Bon Apetit!

Food is one of the most wonderful things life has to offer, especially when it comes to the food in Sri Lanka. Not only are there aromatic curries and mouth-watering fruits, but you get to eat everything with your hands! Or I should say with your hand, picking up your food with your left hand is a big no-no (that’s the hand that traditionally takes care of digested food products – fortunately we have toilet paper at the station). I have always been a firm believer that we developed hands for a reason, eating being one of the most important. I have included some pictures of typical dishes and some pictures of our little garden. In the garden we have papaya, passion fruit, bananas, king coconuts, beans, a cashew tree, a jam tree (no there are not Smuckers jars growing on the branches), and thibattu (used as a spice in curries). The jam tree produces small, round, sweet fruits that I believe are used in juices. Shermin has an idea of making preserves out of the seasonal fruits and selling them in the U.S., and we joked about making jam jam. I think this afternoon we are going to make jam out of my new favorite fruit, odona – I am completely guessing on the spelling. I made sure to post a picture of this fruit. It is dark purple on the outside and has a gravelly outer skin. The inside is white and has a sweet, succulent custard-like texture that coats its large black seeds. It’s more like a dessert than a fruit.

At each meal there is a foundation item, typically either rice or bread. Then there are several ‘side dishes’ of various curries that are placed alongside the rice/bread. The tricky part is getting the delicious meal into your mouth. Sri Lankans have mastered the technique of mixing the rice and curry with their hand to form a neat ball, which they then expertly pop into their mouths. I, on the other hand, am not quite as skilled. Usually, I end up using my hand as a shovel to scoop up various bits, which I then try to politely slide into my mouth. Seeing as how the food makes it into my mouth and I have not scared away any of our guests, I think I am doing fairly well. I have also posted a couple pictures of me eating – for your amusement. Finally, I put up some pictures of the house and road leading to the house, so you can get an idea of my surroundings.