In with Turmeric...Out with French Fry PICNIC

Prior to re-locating to India, I sold my house and moved my furniture into storage. There are always so many items that you don’t want to pack and store, but you can’t take them halfway around the world with you either. One particular group of items that I was initially struggling with, was my vitamins and supplements. I am a personal believer (my opinion) that a “mix” of Vitamin Shoppe (in US)/(including an ayurvedic approach) of supplements and spices, mixed with Western meds is a good balance for me. I mean, you cannot go wrong by adding some spices to your diet (cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, oregano, etc), right? And I swear, my hair growth did slow considerably when I started taking curcumin. (As a woman, preservation of a good salon day is only being practical. If I can wait 3 weeks longer to get my hair done, great!) Of course, slowed hair growth is just the tip of the iceberg, and not even a contender, when many researchers are working on formal approaches to “studies” that include turmeric being linked to prevention of certain cancers and quite a list of other chronic illnesses. I have no direct knowledge or proof of this obviously, but I personally take a “Cant hurt, Can only help” (unless outwardly allergic) attitude towards things like this. So…..Keeping in mind….. I brought about 10 different vitamin/supplement bottles to India with me…..The one thing that I laugh about in hindsight, is that one of them, was indeed Turmeric/curcumin. India is the world's largest producer of turmeric, i.e. nearly 90% of the world's total production. Soooo…while India is growing, producing and exporting loads of turmeric into US, I am crossing back into India with it in my bag. Tweezers, I found I needed (blog on that later). Turmeric, certainly I did not. I have eaten turmeric in some form every single day while I have been in India (in food), as I am eating the Indian cuisine for lunch. Above is an example of a typical day’s meal. The “gravies” are light and filled with spices. I have had an adjustment period (for sure, yes), yet now look forward to lunch, as the “hotter spices” can be addictive. I was positive that one of my colleagues was having some fun with me, in telling me that the “purple ball” item (above) is made of bread. (Hey-- It really is.) I would be lying if I said that if I had access to a car and a Bojangles for one day at lunch, that I would not be eating a “picnic French fry”. (I can hear them over the loudspeaker now. “French Fry….PICNIC”). But I am in a groove now with the Indian cuisine, and may actually come out of this healthier than I went in....perhaps! A final note, I really appreciate all of the comments and notes I have received from home. Being in India on July 4th weekend was different, though a very nice colleague today (A.S.) wished me a Happy 4th!! I have a LOT more to report on so many things that I am seeing, eating, reading (newspaper), and just "kicking off" this blog now, so thanks for reading it!