My Big Fat Indian Wedding...

Scene: welcome into India via wedding. The bride is your hinjewish sister from culinary school. Aside from the 300 native Indian invitees, you are 1 of 6 Americans at the wedding. Let's make t count... And... Action!!

What an honor it was to be a part of such a significant part of our friends culture. After many years of dreaming about ripping up the dance floor Bollywood style, my dream was turning to reality. Luckily, I wasn't the only one from school who would be celebrating. It was an extreme pleasure to spend such quality time with my old and great friends Carla, Nina and Girish. A wedding across the world is all it takes to get us back together for some good old fun after 5 years. 

But let's not dwell on how awesome we are. Instead, let's take a gander into the cultural significance of the Indian wedding. First, I would like to start with the flowers. There were easily over 200 kilograms of flowers beautifully hung  around the wedding grounds (The Kumar household). 50 of those were in jasmine flowers alone. Talk about incredible. Food was served punctually 3 times a day and water seemed to be floating around for the taking. We all (the 6 Americans) have never seen or experienced any type of wedding like this. Talk about mind blown. 

The ceremonies that took place were all for blessing the married couple to be. Some utilized fire to purify their past lives to start fresh together. Others had coconuts to represent the fullness of life. All of which and in between had a specific significance to provide longevity and happiness in the new marriage. They did take all day, for three days, yet we were welcome to come and go as we pleased. That in itself was entirely different to all weddings we have been to. 

The only way to truly understand what we had experienced is to find an Indian friend and get yourself invited to one of these spectacular occasions. They say that as soon as a daughter is born, the parents start saving for the wedding. Seeing this makes me believe it 100%. Never have I been involved in a wedding so elaborate and beautifully colored. With all of the saris and kurtas worn, it was a literal sea of reds and greens and blues and golds and yellows. Simply magnificent. 

As a conclusion to this remarkable entry, there is only one thing to be said;

I wish Surabhi and Vishwesh an extremely long, prosperous and happy life together. May they create many unforgettable memories together and grow a beautiful family. I know that they will. 

Fare thee Well Australia...

Leaving a place that you can call home is one of the toughest things to do. Networks have been forged and bonds have been created. These create lifelong memories to share with the growing youth. Yet there comes a time when you must pack up and carry on to the next great adventure. Fortunately and unfortunately for me, that time has come. 

Australia has been a place for me to really learn about who I was, who I am now and who I may want to be. As I read my own notes, it becomes apparent that my mind is drifting away from my needs and closer to the needs of the future generations. How will my actions affect my loved ones, my family and friends? What has opened this door towards clarity? These have been the two main points scripted into my journal. And they would only begin to emerge due to my experiences. 

The friends Made in all of the hostels have forced me to question my motives on how to live life to the fullest. They have taught me how to open my eyes to my personal situations and make a choice that will positively affect others around me. Through them, I have learned how to be free in thought and to accept others opinion as their own. My love and passion for music has been reinstalled due to the influx of musical genres and musicians. All of this and more just from the people generated a grateful outlook on life I haven't felt in my entire life. So here is a thank you to those people who have helped sculpt my life. 

While eating my way through the land of Roos, opportunities arise to work with some incredible chefs and ingredients. A new vigor has replaced my old mediocrity in regards to direction and purpose. Each restaurant from Melbourne to Tassie helped me reach a new understanding of food and my own skills. These lessons will be utilized wisely throughout he coming years of my culinary adventure. Thank you to all the chefs I have had the honor and price lags of working with. 

There is no doubt in my mind that I will return to Oz. it may be on the literal opposite side of the world, but it flipped my perspective a complete 180. A door has been opened that I will forever work to keep open. Thank you to everyone who has made their mark on my life in the land down under. I hope I may have left a mark on your lives. Until next time!

Community of Eaters...

People in your life come and go with the wind. You never truly forget about them and not ofteb than not, they continue to pop up. No matter where you are though, there will always be a community of eaters. Food is so deeply ingrained into our lifestyles that we give names to specific types of diets and eaters. From paleo to nutripescavorian, we all still eat. 

One thing about traveling that has really opened my eyes is how strong the community is around food culture. No matter what you yourself in dietary classifications, these communities are welcoming with warm, open arms. So let your palate run wild with opportunities!!

What I am trying to get at though, is that no matter where in the world you are, food is always there. So why not be mindful of where it comes from and how it gets to your plate? All of the discrepancies between vegans and vegetarians and carnivores is wasting precious time. All parties have extremely valid points, but when will we actually make the decision to do something about what is being preached? Know where your meat comes from and personally support those small-medium farmers. Help your local gardeners and farmers pick the daily or weekly harvest of vegetables. By exploring these lightly treaded paths, we can begin to grow a new and eventually better world for the generations to follow. 

Food for thought. 

Time to Break My Hermit Shell...

There is something about living around the world that has changed me. I can feel it from my little toes to the tips of my ears and to the nails of my fingers. These types of changes I have come to find do not happen often. This may very well be the first time I have ever felt such a significant change within myself. I don't really know what to think about this shift in mentality. It is worth it to explore the new grounds, no matter how uneasy or anxious I am about it.

I am exhausted from holding in my thoughts feelings, succumbing to the will of my peers and loved ones. I want to love the people who make me happy. I want to share my food with the ones who are just as enthusiastic about it as me. It is hard to give freely when following the desires and needs of others. It truly is an oxymoron, unselfish in the most selfish way. 

Anyone can disagree with my opinions, thoughts and actions, but they are mine to have and take. As yours belong to you and no one else. Instead of trying to control, support your loved ones with their decisions. A little helpful logic is always a plus, but the final choice belongs to the individual. Traveling alone has taught me to support everyone's decisions as well as my own. It is your own path to choose, I can only say choose wisely.  

Salamanca Market...

From what I can tell, everyone likes to mosey around some type of market. Whether it be for food, crafts, art, instruments or any random object, there will always be people there browsing the white tarp tents for a touch of joy. Markets like these bring people of all sorts, shapes and sizes together for one purpose, to smile. 

Walking around the stalls of the Salamanca weekend market does just that. With the streets blocked by a sea of peaked tents, masses of people grazed the makings of each searching for that one little smidjick to place on their shelf. There were sculptors, honey keepers, woodcarvers, and soap makers. Collectors sold next to the jewlers while the clothing and the wind chimes swung gracefully in the light breeze. The streets were buzzing with excitement discovery. 

All in all, this was unlike any market I have ever been too. The length of it was a bit more than a full football field. The only way to understand what I am saying is to get your booty down here to Tasmania and explore the market with me!