It's Called Variety

The reason I haven't posted in a while is because I was at a yoga retreat (the Kundalini Yoga Summer Solstice Celebration). Retreat, festival, space camp... all would be good descriptions for the camping out under the stars, meditating for three days straight, and raving with crazy old and young Sikhs that I did in New Mexico last week. It was all wonderful and I can't wait to go back next year. In fact, it's hard to believe I have to wait a whole year before I can go back. Sigh.

But besides for improving my meditating and bhangra dancing skills (that's right, baby! I'm a bhangra queen now!) I also got a chance to eat a lot of food. By "a lot" I mean, a large quantity, not a large variety. Every day we were served the same thing for breakfast and dinner. Lunches varied and could be quite interesting, in an Indian vegetarian kind of way. (Why is it always Saag Paneer? What's wrong with a good chana masala, I ask you?) Breakfast was probably the meal most complained about though after a while I kind of enjoyed it. Potato and celery soup, curried, with bananas. And yes, you were encouraged to put the bananas in the soup. Don't ask me why, but this actually made the soup taste better. I was kind of grooving on this by the last day. I don't usually eat bananas, especially ones flown in from Ecuador, but since we were in New Mexico and it was hot, some tropical fruit seemed appropriate. Tropical fruit is designed to cool you off, much like spicy food, and therefore best to eat in hot, humid climates. But I swear there was a freaking mutiny on the last day in the line for the "kid's" food, which was oatmeal. I think I saw more adults in that line than kids.

Every night for dinner we were served "kitchari", essentially mung beans and rice, cooked to a mushy softness. It's old people food. You could loose all your teeth and still be able to eat kitchari. This dinner was also served with cooked carrots (my dad's favorite- yuck!) and cooked beets. A lovely pretty contrasting color scheme to the greenish brown of the rice and beans. Oh, and let us not forget: the lettuce! Iceberg lettuce, about half a head per person usually. I never thought iceberg lettuce had any value but the one time I tried to eat this without the lettuce I realized it did. Roughage really does help the medicine go down!

Thai vs. Indian: Fight!

So I failed to get Thai food last night, as often happens on a Tuesday because the freaking restaurant is closed! Yes, that's right a popular San Francisco restaurant closed on a Tuesday. Alas, Tuesdays for some reason seem to be the day that I want to order take out. I've run into this problem a number of times now and still never remember until I call. Instead I went with Indian food. There's a great little Indian restaurant on Frederick and Arguello, next to Kezar Stadium, called New Ganges. It's actually an all-vegetarian Indian restaurant. It's very reminiscent of Vancouver, B.C. for me because there were so many vegetarian Indian restaurants there. I think I ate all-you-can-eat veggie Indian buffets almost every week-- at different restaurants too! So I like to support this place when I can.

I haven't eaten there in a while because the owner honestly drives me crazy. He's one of those people who thinks he can convince you of something or change your mind when all you want to do is order your favorite dish. It got so bad that I wouldn't go in there to eat and started only ordering take out. Then the take out got annoying because he would try to convince you over the phone. If I was the one to pick up the order he would harass me with kindness in the restaurant. Giving me mango juice and flowers. After a while all you want is to pay for your food and go. It's doesn't have to be a long interaction.

But the food is generally amazing. You can tell that it's all actually freshly made. The samosas are not frozen and then re-heated when you order. The food is not super greasy, though sometimes it can be overly spicy. Last night was perfect. When I called some woman took my order. She asked if I wanted it mild, medium or spicy. Since I've had super spicy things there before (so spicy no one at the table can eat them) I erred on the side of mild. She sounded shocked and asked again to confirm. "You want it all mild?!" As if such a thing had never happened before. Since I knew that D would prefer spicier and since I am slightly sick still I rescinded and suggested medium. And it was spicy. But in a good way. And the crazy owner was not there when I went to pick it up so I was very happy. Alas, he was not there to give me the special vegan dessert that he sometimes does but that thing never tasted good anyway.

Indian food is not terribly macrobiotic unless you happen to live in India. Generally it's too spicy and tropical in a way that macrobiotics frowns upon. But the last few days have been unseasonable warm here so spicy food makes sense suddenly. Normally (or at least during the summer) I need warm, filling food that you usually find in the middle of winter. But a nice spring day when it's actually warm is the perfect time for some spicy food. I was also trying to cure myself of a cold so spicy food helps with that too.