Holiday Travels

Recipe of the Week: Hello Dolly Bars - currently in my suitcase!

It has always been my dream to travel to the wonder and beauty that is India. And on Friday, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so with my friend Nirali (check out her blog). We will be staying with her family in Ahmedabad, and also traveling to Delhi and Mumbai, for a total stay of 13 days.

And I couldn't be more excited.

But a lot of preparation goes into a trip like this. I had to go to the doctor to have some vaccines and malaria medication, read up on all the places we are going, and, most importantly, pack my bag. I have already packed the basics: my jeans, t-shirts, toiletries, electronics, and all that miscellaneous stuff that I think that I will need. But amongst this plethora of goods, I have packed something that may seem odd.

Food.

Beside my camera and my reading materials in my carry on, I have a package of pretzel goldfish, a box of fruit leather, and a plastic bag of cookies that my grandma made for me. Typical, processed, American snacks.

For some reason, this stuck out to me. Out of all the things to bring to India, why did I feel that need to bring my own food, food that I was comfortable and familiar with? Why did I need the 'safety net' of processed goods? There would be food in India, good food for that matter, but why did I pack my own?

I have decided that in this situation, I unconsciously needed this type of 'safety net' in my travels. I am going to be thrust in an entirely new world and culture, and I needed something familiar to cling to in times of need. They may just be little goldfish, but to me, they can represent much more.

This idea of a 'safety net' is actually something very relevant to Reading Lolita in Tehran. Author Azar Nafisi finds solace in her literature, books that she knows and loves, and uses them as comfort in hard times. While bombings in Tehran are rampant and a potential harm to her family and loved ones, she simply reads. Reading to her, like bringing that food along with me, provides her with comfort and a seemingly safe environment.

Most people have safety nets, but just in different mediums. For me, it was food. For Nafisi, it was literature. We all like to cling to something of comfort and familiarity, so what is yours? What is your safety net?

Peace out, and rock on.

Panda-monium!

Recipe of the Week: Bok Choy with Ginger

Yesterday, at lunch, I was hungry after a grueling math lecture, and needed something filling. So, upon informing my friends of this, we sped off to Panda Express, a fast food joint that serves Chinese dishes. But as I looked through the glass that covered, at the Orange Chicken, the Krispy Shrimp, and the Beijing Beef, I wondered if this food was really representative of traditional Chinese cuisine. Almost everything here seemed deep fried, seemed unnatural, seemed American.

Now I am not one rat on fast food, trust me, I eat it all the time. But something about this lunch at Panda Express stuck out to me. It was labelled as 'Chinese food,' but seemed American enough to me.

Upon minor research, I discovered that Panda Express was in fact not how people in China eat regularly, and no, they don't constantly eat the deep fried Orange Chicken I had craved for lunch. But this begs a deeper question: what does this scenario represent?

The traditions and customs of another country were brought to America, and were adapted to fit its needs and demands. Americans wanted deep fried meat rather than rice dishes, and that is what they got. Americans want fast, easy, and cheap, and that is just what Panda Express has turned Chinese food into. Panda Express shows us the epitome of Americanization.

This may seem like an awful thing, but I don't view it that way. I wasn't going to Panda Express that day to experience traditional Chinese dishes and culture, and I don't think other people do either. I wasn't expecting food from China, I was expecting my normal, deep fried Orange Chicken. As long as people don't go into Taco Bell believing it is just like real Mexican food or Sbarro believing it is Italian food, this Americanization does no harm. It is only when one's expectations change, when they truly believe that are experiencing another culture, that problems can occur.

So go ahead and order the Sweet and Sour Chicken, but know where it comes from, and what it really represents.

Peace out, and rock on.