Around West Mambalam 1

Bruce requested that I post some more every day pictures from the neighborhood. I have always wanted to take more pictures of the neighborhood, but I have problems taking the pictures. There are always people everywhere, and I feel awkward taking pictures of people in their everyday life. Being the only white person in the whole neighborhood makes it VERY clear that I am a tourist. Also, the people doing the most visibly interesting things (at least interesting to me) are lower classes, and usually don’t speak English, so I can’t ask them if it is o.k. to take their picture, but in response to Bruce, and to my move to R.A Puram I swallowed my pride, and took some pictures around West Mambalam and T Nagar (the busy shopping area nearby), so you can all see where I’ve been living, and I don’t forget.

I’ll write a little about each one here.

“me buying veggies” …This store is about a 3 minute walk from my teachers house in West Mambalam. Fresh veggies are delivered every day at around 4. Shankar taught me the names of every single vegetable in the store, but I don’t think I can remember any of them now. I did however learn the families fairly well (for instance what the root vegetables are, what is in the bean family, what the gourds are ect.) This helps me use them in cooking. The ladies at this store are very nice. When you buy a full back of veggies they put curry leaves in your bag. Under the counter are a variety of herbs, and veggies used for flavor. After I came a few times they started putting green chilies, and coriander in as well. They don’t speak English (except for numbers), but I feel like they like me, and except me. One day the younger one had her son in. He was pulling stuff off the shelves, and she was having a hard time controlling him. I prevented him from knocking a big bag of veggies on the floor. When he looking up, and saw my white face he was so surprised. He just stared, frozen in his tracks. She noticed what had happened, thanked me, and picked him up. He continues staring at me, and then gave me a big smile. I smiled back, and she told him to call me auntie. He was smiling, staring, and still kind of in shock. My foreignness had shocked him out of his mischief!

“Sewing machine in the street”….This man often works across from teachers house. His treadle sewing machine is on wheels. I don’t know how he gets his machine there. Maybe he lives nearby, and just rolls it down the street, but he is one of many tailors who operate treadle machines in the streets of West Mambalam. I think they mostly do alterations. I thought Bruce, and my mom would enjoy these pictures. I think I’m going to get an alteration done on something, so I can ask for a proper picture. These ones were taken from the roof of my teacher’s house.

“West Mambalam store front.”….This is a typical shop, and apartment building. Many shops (like this one) can’t be entered by the customers. You can see most of the merchandise behind the counter from the street, and you have to ask the shop-keeper for what you want. At night the entire store front is closed with a big garage door.

“GIANT jackfruit” and David with fruit vendor” ….This fruit vendor is in T Nagar (a more commercial shopping area than west mambalam), but there is nothing commercial about the fruit vendor, it’s just where his cart happens to be. We had to stop, and see what the giant fruit was. It turned out to be jackfruit! I had no idea jackfruit was so huge. I’ve only ever seen it in a can. The fruit vendor was very nice, and wanted us to try some other strange fruit, which was a little like an olive. I really wanted to try the jackfruit, but I didn’t want to buy anything, and I didn’t want to push the poor mans kindness. I’m looking forward to buying fresh jackfruit (but maybe one a little smaller if it exists). It’s something Stelo tried to get me to appreciate, but the stink always turned me off. I wonder if fresh jackfruit is less stinky.

Bike trailer for fruit….This is a common design of bike trailer for fruit. What do you think Bruce? These trailers are often full beyond belief. This particular one is a small trailer. You often see people peddling trailers the size of cars full of produce.