Translation: Birthday!
As in, happy janam din to my wonderful mother, the woman who inspired (demanded?) this blog.
I love you.
As in, happy janam din to my wonderful mother, the woman who inspired (demanded?) this blog.
I love you.
Showing posts with label Hindi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hindi. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Khanna (खाना)
Translation: food
At the office, we all eat lunch together at a big table in the conference room. Everyone brings his or her lunch (actually, we leave it in the kitchen and the 'office boy' sets it out, but that's a story for another day...) and passes it around for sharing.
I've stopped sending mine around. There's just no point. No one is willing to try non-Indian food (too bland, no spices, blah blah) and my Indian food isn't up to my coworkers' standards. I simply can't match the talent of the lifelong cooks each of them has working in their houses (no joke).
Back when I did send my food around, unsolicited critiques flowed freely. Some gems include:
"You didn't cook the mustard seeds long enough."
"What, you didn't put any salt in?"
And my all-time favorite..."You like this?"
So I stopped sharing. I think we were all grateful for that.
Considering these past experiences, I was a little stressed coming up with something to bring to yesterday's holiday (more on that tomorrow) potluck party. I clearly couldn't go Indian, but non-Indian wouldn't have gone over well, either. In the end, I found a compromise, using ingredients common to Indian cooking but in a non-Indian dish. I whipped up a fantastic homemade salsa.
I figured chips and salsa would be a safe bet - tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chilis and lime are in half of the things my coworkers eat anyway. I added extra onion, salt, and chili peppers to adapt it even more to their tastes. And yet, despite my cheerful, constant prompting, no one would eat the damn chips with the salsa. Everyone took the chips, but the few who took the salsa ate it as salad. As usual, the salsa was the only thing left of people's plates.
I officially give up.
At the office, we all eat lunch together at a big table in the conference room. Everyone brings his or her lunch (actually, we leave it in the kitchen and the 'office boy' sets it out, but that's a story for another day...) and passes it around for sharing.
I've stopped sending mine around. There's just no point. No one is willing to try non-Indian food (too bland, no spices, blah blah) and my Indian food isn't up to my coworkers' standards. I simply can't match the talent of the lifelong cooks each of them has working in their houses (no joke).
Back when I did send my food around, unsolicited critiques flowed freely. Some gems include:
"You didn't cook the mustard seeds long enough."
"What, you didn't put any salt in?"
And my all-time favorite..."You like this?"
So I stopped sharing. I think we were all grateful for that.
Considering these past experiences, I was a little stressed coming up with something to bring to yesterday's holiday (more on that tomorrow) potluck party. I clearly couldn't go Indian, but non-Indian wouldn't have gone over well, either. In the end, I found a compromise, using ingredients common to Indian cooking but in a non-Indian dish. I whipped up a fantastic homemade salsa.
I figured chips and salsa would be a safe bet - tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chilis and lime are in half of the things my coworkers eat anyway. I added extra onion, salt, and chili peppers to adapt it even more to their tastes. And yet, despite my cheerful, constant prompting, no one would eat the damn chips with the salsa. Everyone took the chips, but the few who took the salsa ate it as salad. As usual, the salsa was the only thing left of people's plates.
I officially give up.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Ghumana (घूमना)
Translation: to walk/to stroll
Pronunciation: ghoomana
Yesterday, a friend and I went on a guided walking tour of ruins in Hauz Khas Village. I wish I could convey to you the look and feel of this...enclave, if you will. I read a description somewhere that called it a 'faux bohemian' market and that strikes me as a fairly accurate representation. The place is crawling with expats (myself included) and well-to-do Delhiites who eat at the trendy cafes, drink at the hipster-esque bars and shop at the boutiques that sell expensive clothes and ironic Bollywood-themed home goods. I think of it as the Delhi equivalent to DC's U St.
More than just its trendy, modern incarnation, though, Hauz Khas Village is also the site of ruins dating back to the 13th century. The name comes from the large reservoir that the ruins surround - Hauz Khas means Royal Tank. The main building houses a tomb and a madrasa (aka school) and is situated in the middle of a park where kids play soccer, families have picnics, and couples display a surprising amount of affection. It was lovely strolling around the ruins in late afternoon, my favorite time of day. I'm looking forward to going back for a picnic once the weather has cooled down a bit more.
