Things I Love About India: Saris

I know I’m way behind the rest of the blogosphere on the recent White House State Dinner, but it is the perfect introduction into one of my favorite things about India: saris.

I have to say, I wish E! covered this event the way they cover the Oscars, because I have some lingering questions that Google simply cannot answer.  Where did Katie Couric get her beautiful sari shawl?  Why didn’t anyone help poor Mrs. Gupta tie her sari?  Where the heck did Michaele Salahi find her lengha?  Why did Supriya Jindal go for a boring black gown instead of a brightly colored ensemble?  As Diana Vreeland said, “Pink is the navy blue of India.”  I’m pretty sure Giuliana Rancic would’ve gotten all my questions answered (and I’m excited for the return of Giuliana and Bill on January 3rd!  But I digress).

While Michelle Obama nailed it in her gold gown by Indian-born designer Naeem Khan (she was as elegant as she was appropriate to her Indian guests), my best-dressed pick is…

Pure perfection. This sari ranks up there with Priyanka Chopra's from the Desi Girl number in Dostana as my all-time favorite saris

 

A very different Thanksgiving…but thankful all the same

Thanksgivings at the P household are truly unique: the traditional Turkey Day dishes have a Indian twist (except for my favorites, the canned cranberry sauce, apple butter pumpkin pie, and pumpkin cookies), everyone changes from their nice clothes to sweatpants  within 5 minutes of finishing dinner, and we camp out in front of the TV for some football, beverage and dessert in hand.  At some point, there’s screaming, a minor meltdown, hugging and making up.  Those not involved in the snafu find themselves pouring another drink.  Kitchen times are designated, with mine first thing in the morning.  Coffee in hand, still in my pajamas, I mix my pie batter (the crusts are made the day before), combine cookie ingredients, mash wasabi and ginger into my Asian smashed potatoes (which the adults love, but the kids aren’t big fans of), and quietly exit the kitchen to avoid my mother’s culinary warpath.

This is one of the few days that our family (and friends so close that they are considered family) come together for a feast and a festive time.  I am thankful for many things, and am very thankful for this day specifically.

The P Thanksgiving of 2009, while missing pumpkin-flavored desserts, tandoori turkey, and Brian Dawkin’s phenomenal performance against the Giants, had the familial love and familiar beloved Indian dishes that continued to make me thankful.

 

Things I Love About India: The Head Bob

The head bob.  Widely seen across the Indian subcontinent (and first-generation immigrants in the States when they all reunite), the head bob is an enigmatic gesture.  Does it mean yes?  Does it mean no?  Does it mean “sure, go ahead and rob my apartment?”  Is that person thinking “this song is so good, SO GOOD yaar!”

The answer is E: all of the above.

The head bob is the Indian’s favorite gesture, and it shows.  Heads bob to agree.  Heads bob to disagree.  Heads bob to show they love a song.  Heads bob to show their chole is too good.  Heads bob to show they can’t stand the traffic they are parked in.

I love the head bob.  It is as familiar to me as my mother’s dahl, the smell of incense my aunt lights when she performs her daily puja, the dangle of jasmine flowers from a girl’s plait, the clank of glass bangles.  It is one of my favorite things about India.

It’s also contagious.  Whenever I’m speaking with someone who head bobs, I subconsciously begin to head bob as well.  After landing in Hyderabad with a strained neck (never forgetting my neck pillow again), trying to head bob as I enthusiastically noshed on my aunt’s dhibaroti was excruciating.  Now that my neck has recovered, my bobbing has resumed.

And bob I will, happily, for the rest of my trip.

 

A Perfect Plane Hairstyle

The perfect messy bun. The bane of my hair existence since I was 10. No longer.

I spend a lot of time traveling.

Whether it’s logging miles on the planes, spending hours on the road from PA to Amherst MA/Woodcliff Lake NJ/wherever there’s a meeting/conference/training, I’m on the go nearly all the time.

And a lot of the time, my hair looks awful.  Especially during long flight journeys.

