"Ryori" and our experiences with food

Joe and I went to Japanfest in Gwinnett County for a few hours on Saturday, where we saw dozens and dozens of vendors selling beautiful arts and crafts, martial arts presentations, and cooking demonstrations given by various chefs.  One of the presenters happened to be the personal chef for the Consulate General of Japan to Atlanta (serving the entire southeast United States), who we had the pleasure and honor of meeting.

Ryosuke Murakami seemed incredibly passionate and humble as he explained his journey to his current position (which is quite a prestigious one).  When the MC first introduced him and described his incredible accomplishments, I looked over at Mr. Murakami, who was struggling to keep himself composed and had tears of joy in his eyes.  He felt truly honored to be doing this demo.

Mr. Murakami didn't speak much English, so he had a translator by his side.  After briefly describing his background, he started his talk by introducing the Japanese word for "cuisine" or "cooking" -- "ryori" -- which translates to "purpose" or "reason."  He described how when he prepares food, he does so with reason and purpose.  Admittedly, his talk focused less on his cooking demonstration and more on the philosophy of Japanese cuisine, but we actually appreciated this.  Unlike chefs of other cuisines, Murakami's goal in serving food to a customer, friend, or relative, is not to make them full (although this would be ideal, of course), but to given them a truly authentic, original experience as they interact with their food.  This means appealing to multiple taste bud types with both flavors that pop, as well as flavors that are more subtle, throughout the meal.  Japanese cuisine is very unique in this regard.  There is more emphasis in what you taste and feel as the food touches your mouth, as it sits on your tongue and you slowly salivate and chew before swallowing -- in other words, the food experience.  In my opinion, we often forget to enjoy our food in an attempt to save time while multi-tasking -- or even worse, we sometimes don't care what goes in our mouths because we eat to "make it" until the next meal because of a jam-packed day full of work (I'm guilty of doing this all the time, by the way).   

Because I had such a strong background in music growing up, I sometimes hear songs playing in my head when I am savoring something particularly delicious.  I know it sounds silly, but it's true.  Most often, I'll hear "Jupiter: Bringer of Jolity" from The Planets Suite, by Gustav Holst, which is not only my favorite piece from the suite and one of my favorite songs of all time, but just a perfect accompaniment to eating a great meal.  For me, it serves as a reminder that good flavor comes from the marrying of several (or more) ingredients, and of course, a lot of love.  Oh, and that good food just makes me happy.  Really tasting and savoring our food can change our experiences with meals!

Source: http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/27150/japanese-cuisine-to-be-showcased-at-japanfest-sept-20-21/

My "Best of" list of Atlanta!

The last few weeks haven't been easy for me, I'll admit.  I'm exploring different dietary options based on some health issues I've been having.  Without disclosing too many details, I'm closely following components of my health as I add and take out certain things from my diet so I can examine any significant changes.  This leaves me to crave many of the foods I've eliminated from my diet temporarily, with the fire and intensity of a thousand burning suns.

My cravings have motivated me to put together my "best of" list for restaurants in Atlanta.  Thinking about some of these foods gives me something to look forward to at the end of this experiment!  So, without further ado, here's my list of favorites, by cuisine (in no particular order):

1. Best burger: Grindhouse Killer Burgers.  Grindhouse offers many options for meat-lovers and vegetarians alike, and even has turkey burgers on their menu for those avoiding beef (like me).  They allow you to build your own burger and there are endless options for customization!  It's hard for me to limit my intake when I go into Grindhouse.  I often go with the Gringo style turkey burger (add bacon for an extra layer of decadence!) and a large avocado salad.  The avocado salad is absolutely delicious and PACKED with flavor and heat.  For those avoiding major sources of gluten, you can top the salad off with a meat / veggie patty for a delicious entree.  Also, I have to say, the crinkle-cut french fries are some of my favorite fries in Atlanta.  My only issue?  They don't give you nearly enough in a single serving!

