Insignificant Thoughts

Here are some random bits that have no importance but thought I might share to further the glimpse of our life in India:)...Nugget Depletion
As I reported a month or so ago, McDonald's introduced chicken nuggets to India...apparently with much success. Although I don't care for them, the kids do and it brings along some great sentimentality of the U.S. But after a few short weeks here the supply has run out (represented by signs at each cash register in every McDonald's we've visited recently (3:). It says another batch is coming which I assume means they are being flown across the ocean. We are back to our Chicken McGrill (a spicy, orange chicken patty with green mint chutney sauce which we opt out of) happy meals. But despite any shortages I am thankful for McDonalds in India...a slice of home.Threading
After almost 2 years of living here I finally succumbed to the torturous act of having my eyebrows threaded. There is no eyebrow waxing here only the amazing art of threading. This requires the stylist to use a long loop of thread, catching your hairs in between and painfully twisting them out. Since mine were long over due I believe I got more pain than is normally required. Even though neither threading nor waxing is pain-free, I do think its better to pay $1 for threading than $15+tip for waxing in the U.S.! Here is a demo for those interested in seeing the process. Ignore the statement at the beginning that it is painless--not true:) And to get the full effect wait until she shows the close-up version:) (Couldn't embed it, sorry) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK6Y12IpCpMWeaned
As I observed an Indian women buying toilet paper, paper towels and Ragu sphaghetti sauce (which costs over $5 a jar here!!), I assumed that she must have previously lived in the U.S. at some point in her life. These 3 items are not usually on an Indian's shopping list unless they have lived abroad or are hosting foreign guests:) At that moment I had an amazing revelation... I have been weaned off of paper towels for 1.5 years now!!!! Really this is an amazing feat...just ask my mom...i can go thru a roll of paper towels at their house in about 2 days! How did I detox? It wasn't on purpose...it's just that the paper towels sold here are not that absorbent so I didn't see the point in them. Now I use a hand towel to dry my hands and dish towels to wipe up spills, etc. Which, i agree, is more eco-friendly but this doesn't mean that I won't bask in the luxery of paper towels when visiting the states:) And btw, I usually buy a 4-pack when staying at my mom and dad's house to make up for my serious over-usage:)

Domino Packets are Good for Something
With every order of Dominos pizza you get little packets (and more little packets) of Oregano Seasoning and Chili Powder. Since Italian seasoning is not available in stores I use the packets of Oregano to make sphaghetti sauce (can't do the $5 Ragu jars...just can't do it) and season salads. I know a few other foreigners (and probably many more) who do the same thing:) We all eat alot of Dominos:)
Washing's not Enough
Recently learned from a doctor that sewer water is used by many farmers to irrigate their crops. Ah, yummy. I already detox our produce in special cleansing suds then rinse with purified water, but she said anything that grows in the ground (i.e. carrots, spinach, cabbage) should sit in a covered pot of boiled water for 20 minutes. The sewer water, carrying parasites and bacteria, contaminates the produce. That could explain our on-and-off-again family stomach issues the last 2 years, including ecoli. So now I'm sold, and scald our carrots, spinach, etc. I'm a raw veggie girl myself but gotta do watcha gotta do. Not all doctors agree with her. Our pediatrician laughed when I told her. Makes sense to me.