I’ve been thinking about India lately. Disparate thoughts. Not terribly coherent. It’s hard to be coherent about a subcontinent; I worry about simplifying or fetishizing.
My partner, E, and I moved last month, and since then I’ve eaten dinner at Momo N Curry, a Nepali and Indian restaurant a few blocks away, about once a week. I ate momos (Nepali steamed dumplings) for the first time in McLeod Ganj, a community in the foothills of the Himalayas, and I’m always excited to see them on menus in the US. But what really sold me on this restaurant was the carafe of free chai by the front door because it tastes like the chai I drank in India.
And I know that’s probably not that big of a deal, and it’s not that hard to prepare chai at home, but it’s a ubiquitous flavor in India and I didn’t expect to taste it a few blocks away from my new apartment.
Other recent moments have jolted my senses back to India or gotten me daydreaming, wanting and not wanting to go back. To try again. To stop stumbling over my words when I talk about India.
2 Comments
Stacey
Emma, It was wonderful to see your posting today. I did not care if your thoughts might have been incoherent, or a bit like day dreaming, I enjoyed hearing them. And I’m so happy you tried the dumplings at Momo’s, and they’re so close-by. That pitcher of chai sounded so delicious, I can’t wait to go there with you guys next time. Thanks for today’s tid-bit-age of your thoughts and memories. Each one made me happy. The picture was so rich in detail, it made me wish I could have been there too. The colors are so amazing there. Maybe you could try the farming regions next visit, outside of town. Bet you’d really want to go back after that!
Love you girl, post more soon!
opportunemma
Love you too, Stacey! I’m trying to post every weekday in November so fingers crossed there will be more for you to read. I hope you come back down to Boston sooner rather than later — E and I would be happy to show you around the neighborhood and take you to Momo N Dumpling. If I go back to India, I’d love to visit the Northeastern part of the country where many of the tea plantations are located.