*Runner-up: The Vortex: Endless possibilities for burgers, funky atmosphere, and oh!  TATER TOTS OFFERED AS A SIDE!  For literally a heart-stopping burger option, try one of the coronary bypasses (single, double, triple)!  Oh, and don't forget to try their decadent potato salad, packed with real chunks of bacon!

2. Best smoothie: Lotta Frutta, hands down, has the best smoothies in Atlanta.  I can name two other places here that are quite popular, but they are: (1) pretty mediocre at best (in my opinion) and (2) much more expensive than Lotta Frutta.  This is a local joint which is a favorite of Joe and mine that also happens to have some of our favorite grilled cheese sandwiches!  For more on Lotta Frutta, refer to my previous blog post here.  

3. Best barbeque: It's hard to go wrong with Community Q Barbeque.  They hosted our post-wedding lunch in Atlanta and did not disappoint!  Their fall-off-the-bone pork ribs are so finger-lickin'-good that you'll have to finish the whole order instead of saving half for lunch the next day!  Oh, and oh, the mac 'n cheese.  Sorry to say, Mary Mac's, but Community wins my vote on the mac 'n cheese.  Decadent and buttery with just the right amount of crispiness on top, you won't want to stop eating this side dish long after you're full.  My other favorite sides include the bone-in chicken, black-eyed peas with rosemary, and sweet potatoes with kale.  Mmmm-mmm-mmm!

4. Best Southern: Despite Community Q winning the award for mac 'n cheese, Mary Mac's Tea Room takes the cake for overall Southern cuisine.  They do serve a decent mac 'n cheese, as well as pork ribs, fried chicken, fried pork chops, tomato pie, and Thanksgiving style turkey.  Mary Mac's serves each table with a basket of bread before the meal, including freshly baked cinnamon rolls and southern cornbread.  But what I go gah-gah over every time I eat there is the pot likker.  For those of you unfamiliar with pot likker, it is essentially a rich and salty broth flavored from collard greens and pork.  Generally, the ratio of greens: pork for pot likker varies across restaurants, and I don't generally love pot likker, but Mary Mac's goes heavy on the smoked pork and it's hard to resist.  Best of all, you get a free serving of pot likker if you're a new customer at Mary Mac's!  

5. Best pizza: Antico's serves traditional Neapolitan pizzas and calzones.  They're pretty bare bones in terms of customer service and there's always a crowd, but they serve the best pizzas in town.  The kitchen is actually right next to the seating benches, which I find to be kind of fun to watch as the customer.  Also, the family that owns Antico's recently opened up Chicken Gio's and a gelateria called Caffe Gio.  Joe and I have to check out both of those soon!

6. Best pho: Pho Dai Loi #2 off Buford Highway, close to Dresden Drive.  We love this place especially because they offer pho (at a reasonable price) with chicken broth.  I know, I know, it's traditionally made with beef broth, but I don't eat beef and there are few places which offer alternatives for non-beef eaters.  They have great shakes/smoothies as well!  We love the avocado and taro flavors.  On a cold winter day, I love going to PDL and ordering a kettle of jasmine tea with my chicken pho.  Comfort food that's healthy!

7. Best banh mi: Lee's Bakery, off Buford Highway and Clairmont Road, right next to the Chevron station.  Mr. Lee is the NICEST man and always tries to get to know his customers.  The meat they use is so delicious and tender and the bread they use is fantastic!  The toppings are traditional -- cucumber slices, cilantro, daikon -- but the flavored mayo sauce they use in the sandwich really seals the deal for me.  Plus, it's $2.75 a sandwich, and if you're going the "take-out" route, you can buy 5 sandwiches and get the 6th for free!  Hooray, you're set for dinner on your next board game night!

