Refrigeration is the Key!

A few quick notes on my last post (Nickel and Dimed is going fine, so don't worry... but I've spent seven hours in the theatre today and so I'm putting my mind to another source before I go to bed).

1. Refrigerating the alan ka saag seemed to work. It thickened considerably and tastes... a little oily, but mostly fine. I wonder if the whole problem stemmed from the fact that I had run out of olive oil and used generic vegetable oil instead. Could two tablespoons of a different oil make that much of a difference?

2. There are, in fact, packages of ground chilies. I found them at Namaste Grocery today. I hope to be pleasantly -- but not painfully -- surprised at how hot they actually are.

3. When I was driving back from Namaste Grocery this afternoon, I suddenly noticed a familiar smell filling my car -- something I had not smelled in years. In high school, I used to teach piano lessons to a desi kid. I would go to his house to teach, and his living room was always filled with a warm, cooking-related, distinctly Indian scent. I've noticed garlic and haldi smells clinging to my fingertips, but never this particular smell until today. When I parked the car I sniffed every bag in turn, but everything, left to itself, smelled like plastic. In combination, though, they seemed to turn into something quite pleasant. Very strange.

That's all for now -- goodnight, if you're reading this in the evening, and good morning to those who will read it tomorrow!