Every time I hear the refrain common among nutritionists, the USDA and big food “everything in moderation” I want to scream! I mean what does that even mean? It’s confusing and only serves the interests of big food. Of course they want you to think you can eat and drink everything in moderation because if you don’t then they lose customers.

Read on here to find out why I’m not the only one who thinks “everything in moderation” must go.

]]> http://foundinfood.com/everything-in-moderation-is-not-working-for-us/feed/ 0 http://foundinfood.com/an-open-letter-to-united-airlines-bring-back-the-banana-please/ http://foundinfood.com/an-open-letter-to-united-airlines-bring-back-the-banana-please/#respond Wed, 18 Mar 2015 13:21:24 +0000 http://foundinfood.com/?p=1326

“Excuse me, could I get a banana please?” I said to the flight attendant on my recent flight from SFO to JFK.
“Oh, I’m sorry we stopped that.”
“Stopped what,” I asked?
“Offering bananas as a snack.”
“Ok what can I get instead?” I asked.
“A cookie,” he replied.

The flight attendant did not agree with the airline’s decision and encouraged me to write a letter protesting the change. So I did and sent it to them via Twitter.

Dear United Airlines,

On Wednesday, February 12, 2016 I flew from SFO to JFK. In the middle of the flight I asked the attendant for a banana only to be informed that you had stopped offering bananas as a snack. When I asked what I could get instead the attendant said the only option was a cookie.

I am writing to request that you reinstate the policy of offering a banana as an option for a snack. You may wonder why I am going through such trouble for something as seemingly trivial as a banana. I would like the opportunity to explain why this is so important.

I just attended the “Healthy Lives, Healthy Kitchens” Conference presented in partnership by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America. Dr. David Eisenberg of the Harvard School of Public Health introduced the conference by presenting the following statistics:

• Between 1980 and 2011 diabetes quadrupled in this country.
• Today there are approximately 25 million people living with diabetes and another 100 million who have metabolic syndrome.
• The CDC estimates 1 in 3 U.S. adults born after 2000 will develop Type II diabetes.
• Diabetes costs the nation $245 billion annually
• There is evidence that America’s children will be the first in the nation’s history to live shorter lives than their parents.

Diabetes is literally eating this country alive at a scarily aggressive rate. We, as a country are facing a major challenge. No one group can solve this problem alone.

Sugar is added to 80% of processed foods on US store shelves. Everyday we are bombarded with so many food choices, all with added sugar. I am writing to say that in a nation so full of sugar we don’t need another free cookie. We need a banana.

Some may try to tell you that the banana is higher in sugar than the cookie and is therefore worse for you. But that is simply not true. According to the American Heart Association daily added sugar intake should not exceed 37.5 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Your Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chocolate Chunk cookies have 12 grams of sugar (otis spunkmeyer) and 0 grams of fiber. This is almost a third the maximum daily intake for men and half for women.

A banana has 28 grams of sugar and 6 grams of fiber. The reason a banana is good for you and a cookie is not is fiber. Fiber does three things 1) adds bulk to help fill you up without adding extra calories; 2) slows the absorption of sugars by your body, helping to maintain a consistent blood sugar level and prevent insulin spikes, and; 3) increases your body’s ability to absorb the vitamins and nutrients from the food you’re eating.

The lack of fiber in that cookie causes the refined sugars to be absorbed quickly causing your insulin and blood sugar to spike and give you a surge of energy. If that energy is not immediately used your body turns it into fat. The repeated spike of insulin caused by eating sugary foods is what causes metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

We can fix the sad state of America’s health by changing what we eat. Chronic disease is preventable if we eat the right things, namely a diet rich in whole plant-based foods and low in animal based products, sugar and added oils. My soon-to-be husband David (a United Premier 1K Member) exemplifies the truths that chronic disease can be prevented with diet and that we are not a victim of our genes. He has a family history of heart disease. His father had his first heart attack at 44 and died of one at 74. Two of his aunts have suffered symptoms of heart disease. Despite being extremely active (he completed three Iron Man triathlons) and eating a well balanced diet by USDA standards, David had elevated cholesterol and had been taking a statin for several years. In 2012 he read The China Study and learned that he could prevent heart disease by adhering to a whole foods plant-based diet, low in added oils, as evidenced by the research of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Based on this evidence he made a commitment to a vegan diet. Prior to commencing the diet his total cholesterol was 210. After just 3 months of vegan eating his cholesterol dropped to 180. After another 3 months of eating vegan and low fat his cholesterol was 140. This is a powerful testament to the omnipotence of food in preventing chronic disease.