8. Best sandwiches: This is sort of a tie between two different places.  The first is Urban Cannibals, a little "bodega" (I put that in quotes because the restaurant advertise itself as such, but it's not really a bodega) in East Atlanta that also happens to serve food.  Urban Cannibals has spotty customer service but they have gotten better over the years, I'll give them that.  Their kitchen has, at times, poor ventilation and the products they sell in their "bodega" (which, again, is not really a bodega) sometimes seem out of place and random, but this is definitely one of my favorite places to eat in town.  They have quite a large and varied menu of sandwiches, salads, and soups.  My favorites include: the Santa Fe salad, Greek salad, the falafel samich, the urban gyro, and the carnitas po' boy.  They have fantastic soup options in the fall and winter seasons, too.  If you do go there, expect at least a 15-20 minute wait for your food, as they do make everything from scratch (making it extra delicious!).  Another thing to keep in mind -- they have limited seating so I'd recommend going during non-peak hours.  

The second restaurant is Victory Sandwich Bar.  Victory changes up their menu periodically, but my favorites include the Han Cholo (chorizo + pickled red onion + feta cheese = awesomeness) and the Mile-High Club (turkey + bacon + avocado + fontina).  Joe loves the Victory at Sea (anchovies + frisee + lemon mayonnaise) and the Hambo (proscuitto, mozarella, apple, balsamic vinegarette).  Their sides are decent, soups are seasonal and never disappoint, and their house salad is crisp and refreshing on a warm summer day.  Vic's is also famous for their drinks, including their Jack and Coke slushie.  Although their location in Inman Park got torn down (and replaced by a large retail space...grrrr), the restaurant/bar in downtown Decatur has a fantastic patio with beautiful globe lights that is a great place to chill anytime with friends.  

9. Best Ethiopian: Desta, off Clairmont and Briarcliff.  My husband's supervisor at CDC is Ethiopian and he was the one who first recommended it to us years ago.  Desta exceeded my expectations, as my first experience with Ethiopian cuisine was, unfortunately, sub-par, to say the least.  Our favorites are their lamb and fish tibs as well as the shiro, and we love sopping up the curry sauce from the tibs with injera (a spongy form of sourdough flatbread)!  Ethiopian and Indian cuisines have some overlap in spices and flavors used, which makes Desta a favorite of mine.  We love to finish off our meals with hot tea, which they flavor with fresh cloves.  

10. Cafe Bombay: Everyone who knows me relatively well knows I am extremely picky about Indian restaurants.  I mostly avoid them, honestly, because I know I can make most of their dishes better than they do (not to get cocky, but it's true).  Joe can attest to the fact that I go into most Indian restaurants describing where the cooks went wrong with each dish, and I could improve it, and how, oh how, could they charge as much as they do for THIS dish?!  Well, for the MOST part, Cafe Bombay meets my expectations (there are a few dishes I feel they have not mastered).  Check them out during their ever-famous lunch buffets, where they showcase several vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for their hungry customers!

11. Best cupcakes: Yum Yum!  I've reviewed them in a previous post, but they deserve another mention since they're so fantastic.  And, exciting news for them -- they've opened a permanent dessert shop in the Buckhead area.  Plus, they have also expanded their menu beyond cupcakes to macaroons, cheesecakes, eclairs, and pies.  Hooray!

12. Best coffee/tea shop: I have two and a half favorites (one is a runner-up) here.  The first is Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party in the Candler Park area.  They offer numerous types of tea and snacks for customers, and their ambiance is quirky and cute.  The room adjacent to the cash register area has rows and rows of bookshelves filled with all sorts of gems donated by Atlantans (and maybe acquired through other means? Not sure).  Customers can purchase the books for a buck apiece, or just browse while sipping on a hot tea.  One cool thing about Dr. Bombay's is their Learning Tea program, from which a portion of the profits made from the shop, as well as the funds generated from the book program, go towards providing educational resources for young women in Darjeeling and Kolkata.  Dr. Bombay's also hosts a monthly dinner club, in which proceeds go towards this wonderful project.  If I'm not mistaken, some of the folks at Dr. Bombay's make a trip to India every year to help out with building the organization.