Pronunciation: ghoomana
Yesterday, a friend and I went on a guided walking tour of ruins in Hauz Khas Village. I wish I could convey to you the look and feel of this...enclave, if you will. I read a description somewhere that called it a 'faux bohemian' market and that strikes me as a fairly accurate representation. The place is crawling with expats (myself included) and well-to-do Delhiites who eat at the trendy cafes, drink at the hipster-esque bars and shop at the boutiques that sell expensive clothes and ironic Bollywood-themed home goods. I think of it as the Delhi equivalent to DC's U St.
More than just its trendy, modern incarnation, though, Hauz Khas Village is also the site of ruins dating back to the 13th century. The name comes from the large reservoir that the ruins surround - Hauz Khas means Royal Tank. The main building houses a tomb and a madrasa (aka school) and is situated in the middle of a park where kids play soccer, families have picnics, and couples display a surprising amount of affection. It was lovely strolling around the ruins in late afternoon, my favorite time of day. I'm looking forward to going back for a picnic once the weather has cooled down a bit more.
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| The tank, part of the ruin, and some modern buildings in the background. |
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Monday, September 19, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Vapas (वापस)
Translation: Back (e.g. I'm back!)
Pronunciation: Vaapas
Heeeeeeey. I realize I was a little light on the blog entries these last few weeks. My excuses are as follows:
First I got a cold.
Then I was irritated with Delhi (and when you don't have anything nice to say, you don't say anything at all).
Then I had a lot of work.
Then I got another cold.
But I'm all recovered, my work has calmed down, and I'm liking Delhi again. Phew!
I have a lot to catch up on. But for now, let's start with yesterday, which was a nice Delhi day. After a leisurely morning that included a self-pedicure and perusal of Newsweek (way cheaper here), Indian Good Housekeeping (more on that later), and a cooking magazine, I ventured out with my roommate to go swimming.
My roommate's friends found an Olympic-sized pool open to the public in a neighborhood close to mine. I think its a private school that allows membership and day use of its gym and pool facilities. So for Rs. 300 (about $7), you can pay for an afternoon of pool time. Now that I've translated that into dollars it feels a bit pricey, really, but I'd say it was worth it. It was a beautiful afternoon - humid but not stifling, hot but not unbearable. It felt as close to summer weather at home as I've felt here. Standing in the water in the shade, I almost felt chilly for the first time in Delhi.
We swam for a while, I investigated the gym membership prices (reasonable enough that I'm considering joining), and then we headed off to see a play at the Alliance Francaise. Turns out the play was in Hindi, not English (oops), so we went to dinner instead. When I got home, I turned my air conditioner on, made myself some hot chocolate, and pretended it was fall. 'Twas a relaxing way to end the weekend.
I leave you now with some fascinating pool-related trivia. Turns out the reason fingers turn wrinkly in the pool may not be a result of the skin soaking up water so much as a neurological response to help with grip. SO COOL. See here.
Pronunciation: Vaapas
Heeeeeeey. I realize I was a little light on the blog entries these last few weeks. My excuses are as follows:
First I got a cold.
Then I was irritated with Delhi (and when you don't have anything nice to say, you don't say anything at all).
Then I had a lot of work.
Then I got another cold.
But I'm all recovered, my work has calmed down, and I'm liking Delhi again. Phew!
I have a lot to catch up on. But for now, let's start with yesterday, which was a nice Delhi day. After a leisurely morning that included a self-pedicure and perusal of Newsweek (way cheaper here), Indian Good Housekeeping (more on that later), and a cooking magazine, I ventured out with my roommate to go swimming.
My roommate's friends found an Olympic-sized pool open to the public in a neighborhood close to mine. I think its a private school that allows membership and day use of its gym and pool facilities. So for Rs. 300 (about $7), you can pay for an afternoon of pool time. Now that I've translated that into dollars it feels a bit pricey, really, but I'd say it was worth it. It was a beautiful afternoon - humid but not stifling, hot but not unbearable. It felt as close to summer weather at home as I've felt here. Standing in the water in the shade, I almost felt chilly for the first time in Delhi.
