Mercado Oriental

I went with a couple of girlfriends today to Mercado Oriental. Now ,why it merits blog space is because it's considered to be a dangerous public market where one can get assaulted in broad daylight. Funny, I hear this more from locals than foreigners who have been there. We were advised to stay on the main streets leading to the market proper as there are already tons of stores offering sewing materials there. Our main reason for going.

It took some planning i.e. what to wear (read: no blings of any form, very low-key attire), how to get there (read: where to leave the car if we drive ourselves or bring the driver to look after the car), etc. We decided to bring the driver with us when we realized we actually don't know how to get there. I decided to wear army pants (for its many pockets), an old t-shirt and my fave Ipanema flip-flops.

I looooove public markets! It's like a cultural class excursion. I feel that I get to know the real country that way. A day in a public market is equivalent to months of getting to know the country and it's people by other means. I love the colors public markets have to offer and the reality it exposes. In all our travels, we always include the public market in our itinerary.

I've wanted to visit Oriental for a long time. The more bad things I hear about it, the more intriguing it became to me. I've been to various public markets (considered dangerous and otherwise) in Kenya when we lived there and I always tried to be inconspicuous (I don't have blond hair ;)), vigilant and not look clueless, I was always fine. I was all that today and so were my girlfriends.

I must say we had fun going through scores of textiles with prices ranging from $C 30 ($ 1.60) - $C 150 ($ 8). Same ones you'll find in stores in Managua only for 5x it's price in Oriental. I love bargains!

A&J scouring for curtain and upholstery materials.

We are definitely going back and next time into the danger zone.

Superbowl

Having just downloaded photos from my camera, I suddenly realized that I too can join the 'Superbowl' brouhaha. Not to belittle the game but I am not American and therefore have very limited knowledge about the game itself. E, A 'Salsalero' - group will be introduced in future posts - friend was kind enough to educate us on the intricacies of the contact sport. As he was invited to watch the game together with his peers, he requested if we can as well come and partake of some, if not THE epitome of American culture.

I needed to root for one of the teams, otherwise I wouldn't have lasted the evening. I've been to New York recently, ergo, the Giants it was - good choice...underdog wins!

Giants and Patriots fans watching in harmony

Celebrating the victory: Yey!

What's for Dinner?

Indian Cooking Recipe : Quick Lamb Curry

Ingredients :

1 oz butter
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 lb cubed lamb
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick cinnamon, broken in 2
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder

Method :

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the oil.
When it starts to sizzle fry the lamb until it colors on all sides.
Remove with a draining spoon and set aside.
Add the onion and fry until golden, scraping up any residues.
Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Add the whole spices and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the ground spices. Cook until fragrant but be careful not to burn.
Return lamb to the pan and add 8 fl oz water or stock. Stir well, reduce heat to medium and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Serve with Indian bread.

A recipe I found on the internet:

I love short cuts and that means browsing the net and finding various recipes or at least ways to make something faster with less cooking time - anything with 'quick' normally catches my attention. This further appealed to me as 1) I happen to have lamb in the freezer and; 2) most of the ingredients are already on hand. It 'reads' simple enough but lets see how it comes out.

Update: It did turn out well...well, according to T & V. I'm glad. For an added twist, I also added crushed tomatoes and yogurt and even if the recipe did not mention salt (an accidental omission perhaps), I sprinkled some to taste for good measure. Served with Basmati rice and hot mango chutney.

Another day done (dusting off palms) :)

Wife of T, mother of V

Scene: A country club somewhere, where expats congregate for something or other.

Guest: Hi, I'm RC and you are...
Me: I'm MH, nice to meet you.
Guest: Nice to meet you too. I've never seen you before are you new here?
Me: Why yes, we just arrived last month.
Guest: What do you do here?
Me: I came with my husband.
Guest: and who is your husband, if I may ask?
Me: TH
Guest: Oh, so you're T's wife!

Scene: Cut to an International School...somewhere in the city.

Teacher: Good morning, how may I help you?
Me: I'm MH, I have an appointment at 10:00 am.
Teacher: ...and this is regarding...
Me: It's about my son VH.
Teacher: Oh, you're V's mom!

...a common occurrence, so to cut introductions short...'Hi I'm the wife of T and mother of V, if you care to know my name it's MH'!