Autumn, Patrick, and Bangla food

Right now it is autumn in Bangladesh - it has been since the middle of August. The rainy season has ended and soon the winter seasons will begin. Somehow I think that there has been some sort of misunderstanding in my comprehension of Bangla seasons. It was hot when I got here, which I expected. I thought I had adjusted to the heat, but my Bengali friends have verified that is indeed getting hotter. 90 degree weather isn't that bad - if you are sprawled on your bed under a fan and the fan is working because there is power. The heat has given me reason to escape to the air conditioned internet cafe for as long as I can stand it.

Now for those who are curious about Patrick - Patrick is from Canada and is 21. He is in the Salt program, and will be in Mymensingh for one year working with Taize. Patrick just graduated from a two year nursing program that he liked very much - he hopes to incorporate some health care into his work in the next year. He is also engaged to his fiance of several months who is currently working at Disney in Florida. Patrick is doing quite well considering that he has had some sickness and homesickness. I think that he is learning Bangla alot faster than me, which is good since he will only have two months of study. There are many challenges to being a woman in Bangladesh, but foreign men have a few that foreign women don't. People (men) actually talk to Patrick more readily than they would to me. When we are out in the park scores of people (men) will have conversations with him. Of course, maybe it is because he is more polite than I. I tend to ignore everyone when I go out.

When I went to Vietnam, I thought I had mastered all the different methods of eating. Chopsticks are difficult to use, but who would have guessed that eating with your hands would be just as challenging. I suppose that eating with your hands is easy, but eating rice with my hands in a polite, non-messy, public way took a little time to figure out. One good thing is that you don't burn your tongue when you touch your food first. I have found the food to be delicious. I have also been eating rice two times a day since I got here. Curry is used in almost every meal - it is yellow and stains the hands. My right hand is usually slightly yellow, and I imagine that the inside of me is also stained yellow. When I say eating with your hands, I really mean one hand as the left hand cannot be used for eating. Besides rice, potatoes are eaten at every meal. Spinach, which could be any of several kinds of leaves, is also quite common. The other vegetables that we eat are not common in the U.S. My favorite vegetables are pumpkin and red spinach. Meat is popular - it is sign of wealth - and you must give your guests alot of it. I usually like meat in moderation, but the meat here is alot more fatty with liver and other odd body parts. On the table at a typical Bengali meal is a huge bowl of rice, various mixtures of vegetables and spices, and meat and spices. The food is spicy, but usually it is a reasonable amount that does not cause you to cry. Of course, you always have the option of adding more spices to your food. I have been known to eat 5 chilis with my rice at Taize. Dinner at Taize is alot simpler-just rice with a mixture of potatoes and another vegetable- and we all sit on the floor to eat.