We swam for a while, I investigated the gym membership prices (reasonable enough that I'm considering joining), and then we headed off to see a play at the Alliance Francaise. Turns out the play was in Hindi, not English (oops), so we went to dinner instead. When I got home, I turned my air conditioner on, made myself some hot chocolate, and pretended it was fall. 'Twas a relaxing way to end the weekend.
I leave you now with some fascinating pool-related trivia. Turns out the reason fingers turn wrinkly in the pool may not be a result of the skin soaking up water so much as a neurological response to help with grip. SO COOL. See here.
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| No photos allowed at the pool so, instead, an unrelated city cow shot. Will I ever tire of these? |
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Chuha (चूहा)
Translation: Mouse (rat, technically, I think)
Pronunciation: choohaa, or, from time to time, #*$%ing @#*$^&
This is one of the reasons I've been a little MIA this week - a couple of little chuhas seem to be making my home their home. Rather than spending some QT with Blogger this evening, as planned, I spent an hour with a broom and a bucket trying to get a chuha out of my roommate's bedroom. I'm happy to report that we were successful! A little too successful, actually...my roommate's enthusiastic bucket maneuvering accidentally resulted in the untimely demise of our uninvited guest. We did the right thing, though, holding a little 3-person funeral procession that ended in chuha-ji being laid to rest in a pile of trash by the park in our neighborhood.
On the bright side, my search for mousetraps this afternoon led me to a neighborhood near mine that I'd never been to before. And I do love an adventure! I ended up on a bustling street filled with all sorts of shops and people. I must have gone to at least seven stores - the general stores sent me to the hardware stores, who sent me back to the general stores - before I found a kitchen supply store (makes sense, doesn't it?) with a humane trap that I bought for $1.50.
Unfortunately, about a half hour ago I discovered that the peanut butter and bread bait has been removed from the trap without triggering the cage mechanism. Uuuuuuugh. Time for bed. With my bedroom door tightly closed, lest we have a repeat of this evening's bucket and broom battle.
Pronunciation: choohaa, or, from time to time, #*$%ing @#*$^&
This is one of the reasons I've been a little MIA this week - a couple of little chuhas seem to be making my home their home. Rather than spending some QT with Blogger this evening, as planned, I spent an hour with a broom and a bucket trying to get a chuha out of my roommate's bedroom. I'm happy to report that we were successful! A little too successful, actually...my roommate's enthusiastic bucket maneuvering accidentally resulted in the untimely demise of our uninvited guest. We did the right thing, though, holding a little 3-person funeral procession that ended in chuha-ji being laid to rest in a pile of trash by the park in our neighborhood.
On the bright side, my search for mousetraps this afternoon led me to a neighborhood near mine that I'd never been to before. And I do love an adventure! I ended up on a bustling street filled with all sorts of shops and people. I must have gone to at least seven stores - the general stores sent me to the hardware stores, who sent me back to the general stores - before I found a kitchen supply store (makes sense, doesn't it?) with a humane trap that I bought for $1.50.
Unfortunately, about a half hour ago I discovered that the peanut butter and bread bait has been removed from the trap without triggering the cage mechanism. Uuuuuuugh. Time for bed. With my bedroom door tightly closed, lest we have a repeat of this evening's bucket and broom battle.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Gulabi (गुलाबी)
Translation: Pink
Pronunciation: gulaabee
This is the color of every wall in my house.
That is all.
Pronunciation: gulaabee
This is the color of every wall in my house.
That is all.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Chai (चाय)
Translation: tea
Pronunciation: ...ch-eye? I don't think I'm very good at this phonetics thing.
Chai is the generic word for tea in Hindi; to say "chai tea" is actually redundant. When you order chai in the U.S., what you're drinking is masala chai (or some fake syrupy equivalent - I'm looking at you, Starbucks). "Masala chai" basically means "spiced tea."
