Eating on a banana leaf--post for Mar 7

Thursday, Mar 7

Today I went to a cooking class given in the home of a cooking teacher. The class was taught in her second story apartment that had a small garden area with grass growing and potted plants around. Her mother, who is 86 years old, lived on the first floor right beside her. Her mother said that she was originally from Delhi in the northern part of India, but when she married, she moved to Cochin. Remember—the bride moves to the groom's place!

The teacher demonstrated cooking a variety of dishes and telling us about the various spices used in the dishes. The teacher teaches in an institute that teaches low income women in order to give them an employable skill. Catering is a big business here. Most families that can afford help, do have help in the home, so cooking is not done by the “woman of the house” only. Men like to cook as a hobby, as it's a stress reliever. For some reason, I can't find the recipes she gave us. Darn. I was going to cook for everyone reading this blog as a reward!

There are twenty eight states in India, and there are local favorites and recipes in each state. (By the way, Indian children who go to school have to learn the language of their state, the Indian language, and English.) The way the dinner is served on special occasions is very interesting as it is served on a banana leaf as the place mat.   People who live here eat with their right hand, but most of us in the class used forks!  When you are finished eating, you just roll up the leaf!