Farmers in the spotlight

An article titled "Want to Earn More than a Banker? Become a Farmer!" in last week's Time caught my attention. Written by Steve Gandel, the article highlights an agricultural revival in the US that hasn't occurred in decades. Gandel also notes that the upswing could create opportunities in developing markets overseas:

"The average American consumes about 250 lb. (113 kg) of meat a year. The average Indian eats less than 10 lb. (4.5 kg) a year. In China, it's more like 100 lb. (45 kg). Which means there's a lot of room for growth. Half of U.S. corn production goes to feed cattle, pigs and poultry, which drives up demand for grain."

While it's obvious the two most populous nations in the world could consume more American meat, India's "room for growth" might be a lot more complicated than it appears. 

Gandel definitely did more homework on this topic than I did, but having just visited India and seen first hand the eating habits in Bombay, I don't believe Indians will be consuming even 50 pounds of meat anytime soon.

Arati's Chicken Curry

Tracking down family recipes isn't easy. The mothers who made the meals famous learned from their mother or mother-in-law over the course of many years of coaching and supervision, so that the technique becomes part of her DNA long before it's ever written down. Perhaps this is part of what makes "home food" so awesome, as it's about about the people and the place as much as the recipe. Try as we may to recreate it on the other side of the world, it's not always easy to replicate.

One morning, before the rest of the family was up and moving, I camped out in my mother-in-law's kitchen while she cooked the day's basic chicken curry - the same chicken curry she's prepared for lunch each day for the past 31 years - and wrote down her every step.

My Indian Summer

Shefali and I traveled to Bombay/Mumbai from London to see her family. It was my fourth trip to India, and each one is better than the last. One of the highlights is always the food, and this one was no exception.

- This was my first trip to India during mango season. India is home to the Alphonso mango. The Alphonso is smaller and richer than any variety we get in or around the US. The flesh isn't as stringy, either, so the texture is somewhat like a melon. We cut them into boats and scooped out the flesh. We skinned them, diced, them and ate them with vanilla ice cream. We blended them with milk and drank shakes in the morning, and blended them with yoghurt and drank mango lassis in the afternoon. I easily ate my weight in mangoes during my 10-day stay.