Some may say that eating this way is extreme. And I would respond, in relation to what?? The multitude of life threatening surgical procedures performed each year to fix peoples hearts and staple peoples stomachs?? Or to the $330 billion we spent on prescription drugs in 2013??

The very simple fact of the matter is that diet is extremely important. We don’t hear this more because the big food and drug companies don’t want us to. They want us to continue to eat all the processed and fast foods and believe that we can take a pill when these foods make us sick. So this message will not be propagated from the top down. We will not hear it from the companies who manufacture our food-like substances and our drugs. And many of us won’t hear it from our doctors because the sad truth is that many of them are suffering from the same confusion about diet and because of that they believe people are unable or unwilling to make the needed changes in their diet and lifestyle. We won’t even hear it from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics because their biggest sponsors are The National Cattleman’s Association, ConAgra, General Mills and the National Dairy Council and Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods and PepsiCo are on their list of approved continuing education providers.

So this is why I am writing to ask that you bring back the banana. America needs help from big companies like you who have the ability to exact change. This is consistent with your commitment to build a sustainable future. It aligns with your supporting education for families and children around healthy food choices, as shown by your partnership with Feeding America and Common Threads. Shouldn’t this commitment extend to your customers? After all a better planet is of little use if all of it’s inhabitants are sick with chronic disease.

It would be awesome if United was the catalyst for changing the way US based airlines feed their passengers. The asian and middle eastern airlines provide a worthy example that offering plant-based meals on all flights is possible. But for now all I am asking is that you do away with the cookie (or equivalent in each class) and offer a banana instead.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider this small change.

 Sincerely,

Georgi Maule-ffinch

David and I have been hanging out in Atlanta the last few weeks. His mother will not be with us much longer. He and I and his sisters have converged to surround her with family, love and comfort while she packs up her suitcase and gets ready to leave us.

So the days have been lazy – we go to bed early and wake up late, mimicking her rhythm. We read and doze. Allison and I cook. The dogs bark. It rains with great force for short bursts, cooling the hot, humid days. Our tears come much as the rains do.

Oddly, these days go by fast. You would think they would drag on but by the time we get up and around to doing our yoga practice (after 2-3 cups of tea) more than half the day is gone. There’s just time to get in the pool, pour a drink, make a little dinner and watch the Giants game. The gentle schedule is comforting – we are happy to save our energy. And there’s a sense of peace that is unexpected – peace in knowing that there is no where else we should be. By some serendipitous gift of fate, we have no other responsibilities that may pull us away or make us feel anxious about being here now. And so we are…here…now, completely present and accepting of this journey, happy to bear it together and comfort one another, but nevertheless heavyhearted about what’s to come.

I made this potato salad a few weeks ago when Linda was still able to muster the appetite to eat a few bites. She enjoyed it so much that she asked for me to make it again a few days later. Everyone was happy that this little salad was able to provide a last bit of nourishment before the messed up tastebuds and waves of nausea took her appetite for good. And so for me this will forever be Linda’s Potato Salad and when I make it I will remember her at the Giants game in her orange leather jacket, smiling.

5 medium red potatoes
5 medium yukon gold potatoes
3-4 spring onions, white and green thinly sliced
1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, minced
2 heaping tablespoons Mayo – I like the soy-free Vegenaise or ‘Just Mayo’ from Hampton Creek
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh curly leaf parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes whole and boil for approximately 45 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain into a colander and let cool.

Put the mayo, mustard, olive oil and onions into a large bowl and mix together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once the potatoes have cooled cut them into bite size pieces and throw them into the mayo mixture. Mix everything together and salt and pepper again to taste. Top with the parsley and mix it in just before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings

“I’m really looking forward to my Shrimp and Grits,” I said to David as I popped another fried pickle into my mouth. Charlie gazed on from underneath the table, smiling and panting, trying to keep cool. The town was Charleston, SC and the watering hole was the Blind Tiger Pub. We were on a mini Southern road trip that had taken us through Savannah and Charleston before heading back to Atlanta, where we were staying with David’s family.

