as I wanted to buy something to make her happy – I was going through “a million kurtas” – nothing could match the mauve creations outside. I could never wear colurs like these, and if I came home – wearing one of these outfits – well somebody would most definately have a fit. When buying clothes in India, one must always put on the homely specs and be sensible…. What looks awesome in India, most probably looks horribly out of place at home. But it’s not forbidden to watch and admire….

Colours have always been a reason, when people ask what it is about India that I like so much. Colours are everywhere in India, in many senses and many ways. I remember a wedding that was taking place on a street in Mumbai, near the Mumba Devi temple. The couple was very poor, that was all too clear. But the bride was dressed in her red wedding dress and she stood out on the dusty, grey pavement. She looked like a queen. The red saree did it for her!

Going through more photos, I found some from Crawford market in Mumbai. I like taking pictures of fruit and vegetables. It’s the colours, the shape , the way they are put on display… Like a piece of art! Or maybe is it music?  I think of the seller as a conductor, with his symphony of colours! And here are some of the orange-green movement….