Inman Perk is a great place to study/work, catch up with a friend, or hang out reading your favorite book while sipping on a tea, coffee, or an adult beverage.  Inman Perk also offers ice cream, pastries, and light meals, such as salads and sandwiches.  I basically lived here while studying for my PhD qualifying exams!  (Joe and I are also partial to the Inman Park neighborhood, which features many appealing options for food and drinks and is a little more pedestrian friendly than some other areas of town.)

*Runner-up: Down the street from Inman Perk, Parish is an upscale restaurant with a sandwich bar / coffee shop in the basement area.  The basement menu is a bit more affordable, and there are huge wooden tables downstairs which provide a great workspace on weekday afternoons when you might want a quiet spot to work over a delicious lunch!

13. Best ramen: Unfortunately, we don't have too many choices around here, but Umaido has a lot of great options on their menu.  Umaido is a bit of a drive from Atlanta (they're located in Suwanee), but I'd say it's worth it.  We only had one slightly negative experience there when we tried to order a cup of matcha tea.  They had no idea what it was, actually.  We put together later that Umaido is actually owned and operated by Koreans, and perhaps they don't update their menu and keep all of their employees in the loop all the time (it turned out they did NOT have matcha tea).  Despite this experience, I'd still say they have the best ramen in the area.

14. Best sushi: Hands down, the best sushi restaurant in town is Sushi Hayakawa off Buford Highway (notice a trend here??).  The head sushi chef is a gregarious Japanese man who is always cracking jokes behind the counter.  The prices are steep but the quality of fish is absolutely the best I have ever had.  One interesting tidbit -- Hayakawa has a Japanese toilet in their bathroom that I had a little too much fun with the first time I went there.  Actually, one of the employees spotted me headed towards the restroom and said, "You going to restroom?  ENJOY!"  I was initially confused until I walked in and saw ALL THE BUTTONS (ALL THE THINGS!).  Fantastic!

A second place that deserves a mention is Sushi Avenue in downtown Decatur.  We favor the Ponce de Leon Place location over the one on the Square.  The owners are often at the restaurant and say hello to their customers, which adds a nice personal touch to their customer service.  We go to Sushi Avenue a lot more often because their prices are reasonable, even if the seafood is slightly less than the best (it's still pretty good, though!).  In addition, they serve ramen, gyoza, tonkatsu, and other Japanese dishes that are delicious.  They also have different types of bento boxes, in which they include a pretty impressive variety of foods at a fair price.  Joe and I are partial to SA because we went there on our first date 6 1/2 years ago. :)

15. Best Peruvian: Las Brasas is a "mom and pop" shop owned and operated by native Peruvian John Koechlin.  Peruvian restaurants in the US are popularly known for their juicy, tender, flavorful rotisserie chicken dishes, and Las Brasas does not disappoint in this category.  They also offer the traditional aji sauce, a creamy concoction of black mint, aji pepper, and lots and lots of lime, which goes well as a salad dressing or dipping sauce for a side of sweet potato fries (which happen to be my favorite sweet potato fries in Atlanta, by the way).  Once you try this sauce, you won't be able to stop eating it, folks.  The heat of the sauce has never deterred me from finishing a whole container with my meal -- even with all the tears and nose-blowing that accompanies eating this spicy condiment!  This is an excellent review of Las Brasas, which also describes the painstaking process in making their chicken (which is obviously worth it).  Oh, and don't expect fancy silverware and dinner napkins at this joint.  It's run out of a tiny shack off E. Howard in Decatur and only has seating for about 5 people on their patio (no seating inside), but it's fantastic!  *Note: Joe and I had a good giggle when we stopped by Las Brasas for some delicious chicken one night, only to find a note on the door saying the restaurant would be closed for 3 weeks due to their daughter's wedding.  This absolutely warmed our hearts!  For those of you living close to Decatur, they deliver for FREE within a 3 mile radius!

Well, this is a small sample of the full list, I'll admit, but maybe I'll continue this later.  All this talk of food makes me hungry!

