We've been mostly sitting around the house this week, and I finally got up early enough to watch Deepika make a few curries. The secret to the cooking is a house blend of Garam Masala, made from salt, chili, coriander, and garlic. That, and more salt. I'm still not sure how healthy my diet is here. As I've mentioned before, its mostly white rice. The small amount of curries taken means that salt content probably is ok overall, but it also means that the nutritional and fiber contribution of those vegetables is low.

Deepika usually has the TV on as she does her morning chores, watching either the music channels or soap operas. Especially in the commercials, the actors are very light skinned, to the point where if I walk by during the middle of a commercial, I can forget that they are Indian. They look hispanic or even white with black hair... not what the people on the street look like. As for the music, the videos all come from movies, and they get played to death, just like on MTV. They aren't as overtly sexual (or conceptual - they are almost all choreographed dances, like they're from a musical), but because of the focus on dancing, and all the hip shaking, they are as sexually charged as anything on American television, just not as dirty.

This afternoon we're going to an Ayurvedic doctor, to check out some traditional medicine. Homeopathy and Ayurvedic medecine are popular here. Homeopathy, based on the idea that like cures like, isn't crazy in that base idea, but in practice it is basically treatment with magic water, and I don't believe in it. Ayurvedia is a more traditional approach, based waaay back in the vedic scriptures, and focuses on whole body heath and balance, and seems much more plausible. It will be interesting to see what how the appointment goes.