Culinary Adventures

Living here has definitely changed the way I eat. Recently, I've had at least two new things. The other day, I made okra. I had never had okra before (that I can think of) and I know I've never cooked it. On Allrecipes.com, I read some comments that said a way to make it not slimy is to soak it in vinegar for about half an hour before cooking it. I did that but when it came time to rise it, it was encased in a ton of slime. I was kind of freaked out and worried, this was supposed to cut down on the slime. I decided that since the rest of the dish was ready for the okra, I would go ahead and cook it and see how it turns out. Other than a slight vinegary taste (I need to remember to rinse it better) it wasn't slimy at all and I kind of liked it. Something else to add to my repertoire.

Then this weekend, Grace invited all of the Americans over for dinner. It was a lot of fun and the food was fabulous. Anna wasn't at her best but Grace and her two daughters helped and she was able to sleep for a little bit while we were there. She had made a lot of yummy things but the one that I wanted to talk about was the liver. I had never had liver before and was a bit apprehensive of it, especially the texture. I was pleasantly surprised. It was julienne cut and I have no idea how it was cooked but it was good and kind of reminded me of beef which I have been missing. I doubt I will ever make it myself but I enjoyed it there.

My expectations have changed too. Now a meal doesn't have to have meat to feel complete, it needs roti. And if my mouth doesn't have a little bit of a burn to it after eating, the meal was too mild. I am so glad Anna doesn't have a problem with me eating spicy food or "this would be reeeeally difficult" (The Emperor's New Groove).

Anna has also been enjoying new foods. Other than the rice cereal, she has had lentils (they call it dal here), carrots, and some foccacia bread. I wasn't too sure about the bread but she did really well with her two teeth and quite enjoyed it (what's not to love about foccacia bread). We're kind of amazed that she seems to just know how to chew things and to use her teeth. So far, she likes everything we give her, even spicy stuff. The other day we made vegetable biryani and as it's rice based I figured she could have some. So I mashed up the rice and little bit of the carrot and started feeding her. She really liked it for about 3-4 bites but then she started screaming. It occurred to me that it might be too spicy for her so after trying water and having that just not cut it, I nursed her and she was ok after that. Foolishly, I tried it again and had the same result (I was thrown off with how readily she starts eating it). So I tossed the rest of the food and will stick to much milder things from now on.