A shopping list for Bangladesh

I was making a list of things I need to pick up this weekend and laughed when I got done--it's pretty different from lists I was making just a couple months ago, so I thought I'd share:

• storage baskets--there are no file cabinets or drawers (which is kind of nice b/c mold grows in dark places), so I need places to put stuff--particularly ironing supplies and office supplies. There's a nice "purveyor" of baskets on the way to school, so I'll stop by tomorrow. (I put purveyor in quotations because it's like a little shed that spills onto the sidewalk--hard to define exactly)
  

• Sari blouse--the one I originally bought was a bit tight and ripped at the shoulders. It was poorly constructed and cheap. Like so many things in Bangladesh..... My plan is to buy one that's a bit larger and hand-alter it myself to fit. The trick is that I have to bring my sari in to match the color and I have a hard time remembering to bring it with me.
• Orna - also called a dupatta, or scarf. As an Eid gift for my cleaning woman.
• Lunghi--I discovered the wonders of the lunghi this week and I might write a whole blog post about it sometime, but suffice it to say they're great. This item on the list is actually to give to my cleaning woman for her husband for Eid

ALL the Rickshawallahs wear lunghis, they're the bike-friendliest, apparently! Unfortunately, ONLY men wear them, so I can only wear mine at my house....

• Tiffin carrier - totally awesome tiered metal carriers with handles on top that people transport food and lunches inside. There's a place for everything--rice, soup/veggie, pickle, fruit. This way when my neighbors have extra food, I can store it easily. If I were to guess, these will be the next "green" yuppie item to have in California to avoid using plastic. I heartily endorse them. For the insiders reading this in Berkeley/Oakland you can buy them at the Indian markets near University/San Pablo.

• Milk - to make yogurt for my daily smoothies! Awesome recipe: ~1 cup plain yogurt, Tbsp. minced ginger, 6 whole cloves, Cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, pinch salt, honey to taste (I use around 1-2 Tbsp.) Put in screw-top jar and shake vigorously. If your yogurt is thick, add 1/4c-1cup of water to your desired consistency. The key here is that you need to let it sit for ~4-8 hrs. so I make it the night before, put it in the fridge and it's ready in the morning. Shake again before drinking. My kitchen is also the perfect incubation temperature to make yogurt, so that's good for something.
• coconut scraper - so I can scrap my own coconuts and not have to borrow my neighbor's scraper. They look sort of like fish scalers (I thought that's what they were when i saw one previously, and of course now I can't find that model anymore). I've been substituting my love for shredded cheese with a love of shredded coconut. ~almost~ interchangeable, but not quite :-)

• Ginger, onions, garlic, cilantro, cucumber, rice, ghee (these are weekly items that go in pretty much everything)

So I just thought it would be fun to share the things that are a part of daily life here. It will mostly likely take place in a combination of walking and rickshaw riding.
On a slightly related note, I recently watched the TED talk by John Francis. He didn't speak verbally for 17 years of his adult life by choice. He also didn't ride in motorized transportation to help raise awareness for the environment. I highly recommend watching this 20-min. video of his speech. As a friend put it so well, "it sounds hokey but it's not". We could all learn from listening more and speaking less! I decided to consciously try that more.