As part of the Transitioning to a Vegetarian Lifestyle Series I thought I’d share our adventures of eating vegan (or mostly vegan…or maybe somewhat vegan) in the South.  Whether you’re traveling for work or pleasure it always proves challenging to avoid processed and fast food and get enough veggies. And often you’ll want to try the local specialties, just like I decided I couldn’t take a trip to the South without tasting Shrimp and Grits. Finding that balance between eating well and enjoying what you eat is attainable! Focus on getting fruits and veggies wherever possible – even when you choose a dish that’s not completely vegan think about modifying it to minimize the animal protein and maximize your veggie intake.

Take our dinner at Belford’s in Savannah for example. The Belford’s Award Winning Crab Cakes with grilled jalapeño lime aioli, spiced tomato jam, red rice and julienned vegetables caught my eye and the waiter confirmed that the crab cakes were indeed worthy of many awards. He also assured me that they were made with real, locally caught crab. So I decided to go for it with a few modifications. I asked for only one crab cake, substituting an extra helping of the vegetables and replacing the red rice (which is made with sausage) with a side of spinach. David was eyeing a polenta dish made with lots of vegetables and lots of cheese. We asked the waiter to consult with the chef to see if it could be made without the cheese. When the answer came back in the affirmative, David was good to go and the result was delicious.

For breakfasts we stuck to oatmeal with fruit and nuts. For lunches on the road we were able to find a supermarket deli or a chain like Panera Bread to get a veggie wrap or sandwich. The website happycow.net really helps to find veg friendly food options nearby. By making an effort to eat most of our meals vegan we felt we could splurge a little, which brings me to the Shrimp and Grits I decided I must try.

If I was going to eat this classic Southern dish I was going to make sure it was the best Shrimp and Grits I could find. So I did lots of research (not unusual for me as I spend a lot of time reading about food and restaurants) and found The Hominy Grill in Charleston. I selected this place because 1.) the reviews of the Shrimp and Grits were extremely positive and 2.) they offered a Hominy Grill Vegetable Plate which came with your choice of four vegetable sides and cornbread. So we had one order of the Shrimp and Grits and one Vegetable Plate with collard greens, applesauce, pickled cucumbers and onions and mashed sweet potato. The Hominy Grill was fantastic; we got lots of veggies and splurged a little too.

So in conclusion:

1. It’s not as difficult as you may think to find veg friendly options while on the road. It just may take a bit of forethought. Use happycow.net to scope out markets and restaurants along your route.

2. Do not be afraid to request substitutions. I have never had a bad experience when doing so. In fact waitstaff is generally happy to help and make suggestions to help you get what you want. Recognition of their help accompanied by some self deprecating humor about how high maintenance you are goes a long way to ingratiate yourself.

3. It’s easier and more fun to be 95% vegan. Make an effort to eat vegan for the majority of your meals. If there’s something specific you want to try (like Shrimp and Grits) identify that thing and scope it out. Avoid the “I’m on vacation so I’m going to eat whatever I want” rationalization. Instead reward yourself once or twice but stay focused on eating vegan.

Milk is a confusing subject. I didn’t think this until my recent trip to India during which I studied Ayurvedic nutrition with Dr. Madan Kumar. I fondly refer to my introductory studies as the Ayurvedic mind boggle because it challenged the way I think about food, specifically milk.

I learned from reading The China Study that casein, the protein in milk, is linked to cancer, diabetes and heart disease. So I promptly replaced cows milk with nut milk.  I felt pretty good about this given that cow’s milk must really be considered a processed food with all the pasteurization, homogenization, antibiotics and hormone pumping going on.

So you can imagine my confusion when Dr. Madan told me that Ayurveda considers milk to be irreplaceable because it is the only substance that nourishes all seven tissues of the body. Hmmm, what the heck does that mean, you ask? If you’re interested in Ayurveda’s perspective on milk read on here. He also told me what we all know, that milk is the best source of calcium.

I voiced my concerns to the doctor that I could not justify drinking milk in the states because it was so processed and his response was, well you don’t have to drink milk maybe just put a bit of ghee on your toast in the morning.