Come one, come all! Free buffet for arthropods in the Athens, GA area!

Insects feeding on pollen, leaves, and other small arthropods living near Athens, Georgia have unlimited access to a free buffet at all times of the day, all days of the year at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia!

Joe and I took a short trip to Athens this past weekend and stopped by the gardens for a few hours -- we highly recommend it to those living in or near the Atlanta area!  Plus, it's free to the public!

Here are a few shots of insects feeding on pollen (and some others, including a shot of pitcher plants, which are just awesome).  Check out the little grasshopper buried inside a giant flower with pollen ALL OVER HIS FACE!  What a cutie pie. :)

King of Pops -- bringing people together through popsicles since 2008

Steven Carse and his two brothers took a trip to Central America several years ago and got to experience the deliciousness of many exotic fruits there (see here for part of a post devoted to fruits found in Costa Rica!) -- thus, a dream was born and fresh fruit ice pops were made!  Steven and his brother Nick jump-started King of Pops in Atlanta in 2008.  Losing his job at AIG in 2009 solidified his decision to follow his dream of opening up a shop selling refreshing paletas full time.

I think Joe and I started to see KoP carts with their iconic rainbow-colored umbrellas pop up around town around 2009.  The creative flavors and focus on using seasonal, organic fruit intrigued us.  As they grew, we began to see more and more carts at city festivals, various food truck parks, and at staple locations around Atlanta, including some grocery and convenience stores.  Of course, we instantly fell in love with the Georgia peach, and every year starting in late June, we scout out KoP carts.  Not surprisingly, peach is always one of the first flavors to sell out in the summer months!  

The most amazing appeal of the KoP product is not that it draws crowds wherever available, or that their popsicles are better than anything you could get anywhere else (because it's true, folks), but that there are few things more satisfying than enjoying a great popsicle with friends and/or family on a hot summer day.  I've never heard of someone sharing a conversation over a popsicle and not had a good time.  It's virtually impossible!  Popsicles promote love and happiness.  

This is how KoP has recently promoted love and happiness in our lives:

1. Joe and I had a few popsicles with my mom when she visited Atlanta over the fourth of July weekend.  We even got to try the Patriot Pop (a combination of strawberries, blueberries, and lime), which is not only a best-seller, but only available for about a week, around the fourth of July!

2. Joe and I cannot emphasize enough how much we enjoyed our wedding in Atlanta a few months ago.  We really saw it as a big reunion of sorts -- an opportunity for all of our closest family and friends (mostly in the US) to come together and celebrate with us as we committed our lives to each other.  As you all know, I strongly believe food brings everyone together, and popsicles are no exception to the rule.  We heard from several people after the wedding that the popsicles served as a bit of an ice-breaker during the cocktail hour, and allowed people to get to know each other a little better.  One of our all-time favorite pictures from the wedding was a group photo of all of our Emory friends enjoying pops with each other in the gardens.  Seeing it made us so happy!  

Photo credit: Yan Ping Qi

We are amazed and proud of how King of Pops has grown over the last several years.  They now sell popsicles in Charleston, Chattanooga, Savannah, Athens, Charlotte, and Richmond!  AND, they just bought a 68 acre plot of land to grow produce and herbs for their pops and to sell to the public!  We can't wait until it opens.

Joe's favorite flavors: blueberry cobbler, key lime pie, Georgia peach

Sharoda's favorite flavors: Georgia peach, orange basil, grapefruit mint

For a whole list of pop flavors, click here.   

Lotta Frutta

"From food are made all bodies, which become

Food again for others after their death.

Food is the most important of all things

For the body; therefore it is the best

Medicine for all the body's ailments.

They who look upon food as the Lord's gift 

Shall never lack life's physical comforts.

From food are made all bodies.  All bodies

Feed on food, and it feeds on all bodies.  

The physical sheath is made up of food.

