This week we we're in Cleveland at Amit's parents' home. We've been here since Sunday night after our wedding weekend and have been eating good food, lounging around and mostly just spending time with Amit's parents. Here's some noteworthy occurrences that we felt the world should know about!
On Tuesday and Wednesday Amit's dad went to Virginia for business. Somehow Marinda missed this completely. On Tuesday she was going around asking, "So when's dad coming home for dinner?" Amit and his mom just gave her a funny look. "How was I supposed to know?" Marinda later asked. "They're speaking oriya all the time!" Needless to say, this experience has renewed her desire to learn another language.
Later on Tuesday we learned the mysterious and ancient art of making samosas from Amit's mom. Okay, so all we really did was fold the samosas and fill them, but at least we know more than we know before! The last time we tried to make samosas it ended up being...educational. We are fully expecting to make more friends when we get back to Seattle thanks to this skill.
The Fried Fruit of Our Labors!
Sujata auntie feeding Marinda at Amit & Marinda's mehindi last year.
Wednesday night we went to dinner at Sujata auntie's house (the auntie in the picture feeding Marinda). It was a great dinner, but for those not familiar with Indian culture (or at least generous mother culture) we came from the dinner with our stomachs on the verge of exploding. Our first course was snacks, including chaat and samosas (picture below). We basically were forced to eat until we were full. Then came the main course. Let's just say by the end of that course Amit had to tell Sujata auntie "if I literally eat anymore my shirt buttons will pop!" (direct quote) Marinda was a little smarter and ate slowly so that she always had food on her plate, leaving her free from the ever-watchful eyes of aunties trying to give her more food. Then after dinner, when they were already ready to explode, came dessert. Think Fourth of July, and that's what was happening in our stomachs. Of course, it was great food and we love our auntie, so we didn't mind too much :)
Chaat
The other big thing that happened this week is that yesterday (Saturday 8/27) was our first anniversary! We were planning on just celebrating somehow when we got back to Seattle, but Amit's parents had other ideas. After breakfast they swooped in and showered us with presents. A card, a picture frame, earrings for Marinda and <drum roll> an iPad 2!!! "I'm so happy that I have an iPad!" Amit said. "I'm so happy WE have an iPad!" Marinda said.
Later on Saturday the two of us went to Crocker Park to meet up with Steven (Marinda's brother) at the Apple store (to look for a cover for the ipad). After receiving yet another present for our anniversary we followed Steven around to the Mac store (makeup store, not apple store). Marinda was mesmerized by all the nice things. "Isn't it wonderful? Nice brushes, nice makeup. Nice me." "I feel like throwing up," was Amit's response. "I really, really, really don't belong here." He was half-tempted to simply wait outside, but remembered that what doesn't kill you and make your wife look pretty makes you stronger.
We also really liked Crocker Park. It has a very nice feel to it, like a neighborhood almost. And there was a live band playing! We almost started dancing, but you know, no one else was dancing, and you know, we had to get going to dinner, and like, the music wasn't really danceable. It definitely 100% wasn't because we're shy. We also got each other anniversary presents there, in one of the best forms possible, CHOCOLATE! On our way to dinner just we couldn't stop talking about Crocker Park, especially how little kids might be dissapointed when they realized it wasn't a park filled with crackers.
Marinda got Amit a peanut butter bucket and dark chocolate macadamia nut.
Amit got Marinda a haystack (coconut) and a chocolate dipped strawberry.
Dinner with Amit's parents was fantastic, or as they say on Saregamapa Li'l Champs, "bombastic!" We went to Wild Mango, which was super fancy. The food there was what you would expect if you ever got to be a judge on the Food Network. And now we will proceed to torture you by describing our meal bite by bite. Hope you're not hungry! For appetizers we had pot stickers and fried calamari. The food's taste could best be described as "explosive, yet subtle. Enticing, yet fulfilling," according to an unnamed local critic. For our entrees Amit had the chicken trio, which featured a chicken cheese cake. No, not chicken cheesecake, a cake made of chicken and cheese topped with sweet potato fries in a sauce made with yumminess (perhaps if Marinda were writing this she could identify the ingredients). Marinda had two pieces of salmon which were also amazing. One was of teriyaki from heaven, and the other was so incredibly tender that is really did melt in your mouth. Dessert was mango cheesecake (as opposed to chicken cheese cake) and mango ice cream. Even though we were full, we still made room for dessert. We were practically licking our plates. But you know, we didn't, because we were in public. It was so sad. That mango topping, just going to waste..........
Another staple this week has been indian television. As previously alluded to, there is a show called Saregamapa Li'l Champs. Saregamapa (indian quivalent of do re mi fa so) is the big singing competition in India (like American Idols). Li'l Champs does not feature dwarfs and gnomes in a singing competition. Instead, they do something even more shocking, putting little children (or li'l children) on the stage. Honestly, they're really good singers. Some of them are even better than the adults! But best of all has been the commercials, which Marinda LOVES!!! There's commercials for matrimonial sites every half hour at least. Marinda was so inspired by these sites that she started looking for a wife for Anup, Amit's older brother. "What!?!?!?! I can take care of myself! I don't want to get married!" Anup would say if he knew about this. Or he would just play it cool and pretend not to care. Here are some entertaining commercials to watch if you wish:
It's too bad we're not getting paid by the word because we could have made a fortune today! This week we'll leave you with a preview for the next big hit movie in India: Bodyguard!
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