Week 1 and 2: India/ Tibet

I deserve a break:

Usually I do not cook on  a Friday night. You may call it "my night off". Make no mistake, I love cooking, and it has always been my foremost objective to offer my family a balanced meal. But we all deserve a break. I am not a fan of take-aways, and often we simply do not feel like going out, so I had to create a bit of interest around my desire to get out of the kitchen. So here's the deal: every Friday night for the next 52 weeks, we shall  be experiencing the food from a different country. From Estonia to Eritrea, we'll track down every possible nation represented on the culinary circuit of Brisbane. The objective is not to be a food critic, but to embrace whatever comes our way.

There are a few rules, of course ( and I have to admit that I do make them up as we travel along...):
No country can be repeated.
The food must be authentic to the culture.
No-one may complain about the food.
Family attendance is obligatory. Friends welcome.
BYO is preferred.
Each family member should arrive armed with at least two unusual facts about the country.
No franchises or restaurant chains ( family owned, hidden gems are what we are looking for)
We may not travel more than 20 minutes from the CBD to the restaurant.

I thought it was going to be a daunting task, however, the first 32 weeks are already mapped out.
So take an ant-acid, and join us on a cultural culinary expedition for the next 52 weeks!

Week 1) India
This one was easy, I thought. Every suburb has an Indian restaurant. But to find one where the sauces are not all made at a central depot and then dispatched to the different outlets was a bit more tricky.
To  truly appreciate the complexity of the delicate spice combinations also means we all have to order different dishes (new rule). It is not easy to differentiate between your  Madras and your Bhoona, your Subji and your Karma, but we gave it a go! Sky Indian in Auchenflower ticked all the boxes. The food was delicious, and the service was efficient.  Fortunately the boys were all in good spirit, which makes it so much easier to enjoy the evening......
One down, 51 to go!

Week 2) Tibet
The weekly themed outing is starting to gain momentum. All have their facts handy, and it contributes to the enjoyment of the evening. National animals,  quirky rituals, weird lunar cycles, analysis of the flag....all lead to extended interpretations. No ipod, iphones, headphones (new rule).

This week we ended up at The Tibetan Kitchen in Spring Hill. We had a huge corner table with a "lazy susan" in the centre already stacked with cutlery and glasses. Keith is quite tall (and for that matter, the boys are as well) , so he found it difficult to sit, as we were on cushions and had no sunken pit for our legs. One can sit cross-legged for only so long, and we did end up fighting for leg-room under the table. But it added to the cultural experience, and that is after all what it is all about.
Bordering India, there appears to be some culinary contamination, but that did not bother us. Hot in Tibet proved to be much hotter than in India. We thought it might be prudent to explore at least one vegetarian option and the Churipi curry did not disappoint. We steered away from fermented Yak milk, and even though we all opted for medium or mildly spiced dishes, the tastebuds struggled with sensory overload (maybe the Yak milk would have solved the problem!)

Next week we are off to Ethiopia.