What am I eating?

Heading out into Jhabhua district, a part of India most Delhi-ites would not venture to, I expected lots of adventure, especially from a culinary point of view. Sensibly armed with a first aid kit, bottled pani (water) and a stash of gluten free snacks I travelled on an expectant stomach.

Catching the late train from Delhi after supper at home, I awoke to my fellow passengers eating breakfast picnics of homemade roti, pickles and cold dal. Kindly the couple opposite offered to share some with me, but having Coeliac Disease I had to decline – many times. Somehow I missed the breakfast served on the train, probably because I was anxious about missing my stop and watched out the window for the extra hour we were delayed. I never miss breakfast – but I was desperate not to miss my station and end up in Bombay!

The first meal of the day came in the form of a homemade curry after the meeting at the hospital – and it was good. Don’t know what it was, but it was goooood, and not just because I was starving hungry! After washing up our own thali (flat stainless steel plate) in the yard we headed off to the countryside for visits to Nutrition centres and tribal villages.

But, before we even left the town of Jhabhua, the team suggested a smoothie at their favourite roadside stall to send us on our way fully refreshed. Satisfying my mango addiction, I ordered a mango smoothie – mango blended with crushed ice – served in a glass handled tankard. We sat in the shade as the others gossiped with the locals and I gently perspired in the 45degree (in the shade) heat.

Armed with more bottled water, and the team fully refreshed, we set off onto the dusty roads, bouncing in the jeep with all the windows down. No air conditioning here... just natural ventilation. About half way through the trip in a remote but lively town, we stopped for more refreshments (on account of how much we were sweating – more than I thought was ever possible!) and of course some snacks.

Something I have learnt living in India so far is that Indians love to eat. They are all foodies – in the sense like me, they love to eat and are constantly thinking about what to eat next - I was in good company. So heading to the special vendor selling fried bread snacks – not gluten free – these were kept on the dashboard until we reached the other side of town. Apparently, they could not be eaten without the complimentary besan (chickpea flour) coated chillies, which were gluten free!

Tucking into the crunchy, fiery whole green chillies, my lips continued to tingle for most of the journey. But it was all in aid of building my tolerance of chilli. I am getting rather hardcore now.

After driving to remote villages as the sun was setting, and one more stop for a glutinous snack refill, Cait and I were dropped off at the hotel. Supper consisted of many common Indian dishes in rather unfamiliar forms – it was an unremarkable but functional meal after an totally incredible day.

The next morning for breakfast I ordered masala chai (spiced tea made with rich whole milk from the Holy Cow) and an omelette which strangely came wrapped around 2 slices of toast. Doh! A non gluten free omelette? That is a first! So, filling up on full fat masala chai instead, we head off this time into the countryside for a Tribal Wedding. A local employee of Real Medicine Foundation in Jhabhua was to be married and the team and I had been invited to celebrate.

With plenty of dancing, ceremonies and drinking (a local spirit made from flowers) the eating came at the end of the celebrations in the form of a goat curry with rice. As we watched the meal be prepared in a rather “rustic” way, I contemplated refusing this offer on grounds of hygiene. But when the big event came, we were right in the middle of the sitting queue that formed around us, and were absorbed into the crowd and given waxy plates to fold into cones.

Western girls eating tribal food gave the villagers a great photo opportunity (taking pictures with their very snazzy mobile phones). Cait and I tucked in not wanting to appear rude to the chefs and more importantly not to waste precious food in an area rife with malnutrition. But it was good. Really good! Big pieces of fire roasted goat and sticky rice we could eat with our fingers. Risking the hygiene levels and rustic kitchen approach was really worth it - and no sign of Delhi Belly thankfully.

But the food adventures didn’t stop there. Returning to Delhi we had time to kill at Meghnegarh Station, and filled it with another mango smoothie. Once on the platform, just in case we were too late for dinner we snacked on some pounded yellow rice laced with pomegranate seeds, lentils, fresh coriander and spices. No idea what it was called, but it was good. Gluten free snacks abound in this country.

