We heart India

Marcelo and I continue to lead the charmed life in India. We both overslept, so we had to rush a little bit through our daily poolside breakfast. This morning, the restaurant was full of people. Perhaps there is a conference or something. Usually, there is only 10 people tops. We've become so spoiled -- I was annoyed that I had to wait at the buffet. But, I powered through and got my share of methi paratha (Google says that methi is fenugreek), vegetable idli, vegetarian cutlet (deep-dried potato and corn croquette-like thing served, strangely, with BBQ-flavoured potato chips), onion uttapa, medu wada, and sabudana khichadi (a globular grain cooked soft and mixed with herbs-- very mild). What will I do when I can't have an Indian breakfast buffet next to the pool every morning? Sigh.

I realized today that I didn't know our driver's name and I was referring to him as driver (not to him, of course), just like Karen on Will & Grace. Our driver's name is Pradeep and he is an excellent and ridiculously punctual driver. When he says he'll be there in 2 minutes, he means it literally.

Training continues to go well with the team. We've gone over installation, online setup, customers, orders, series config, and performance config. They have been studying on their own, so I find that they know way more than I have told them. They're so quick. You know how they say that IT workers in India could take your job because the labour is cheaper? Well, not only it is cheaper, but it's better. They're kicking my ass. If Marcelo decides to get rid of me, I'll understand.

Santosh continues to take care of our every need. Today for lunch he made reservations for us at a place called Mainland China. It was a very upscale-looking restaurant that could have been in any city in the world. We had the most delicious prawn dim sum appetizers. It was upscale-type dim sum (like you'd get at Lai Wah Heen), but it was priced like in Chinatown. Then we had mapo tofu (a Chinese spicy tofu and ground meat dish) made from lamb, stir-fried 'buddhist' vegetables (zucchini, bamboo shoots, baby corn, black fungus, broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy), and steamed rice. The food was dished out for us by the waiter and my tea cup kept on being magically replenished without my knowledge. The bill cam to 788 rupees, which is like $22 CDN -- insane. The bathroom was amazing too. Marcelo said that in the men's bathroom, there was a sign saying that you could purchase things like reading glasses of varying prescriptions, contact lens solutions, and woollen shawls from the restaurant if you needed them. Wild.

So, after our customary 2-hour lunch, we returned to the office and continued with training. At about 5PM the skies opened up and it started to pour. It rained for probably about an hour, which is very rare for winter. The team told us that usually it only rains during monsoon season, which is 4 months long ending in October, I think. So, this was special. We all went up to the covered rooftop cafeteria and watched the rain. The team told us that it can rain for up to one week solid during the monsoon season.

The rooftop cafeteria is awesome. They have free homemade chai tea up there that was so good. Very milky and sweet with ginger. I loved it. They also sell snacks up there, but that will have to wait for another day. The team had lots of questions about what Canada was like. They asked what kind of national cuisine we have and we said that there really isn't one. I think they didn't get that. Answers to that question are always about Canadian ingredients (Maritime lobster, Alberta beef, etc.) and not Canadian preparation. I hope to get angry comments from you all in Canada along with a list of our national foods because I can't think of anything. And don't say poutine. I mean, I love it too, but I don't think we should brag about it.

Marcelo and I were wondering what they would think if they visited Canada. There is so much to see in India (temples, forts, hill stations, tombs, caves), but what would they possibly want to see in Toronto? Niagara Falls? CN Tower? That's all I got, so please, send me your ideas.

Well, Vijay, I got a picture of the team for you, so you can see who everyone is. From left to right is Bhaskaran, Shirish, and Chandrashekar. Bhaskaran and Chandrashekar said that they are from the same area as you. Maybe when you come to India for your brother's wedding you could meet everyone?

For dinner tonight we stayed in and went to the poolside restaurant where we have breakfast. We were admiring the display of whole fish and shellfish next to the chef's station and the maitre d' sweetly identified all the fish for us (pomfret, sardines, small mackerel, large mackeral, lobster, crab, and something he translated as princess fish). Then he asked us if we wanted to eat a whole fish. Of course we said yes and it was whisked away and cooked sort of Chinese-style. It was cut into pieces, stuffed with garlic and herbs, battered, deep-fried, topped with a slaw of red pepper, carrots, green onions, and garlic and displayed with the head and tail. I know I've said this about everything, but it was incredible. The fish was really fresh so even though it was mackerel, it wasn't fishy. The sauce was sweet, a little bit spicy, and full of garlic and the batter was light and crisp. It was huge. We ate almost the whole thing and didn't have anything else on the side, so unlike the rest of our meals, it was all protein.

I took a lot of pictures of the chef and cooks. They kept on setting the wok on fire (to clean it, maybe?). After a bit, I think they were performing for my camera. :) I noticed from the pictures I took of the team and of the cooks that the people here do not smile for photos. Japanese people don't either...I'm not sure why. It makes my toothy grin stand out even more.

Marcelo said that before dinner he watched a live yoga class on TV. It was held outside by a famous yogi whose names escapes me and there were what looked like thousands of people there. Apparently, the yoga classes that we take in Toronto are very similar to this one, so we're actually getting the real deal, which is nice to know.

I think that the people at SSS are planning weekend sightseeing for us. I. AM. SO. EXCITED. I'll take pictures and blog, of course. Goodnight everyone.