A Sketch and Kashmiri Naan

I drew this picture after watching this lovely woman go by on the back of a motorcycle the other day. I didn't have my camera with me, and probably couldn't have gotten a photo anyway, but I'm intrigued for some reason by Muslim women here - the ways in which they are the same and different from their Hindu counterparts. For instance, they both wear bright colors, but when in public, the Muslim woman covers up... only the jingles of her foot jewelry and the bright colors at the bottom of her pants give her away.

This woman and man were laughing and talking while in a traffic jam. The woman's eyes showed laughter and joy, and she was obviously comfortable on the bike. She was young, and her small figure was just barely visible under her black cover. The invisibility of her body except for her eyes, which were laughing, and the way in which she sat with ease, lended a mystery to her character that I wish I could know more about... and who is this young man driving the motorcycle? Her husband? Her secret boyfriend? A classmate? Her brother? When does she get to take off the chador? At work? Only at home? Is this a special occasion or does she get a ride on the back of a motorcycle every day? (I have seen this same scene at other times). Anyway, go ahead, ponder.


And then -- there's this delightful dish that we discovered accidentally from the place where we eat so many of our meals...

Behold,

Kashmiri Naan.


This is a soft slice of naan bread, filled with Indian cottage cheese and cilantro, then topped with candied beets, fresh sliced apples, cashew nuts, fruit jam, cilantro, and a cherry.

Like Will says -- "If this is what they eat in Kashmir, no wonder India and Pakistan fight over it!!!"