On the train we secured the last of the supper trays – a paltry thin vegetable and lentil soup – but enough to last me till breakfast of an omelette and masala chai – without the bread this time.
So, the lessons that all this unknown food taught me is how rich India is in gluten free food and when you eat like a local you eat really well, even if you don’t know what it is.

Visiting the malnutrition project in Jhabhua

Before arriving in India, I had some idea of the poverty I would be faced with (particularly after the compulsory Slumdog Millionaire viewing before our departure) and the rapidly increasing disparity between the rich and the poor as the national economy develops. However when I think of malnutrition, Comic Relief images of Africa and Ethiopia come to mind from the news back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. But did you know that 40% of the world’s underweight children live in India?

As a result of malnourishment, a large proportion of India’s children under 5yrs old are massively susceptible to increased illness plus stunted physical and mental growth, which limits them for life. Of the 60million underweight children in India, an estimated 60% of them live in the State of Madhya Pradesh in the West of the country, which is why RMF has launched the malnutrition initiative there.

With the project at inception, Cait invited me to visit local nutrition centres and tribal villages in Jhabua District, the heart of the afflicted state with the hope of understanding the root causes of malnutrition there. The trip began with an overnight train from Delhi to Meghnagar – halfway from Delhi to Mumbai – where I was rocked to sleep in the silent sleeper carriage. I arrived the next morning to meet Cait and after a brief motorcycle ride to the hospital, we launched straight into a session with a group of regional NGO representatives who had gathered to hear about Cait’s Malnutrition project.

I was introduced as the Nutrition Expert (you make up your own job titles here!) but that was where my comprehension ended - the session was conducted entirely in Hindi. The meeting stimulated hearty debate, especially when the NGO’s were asked what they thought the cause of local malnutrition could be. Much to my surprise, the answer was not access to food, as I understand it to be in Africa. Here the answer lies in a complex web of issues including annual migration for work, a lack of dietary education, drought, failing crops and mothers working long hours in the fields. There is clearly no simple answer and much more to understand about the region.

Lunch was provided for all the delegates, and for me this was the beginning of an adventure called “I don’t know what I am eating” more of which in further posts. Whatever it was – some curried squash, a dal, rice, roti, papads and another curry – it was a delicious meal, home cooked by the a local worker and eaten with our hands off the thali it was served on.

The long, hot afternoon was spent in the Jeep dashing about the arid countryside of Jhabhua District seeing Nutrition Centres and meeting tribal villagers to check for signs of malnutrition amongst the children. The roads were narrow with thundering brightly decorated lorries, people carriers (jeeps with as many people crammed in and clinging to the outside as possible), pot holes and people walking for miles barefoot to who knows where.

Visiting the villages, it was an eye opening experience to see how wide scale malnutrition actually is, and how much help the state needs to address it. The Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRC’s) we visited - many aided by Unicef –administered emergency care to just a handful of children. Compared to the number of kids we saw in need of nutrients, the centres should have been much busier. But as we discovered throughout the trip, life here is not that simple.

The biggest issue is making people aware of the signs of child malnutrition. The second is getting them to take the children to the NRC’s and stay long enough for the children to regain weight and health. It was the middle of the regions Wedding Season and many families opted to wait until after these extravagant and pivotal village events (more of which will be explained in a separate post) to admit the child to the centre. Just this alone demonstrates the barriers created by differences in culture and customs that Cait and the team are trying to understand, in order to prevent wide scale and long term malnutrition in the region.

It seems the situation is nearing emergency in Madhya Pradesh. Thankfully Cait and the Real Medicine Foundation are working collaboratively with existing field staff and NGO’s to tackle the issue from the ground, using insight and best practice from local NGO’s which will hopefully speed up the impact of this project.

For me, this project strikes a real chord. Education about food and nutrition is a subject very close to my heart, and is why I am here in India - to learn. It was baffling to see so many parents who didn’t understand that their own flesh and blood were in serious need of nutrition. Living here, having this Indian adventure, it’s too easy to be caught up in my own issues. But, thanks to Cait my eyes are now open wider to the issues being faced in this beautiful country full of contrast. But awareness is only the beginning...