Usually served in glasses like the one in the photo above, masala chai in India is often sold from little stalls on the street. I haven't had much time to venture out to areas where it's sold, but I've decided this is one type of food I'm willing to try on the street. The milk and water are boiled so...low risk, right? We'll see. In the meantime, I've been enjoying my chai at restaurants and at home.
If you want real masala chai in the U.S., I'd recommend avoiding the American brands at all cost and instead finding an Indian store. Fantasy Chai kept me going through grad school. Or you can make your own! There are a lot of recipes out there, but I like my masala chai with fresh ginger and cardamom.
Pronunciation: ...ch-eye? I don't think I'm very good at this phonetics thing.
Chai is the generic word for tea in Hindi; to say "chai tea" is actually redundant. When you order chai in the U.S., what you're drinking is masala chai (or some fake syrupy equivalent - I'm looking at you, Starbucks). "Masala chai" basically means "spiced tea."
Usually served in glasses like the one in the photo above, masala chai in India is often sold from little stalls on the street. I haven't had much time to venture out to areas where it's sold, but I've decided this is one type of food I'm willing to try on the street. The milk and water are boiled so...low risk, right? We'll see. In the meantime, I've been enjoying my chai at restaurants and at home.
If you want real masala chai in the U.S., I'd recommend avoiding the American brands at all cost and instead finding an Indian store. Fantasy Chai kept me going through grad school. Or you can make your own! There are a lot of recipes out there, but I like my masala chai with fresh ginger and cardamom.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Film (फ़िल्म)
Yeah, it's the same in English. Look, you already know some Hindi!
Last week I went to a movie theater in India for the first time. Let me tell you - the US is doing it wrong. In India you get assigned seats, so there's no need to arrive hours in advance just to sit with your friends. The seats (in the really nice theaters) do that lean-back-slide-forward thing, optimizing both comfort and space. And in addition to the standard popcorn and soda, they have fresh corn (a popular snack at malls and markets here) and...Baskin Robbins. It's lovely.
The movie we went to see has been generating a lot of talk over the last month or so. It was produced by the ever so dreamy actor-turned-producer Aamir Khan (So what if he's 46? He's hot.) and stars his nephew, the equally dreamy and more age appropriate (yet sadly married, I checked), Imran Khan. The movie is called Delhi Belly. It is dirty in every sense of the word and it is, dare I say, fantastic.
Here's the trailer:
It's basically the Hangover and American Pie mashed up masala style. Action, bodily functions, sex, suspense, humor, violence, more bodily functions. I don't know if I would have thought the movie was so funny if it were a Hollywood film. Part of the appeal was the shock of seeing and hearing things that Bollywood normally wouldn't go near. In Hollywood, such topics are old hat. In Bollywood, a multi-second kiss is about as wild as it gets. Until now, apparently.
I don't know when Delhi Belly will roll around to the grocery stores of Cary and Murray Hill, but if you want to see another Aamir Khan-produced movie (this one starring him, too), I'd recommend Dhobi Ghat. I think it's called Mumbai Diaries in English and it's definitely available on Netflix instant play. It's not a comedy. It's actually really depressing. But it's a non-Bollywood (and non-Hollywood) look at India and I enjoyed it.
Last week I went to a movie theater in India for the first time. Let me tell you - the US is doing it wrong. In India you get assigned seats, so there's no need to arrive hours in advance just to sit with your friends. The seats (in the really nice theaters) do that lean-back-slide-forward thing, optimizing both comfort and space. And in addition to the standard popcorn and soda, they have fresh corn (a popular snack at malls and markets here) and...Baskin Robbins. It's lovely.
The movie we went to see has been generating a lot of talk over the last month or so. It was produced by the ever so dreamy actor-turned-producer Aamir Khan (So what if he's 46? He's hot.) and stars his nephew, the equally dreamy and more age appropriate (yet sadly married, I checked), Imran Khan. The movie is called Delhi Belly. It is dirty in every sense of the word and it is, dare I say, fantastic.
