Food Adventures

As we prepare for this trip, I find myself looking to food for hints of what is to come. The sensory experience of eating Indian food is overwhelming - the smells, the heat, the colors, the spices - and in grey Seattle, seems to provide the closest "real" Indian experience we can find. With all our concerns with Violet, gaining confidence in the food we'll eat and give to her in Chandigarh rises to the top.

A few weeks ago we went to Mayuri, a fantastic Indian restaurant on the East Side. At 11am on a Wednesday (the joys of an academic schedule!) we fired up the Jetta and navigated the suburban Redmond street. It was fittingly a very hot day, but the place was air-conditioned (unlike our apartment) and the lunch buffet was just opening up. I filled my plate first while Rachel sat with Violet. Chick peas and spinach, paneer tikka, naan, potatoes, raita, roast chicken - the buffet looked fantastic. In my mind, though, I am trying to sort for a one-year old's palate: too spicy? too hard? too spicy? too spicy? As I finished my (heaping) plate I realized, that spicy (hot spicy) food was my only real worry - and everything had a little heat. When I returned to the table, and relieved Rachel, my concerns dissolved as I watched Violet eat bit after bite of mildly spicy food. I dare say she liked it that way.

Dining out with a one-year old is always a challenge, but she did very well. As we were leaving, all three of us full from a big lunch, I felt a bit more assured about our food encounters in India.

I think eating food in Chandigarh (like eating food here) requires judgement decisions, health choices, and overall attention. We really don't know what it will be like exactly - and there is no way to find out. But I am confident we can handle what ever we find. I continue to be fascinated by Indian food (north and south, veg or meat) and look forward to learning more.

--Tyler