Heaven and hell

On the overnight, 14+ hour bus ride from Mumbai to Goa, I asked myself why I'm taking this time to see another part of India.  It's not that I don't absolutely adore this hunk of a nation. It's just the crappy feeling I sometimes get about being a tourist on "holiday".  What's the purpose of it, really?  I end up feeling like a jackass, walking around some strange town, occasionally taking photos in the attempt to capture a snippet of a moment I perceive to be beautiful.  I'm not contributing much to these strange places, maybe some good energy through smiles and light conversation, and dollars besides.  On the flip side, I've selfishly realized the benefits that I reap as my heart gently leaps through the mazes of waves from darkness to light.  Here in India and a few other places I've been through, travelling becomes a twisted game of 'heaven and hell'.  


Hell is the hour it takes to get out of the hot, grimy, loud, thick city of Mumbai by bus.  Stagnant air meeting my face at the window that longs for the breeze brought only by greater speed. Heaven is the infinite number of amazing scenes that pass through that window: colorful markets, holiday lights, interesting buildings, traffic jams, goats, cows, families in poverty living on sidewalks among vendors and dirty happy children.  


Hell is trying to stay light and fun with the travel partner I don't really know, the travel partner who didn't seem to be as easy as I think I am... while walking on eggshells around her mood swings.  Heaven is when she gives thanks to me for being a great companion, when I see her smile with childlike wonder at animals and all things cute (fondly reminding me of a dear girlfriend), when I know she's well-fed and content, and she ends up emerging a strong, fun, wise, helpful, delightful travel buddy! 


Hell is trying to sleep during the overnight bus ride, full of potholes and hairpin turns, not able to stretch my long-ass legs, and wondering why the passengers had to shut all the windows, enclosing us in this grimy interior.  Oh, I never felt so filthy.  Heaven is the midnight pit-stops for toilets, chai, and a strrrrrrreeeeeeetchhhhh.  Heaven is waking up to see the lush, palm tree hills of Incredible India covered in layers of fog as the sun lazily emerges from behind low lying clouds.  


Hell is wandering around, bags in tow, in search of a suitable hotel.  Heaven is when we always seem to find a larger than expected room with a clean bathroom at a reasonable price.  There's nothing even remotely hellish about the food here.  Even unsure of what we order, every meal seems like the best EVER.  Here, the food, sweets, and chai are heavenly.  


Hell is where my mind goes when children follow me down the street, begging for food or money.  Heaven is in the smiles that come from those kids after simply taking their photo or slicing up a guava to share with them.  


Hell is feeling like a tourist.  Heaven?  Being invited into the home of a couple, around my parents age, for a special Diwali dinner.  Their two daughters are settled in the States, they were especially delighted to have us, and the food and stories were outstanding.  Life is a blessing, the beginning of heaven.  


Hell is a twisted, dark, imagined place that lies in pockets within the perception of my privileged, fortunate mind.  I don't think I've ever experienced hell.  Even the bout of traveler's diarrhea, which left me feeling as though I'd been hit by a truck, feverish, nauseated, and ready to die... was rapidly alleviated by neighbors and the ever-surprising travel buddy. This wandering that seems so silly at times will eventually lead me home, which still remains to be that undetermined physical location... where my heart is, where my sea-bag is.  

Vegan Cocoa Banana Muffins

For my delicious vegan version, I substituted:

*WHEAT FLOUR for all purpose flour

*BROWN SUGAR for white sugar

*1 TBS lemon juice mixed in 1 cup soy milk for buttermilk

*maple syrup for vanilla extract

Here's the original recipe from Vegetarian Times:  

Nutritional Information

Makes 1 loaf, 3 miniloaves, or 12 muffins

Amount Per MUFFIN:

Calories	172
Protein	3g
Total fat	7g
Carbs	26g
Cholesterol	1mg
Sodium	176mg
Fiber	2g
Sugars	11g

Vegetarian Times Issue: March 1, 2008   p.78

Mashed banana binds to flour the same way eggs do, creating moist treats that are low in fat and cholesterol. To make this loaf even more decadent, prepare a Chocolate Drizzle. Melt 1 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate in double boiler or in microwave at low (20 percent) power. Drizzle over cooled loaf or muffins.

Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf, 3 miniloaves, or 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9- x 5-inch loaf pan, 3 6- x 3-inch miniloaf pans, or 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, mashed banana, oil, and vanilla in separate bowl. Fold buttermilk mixture into flour mixture.
3. Scoop batter into prepared pan(s). Bake large loaf 50 to 60 minutes, miniloaves 35 to 45 minutes, or muffins 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan(s). Unmold, and cool. Drizzle with Chocolate Drizzle if desired.

Rest & Digest

Returning to the Land of the Morning Calm, I knew what I was getting into with regards to food.  My favorite Korean staple is the Bi-Bim-Bap, a big bowl of rice, veggies, a barely fried egg, and a dollop of spicy red pepper sauce.  Mix it all together and it's a decent, filling meal.  The very spicy Soon-Do-Boo (tofu soup with egg) was another favorite during the chillier winter season.  Commonly, the food is based around either rice or noodles, much of it being peppery-spicy.  During my time here I've gotten out to taste a nice variety of foods, and have also enjoyed cooking for myself.  


Being vegetarian with an adventurous need to try new things, I'll start with the least expected.  It was early November when my Korean Aunt AeSim stopped by for a visit.  After a nice walk overlooking the sea, she and her sisters took me out for some fresh, raw, Jeju fish.  Some of it was awesome, some I didn't care for.  I'm on an island, I had to try it.  Before I leave here, I'm hoping to be in the mood for a taste of another local specialty, sea urchin soup.  The fish in the photo is, according to translation, either snapper or bream. 



Next, this salad is the first thing I threw together after our kitchen was finally in working order.  Raw tofu with little green leaves, walnuts, almonds, carrot, seaweed, olive oil, and a dash of soy sauce.



I'd never cooked pumpkin before coming to Jeju, but I've always liked everything made with it.  Discovering my deep love of this vegetable would have been reason enough for the trip out here.  Excuse the blurriness, this is steamed pumpkin with tofu, brown rice, raisins, cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. 



Just a sandwich:  tofu with garlic, spinach, and strawberries on grainy toast. 



Overall, my experiences with restaurants here have been great.  Though many restaurants specialize in meat dishes, I've had some delicious vegetarian food.  I've been to a few pure vegetarian restaurants that were outstanding.  Here's a photo of a typical Korean table spread... including the pork being cooked in the center of the table.  The variety and quantity of side dishes (including egg, vegetables, soup, & tofu stew) was enough to keep me satisfied. 



This past fall, I had the opportunity to do an overnight temple stay.  The food is pure, non-spicy vegetarian.  The three meals we ate included seaweed soup, rice, and various vegetables and tofu.  Nothing too fancy.  Here, we learned proper eating etiquette.  Take only what you will finish, wasting nothing.  Lift the bowl, take a bite, set the bowl down.  Repeat.  After eating, we had to clean out the dishes.  Not everyone tried it, but I did it the "proper way":  wipe out the dish with a sliced radish (stabbed with a chopstick), eat the radish.  Lastly, rinse out the food bowls with a bit of water, then drink the water.  Yum.  



One of the cultural activities included in the temple stay was making rice cakes.  Not the sweet/salty crunchy puffed kind you can buy at Publix.  Glutinous, chewy rice cakes coated with crushed peanut (I think that's what it was) are a traditional Korean snack/dessert.  I'm not a big fan.  They're really bland and too chewy for my taste.  Here are some monks smashing up the rice.  



For special occasions, people buy cakes.  Two common flavors here are green tea and sweet potato.  The cakes are light and airy, and usually not too sweet.  Not nearly as delicious as the cakes back home, but they always look awesome on the outside.  Here's a typical bakery cake.  At least there aren't any cherry tomatoes on this one.  


Many things around here may be flavored with green tea.  Cakes, cookies, candy, ice cream, lattes.  In Japan, we found green tea Kit Kats.  



There's also a lot of Hello Kitty.  Thanks to Jen, we can even make Kitty-head waffles.  Delicious with peanut butter & Canadian maple syrup.  



Last, but not least, Jeju's famous Hallabong (named after Jeju's Mount Halla, which the nippily-tip of the orange resembles) .   Developed in Japan, it's a sweet seedless hybrid.  They're harvested in January/February and sold through May. Hallabongs are really expensive, overhyped oranges.      



Bon appetit!