Here's the trailer:
It's basically the Hangover and American Pie mashed up masala style. Action, bodily functions, sex, suspense, humor, violence, more bodily functions. I don't know if I would have thought the movie was so funny if it were a Hollywood film. Part of the appeal was the shock of seeing and hearing things that Bollywood normally wouldn't go near. In Hollywood, such topics are old hat. In Bollywood, a multi-second kiss is about as wild as it gets. Until now, apparently.
I don't know when Delhi Belly will roll around to the grocery stores of Cary and Murray Hill, but if you want to see another Aamir Khan-produced movie (this one starring him, too), I'd recommend Dhobi Ghat. I think it's called Mumbai Diaries in English and it's definitely available on Netflix instant play. It's not a comedy. It's actually really depressing. But it's a non-Bollywood (and non-Hollywood) look at India and I enjoyed it.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Dudh (दूध)
Translation: Milk
Pronunciation: DOOdh
This past Saturday, I spent the day with my new best friend (aka the mom of one of my existing BFFs, who conveniently lives in Delhi right now). We went shopping, had lunch, went to a fantabulous grocery store called Spencer's, and then headed back to her home. After she packed up several meals worth of food for me to take home (amazing), we chatted while she made us some chai. As she added the milk to the pot, she mentioned that she had some cows milk on hand for when she ran out of milk.
Me: Wait, what? What do you mean 'cows milk'? How is that different from regular milk?
Mrs. K: Milk in North India doesn't usually come from cows.
Me: Seriously? What have I been drinking?
Apparently, despite the abundance of cows in Delhi (see below), the milk I've been putting in my coffee comes from...water buffalo. Water buffalo! You wouldn't know this from looking at the carton. "Ingredients: Milk" is all it says. Species not specified.
An extensive search of the website for one of the main brands of milk in Delhi, Mother Dairy, led me to find that it clearly indicates that its ghee comes from buffalo milk, but no other milk product lists originating mammal. I might never have known!
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| More cows on my street. |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Hindi Word Highlight: Pani (पानी)
Translation: Water
Pronunciation: PAHnee
Waiting on my desk every morning when I arrive at work is a bottle of pani, chilled. Welcome to an Indian NGO office, where no one blinks an eye when the internet cuts out for hours but my desk gets table service.
Adjusting to office culture in India has been an adventure. On my third day, I went to make myself some tea in the kitchen. As I'm filling the electric kettle with water, one of the office helpers runs in. "You are wanting tea?" He takes the kettle from me. He boils the water, pours it, steeps the tea, adds the sugar and milk, stirs it...all while I stand there awkwardly trying to figure out what the hell to do with myself. Do I go back to my desk? Wait? I haven't reached chit chat level in Hindi yet. I settle on standing there with an awkward smile, moving my hands from my pockets to my hips and back again.
When I asked the admin assistant if I wasn't supposed to make my own tea, she said "Oh, you can or he can. I'll just tell him to ask you all day if you want some."
The issue remains unclear to me.
~~~~~
Week 2 starts today. I have a 5 page summary report due on Wednesday, so it'll be a busy one!
Pronunciation: PAHnee
Waiting on my desk every morning when I arrive at work is a bottle of pani, chilled. Welcome to an Indian NGO office, where no one blinks an eye when the internet cuts out for hours but my desk gets table service.
Adjusting to office culture in India has been an adventure. On my third day, I went to make myself some tea in the kitchen. As I'm filling the electric kettle with water, one of the office helpers runs in. "You are wanting tea?" He takes the kettle from me. He boils the water, pours it, steeps the tea, adds the sugar and milk, stirs it...all while I stand there awkwardly trying to figure out what the hell to do with myself. Do I go back to my desk? Wait? I haven't reached chit chat level in Hindi yet. I settle on standing there with an awkward smile, moving my hands from my pockets to my hips and back again.
When I asked the admin assistant if I wasn't supposed to make my own tea, she said "Oh, you can or he can. I'll just tell him to ask you all day if you want some."
The issue remains unclear to me.
~~~~~
Week 2 starts today. I have a 5 page summary report due on Wednesday, so it'll be a busy one!
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