About This Blog...

                             MASALA: 
1.    Noun - A mixture of spices used for Indian cooking
2.    Adjective (Hinglish) - Spicy; Dramatic: It was a typical
      masala film
                                                                                      (http://dictionary.reference.com)

The best masalas are those that *almost* burn your mouth, that keep you guessing what secret ingredients they contain in their complex mixes, and that leave you feeling like you really took a BITE of something. In other words, the sheer opposite of mashed potatoes. 

Marriage to an East Indian man, in my experience, is like that. Sometimes somebody messes up and the masala goes beyond *almost* burning, other times it leaves me feeling like I'm living a life more "full". I would not call it easy, but eating mashed potatoes is easy, yet I would take a plate of tandoori chicken over mashed potatoes any day ;)

This blog is about my journey as an independent white American woman marrying an East Indian man, the challenges we face, and the discoveries along the way.

Often, when discussion of my choice of husband comes up with westerners, I am really surprised at how little "educated westerners" (here in multicultural California) know and understand about Asian cultures. I have been asked things such as, "Why would you want to marry an East Indian man? Do you know women aren't allowed to vote in India?", or "I would never feel safe taking my children to India. What if he doesn't let you bring them back?" (the latter I have heard in different forms from three different people).

Unfortunately, these misunderstandings rarely carry a positive connotation : > /

Indians, however, often have polarized misunderstandings about Americans. My husband encounters Indians who comment that Americans divorce as a hobby, that his marriage won't last, that his children will have loose morales and a lack of drive to succeed in life, and so forth. While I deal with judgement from Americans about my "boot-on-the-neck" homemaker situation (cooking, cleaning, caring for children, serving my husband dinner, and giving up a lot of financial freedom), my husband deals with judgements such as my lack of Hindi fluency, the fact we eat meat, the fact that I do not cook three separate Indian meals a day, and my multiple cultural bumbles that I can never seem to escape.

The road less travelled is a bumpy ride, folks, but it is a rich experience and leaves one stronger and more fullfilled having taken the journey. So I offer you to join me, if only vicariously, through what is written here ;)