Cocoa Masala Chai

Don't knock it till you've tried it Most Americans are used to their daily ablutions in a shower, whether it's a tub shower or a separate stall. For special occasions to relax or unwind, one might set up a bubble bath. And for the little ones, bath time in the tub is more like play time until they turn into wrinkled prunes. In India, it's a little different.  Often times, people bathe using a bucket and smaller mug, the size of a measuring cup, while sitting on a stool.  This blog entry won't get into the history of bucket baths, but only a high-level description of what it is.  Taking a bucket bath vs. a shower isn't better or worse; as with everything I'm learning about India, it's just different and is valuable and valid all on its own. Many bathrooms in India will have their own individual water heater called a geyser (pronounced as geezer, as in 'an old geezer'). Instead of 40-60 gallon heater for a whole home, the geyser may be 10-25 liters

When I first visited India, my friends and I had a chance to spend some time with a senior citizen Indian woman who was anything but senior. She was challenging herself by learning a new language and she 'didn't take no mess' from a subziwallah (vegetable vendor) who surreptitiously tried to weigh out more vegetables than she wanted or needed.  She was kind enough to invite us back to her home told us "You should take some rest." It was 2 in the afternoon and I figured maybe she needed a break. While I thought it was a little weird to take an adult nap, others thought it was great idea and took a quick nap. Towards the end of my second visit to India, something similar happened with a different family I was with. I thought that the tiredness was may have been diet related, because after spending the first few weeks eating mainly vegetarian, I was definitely feeling more tired than usual (that and taking planes, trains and automobiles to crisscross the country over