Thank God for Birthdays
What would I do without birthdays in India? I hadn't had wine or brownies since I've been here-- almost a month! So, the occasion called, and I found an expensive imported grocery store with all sorts of goodies, including Duncan Hines double fudge brownie mix. Wendy, a vivacious New Foundler made a Mexican dinner (is that allowed, asks the Texan-- apparently, if she can conjure cheddar cheese and tortilla chips this side of the GMT). Preparations were only momentarily interupted by a too-large and too-close-for-comfort rodent. Some of the staff shooed it outside eventually, after having a good laugh at us dancing to avoid the beast.

Takin' it to the Streets
After another frustrating delay in promised materials, I've adopted the screw-it attitude. In my art-making process, this attitude usually means something exciting is coming. Lest I make empty proclamations, I'll just stop at saying, "Look out. Tori's taking guerilla printmaking to the streets of Delhi." Pray she doesn't get arrested and that cheap craft glue sticks to cement in monsoon rains.

Delhi Art Scene
We got another glimpse into the Indian art scene today. A friend of a friend's here owns a gallery and was kind enough to pick us up, show us some work he privately collects. There seem to be two buzz words with curators in Delhi, "modern" and "contemporary." Beyond that, the art world seems to lack much definition while remaining in a narrow classification. Galleries, at least in Delhi, seem to mostly show paintings and some bulky abstract sculptures, most of which seem derivative of Western modernist work. India's at a very funny place right now, deciding what it will be. It's an exciting time for a fascinating country, but I hope that it has the wisdom to look outside of the Now and: 1) consider and take pride in its heritage and 2) look at what's being done in the art world internationally. I believe in you, India! Rise up!

New Favorite Street Treats:
chaat-- oh my goodness. you haven't lived until you've tried this. A gloppy, messy, street finger food with fried potatoes, other fried batter goodies, sweet yogurt, chickpeas, chili sauce.

water balls (I forget the Hindi word) fried hollow ping-pong sized balls that they dip in this vat of spicy cold broth with a miscellany of spices and vegetables. You then pop the whole thing in your mouth. Delish!