X-MAS (Holiday) MEAL.

A number of people have asked if my family celebrates Christmas. Sometimes I say yes and sometimes I say no. Why? Because we celebrate the "holiday" aspect, but not the religious. Anyways, as some of you reading this know, I surprised my mom for Christmas. I was planning on coming home on the 26 because I had to work and tickets were too expensive, so naturally she was very sad. And then my manager, Jen (THANKS JEN!!), let us know that we could work from home on the 26 so the surprise was all set. My sister picked me up from the airport, my dad asked her to have me ring the doorbell. My mom, like me, is extremely sensitive (some people like to call us drama queens, we prefer sensitive). She came and opened the door, stood for what seemed like a minute trying to figure out who I was, and then started to cry. OMG... BIIIIJUUUU she yelled (yes she yelled). It was great to see her so happy. She has had a hard year, we all have, so it was nice to put a smile on her face and "happy" tears in her eyes. And yes, I shed a few tears too.

For our Christmas dinner, we had one of my favorite things to eat, Bhel Puri. If you have ever been to Mumbai, it is readily available on the streets ( Though I wouldn't recommend eating it from there unless you have an unbelievable immune system) but the savoriness of this dish satisfies all of your taste buds. If you are ever in Houston, visit my house because my dad makes the BEST (well in my opinion) this side of the Atlantic, or Pacific depending on where you are coming from. In other cities any Chaat house should serve a yummy version. It's made by combining puffed rice, a bunch of chutneys, sometimes unripe (catchy) mangoes, onions, sev, and some other stuff...

I had the wrong lens on when I took this picture, so its not that great, but it'll give you a decent visual of this delectable dish.