Back in the States, a lot of reading and thinking and reading and obsessing over whether I should drink milk or not ensued. I came to the conclusion that I would stick to drinking my homemade nut milks and avoid cow’s milk for the most part. Here’s the thought process that lead me to this conclusion:

Milk is a processed food.
Most of the milks on the shelf are pasteurized, homogenized and pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. The FDA recently approved the use of Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) which causes an increase in an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in the milk of treated cows. IGF-1 can be absorbed directly into the human blood stream and has been linked to several cancers, including breast cancer. Cows injected with BGH have an increased rate of breast infections which means they need to be given more antibiotics, perpetuating a vicious cycle of chemicals.

In addition, homogenization of milk has been linked to increased rate of heart disease. All this processing contributes to many more problems which Dr. Mercola discusses here.

It is really difficult to be sure you are getting organic milk from pastured, grass fed cows who have not been pumped full of commercial grain, antibiotics and growth hormones when dining out.
For example, a few weeks ago I went into Whole Foods in Palo Alto, ordered a coffee from their espresso bar and asked for organic milk. Well, it turns out that Whole Foods does not serve organic milk at their coffee bar. I mean Whole Foods??!! Interestingly, they offered organic almond milk and soy milk but did not have an organic cows milk available. Crazy, right?

Milk is not the best source of calcium.
There are two reasons why milk may not be providing you with as much calcium as you think. First, the high levels of phosphorous in milk can prevent you from absorbing the calcium in milk. And second, milk protein actually accelerates calcium excretion through your kidneys. Like all animal based foods, milk has a positive potential renal acid load which triggers a protective biological reaction to neutralize all the damaging acidic protein before it reaches the kidneys. In order to neutralize all this acid the body pulls calcium from your bones, resulting in a loss of calcium instead of a gain. Vegetarians need 50% less calcium than meat eaters because they lose much less calcium in their urine.

The connection between milk consumption and bone health is almost non-existent.
Studies have shown that countries with the highest consumption of milk and calcium have the highest rates of osteoporosis. They have also failed to show that consuming the suggested 1000mg of calcium per day protects against bone fractures. The majority of the world’s population takes in less than half of the FDA calcium recommendation, yet they have strong bones and healthy teeth. Read more about this here.

Milk from commercial dairy farms violates the ahimsa principle.
Ahimsa, the principle of non-violence, teaches that we must refrain from causing harm to any living creature. Drinking milk from dairy farms, where calves and cows are horribly abused, would violate this principle. It is important to be mindful and take responsibility for what you consume. If you do choose to drink milk then make sure it is from a farm where the cows are pastured and not mistreated, such as Straus Family Creamery.

For these reasons I decided cow’s milk was out. And soy was definitely out because it’s virtually impossible to know whether the soy milk you are drinking contains GMO’s.

So that leaves rice milk, oat milk and the nut milks. Rice milk and almond milk are the two that are most readily available in the cafe’s these days so when I’m out I drink one of those. But even these aren’t ideal because of the emulsifiers and preservatives they contain. Who knows what these added chemicals can do to our bodies? (There has been some controversy around the potentially harmful effects of widespread carageenan consumption.)  So I prefer homemade nut milk.

In my opinion the store bought almond milk is never very good, always has a slight chemical taste and an unpleasant gelatinized, as opposed to smooth and creamy, texture. Homemade nut milk is smooth, creamy, delicious and easy to make.

As usual practice makes perfect. The first try you are going to make a mess but persist and you will conquer the gratifying task of making your own nut milk in under 5 minutes! And then you can get creative and start making almond-walnut, hazelnut, or pecan-cashew milk and any number of other interesting combinations. All you need is a high powered blender or Vitamix, a nut bag and a container to store the milk in, preferably glass. You can buy a nut bag at most health food stores or order one from Amazon. I love this Frigoverre glass jug for storing my milk.

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight in the fridge
4-5 cups water
2-4 pitted dates
1/2 tsp sea salt
A dash of vanilla
a few generous dashes of cinnamon

In a mesh sieve rinse the nuts well. Add all the ingredients to the Vitamix (or blender) and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a nut bag strain the milk into a glass container by gently ‘milking’ the nut bag until only the pulp is left in the bag. Be careful not to force this process as you will easily rip the nut bag.

