Bangalore, Day 3

Gave my first presentation today, and it seemed to go well. I have two more tomorrow. :)

We had a team lunch because the team here has a new writer! We went to Absolute Barbecues and had a ton of food. I would say it is a cross between an Indian buffet and the Brazilian steakhouse. There are grills in every table, and they bring a variety of skewered meat and vegetables (already cooked) and place them there for you to eat. They also brought us corn, and some fried falafel and cheese, not to mention the variations of chat that we got from the counter.

Then K said, "Now the main course?"

I genuinely thought she was kidding, I was already so full. But then came the Indian food, and after that, the dessert line, where I tried an ice cream with a flavor that I knew then but can't place now. It had anise in it, too. Finished it off with mukhwas, the Indian mouth freshner. It tastes like what it is--small mint candies and fennel seeds.

This evening, my travel-mate and I went with S to her favorite market-mall and a silver jeweler that she patronizes. My travel-mate was able to find several silver pieces, and I found several earrings, hair clips, and kurtas at the market-mall.

I'm not sure how to describe it. It's a wet market outdoors--vegetables and fruit, flowers, and I think some fish somewhere. Indoors, it is two stories of packed booths selling everything from shoes to idols to earrings to kurtas to curtains to tupperware to purses to puja accessories. S likes to go to get good deals, and indeed we got some great ones.

There is something to be said here about my attempt at buying ethical clothing while in America. How guilty I've felt after buying a handful of new clothes items per year. Yet seeing how big the market is in India herself for cheap clothes, cheap handbags, cheap shoes, I have little faith that my two pairs of Gap jeans and one skirt from Altar'd State is even half a drop in the social justice warrior bucket.

I took no pictures, and have still taken very few. I spend a lot of time trying to blend in and seem as little like a tourist as possible, which is a hopeless endeavor anyway because of my...well, everything: my tennis shoes, my flared jeans, my polo, my brown hair, my subtle jewelry, and let's not forget my pale skin. But if you want pictures, this gallery is an accurate representation of where we were (it may or may not be where we actually were).

So many religious icons and worship accessories. Do you remember when the silversmiths of Ephesus threw the city into a "Great is Diana!" riot because of how many people were converting to the Christianity preached by Paul? After shopping here, this story makes a lot more sense. If the city of Bangalore converted to Christianity, half the city would go out of business.

I heartily enjoyed my time tonight. Enjoyed shopping and having S as our guide, bargainer extraordinaire, and friend. I think she enjoyed the chance to shop and bargain with other people's money, as would we all.

Tomorrow...probably more shopping. Indeed, that seems to be the extent of what my travel-mate and I will be doing these evenings. The largest attraction of Bangalore are the wares themselves. This country appreciates beauty, for the sake of beauty, like the US has not bothered to do in a very long time.