December 27

Back at home it’s 7:40 p.m. on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), but here it is already December 27: about  9:10 a.m.

I have been out and about, doing a variety of things. I have wanted to try to get a picture of a cow in the city for you all, but I’m always in a car or autorickshaw when I see one, and my phone/iPad does not take great photos while moving. I didn’t bring my good camera this time because it’s bulky. I won’t do that again. I miss too many great photos.

Yesterday the family went to the Venkateshwara temple to pray.  Venkateshwara is a South Indian name for Vishnu, who is one of the major expressions of God in Hindu religion.  Hindus believe there is one ultimate force of God, but he expresses himself in many different ways. The three major expressions are through Shiva, Vishnu, and the Mother Goddess. All of these expressions also have thousands of other expressions, or Avatars.

Venkateshwara is usually seen as a black statue with a mark on his head. At this temple, they also have a statue of Narayana, or Vishnu before the world was created. He is sleeping on the body of a coiled serpent floating on an ocean of milk. The several heads of the serpent curl at his head, but he is sleeping peacefully, waiting to be awakened by the creation of the world. 

Narayana (Lord Vishnu) reclining. This carving is actually at
Mahabilapuram, a place I have visited twice. 

Lord Venkateshwara

At the temple, I prayed for my family, all my loved ones, and for peace in the world.

There were many many people there. Everyone has to take off their shoes to go into the temple. People bring flowers and fruits to offer to God to be blessed. Some people put money into the Hundi, or offering box. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Many people put between 10 and 100 rupees (about .20-2.00.) The money goes to take care of the temple.

All the people walk in a slow line to the front so that they can see the statue of God. The priest offers the people blessings in the form of a flame. People reach out and scoop the heat of the flame into their head or heart. They are given a small spoonful of a bitter substance, which is tulsi, or holy basil, steeped in water. We drink a little bit, then put the rest over our head.

People are given back the fruits and flowers they gave to be blessed. They take these and put them on their own altars at home.  Outside the temple, they put a dot of kumkum, or red powder, on their forehead, or a loved one does it for them as a blessing.

After the temple, we went to a restaurant for some snacks. Indian snacks are so delicious! I had these little crispy fried things with onions inside. Yum.

On the way to the temple, we passed a park, where I saw a bunch of monkeys swinging in the trees and climbing on the wall. Yes, they were just out in the city, not in cages. I have seen monkeys in India before, but this is the first time I have seen them in Chennai.  I had a ton of great monkey pictures at one point, but my computer was stolen two years ago, and so they are all gone. Some day, I’m sure, I’ll get close enough to monkeys again to take pictures.

Later in the evening, my Monkey and his dad went out for an evening together. Raja takes each of the boys out for a special Dad-Son dinner every year. The rest of us went to the mall. I had some ice cream, and Man Cub went to Domino’s and picked up some pepperoni pizza. (Kids love pizza everywhere.) At the mall, they have a new, fancy restaurant that serves Mexican food! They had a sign to show people how to eat a fajita. I thought that was pretty funny. I doubt the food is as good as in San Jose, because I don’t think actual Mexican people cook it. One time in California, though, I saw a Mexican cook in an Indian restaurant, so you never know.

Today, the boys went to their Uncle and Aunt’s hotel for breakfast. They like it there because they can get bacon and other western breakfast items. Usually we just eat similar things for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This morning I had idli, which I love. It’s like a soft steamed cake made of rice. It’s fermented, which means it has a slight sour flavor, like sourdough bread. Then you dip the idli in sauces such as sambar (a thin lentil soup with tomato and other veggies) or chutneys (sauces made out of cilantro, mint, coconut, or tomato.) The chutneys are usually cool and fresh tasting, but also spicy. Sambar is usually warm, and can be mild or spicy, depending. Sometimes, idli can be served with podi, a spicy powder the locals call "gunpowder" (probably because it goes "bang!" in your mouth.) They mix it with ghee (clarified butter) and it tastes goooooood!

Idli and various dipping things.
The donut-shaped things are vadai, which are savory and delicious!

Turmeric

South Indian food can be very spicy, but it has a lot of flavor. Certain things, such as red and green chilies, cumin, and cilantro are used in both Indian food and Mexican food. However, each group uses different spices too. One of the popular spices in India is called turmeric. The word for turmeric in Tamil is “manjal”  which is also the word for “yellow.” If you haven’t guessed, turmeric is yellow. It makes food yellow. It makes your fingers yellow. It makes your clothes yellow if you drop any food on them (which is easy when you eat with your fingers, as we do here. Silverware is optional) It makes countertops yellow. It stains pretty bad. However, it is very good for you, so it’s in a lot of foods. Turmeric is rumored to keep people very healthy, and to help with many diseases.  It is also used to bless people, so you will see people wearing it on their bodies (on purpose) sometimes.

Raja and his parents have some errands to do, so I am going to just hang out here at home for a while alone. I enjoy having the time to write, read and relax by myself.  Later perhaps I will be able to go out. There are a few places I still want to visit while I am here in Chennai. One of the places is Higginbotham’s, the oldest bookstore in Chennai. It was started while the British still ruled India. The British used to rule a lot of countries, including India, Australia, and most of North America.

Right now, though, I am going to get some rest, as I got to sleep very very late last night.  I’ll write later.

Until then, be good!