Oh, I do have a bit of ghee on my toast in the morning but I will save that for another post.

When embarking on a plant based diet you will inevitably be asked “But how are you going to get enough protein?”  Take a gander at this article, 3 Common Myths about Protein and a Plant Based Diet and you’ll easily be able to answer that nagging question the next time it pops up.

The next question you may be asking yourself is, “Am I eating too many carbs?”

And the answer is NO! That is, if you are sticking to complex carbs. As long as you are eating a good whole wheat bread (without added sugar and other crap) like Ezekiel and sticking to grains like quinoa, brown rice, barley, bulgur etc., then you are in good shape. Some whole wheat pasta is ok too as are whole wheat tortillas. This means staying away from all simple carbs or white carbs, like your refined sugars and flours.

Check out my Pantry & Fridge Basics for a list of the ‘good’ carbs you should be stocking up on.

By eliminating animal protein and simple carbs from your diet you are drastically decreasing your intake of fat and calories. Comparatively, vegetables and grains have very little fat and calories. The result is you can say goodbye to calorie counting and just eat until you feel satisfied. Your fiber intake will also increase and provide the benefits I talked about in Rice & Beans: The Delicious Vegan Staple. So don’t worry about eating too many of the ‘good’ carbs. Cutting out meat, dairy and processed foods leaves a lot of room for you to fill up on delicious veggies, fruits, nuts and grains.

So leave your carb woes behind and embrace plates full of brown rice and veggies!

When transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle the easiest thing to start cooking at home is beans and rice. Master this delicious staple and you will always be just minutes from a nutritious and filling meal. It is endlessly customizable. Add any combo of veggies, jazz it up with some herbs and/or nuts and you have a gourmet one pot meal that never disappoints.

There is one rule: it must always be brown rice. Why? Fiber is why. Fiber does three things: 1) it is bulkier so it helps to fill you up without adding extra calories; 2) it slows the absorption of sugars by your body, helping to maintain a consistent blood sugar level and prevent insulin spikes, and ; 3) it increases your body’s ability to absorb the vitamins and nutrients from the food you’re eating. Fiber is what differentiates complex carbs from simple carbs and that’s why you should avoid all simple carbs. This article on Good Vs. Bad Carbohydrates explains it very nicely.

My go to meal is this version of Gallo Pinto (inspired by a recent trip to Costa Rica) made with black beans and short grain brown rice, topped with fresh avocado and tomato.

1 cup short grain brown rice
2 1/4 cups water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 tomato, sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Rinse the rice well using a fine mesh strainer. Place the rice and the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once to make sure there is no more liquid at the bottom of the pan.

Sautéing the onion and bell pepper is optional and takes a bit more time. If you are in a hurry simply leave out this step as the beans, rice, tomato and avocado are delicious on their own. Start by sautéing the onion, over medium heat, in 1/2 tablespoon of olive or coconut oil until they are translucent. Add the bell pepper and sauté an additional 5 minutes.

Mix the onion and bell pepper into the rice and then add the black beans. Serve topped with the tomato and avocado, salt and pepper and your choice of salsa or hot sauce.

Makes 2 servings.

Also try these easy vegetable and brown rice combos:

Simple Red Curry Coconut Squash

Kale and Brown Rice Bowl (leave out the brussel sprouts and broccolini for a quicker option)

Let’s start with some tips for ordering at a restaurant or when you’re on the go…

Breakfast:

1. Eating breakfast out can be tricky. It is probably the meal that has the least plant based options in a typical restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, there are restaurants that have great options, especially in cities like San Francisco and New York. So this may not be much of a problem depending on where you live. The suggestions below are for when you find yourself in a restaurant, or airport cafe that offers very limited options.
2. Oatmeal is usually a good and readily available choice.  Just ask for an alternative milk (most places at least have soy) and make sure they have not added anything like cream cheese.  If it doesn’t come with fruit ask if they can add some for you. Berries and a banana are usually available.
3. The same thing goes for granola or cereal. Just try to avoid yogurt and sugary cereals as much as you can.
4. You can usually get a whole wheat bagel or slice of toast . Skip the butter and just have a bit of jam. A mashed banana also makes a great topping for toast.
5. Always look at the sides. You can usually find a few fruit options. Fruit and a few pieces of toast does not a stellar breakfast make, but it will do the trick if you’re options are limited.

