Mama-Ji, I'm Little "Little Bit"

I began the day by booking an early flight out of India to join Richy for New Years in Thailand. This doesn't upset me much at all because I really can not wait to get back to Thailand. Not that India hasn't treated me well, which it has, but I am so excited to explore the South of Thailand.

After booking my flight I wondered around the town for a bit and got to have my second cooking class. For lunch I made Masala Dosa which is more or less an India burrito. A crispy home made wrap from rice, milk, and lentil, filled with potatoes in masala sauce. MMMMMM MM! It came out great!

After my culinary excursion, I got on skype to talk to Richy about a guy he met in Bundi back in 2004 New Years. The guys name is Goro Kala. Richy told me he got picked up in the vegetable market between the Ranji-ki-boauri and the Sadar Bazaar gate where barbers have set up shops under a tree. I went to Ranji-ki-baouri and no one was there so I went up to the gate where the barbers are. I began by taking photos of men getting their beards shaved and then casually asked the man next to me if he knows a guy named Goro Kala. His eyes lit up as he yelled "I'M GORO! I AM GORO KALA!!" I couldn't believe it, he was right where Richy told me he would be.

Goro told me to hop on his bike and he took me around town and to his friends rice mill. Here I got to see how the rice is prepared after harvest. This was very insightful and fun. We left the rice mill so Gorocould take me to one of his farms where I got to try some herbs, vegetables, and fruits while walking around and learning about his crops.

After the farm tour, he took me to the house of a Bundi celebrity named Kukki. Goro and I parted ways at Kukki's house and he told me that when I speak to Richy, I must tell him, "little bit." He wouldn't tell me why. Anyhow, Kukki is an Archaeologist that has discovered almost 100 ancient wall paintings, fossils, and archaeological sites in the Rajasthan area. Some of the sites date back over 2,000 years! Kukki really wore me out by spending the following hour talking about himself and his accomplishments, not letting me talk, and even worse, not letting me leave. I finally was able to get away and walked home to call Richy and tell him what happened. When I said "little bit" to him he laughed and told me that was a nick-name that this woman who runs a guest house with her daughters gave him. It turns out, that I'm staying in that guesthouse and taking cooking classes with that woman, Mama-ji. When I got back to the guesthouse, I scoured the old guest books for Richy's entry back in January 2004 and it just happened to be the first page I opened. I showed Mama-ji the entry and a photo and all the memories came back. When it clicked, I said, "Mama-ji, I'm Little "Little Bit"!" she laughed and began to tell me all about Big "Little Bit." They named Richy "Little Bit" because he would always come there to eat and when Mama-ji kept coming over with more food, he couldn't resist and would always say, "little bit." And so became the nick-name.

After this trip down memory lane, Mama-ji and I went to the kitchen for my next cooking class. Here I learned to make Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese), Onion Naan, and Plain Naan. This dish as usual, came out amazing.

So after another eventful day, I retired for the next big day to follow.