Within it is contained the vital sheath,

Which has the same form, with prana as head,

Vyana as right arm, apana as left,

Space as heart, and earth as foundation."

~Taittiriya Upanishad

I love these verses from the Taittiriya Upanishad.  I came across these words last night while reading, and they moved me.  We are all conected by the maha prana, which we must care for and nourish.  First and foremost, we must always nourish ourselves physically before we can grow spiritually, and this is a reminder of that.  It is also a reminder of how all creatures need physical nourishment through food to survive.  When serving others, our family members, friends, small children, we must always serve them food with tender love and care, for we are serving the Self, we are serving that which connects all of us.  

...

Speaking of feeding others, we were fortunate enough to have my mother come stay with us last week and one of my goals during her stay was to expose her to as many of our favorite treats around Atlanta as, possible.  One of our best loved sandwich/smoothie restaurants is a little shop in the Old Fourth Ward district, a stone's throw away from the King Memorial and MLK's old childhood home.  Lotta Frutta is owned by Myrna Perez-Cifuentes.  Originally from McAllen, Texas (a small town in south Texas just north of the border with Mexico), Perez-Cifuentes is a passionate "fruitologist" who instills Mexican, Central American, and South American flavors into her delicious menu.  From juicy guanabanas to florally sweet Andean blackberries to the South American lulo (a "cousin" of the kiwi), all of Lotta Frutta's smoothies are made from scratch with the freshest, finest ingredients around.  While their menu isn't large (they only offer four sandwiches on their lunch menu), each and every food item they offer is absolutely delectable.  My personal favorites include the LottaMora smoothie (a fruity blend of Andean blackberries, strawberries, milk, and banana) and the Just Veggin', a panini-style sandwich with havarti cheese, slices of avocado, cucumber, and tomato, and fresh alfalfa sprouts.  Oh!  And I can't forget the Queso Quartet, which is exactly what it sounds like -- a panini with four types of gooey cheeses and slices of tomato, sandwiched in between pieces of grilled, crunchy, Latin bread (it's unclear what kind, though -- I'll have to ask the next time I'm there).  The Fresa Fetastic, an entree-sized salad, can also hit the spot, and contains sliced strawberries, grapes, hummus, and feta cheese atop fresh greens.  And last, but not least of course, I can't forget the house-made chulpas, or Ecuadorian-style toasted corn kernels.  Paired with a sandwich and a creamy, cool fruit smoothie, this salty snack is extremely addictive.  It is said that they provided Incan warriors with energy during trying times.  

One thing I have been meaning to try, but haven't gotten a chance to order yet, is their house-made vegan ice cream (available in guanabana, passion fruit, lulo, and Andean blackberry) and paletas (fruit-based ice pops -- available in limon, chocolate, horchata, and pineapple). 

One more thing, though -- if you're in a rush to eat, don't go to Lotta Frutta.  Word has gotten out that they have the best smoothies in town (okay, so I'm a bit biased), so their lines can be quite long, and they make everything to order.  They work extremely efficiently, though, and trust me -- the food is worth. the. wait. 

A re-entry into the blogosphere

It's been over a year since my last post.  Many things have happened since then; here are the highlights below:

1. Joe and I got married in Kolkata so my extended family could participate in the festivities and I could have the traditional Bengali wedding I've always wanted.

2. My husband and I honeymooned in Delhi, Agra, and the beautiful island of Mauritius for two weeks shortly after our week-long wedding in Kolkata.

3. Our sweet pup, Sasha, died of late stage lymphoma within two weeks of returning from our wedding in India.  We don't think she suffered for long, but knew she had been deteriorating for quite some time.  Our hearts still ache in her absence, but we know she is in a more peaceful place without pain and suffering, and that is the most important thing.

4. Since we were unable to share our Kolkata wedding with most of our friends and family "stateside," we had a second wedding in one of our favorite gardens in Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend (which totally rocked).

5. Much of my PhD dissertation work fell apart just before wedding #2, which will make for a busy, and hopefully productive, summer for me.

