Post-Yoga Meal

The produce here in Mumbai is out of this world. The taste of the fruits and vegetables from the simplest grocers far surpasses the most expensive, high-quality produce from either the farmer’s markets back home or the Big Guys, “Whole Foods”. It’s funny because I came here with all of these expectations about food quality, and then I realized just by looking and tasting the products, that I was in culinary heaven! I don’t need to worry about finding “organic” produce, because most everything here is organic, whether or not it’s labeled as such by a governing agency. You can tell just by looking at it. Everything is much smaller: the cauliflower is tiny and compact, the little strawberries are a deep garnet red on the inside and taste like the wild berries I used to pick up in Newfoundland, The stubby, bright orange carrots are so sweet and tasty, the bell peppers are so full of crunch and carotenoid color, that I plan on making a delicious salad for at least 3 of my meals tomorrow.
It’s truly amazing what is available here. As I said earlier, the milk products are also of a superior quality. The milk tastes “grassy”, like the expensive stuff I bought back home in Boston, and of course the butter is such a bright yellow, and it’s so creamy and buttery-tasting, but without any additives. I love to cook with butter, especially if it’s grass raised, as it’s much higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, and traditional fats are much better than the processed vegetable fats we’ve become used to cooking with in the last century. It’s ironic that a country that is still struggling to assert itself financially has a much higher quality of food, (cheaper and available to everyone), than even the richest areas of the richest nations.
I also found a small grocers called, “Nature’s Basket” that supplies a lot of ethnic and organic ingredients, and this weekend I’m going in search of naturally farm-raised animal products with one of my yoga students. The women in my morning classes have been telling me about how wonderful the lamb and chicken is. The way they describe the difference between North American chicken and Indian chicken reminds me of the French complaint. We are so used to the inbred, over-fed, over-sized birds of the factory farm in Canada and the U.S., we no longer remember what real chicken, and fresh eggs are supposed to taste like!

This is my post-yoga lunch. I was in Savasana and suddenly had a strong craving for a bowl of rich, creamy Dahi, (indian yogurt) smothered in pomegranats, sweet mango, pineapple and strawberries, with some raw almonds on top for crunch. I have to tell you, the tiny mangoes available here would amaze you. They taste like nothing I’ve ever had before, pure mango essence but with a touch of honey, and a strong floral note as well. Incredible! I will have to make an icecream with them…