Chili Cook-off in Nepal !
Well, I guess it’s not really a ‘cook-off’ if there’s only one cook, so nobody got to taste a hundred different chilies, but I think I hooked into that main vein of American overindulgence all the same. I have now cooked several western dishes for my Nepali friends and family, and it seems chili has now usurped barbeque as the obvious favorite. Despite using ground water buffalo meat, the dish was delicious, if I do say so myself. And my inflated self-image as cook was reinforced by the fact that no one even wanted to eat rice. They just stuffed themselves with one bowl of chili after another. I savored the moment, watching them gorge themselves like good Americans. Despite the odd mixture of food and context, and often questionable recipe substitutions, I always feel like our bond is strengthened by that afterglow of bloated satisfaction that comes with the overeating of some calorically dense new meal. Cooking for hours over an open fire in an enclosed space is never pleasant, and I usually reek like a full ashtray for the next day or two, but it’s totally worth it.
Another successful American dining experience!
Groundbreaking…
The organization that I volunteered for finally had their much anticipated groundbreaking event for the huge new school they are going to build in the village. There was a great turnout with plenty of speeches by community members and the organization’s staff, much to the chagrin of the 300 children who came to the event and can’t sit still for long periods. It was wonderful to see all the kids that I used to work with on a daily basis. It always surprises me (and makes me feel old) to see how much they’ve grown in the past three years and how their wonderful personalities are developing. It’s always a great feeling to hear a chorus of “Jen sister!” and get battered by a bunch of little hands eager for attention. The older kids couldn’t stop talking about how much they hated the leeches until I took off my shoes and showed them how much they love white feet (see nasty photo ;) It was an awesome afternoon and it was great to see the kids from Kathmandu mingling with the village children.
Congratulations Tiuri...
My lovely young neighbor Tiuri is getting married and I'm going to miss her terribly. Tiuri is the strongest young woman I've ever met and she's got a great sense of humor. She's one of my favorite village personalities and I'm going to miss hearing her shouting from the top of the hill, "Ooooh Jenni!" and harassing me about my bad Nepali. I wish her all the best and just hope that she visits often.
Another attack!
It’s been a rough month for my poor dog, Lucky. Apparently there’s a new dog roaming the village assaulting the smaller ones and we haven’t been able to track him down. This Nepali Cujo is wreaking havoc and must be stopped! I came back from a visit to Kathmandu to find Lucky hopping around on three legs and whimpering L. His left hind leg was swollen and filled with fluid from a nasty, infected puncture wound on the back of his butt cheek. It was so deep it looked like he had been shot. I actually had to trim a bunch of hair from around the wound so I could clean it well enough before packing it with antibiotic ointment. I gave him an aspirin to ease the pain and bandaged him up (perhaps a little excessively, he looked like he was hobbling around the village in a diaper for the next few days). He’s back to normal now, but the hunt is on for this phantom beast trolling the terraces of Gurje. The villagers have grown particularly fond of Lucky and several of them have sworn revenge if they see the other dog again, one of my neighbors even promised to shoot it on sight. I would pity the beast if it weren’t for the giant wound on my lovable Lucky’s ass. You better start running Cujo!
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