India pt.1

India has 28 states with 22 official languages and 758 non-official languages. The food differs across states, religions and regions. It’s cuisine is as diverse as it’s people. I had the fortune to grow up with the traditional foods of Kerala, a state in the southwest corner of the Indian peninsula.  My other mother is from Kerala.  From birth to seven my other family, The Drs Berger (Sosamma and Nate) and their children lived next door. The two families were more like one big family. There were five children between the two houses (Chris, Josh, Ravi, Me and Sarina).  The youngest three (Me, Sarina and Ravi) were inseparable.  We spent our days running in and out of the two houses, tearing across the lawns and generally being nuisances to our older brothers.  When meal time arrived, we sat down at the nearest table and were fed. I spent a good portion of my early childhood eating Southern Indian food.  Sambar, Pappadums, vadas too many dishes to name.  Vadas were always a favorite snack of mine.  It’s a south Indian fritter that can be made from lentils, chickpeas or yellow pigeon peas. There are at least a dozen types of vadas, but I grew up on Parippu vadas.  They are made from yellow pigeon peas, chiles and spices.  Spicy, crispy and comforting, they are the perfect snack after a hard day of playing.

When I was seven the Bergers moved to Cleveland.  It was a total heartbreak for everyone, but we kept in touch.  So much so, that when Sarina and I were twelve, Dr. Berger asked my parents if she could take me to India for summer vacation. My parents agreed and that summer I was off on the biggest adventure of my life. When we landed in Mumbai, my brain went on overload.  The traffic was insane, the poverty intense and the beauty was overwhelming.  Nothing in my short life prepared me for this.

The food was also an adjustment.  My morning cereal came with goat’s milk and hamburgers were made of lamb.  It was just different.   Although I spent the first part of my childhood eating traditional Southern Indian fare, that did not prepare me for the food in Mumbai.  Our first night we went to a fancy restaurant with family.   I had no idea what was coming, but then the waiters arrived with two brightly orange colored chickens. I learned very quickly the magic of butter chicken.  The taste was so heavenly, Sarina and I each ate an entire chicken a piece. We spent the next three days going to sari palaces, dressmakers and taking in the sights.

We flew to Cochin in Kerala the morning of our fourth day.  Uncle Kunjappan met us at the airport and drove us three hours to their village.  Along the way, I watched the landscape change from jungle to village to red rock and back again.  The Keralan countryside was everything Mumbai was not, quiet and peaceful, but as we traveled deeper into the countryside, I felt like we were getting farther and farther from everything I recognized.  We arrived at Uncle Kunjappan’s house in the late afternoon.  It was a mid century dream nestled among the rubber trees and a flowing river that ran past the property.  Sarina and I shared a room on the main floor that opened onto the indoor pool.  The whole house was open, birds flew in and out freely and at night lizards ran on the walls and ceilings. When Sarina and I were bored, we chose lizards and pretended they were in a race.

The first night Isaac, the cook, made a traditional American meal to greet us.  Pot Roast, french fries and mixed vegetables.  I was a little homesick, so it was a welcome taste from home.

We spent the next three weeks hanging with Appachan Sarina’s 100 year old Grandpa.  He didn’t speak much English and we didn’t speak any Malayalam, but we communicated in other ways, mostly through food and physical comedy.   He insisted that we learn how to eat with our hand.  By the end of our visit, we were masters.

We spent the rest of our time, visiting family.  Uncle Johnny and Aunt Mary, Uncle George and too many cousins to mention.  Every time we went to a new house, a large platter of vadas greeted us.  Sometimes they also served banana fritters, but I wasn’t as concerned with those.  Vadas were my connection to home and to India all at the same time.  India changed my life and vadas were my connection to the two worlds.