Rasaswad

FOUR WOMEN: Woman one: The Lambaadi woman mentioned in the previous post. Profession: construction worker Why her? Cause she was my mom's role model Background and a typical day: Road construction work going on in some suburb of Mumbai. She belongs to the Lambadi tribe, which means she's a nomad and doesn't really belong to any place. She wears all her jewallary all the time. She lives in a temporary hut created near the construction site. Her day starts with hoping to be selected for work today. It's a good day. In the afternoon, she breast feeds her three month old who otherwise keeps staring from a temporary cloth hammock between two trees. In the evening evening, after a very hard day of physical work, she and her husband consolidate their day's earnings. They go to the local grocer and buy 20 ml oil (it was indeed a good day), 10 gms packs of (No, I'm not exaggerating) cumin seeds, musturd seeds, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. They also buy some p...

This is supposed to be a food blog. There are supposed to be recipes here...really...and pictures of the moltan lava chocolate cake that I made yesterday. This is definitely not a philosophy blabber blog...that would be my other blog. But I really can't help this..... Basically, I'm your regular girl-next-door food enthusiast. I'm not big on health foods...or any of the other food fads that you might know of...I cook and eat everything that interests me...from around the world and that falls into the ovolactovegetarian category. I like sweets like a lot of people...and I miss my mom's cooking...I experiement...read recipe books like novels...search for recipes online...these days also read other food blogs...watch reruns of food shows...buy cooking tools....take lessons from professionals to learn new techniques...host big fancy parties for a homesick crowd of friends...cook special meals for my loved ones....always appreciate a compliment about my cooking. I'm just...

So I finally gave in to the temptation of creating a food blog. 'Rasaswad' is the name of a Gujarati cookbook I read many years ago. 'Rasa' is found in all different kinds of art forms, but I think that cooking involves the most primitive and the most refined forms of 'Rasa'. On one level, 'Rasaswad' means enjoying the essence of life through senses. In many philosophies, you need to go beyond the senses to attain ultimate knowledge of the universe. Till I reach that level, I'm happy immersing myself in the 'Rasa' of life. Although 'Rasaswad' is central to food and cooking, to me, food is also a great way to bring people together. To share joys and to bridge the differences between cultures. To connect with one's own insticts. I hope this blog helps the process...