I’ve been obsessed with achieving the perfect messy bun since I was 10 years old, when girls in my class gathered up their silken locks and twisted them around their hands and hair ties to achieve a look of messy elegance.  My unruly, thick hair never wound as easily around my clumsy hands.  My heavy locks often fell out of the hair tie, no matter how strong they were or how tightly I wound them around my bun.

15 years later, I was about to give up and accept my hair life with my Indo-Frizz-Fro when two amazing things happened:

1. I discovered the Keratin hair treatment (many thanks to my hair stylist Melanie at Salon l’Etoile who convinced me to take the plunge on this, as well as other brilliant hair decisions.  I am never going back to un-Keratin treated hair.  If you’re in Philly and need a great stylist, make your appointment ASAP.  She’s the best.)
2. These step-by-step instructions on achieving the perfect French messy bun.

Who knew it was so easy?  I opted to use a hair tie to secure my bun and tugged at the bun until I got the shape and diameter I wanted.  My hair kept its disheveled chicness all the way from Philadelphia to Hyderabad, the hour drive home to our apartment, and still looked the same the next day.  Because the bun is set so high, the hairstyle is comfortable to sleep in, and the loose fastening doesn’t tug at your head and give you a headache.

Now, if someone can tell me how to give myself a sleek blow out, I will love you forever.  Until then, I will indulge in the hot oil head massages/shampoo/blow-out combination that cost less than a Starbucks latte and make my hair look fabulous.  Only in India

 

In Honor of Thanksgiving: Hitha’s Pumpkin Cookies

Thanksgiving is, hands down, my favorite holiday.  What more can you ask for other than food, family, and FOOTBALL?  In what other holiday is it acceptable to eat and eat and eat and eat some more?

Turkey Day is a big deal in our house.  It is an even bigger deal that we are missing it this year by coming to India.  While I’m still mourning the fact that November 26th will be a turkey-less day for me, I’ve decided to persevere and share the Thanksgiving cheer and one of my favorite recipes: Pumpkin Cookies.

Not to brag, but these little bites of heaven are the first to go from the dessert table at our T-day dinner.  They are mind-blowingly simple as they are delicious, and if canned pumpkin was available year-round, I would be making these 365 days a year.  Enjoy!

It's not Thanksgiving without pumpkin ANYTHING on the dinner table

Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients:

1 packet dry sugar cookie mix (I opt for the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix)
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsps of maple syrup (a smidge more maple syrup will give the cookies a moist, cake-like texture)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Powdered sugar, for garnish (you can also use cream cheese frosting)

• Follow the instructions on the sugar cookie mix to make up the batter, preheat the oven
• Add the pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg
• Dollop the batter onto a cookie sheet.  I prefer to make small lumps for bite-sized cookies
• Bake the cookies at the heat and time as printed on the cookie mix instructions
• Remove cookies from hot oven, sprinkle powdered sugar onto the hot cookies (I use a strainer).  If you’re going to finish with cream cheese frosting, allow the cookies to cool before slathering on the frosting.

Serve with hot cider or a cold glass of milk and enjoy!

This recipe is super easy to double/triple/quadruple (in the case of my family’s Thanksgiving), and is easy enough for the kids to make.

If you DO brave this recipe, please comment below and let me know how it went.  Good luck!

 

Things I Love About India: Indochinese Food

Here marks the first post in a series I’d like to call “Things I Love About India.”

And it’s no surprise that the first post is about food.

I haven’t been to China, but I am completely obsessed with the Indian take on the country’s cuisine.  Whenever I’m in India, I find myself examining the Chinese food options on the menu and opting for hot-and-sour soup, vegetable manchurian, and chili paneer over idly and sambar and dosas.  One of my favorite traditions is dining out at Hai King, an Indo-Chinese restaurant here in Hyderabad, with my mother’s family every visit.  All the dishes are simply delectable, but my favorite has to be…vegetable manchurian.

Nom nom nom nom nom. I could live off this.

There is something about these spicy globs of flavorful veggie goodness that I can’t get enough of.  I eat it at least once a week and often refuse to share (which seems odd to the waiters, as this dish is served as an appetizer).  I scrape my plate clean of the spicy manchurian sauce, the wayward pepper pieces, and the flecks of garlic.  The sauce is possibly the best part: its thick, gooey, spicy with a hint of sweet flavors have me addicted like a moth to a flame.  I really can’t get enough of this.