Over the course of the last year, I've planned out many written posts in my head, but unfortunately, failed to type any of them out.  I've even taken pictures of food several times.  Life happened, and I made a lot of excuses for not writing.  I've put pressure on myself for not writing, too, which subsequently perpetuated into a vicious cycle of expectation and unwarranted feelings of guilt. But, instead of being self-deprecating about not meeting my own expectations for writing in my food blog FOR FUN, I'm going to move forward and post ramblings about food and life whenever my schedule allows for it (and whenever I feel like).  I think I've also decided not to restrict myself to talking about food in each post; although, knowing me, I'll probably do it anyway.

Joe and I have had a lot of life changes over the last year, and we're incredibly thankful that we have each other to lean on in times of turmoil, and to embrace (read: butt-bump and high-five!) in times of celebration and joy.  Since we moved in together, we've learned to clean the house and organize grocery lists together, watched many episodes of our favorite shows (e.g. Game of Thrones, 24, Hart of Dixie), and cooked many amazing meals for each other.

Our wedding in Kolkata was pretty magical, I won't lie.  Every event (and there were many) held its own significance and incorporated special rituals which, most of the time, involved eating (much to our delight!).  It was amazing to see our two families come together during the week of our wedding -- we experienced so much love, joy, and and happiness as we pledged our lives together.  Perhaps I'll write about the details of each event in a later post, but in the meantime, here are a few glimpses from our wedding in Kolkata, including some of the food we had on the night of our wedding ceremony :)

 ...And just for fun, I'm including a few photos of my parents on their wedding day in Allahabad.  Check out my dad's cool 'stache.  That's so '70s.

The engagement story...and yes, this does involve food

So...yes.  Joe and I have fabulous news, which is that we're getting hitched!  Here's the full story, and yes, it does involve food.

It all started last December, when Joe first bought the engagement ring.  He was still unsure about when to pop the question, but kept it deep in his dresser drawer, unbeknownst to me.  Joe began to think that my birthday would be a great day to ask me to marry him, but he knew had to get permission from my parents first.  The Wednesday evening before my birthday (March 13), he summoned up the courage to call my parents.**  To his surprise, my parents told him that this was something they wanted to discuss in person so they could talk through it face-to-face.  Joe was terrified, but he spontaneously decided to take a flight out to Houston that following Saturday, and my parents agreed to see him.  Luckily for him, we were on a little "couple hiatus" this past weekend since we both had a tremendous amount of work to do (so he told me...but actually, he does have midterms this weekend, which added to the stress of asking for my parents' blessing and proposing to me!), so I had no idea he was even GONE!

**Note: Joe actually called my parents while on an evening walk with Sasha.  Usually, they're gone for about 10 minutes, but he didn't return home for about 45.  I was terrified!  Forty minutes into their "evening walk," I began to worry (to the point of paranoia) and suddenly imagined that he and Sasha were picked up on the side of the road and put on an ambulance stretcher headed straight for Atlanta Medical Center!  I began searching around parts of the neighborhood where they usually walk around and even thought about calling the police!  Luckily it didn't get to that point.  Boy did I feel silly after I found out the FULL story of what he was really doing!

During his 26 hour stay in Houston to get my parents blessings, my father, being the tough and protective parent that he is, asked Joe to make a case for why we should get married.  Joe confessed to both my parents how much we loved each other, how good we are together, and how well he promised to take care of me and make me happy for our whole lives, after which Joe received official blessings from my parents to get married.  Upon his return to Atlanta, Joe called me and asked me to come over for dinner the following evening...

...Fast forward to the evening of Monday, March 18.  I had a pretty stressful day, but was excited to spend a nice evening meal with Joe.  Immediately after walking into his apartment, I noticed things were strangely...cleaner.  The coffee table (read: dining table) had been cleared off, dishes had been put away...it was spic and span!  And there were beautiful candles laid out on the coffee table!  AND, I smelled Indian food.  Immediately, I began judging (you all know how judgy I am about my Indian food).  "Where did you get this food?" I asked.  He replied that he had picked up the food the night before from Chai Pani, a new fast food Indian joint in Decatur, and had a lot of leftovers to share for tonight's dinner.  "I heard that place isn't very authentic!" I replied.

