Thali, Books, and Ice Cream

I’ve been thinking that maybe I should just dedicate this blog to finding books and ice cream in Chennai. Because most of the posts I have queued up (or circulating in my mind) seem to concern one of those two topics. More on books later.

First, a few food updates (see previous post here: Food, Glorious Food).

Last week Brianna and I went to Mylapore to see the 12th-century Kapaleeswarar temple.

These elaborately carved gopurams are typically situated at the entrance to temples, but they don’t actually seem to be where the worship takes place.

Books in Chennai, Part I: Anna Centenary Library and Starmark

During our first week in Chennai we discovered the Renga Lending Library here in our own neighborhood (Click here to read that post: “Saved by the Neighborhood Library“). The following week we trekked a little farther afield to three other book sites: The Anna Centenary Library, built in 2010; The Phoenix Mall Starmark, one of the newest bookstores in Chennai; and Higginbotham’s, India’s oldest bookseller.

The Bare Necessities in India

The day after we arrived in India, a hotel clerk directed us to the “In & Out” convenience store at the gas station near our hotel. “They have everything,”  he promised. Indeed, besides the convenience store, the rather deluxe complex includes a juice bar, a sweet shop, an ATM, and a florist shop.

Later it occurred to me that what you’re likely to find in a convenience store is a mix of the frivolous–cheap candy and fast food–and the essential—items you would pay double for if you left them behind on a trip. A survey revealed some interesting similarities and contrasts with what we would expect to find in the U.S.

Food, Glorious Food!

We have, of course, been doing a lot of things besides eating. But as a basic requirement of life and an important element of culture, not to mention an enjoyable social experience, food naturally commands a lot of our attention. So here are a few of our dining experiences thus far.

Every morning starts off with the phenomenal breakfast buffet provided by our hotel, the Radisson Blu GRT airport hotel:

• At least a dozen cooked Indian dishes (more on those in a later post)
• Waffles, omelets, dosas (see below) and pancakes made to order
• Fresh papaya, pineapple, apples, bananas, dragon fruit, figs, oranges
• Halvah (a sweet dish made from sugar, ghee, and pumpkin, carrot, beets, or other starches)
• Tea, coffee, lattes made to order, “South Indian filter coffee” (see below), masala chai, fresh squeezed orange juice, fruit smoothies, a salted yogurt drink, a sweet yogurt drink that tastes like my mom’s eggnog (way better than the fake store bought stuff you get at Christmas time), watermelon juice, grape juice …

Assorted curries, adai (a sort of spicy pancake), idli (a fluffy white South Indian cake made from rice- and lentil-flour), parathas (fried flat bread), savory porridges, and noodle dishes

Madras Crocodile Bank Trust

On our way to Mahabalipuram a week ago (see the previous post) we stopped at a more recent but equally fascinating site: the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Center for Herpetology, established in 1976 by Romulus Whitaker. Its initial aim was to aid in rehabilitating the diminishing numbers of Mugger (also known as “Marsh” crocodiles in the wild. Now it is home to representatives from eighteen of the twenty-three species of crocodiles and alligators worldwide.

Mahabalipuram

Last Saturday we visited the site of sixth-century stone carvings about an hour south of Chennai. It’s a striking testament to the creators’  artistry, technical ingenuity, and sheer dedication. Local craftsmen still carry on the tradition of granite carvings.

Entrance plaque

Shore Temple

Saved by the Neighborhood Library

Before we left home, I made several trips to the Eugene and Springfield public libraries to return the 80+ books we’d accumulated at home. (One is still missing; I think we’re going to have to pay the replacement fee–I can’t believe I’m confessing this in public!)

It did make me a little insecure to leave home relying on my phone and e-books for my principal reading material. But today Brianna and I stumbled across a goldmine: the Renga Lending Library.