in their natural state

One thing Jaki and I talked about a lot this summer was our utter ignorance about how many many things come to be. Like pineapples and peanuts and tea. I mean, I had a mental image of a tea leaf and hills of the western ghats covered in plantations, but not until I saw them in June did I GET it. Same with pineapples. Same with nutmeg. Everyone talks about how much you learn about culture and people when you travel but no one ever mentions how much you learn about FOOD!

So, I've been in the kitchen this week. They make their own everything; powders from chili and nutmeg and coriander, butter, coconut oil, etc. You name it, they've made it from step one. I have to embrace my relative ignorance in everything about the kitchen and the food, and ask what everything is all the time. Because cooking is one of the students' subjects here, they are quick in the kitchen and quick to point out when i slice a carrot too thickly or put a pinch too much ground coconut in a dish. It's really intimidating when we're all sitting around at meal time and everyone starts eating and I hear "EmilyCheche" followed by the name of the dish I've made. Sometimes giggles, sometimes thumbs up and (still ambiguous) head bobbles. With the exception of some overcooked yam slices in my aviel, I'm apparently doing okay. Phew. But y'all, Thanksgiving. Just you wait.

But I've also realized why Indian restaurants in the states are expensive.
1) These ingredients are largley things I have never seen in the whole of United States. But again I know nothing about things in their natural state. Maybe all of this grows in Kentucky.
2) This takes TIME. It's no spaghetti or burrito.

It's nice to know these things. In other news, My mom will be here in a little over two weeks! We are going to the beach! This country will make me leave in a little over eight weeks! How does it move so fast??