A Bourgeois Cooking Conclusion
April 6, 2009
Wow. I’m writing less than half an hour before a taxi comes to pick me up and take me to the airport. To go home. As in away from India. Weird, but also very exciting.
My last day in Delhi/India also held a great experience worth sharing.
While burning time in Agra before catching my train a few days ago, I was mulling over what Delhi sights I wanted to see when I came across a note to myself (written with a handy four color bic pen) back in January that I should take a cooking class recommended by the Lonely Planet. I called the place up on a whim (Parul Pari’s Cooking Studio) have expecting the number to be out of date. To my luck, Parul answered and booked me in for a class on Monday morning.
An agonizing trip involving both auto and bike rickshaws, multiple sets of directions, and a friendly neighbors cell phone finally brought me to the South Delhi suburb of Junkurai Extension. Here’s where the Bourgeouis comes in.
All other encounters with ‘upper classes’ were paled by my impression of this upscale residential district. It reminded me of the expat community LWIG and I came across in Ghana while doing some project research. Completely gated houses and apartments. Enormous lush, green trees. Fancy cars lining the empty roadways (no honking to be heard). And only the occasional glassed in shop front.
Since I was already late for the class, I rushed right inside to meet my teacher, a fellow by the name of Lelath (who I would peg at about 27 years old). I soon learned that he had been cooking since the age of 12, and was aspiring to open his own cooking scho0l after saving enough money. While he proceeded to make final preparations for our class, I sat in the lobby of the chic guesthouse and observed some (very beautiful) Indian girls about my age getting ready to go do some sightseeing.
I was kind of zoned out, but suddenly came to my senses when I heard them conversing in what appeared to be British english accents. I glanced over at them fumbling out of their room, and, dressed to the nines in fashionable saris, there was no doubt that this was their first (and best) language. Interesting! I wonder if they were educated in Britain, and how long they came back to India for? I didn’t have a chance to chat with them before entering my cooking session, but it was a fascinating observation.
The class wasn’t really me doing TOO much. (Mostly observing Lelath’s excellent cooking skills). However, I did learn how to make a delicious aloo gobi (potato cauliflower curry), tomato dal, parantha (whole wheat stuffed flat bread), paneer roll, and chapati. Nothing was near as difficult as I expected, and thus, I’m excited to bring a ‘taste of India’ back to you all at home.
Definitely a fun experience for my last day in the country, and I’m happy I was able to observe another element of the ‘new India’ culture.
Now, I’m off to catch my train to Germany. I will promise one last (and more conclusive) post once I arrive home. See you all soon!