If you’ve experienced the manchurian, you know what I’m talking about.  If you haven’t, well…it’s a must-order dish when you visit India.

Or you can check out this recipe here and tell me what you think.

 

Go cellular abroad on the cheap

As a girl on the go, I don’t let something minor like international roaming charges bring my iPhone time down.  But costly phone bills have forced me to make some significant changes.

First and foremost: international phone plans are bulls(*$t.  Go ahead and add it to your plan for the those emergency calls and texts, but don’t rely on them.  Your wallet will curse you if you do.

If you have an iPhone or certain BlackBerrys, you can keep your phone bill on the cheap by enabling this one tiny feature: WiFi.  Using the WiFi network over the cellular will keep your costs down huge when checking your e-mail, Twittering, Facebook-stalking, or blogging from the phone.

This handy app is a must-download for cost-conscious, heavy travelers

For you iPhoners, download the Skype app immediately.  The sound quality on the phone is crisp, the connections are strong, and you can keep your hours-long phone conversations going without hitting your phone bill.  It’s brilliant.  (Note: there is a Skype app for many mobile phone models, so check if your phone is covered).

 

I’m Here!

After 20 hours of travel time, two flights, one layover and a major pain in the neck, I’m finally here. I am home.

And now I’m finally going to bed.

 

1 Month. 1 Suitcase. 1 Place: India

So work takes me on yet another workcation, this time to India, and this time for a month.

Packing is surprisingly easy.  I wear the traditional salwaar kameez at the Indian office, and lounge-y clothes at home.  I’ve packed work clothes that desperately need to be altered (long inseams are the bane of my existence and my ankles), and some jeans and tees for wearing while I’m out and about and need a break from Indian clothes.  I have a winter coat throw in just in case we have a last-minute trip to Seoul come up, and shorts and tanks in case I have time to jet to Thailand for a “cation” to escape the work.

My Hudson jeggings and cashmere shawl sweater are ready to be thrown on (I’m still in my PJs).  My Kindle and iPhone (and iPhone portable battery) are charging.  E-mails and follow-up calls are nearly done.  And I’m ready for my glass (or two) of champagne, settling into my Lufthansa seat for a pretty decent airline meal and some cheesy chick flick or Bollywood movie I failed to catch over the summer.

Where you can find me for the next 20-some hours. Here or duty free in the Frankfurt airport.

But in case my movie selections stink, or I find myself bored out of my wits during my 6-hour layover in Frankfurt, I have plenty to keep me occupied (other than work e-mails and updating tracking sheets, of course).  I put the APB on Facebook for book, music, and podcast recommendations, and here’s what my dear Facebook friends offered up.

 

From El Ley to Beantown to the Republic of Amherst, the whirlwind continues…

View of Santa Monica boardwalk from the end of the pier. So peaceful. So kitschy. So awesome.

My life, otherwise known as Hurricane Hitha, has spun me across the country in the past week and a half.  From hopping on a plane last Saturday to Los Angeles to chugging along on the bus to Amherst from Boston last night, things have been a constant go and I’m eager to head home tomorrow and get a solid three nights of sleep in my glorious TempurPedic bed before jetting off to India.

But I digress.  Here’s some highlights from Hurricane Hitha:

• Catching up with friends I haven’t seen in years has been the BEST part of these crazy days.  So much that I plan on dedicating the college-friends-catchup its own blog post.  But I had to say it again here.  Girls, it was fantastic seeing you, and I hope it’s not another three years until I see you next!
• Larry King was a fabulous event, surely, but a quiet dinner at I Cugini and a nighttime walk on the Santa Monica boardwalk was a nice reprieve from the exciting time the night before and the long day of meetings that very day.  It was also wonderful to see my West Coast cousins, and I’m looking forward to their visits (to wherever I happen to be)
• If you’re going to do drinks at hotel bars, then I highly suggest Kir Royales at the Biltmore in LA and a glasses of prosecco at the Ritz in Boston.  Both bars provide great atmospheres for catching up and excellent cocktails.  Definitely put them on your list for enjoying a nightcap if visiting either cities.