I began to inspect further, lifting the covers off the saucepans full of food heating up on the stovetop.  I was shocked...this looked like Bengali food!  Traditional unripened papaya curry, ginger-spiced chicken curry...maybe I misjudged this Chai Pani place after all!

(*Note: I'm not officially disapproving of Chai Pani, since I have never been there.  Also, I would never bash a local restaurant on my blog.  My statements regarding Chai Pani are solely based on hearsay and I only included this detail to add to the story line.)

We sat down to eat, and from the very first bite, the food tasted like my Mom's cooking.  I kept exclaiming it over and over, too -- "Honey, this is just like my mom would make it!  So much ginger, the sweetness...the fresh papaya, so carefully grated..."  Then I had an idea.  "Honey!  I love this place.  We should go and have a sit-down meal at Chai Pani.  Can I borrow your phone to check out their menu?  Maybe the owner is Bengali.  Maybe I can talk to him so we can get a discount!"  Anyway, nearing the end of the meal, Joe asked me if I wanted some dessert.  I immediately assumed we'd be having ice cream, so I started heading towards the freezer to pull out the triple peanut butter ice cream (being Joe's favorite ice cream, he almost always has it on hand).  "No, no -- I brought some dessert from Chai Pani, let's have that instead."

Joe pulled out a traditional rice pudding (payesh) from the fridge.  Now, most of you know me pretty well enough to know that while I am extremely judgmental of food served at Indian restaurants, I'm even more critical of the desserts.  This is because Bengalis make the best sweets in India -- especially if they're milk-based.  And the rice pudding that's usually served at Indian restaurant buffets?  Awful -- usually soupy, thin, lazily made.  But THIS payesh, you guys.  It was full of richness and the rice wasn't falling apart and it was just pure love.  It tasted...again...just like my mother's!  That's when I KNEW I had to look up this Chai Pani place on his phone.  I tried to grab the phone from his pocket, which he subsequently blocked from my reach, and told me he had one more birthday gift to give me.

At that point, he gave me a card, which read "All you need is love. ~John Lennon" on the outside, and "All I need is you. Forever and for always, Joe."  Aw, very sweet.  I was sort of scratching my head at this point, wondering what I did to deserve all this special treatment!

That's when he noted that he had actually taken a picture with the chef at Chai Pani.  I mistook that to mean OWNER.  "Wow!!" I exclaimed.  "You had a picture taken with the owner?!  Let me see!"  ...that's when he pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of my mother and him together.  Boy, was I puzzled.  "Wait, was this from a few years ago when you visited Lake Jackson?" I asked.  That's when he revealed that he had actually been in Lake Jackson the past weekend.  I still felt generally confused -- almost like I was in a dream!

A few seconds later, Joe had me close my eyes and he handed me a beautiful ring box, which was...empty.  Well, that's only partially right.  It didn't have a ring in it, but it DID contain a sheet of Japanese grape candy (much like a sheet of pills, but with candy).  Each tiny piece of candy represented good luck in one single aspect of the consumer's life, e.g. dating, sports, shopping, studying, friendship.  The last candy, which had been uneaten, was labeled "marriage."

It turns out that he had bought this candy sheet the last time he was in Osaka for work, over a year ago.  He ate most of it, but left the marriage candy piece for the both of us to eat together when we were ready to take this step together.  It wasn't until I pulled out the candy sheet, and he explained its significance, that I began to gain clarity on what was happening.

Pretty soon after, Joe got down on one knee and asked me if I would make him the happiest man in the world.  And I said yes.  Then we giggled and danced around the apartment.

Yeah, I'm pretty lucky, aren't I? :)