Living in any international city has its perks, and the one that I take advantage of most often is food. Food in a city like Mumbai is only rival to places like Paris, New York, and the like. What makes Mumbai better than those places, is how cheap you can find it here! As one very enlightened friend put it when I described to her about the street cuisine, "There is nothing more enjoyable than regional authentic food that is inexpensive and easily accessible!"
The food vendors here are actually really decent. They use fresh ingredients (at least the ones I go to), and are really cheap. There is a Dosa vendor 30 seconds around the corner whom I visit almost everyday to get Masala dosa with coconut chutney & sambar, and we exchange what little words we can while eating. After the first few times going there, he knew me by face, and without saying anything, there was a plate in front of me in 2 minutes. Same goes for our chai vendor. My typical meal on the street costs me about 15 rupees (including chai), which is about 30 cents. Another cool thing about them is that they experiment and concoct all kinds of interesting little snacks using nothing but veggies and spices. There is another vendor i go to who makes sandwiches out of potatoes and other vegetables, then toasts the entire thing, tops it with ketchup and masala spices, cuts in 6 pieces, and gives you a little toothpick. Its so simple, and tastes amazing. People who are vegetarian/vegan who have trouble finding food back home would love it here.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Life in India, so far-
So, people have been emailing me, asking "What's life like in India?"
I've been in Mumbai for about 7 weeks, and things here have their ups and downs. My apartment, which I share with 3 other roommates, is well... kinda a dump. But- my roommates are all awesome people, (who are involved in film projects), and we party, A LOT. I am currently helping them work on a documentary as cinematographer/camera op. We have kind of an international type scene here at our place; which is pretty cool. My roommate Esben, is a Danish guy from Kobenhaven who is studying here for a year:
Susana is a Columbia/Chilean girl who is working here for an NGO (Non-government operation)
(this photo is actually from the going-away party we had in our apartment, when we all dressed up in anything but clothes)
and Sumit is a guy from Delhi also taking film courses here as well. (he is invaluable, as he is the only Hindi speaker in the place!).
We don't have a TV, hot water, a microwave, and since there are only 2 bedrooms, we end up sharing a pretty small place, etc. But the funny thing is that I've come to love the fact that we don't have all these things. We cook sometimes on our own, and the rest of the time we eat from the tons of street food vendors outside our building (who make the most amazing food for pennies), or go to 10 or so restaurants we have walking distance from us.
Travel so far has been a bit limited; I spent some time in north, traveled back and forth between Delhi, and Jaipur a few times. Since I had obligations and wedding functions to attend, I didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, but since I am relatively close, I may go back to see it all properly. I am planning a trip to the south to Bangalore to visit my family; after filming finishes on a documentary project I am working on with my roommates.
The documentary I am working on with my roommates is about the migration of Indians from poorer states in the northeast, to states like Maharashtra (the state that Mumbai lies within), and how they leave their families and lives to live in slums here and work as rickshaw drivers (three-wheeled scooters, like little taxis). We are making a story about one of these drivers, and the daily troubles he faces, discrimination, etc. My roommates are out right now scouting locations in the slum areas where will be shooting the drivers' home life.
My work situation in general has been a bit slow; but I expected it to be. I have met quite a few people through friends, and at parties who are involved in the business (photography, television, film, multi-media), but I haven't met anyone who has replied back after sending my resume, and links to my work online. I just have to keep looking, or take off and see all the parts of India I missed on my first tour (which there are plenty of), as well as Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, etc. I have a few friends from back home who are studying in Delhi, that also wanted to go on a trip somewhere after their semester ends, so we may be traveling through Maharashtra (the state that Mumbai is within) to see the many caves and temples that are in the countryside.
We always have guests coming or going through the place, and a minute in our place can look something like this:
I've been in Mumbai for about 7 weeks, and things here have their ups and downs. My apartment, which I share with 3 other roommates, is well... kinda a dump. But- my roommates are all awesome people, (who are involved in film projects), and we party, A LOT. I am currently helping them work on a documentary as cinematographer/camera op. We have kind of an international type scene here at our place; which is pretty cool. My roommate Esben, is a Danish guy from Kobenhaven who is studying here for a year:
Susana is a Columbia/Chilean girl who is working here for an NGO (Non-government operation)
(this photo is actually from the going-away party we had in our apartment, when we all dressed up in anything but clothes)
and Sumit is a guy from Delhi also taking film courses here as well. (he is invaluable, as he is the only Hindi speaker in the place!).
We don't have a TV, hot water, a microwave, and since there are only 2 bedrooms, we end up sharing a pretty small place, etc. But the funny thing is that I've come to love the fact that we don't have all these things. We cook sometimes on our own, and the rest of the time we eat from the tons of street food vendors outside our building (who make the most amazing food for pennies), or go to 10 or so restaurants we have walking distance from us.
Travel so far has been a bit limited; I spent some time in north, traveled back and forth between Delhi, and Jaipur a few times. Since I had obligations and wedding functions to attend, I didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, but since I am relatively close, I may go back to see it all properly. I am planning a trip to the south to Bangalore to visit my family; after filming finishes on a documentary project I am working on with my roommates.
The documentary I am working on with my roommates is about the migration of Indians from poorer states in the northeast, to states like Maharashtra (the state that Mumbai lies within), and how they leave their families and lives to live in slums here and work as rickshaw drivers (three-wheeled scooters, like little taxis). We are making a story about one of these drivers, and the daily troubles he faces, discrimination, etc. My roommates are out right now scouting locations in the slum areas where will be shooting the drivers' home life.
My work situation in general has been a bit slow; but I expected it to be. I have met quite a few people through friends, and at parties who are involved in the business (photography, television, film, multi-media), but I haven't met anyone who has replied back after sending my resume, and links to my work online. I just have to keep looking, or take off and see all the parts of India I missed on my first tour (which there are plenty of), as well as Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, etc. I have a few friends from back home who are studying in Delhi, that also wanted to go on a trip somewhere after their semester ends, so we may be traveling through Maharashtra (the state that Mumbai is within) to see the many caves and temples that are in the countryside.
We always have guests coming or going through the place, and a minute in our place can look something like this:
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