today, i learned about eight types of eggplant.

This morning, I woke up and went to the mandir with my grandparents. India is such a religious country; you can see it in every moment of every day: the driver who slows down to bow his head and clasp his hands towards a temple that he passes while taking his sahib to the store, the men who touch the feet of even pictures of their deities every time they walk by, the homeless woman who sits on a worn towel on the sidewalk and chants with each bead of her rudraksha mala. I also helped my cousin wrap chocolates for her burgeoning business, got an Indian SIM card for my BlackBerry, saw a bunch of family, and went to the fruit and vegetable markets with my grandmother. [the images below are slightly cropped-click on any one below to see the full picture.]

spices


The watermelon-wallah cuts open the watermelon so you can approve of the colour and/or taste a small piece, then puts the piece back in like a puzzle and wraps it up so you can take it home.


papaya!

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kharbooja-- the green ones are canteloupe, and the orange ones are honeydew.


fruit-wallah


fresh lychees being weighed- the people I saw bought fruit buy the kilo or half-kilo for the most part. the man selling these would pour water over them every few minutes to keep them fresh in the hot sun.


HUGE canteloupe. note the flies.


the things going into the basket are kaccha badaam, or unripe almonds. The "fruit" of the almond has a fuzzy, peach-like exterior that reveals a shelled almond when opened. The almond inside the shell resembles the blanched nut that many Indian mothers, including my own, often soak in water overnight and force their children to eat, under the guise of brain food, every morning. It is, however, softer and more pliable. Like the flexible teenage sister of the almond we all know and love.


Dadi buying vegetables.