Lunch & Dinner:

There are plenty of tasty healthy lunch and dinner options when you eat out. Here are just a few things to keep in mind if you find yourself looking at a menu without any clear veggie options:

1. Vegetable Burritos. From higher end restaurants to corner taco stands, veggie burritos are usually delicious and packed with a variety of vegetables. Include beans and guacamole and you’ve got yourself a very tasty, satisfying lunch. For example at Balboa Café they have a breakfast burrito on the menu. I ask them to remove the eggs and chorizo and sub in any veggies they have on hand. The result is a delicious burrito of potatoes, black beans, guacamole, salsa, mushrooms and spinach (you may want to make sure the beans are not made with bacon fat or something else animal based).
2. Veggie wraps or sandwiches. Restaurants will usually make a veggie wrap or sandwich even if it’s not on the menu. Scan the menu for veggies available in other dishes and point out those you would especially like. Ask if they can add hummus or avocado as a spread. Reposado in Palo Alto will happily substitute mashed black beans for cheese in their veggie quesadilla.
3. Veggie Pasta or Grain. Again most restaurants will be happy to make you a veggie pasta or grain dish. If they have a pasta or grain on the menu then you can definitely ask them to do a veggie version. The restaurant staff is usually very happy to oblige and deliver a delicious vegetable based dish. Think pasta primavera.
4. Pizza: First look for a veggie pizza and remove the cheese. I know this doesn’t sound that appetizing now but I promise it’s tastier than you think. If there are no veggie pizzas on the menu then scan the menu for vegetables and ask if the chef will make you one with some of these veggies. Here’s a good example: At the Brickyard there is a Mushroom & Shaved Parmesan pizza with bechamel sauce, truffle oil and herbs. I ask them to sub a red sauce for the bechamel and leave off the parmesan. It is really delicious!
5. Always look at the sides. At the very least you should be able to put together a vegetable based dinner by combining three or four sides. If there is no grain option in the sides scan the menu for grains they may have on hand like brown rice or quinoa.
6. I know no one likes to be high maintenance, and asking for modifications or making up a dish that isn’t exactly on the menu may give some of you major anxiety. But don’t worry about that and know that you are not alone. The more we ask, the more vegan options will start to show up on menus everywhere. And in my experience if you ask nicely the waitstaff and kitchen are happy to make a few changes or whip up a simple veggie dish just for you.

Please share your tips and tricks for ordering vegan in the comments. And check out my upcoming posts with continued tips for eating the ahimsa way:

Rice & Beans: the Delicious Vegan Staple
Eating Vegan in a Social Setting
Meditations on Milk
Adventures of Eating Vegan on the Road
Yikes! Am I Eating Too Many Carbs?

“You’re the easiest Mysore guest I’ve ever had,” my friend Liza said to me a few days after I’d arrived. We were lounging in our ‘dorm’ room avoiding the sweltering afternoon heat and basking in the air conditioning, a luxury that very few experienced in Mysore. Liza was complementing me for being so laid back and rolling with the inevitable punches that India is famous for dealing to Westerners (the sweltering heat and lack of air conditioning, the constant smell of burning plastic and urine, the trash that is literally everywhere, the elusiveness of toilet paper, violent illness, and the intermittent internet, just to name a few). I thought to myself, thank you Liza for noticing my total zen and incredible ability to seamlessly adapt no matter how trying the situation. I patted myself on the back for living up to the standard of ‘travel ninja’ I had set for myself.  But then I remembered the hundreds of frantic emails I sent to Liza and Merrin for weeks leading up to my departure. I remembered the essay-like responses full of sage advice from my seasoned India-traveller friends, who were doing this trip for the third time.

In response to the question of what to pack and wear I got these gems:

“So you always pretty much look like you’re in pajamas or homeless.”

“I’ve found that tween, soccer mom and mannish outdoorsy lesbian styles work best.”

“Think of it as if you were going to Arizona in September but had to live with a herd of teenage boys.”

“If you bring it to India, be okay with it getting ruined.”

