Pools and Take-Out Containers

After an incredibly packed and expensive sight-seeing day yesterday, we have fully appreciated all that Agra has to offer. Here is a shot of Kerri at the “Baby Taj,” an early monument to a financial advisor (valued staff even then) that predates the beautiful pietra dura work at the Taj Mahal itself. So today, we did a tiny bit of sight-seeing this morning and spent the rest of the day at a pool. It was “lovely,” as the British women cooed, cooling off after a long day of bus travel. Pool visits may not be exciting to read about, but they are definitely a haven of calm, quiet and anonymity. When I spent a lot of time overseas in Africa on three to six week assignments, I spent every Sunday at the pool for a little mini-trip to America (and a schmooze with our donors).

The one fun thing I have to share today is my amazement at Indian fast-food serving ware. They serve street food in these little bowls made from banana plants. You can see one, with my sweet lentil dessert in it, here. The other serving ware that is very popular are rough cast clay cups. They’re not even as finished as terracotta pots at home, and people drink tea, a yogurt drink called lassi, or a thicker yogurt out of them. These are also single use. Now here is an excellent example of local know-how merging with international concepts – fast food in perfectly biodegradable containers. Amazing.