A food lover’s paradise

One of the things I have been most looking forward to on this trip is the chance to sample Indian food the Indian way.

So far I have mostly experienced local food through Usha’s wonderful cooking. I have had many old favourites… Poppadoms, Dosas and Daal, but I have also sampled less familiar things like Iddly, Sambal and Rasam.

There are differences that you notice straight away. Back home, Indian food has a reputation for being a bit lardy. Over here, not much fat is used in cooking. In fact, the lardiest thing is the ghee (clarified butter), which you can add once the food is served to season it or make the food less hot.

Greetings from Chennai

I have now arrived in Chennai – it’s a huge place and very busy. I can see I’m going to have problems crossing the roads. I nearly got run over by a motorbike earlier! It’s also hotter than I expected though I am fortunate that it was a little cloudy today.

I am staying in a small apartment, just outside the city centre. My hosts are Usha and Sitara – a mother and a daughter. They are both very friendly. 

I had my induction on the veranda at a cafe called Amethyst. The project leader in Chennai, Mandira is very accommodating and has organised lots of things for us to do. Her husband worked in Newcastle for five years in the 1970s so she has some knowledge about where I come from.