And these tips for surviving the three hour cab ride from Bangalore were crucial:

“Don’t be alarmed if the cab driver stops 2 times for chai.”

“Don’t breath in the air from outside. It will make you feel sick.”

“Indians (mostly) believe in karma, so theft crime is very rare.”

If it hadn’t been for this invaluable advice I would have arrived with a bag full of sun dresses and bikinis. I would have rolled down the windows in the taxi thinking I would get some fresh air only to be smacked in the face with that smell of burning plastic and urine which would have immediately made me sick after 36 hours of traveling and no sleep. I then would have FREAKED THE F OUT when I convinced myself that the chai shop was a front for the human trafficking operation to which I was about to be sold. Yes, thanks to my friends my first hours in India were extremely pleasant and got the whole trip off to a good start.

Mysore is the birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga. For a few months at the beginning of each year it is overrun with yoga students who have come to study at the source. For two shorts weeks I joined these extreme people and allowed my life to consist only of yoga. After practice each morning we congregated at one of the yogi cafes for ragi pancakes, veggie scrambles and fruit salad. Flora’s Fruit Salad, (named for the owner) was served at Anokhi. It was the best fruit salad in Mysore.

Pineapple
Watermelon
Banana
Pomegranate seeds
Golden raisins
Shredded coconut
Chopped dates
Top with basil or mint

Chop up the pineapple, watermelon and banana. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, raisins, coconut and dates. Tear some fresh mint or basil over the top. This is a delicious breakfast – perfect to enjoy after an early morning practice.

Its 5am and I have just touched down in Bangalore. Still dark, the air is surprisingly cool. I remark to the taxi driver that it’s not so hot. He wobbles his head and looks at me as if to say “just wait.” Minutes later we are speeding towards Mysore swerving in and around lorries, rickshaws, taxis and motorbikes. I squint in the darkness and see my first holy cow wandering down the street. The anxiety of the last two travel days dissolves into the relief that I have, at last, arrived in India. I smile big. Despite severe sleep deprivation I am energized to be at the beginning of this adventure. The Bollywood music blaring in the taxi fuels my energy and I smile to myself again.

As the sky lightens I see cows tied to trees, horses and chickens everywhere, and ox driven carts. Billboards advertise luxury hotels, jewelry, cement and silk. Some are splashed with hunky Indian actors advertising watches or new apartment buildings. Some feature the heads of several Indian men and I wonder if these are ads for eligible Indian bachelors (I find out later that they are not). The tiny chai shops are prolific and abound with people sipping chai from mini paper cups. Women in colorful saris and bare feet sweep their dirt porches with handleless brooms. Others sell pushpa-malas, or flower garlands, that are offered in worship to deities in homes and temples. The taxi driver stops to buy two of these and strings them over his rear view mirror. The colorful, embellished buildings all have a recently abandoned look about them and everything looks unfinished. There is trash and debris everywhere and everything looks filthy. From the safety of the air conditioned taxi I watch as a small part of this vast country blurs by and I am overwhelmed by the feeling that I must see more, I must see all of it. Having been in the country a matter of minutes I cannot yet put my finger on why I feel this way. But I can’t wait to find out. The red sun rises behind us, illuminating the road to Mysore and the adventure that lies ahead.

The first words spoken to me when I arrived in India were “Chai Madam?” as the taxi driver asked if I would like one before setting off from the airport. Chai is the lifeblood of India. And so that is where the stories of my recent travels will begin. I didn’t drink much of it because in India a request to substitute is always met with a blank stare and because the idea of substituting non-dairy milk for the holy milk of the cow is sacrilegious. The word chai simply means tea in India. So what we know as chai in the West is called masala chai in the East. The history and culture of masala chai can be found here.

2 1/2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves
2 cardamom pods, freshly crushed OR a pinch of cardamom powder
A pinch of nutmeg
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons black tea
1/2 cup milk or non-dairy milk (coconut, rice, almond)
Splash of half and half (optional)

Bring the water and spices to a boil. Add the black tea and boil for another minute. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the milk. Allow to simmer for another minute. Strain into a cup. If you are using non-dairy milk you can add a dash of half and half at the end for that extra bit of creaminess. This is optional and can be left out to keep it vegan.

Makes 2 cups.