Food, Glorious Food

Those who know me, know that I am something of a foodie, so I thought that for this posting, I would talk about food. I love to cook, I love to eat. I have an obssession with cookbooks (and I'm missing them terribly - I have yet to get them shipped over). The internet is, of course, a wonderful resource; millions of recipes quite literally at your fingertips, but I am old-fashioned enough to like to be able to turn physical pages made of paper. I find it relaxing to sit and browse a book or magazine and drool over the pictures. Since being here though, I am having to rethink my food habits.

In common with many of my fellow Britons, I like a curry. Britain has a 400 year history with India and Pakistan, and many British citizens can trace their roots back to the Indian sub-continent. The food of this region is very popular in the UK, indeed, the first curry on an English restaurant menu dates back about 240 years, and there are Indian restaurants in even the smallest of towns. Indian foods are widely available in every supermarket, and the spices used to cook Indian foods at home are readily, and cheaply available. This popularity has even given rise to what is known as "Anglo-Indian cuisine".

Now, I'm not saying that there are no Indian restaurants in Pennsylvania, but they are not as abundant as back home. Indian food does not play a big role in the culinary culture of the US - or not this corner of it at least. A website I found listed 39 Indian restaurants in the state of Pennsylvania, a state that is approximately the same size as England. By contrast, there are approximately 8000 Indian & Pakistani restaurants in the UK. Anyway... I decided to cook a curry.

The challenge was in the spices section of the supermarket. There was curry powder... and curry powder. No garam masala, no madras, no balti spices, etc. Ok, I can live with that. At least I can make a curry, even if it is a rather generic one. But the cost! A 6.25 ounce (177g) drum of curry powder was more than $6, not including sales tax. That's almost £4, which is at least double what I would pay in England. Thankfully, only a tablespoon or so is needed, so I can enjoy a few more curries before I need to buy more. No guesses what's coming back in my suitcase next time I come back from England... Still, it was a very tasty curry that I thoroughly enjoyed, made with chicken and butternut squash. If you want the recipe, let me know!

As I said at the beginning, I have something of an obssession with food and cooking, so I plan on making regular updates about my culinary adventures in the US. In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions, and watch this space!