For donations to this cause, and other work by the RMF – click here. To follow the projects progress read Cait's Blog

Malnutrition Project in Madya Pradesh

At my first Indian cookery class I met Cait, a New Yorker who has spent 2 years in India working for various charities, and has recently been employed by the Real Medicine Foundation. Cait and I enthusiastically discussed our backgrounds and passion for India, food, Indian food, restaurants and must see places, and her work here, throughout the class.

Living in an affluent part of the Indian capital, it is easy to forget the issues facing the majority of the population. It’s even easier living in London, where developing countries pale in significance to an obesity epidemic, a global financial crisis and now a swine flu pandemic. However meeting Cait and seeing the project working to combat malnutrition in the Indian State of Madya Pradesh, I was compelled to make you aware too.

As a foodie, I dedicate large amounts of time and attention to what to eat next, never asking if I will eat at all, or if the foods I am preparing will nourish my family adequately. But across India, and at the project I visited with Cait in Jhabhua life is not so certain with malnutrition affecting 60% of the states children. So, over the next few posts I will share with you my adventures outin West India, warts and all. Hopefully it will inform and entertain you, but most importantly encourage you to support projects such as this. After all as foodies and food bloggers we live to eat, where as in Jhabhua, the eat to live - just.

Love Food? Take a tour with Sophie

Personally, I am always searching for ways to discover the real, authentic and local food wherever I visit. Recently, it has been aloo tikki in Old Delhi...

...and Goat Curry at a tribal wedding in Jhabhua....

...Meanwhile, back in my homeland, a very special friend of mine has lauched Love Food Tours to show people the foodie delights of ol' London town.

So, if you are heading to London, and need a fellow foodie to show you where's hot and tasty contact Sopie on lovefoodtours@gmail.com. She's the most energetic, friendly foodie I know. You will have a blast and eat very well...

Gluten free airline meals

Have you ever been excited about plane food? I used to love the anticipation of hearing "chicken or fish?" coming down the aisle of the aeroplane - it signalled the start of new taste adventures in a foreign land. These days having to request a "special diet" for the flight fills me with dread. Gluten free meals are appalling in my experience and I wish that the airlines wouldn't bother.

On a trip to San Francisco last year, we flew for nearly 12 hours and I was kindly provided with a safe gluten free meal... not that I could identify what the hell it was. It looked like pickled artichokes in an insipid tomato sauce, boiled carrots on the side and decorated with black olives. Not a dish I had seen before... and it was gross. Served with a thimble of rice and an inedible rock representing gluten free bread, and the ever so creative dried out fruit salad for dessert this was the only food I was given for the entire flight. When the in flight staff came round with snacks, cakes and sandwiches for ‘normal’ passengers, I had to ask what they had for me. A blank expression told me that I had received my quota of gluten free delicacies and I spent the rest of the flight starving hungry – there was nothing safe for me to eat.

How an airline such as Virgin Atlantic - who I wrote and complained to - can get it so utterly wrong, when new airline Kingfisher gets it so right is an example of the constant contrasts that living in India throws my way.

On an hour’s flight to Jaipur recently with budget Indian airline Kingfisher, we were promptly served a hot meal. Unexpected for such a short flight, I cautiously pulled back the tinfoil lid of the hot dish and to my HUGE excitement it was Indian food! Indian food that I could eat! The roti was served separately in its own tinfoil, thus keeping the whole meal naturally gluten free, and even the chocolate mousse for pudding - was safe to eat too.

Everyone got the same meal – it was good for vegetarians, lactose and gluten intolerant passengers (when opting out of the respective bad bits) and it really was rather good. Indian food benefits greatly from being cooked in advance, allowing the flavours to meld and soften which makes it perfect for in flight meals. Much to the embarrassment of Jack – I took photos to remember this special moment.

Unlike my return flight from San Francisco, where I created a naturally gluten free hamper at the Ferry Building Farmers Market and Whole Foods to avoid passing out in the aisle from hunger, in India I eat well when I travel. In fact I actually look forward to my in-flight meals here!