at 9:15pm I turned 33. Woo Hoo! Actually, aside from suffering from a bizarre hyper-alergy (probably brought on by my cleaning and dusting of my computer desk coupled with my hell-week of little sleep) has me coughing up junk. Gross I know.

Let’s see, Mom took me and Kris to see the film “Little Miss Sunshine” starring Greg Kinear, Steve Carell, and more. It’s smart, funny and an enjoyable romp with a truly disfunctional family. Then after a short nap and chai, we sat down for my birthday present. Mom cooked typical Bengali food that I grew up eating. Since I moved out I don’t get to eat this stuff often. Here’s what was on the menu:

  • steamed rice
  • chingri-macher-jhol (shrimp curry – also has zucchini!)
  • mangshor-jhol (literally “meat curry” with lamb, potatoes and spices)
  • aloo-bhaja ( thin strips of tumeric-spiced potatoes, with chilies. kind of looks like Indian french-fries I suppose)
  • a spicy mixed vegetable dish that included eggplant, green beans and potatoes
  • and for desert, my fave :
  • golab jamun (deep fried balls of cottage cheese, coated in brown sugar and floating in rose water. best served warm! )