Week Two: Routines, Curries, and the Very Important Whistle

This week, we started trying to settle into something resembling a routine.

During the week, Jack has been going to school for a few hours in the morning, and we’ve added swimming lessons three afternoons a week. We’re slowly figuring out what our days here are going to look like.

We also bought a couple of deck chairs and a little table for the balcony, which has made a huge difference. The weather has been much more temperate, and on Saturday we spent a lot of the day outside.

We had planned to go to the Botanical Gardens.

We were literally getting into a tuk-tuk when IKEA called to say they were about to deliver our balcony chairs. So, we paid the tuk-tuk driver…and got back out.

The driver looked at us like we were completely nuts. The security people at the gate were equally confused.

Crazy white people. Pay for tuk-tuk. Go nowhere.

Learning to Cook — Under Strict Supervision

Momi has started teaching us how to cook Indian food.

Apparently, many dishes begin with the same basic idea: caramelize onions, add chillies, then garlic and ginger, then turmeric.

Simple.

Except apparently there are approximately 47 ways to do each of those steps incorrectly.

There were many corrections from Momi.

But ultimately: success!

Yesterday we made eggplant curry, and today we made cauliflower with coconut milk. Both were absolutely delicious.

We also made hummus.

Momi tried it.

She clearly thought it was possibly the blandest and most pointless food anyone had ever invented.

Not everything translates.

The Great Pressure Cooker Incident

We have also learned that possibly the most important thing in an Indian kitchen is a pressure cooker.

The one in our apartment is apparently too big and — critically — has no whistle.

Momi tried to explain what I needed. Vishal translated to make absolutely sure I understood.

Armed with this information, I went to Q Mart and proudly bought a new pressure cooker.

I got back into the car.

Ganesh looked at it.

“No whistle.”

Oh.

I brought it home anyway.

Momi looked at it.

“No whistle.”

At this point, Momi, Vishal and Ganesh were all laughing at me.

Apparently, despite having the concept of the whistle explained to me by multiple people, I had still managed to buy the wrong pressure cooker.

Ganesh kindly took it back and returned with the correct lid.

With a whistle.

We can now officially cook.

Sunday Is Explore Day

We’ve decided that Sundays are going to be our explore days.

This week we went to Shilparamam, an arts and culture village with gardens, crafts and little shops. We fed swans, saw a small aviary, wandered around, took some silly photos, and bought Jack and Jason matching shirts.

Yes. Matching shirts.

Afterward, we went to Glass Onion at the golf course for lunch.

There were lovely cold beers served in ice-cold glasses.

And, feeling particularly adventurous after all our Indian food this week, we branched out…

…and ordered French fries.

Jack Discovers Indian Burger King

Jack also tried Burger King here for the first time.

Things are a little different.

The Whopper he tried was chicken, and they add peri-peri to the mayonnaise sauce.

Verdict: excellent.

He really liked it.

Another food successfully added to the India list.

Leo Is Less Impressed With India

We also trialled Leo at a boarding place this week.

He was not a fan.

It really stressed him out, so we’re back to figuring out another option.

We tried PetBacker, which is an app that seems like it should make finding someone to look after your dog incredibly easy.

Instead, we cannot figure out how it works.

At all.

So that remains a work in progress.

The Mystery Plants

I also ordered three plants online from NurseryLive:

Mint.

Curry leaf.

Basil.

Three fairly identifiable plants.

Three plants arrived.

We are reasonably certain they are not mint, curry leaf and basil.

What are they?

No idea.

Apparently gardening in India is also going to be an adventure.

Next Week: Adding More Pieces

Little by little, we’re starting to add things that make life here feel more like an actual life rather than somewhere we’ve just arrived.

Next week, I’m starting squash lessons twice a week, and Monday morning is my first yoga class.

Jack has school and swimming.

We have chairs on the balcony.

We can make curry.

And, most importantly, we now own a pressure cooker with a whistle.

Progress.

Golden Pheasant…

Jack and Gen at Shilparamam Park…