Tag: desh

Garment Sale Dhaka

M's Adventures
A simple sign on a building are the only indication of what lies within.
A simple sign on a building are the only indication of what lies within.

This is not for the faint of heart — garment sale shopping… One of the things to do in Dhaka is to shop for good bargains at a “garment sale.” A garment sale is hosted by one of the garment producers through a charity. For example, H&M donates “seconds” and other rejected garments which are then sold with the proceeds benefiting a charity.  Basically, word gets out (via Facebook etc.) that a garment sale is happening at a certain time and place. People arrive up to an hour early to line up. Once the doors are open, people rush in and the melee commences. People are tightly packed crowd and they grab whatever they can sometimes out of your hands. The experienced have a bag and shove anything into it. Then they sort out and inspect what they want in a corner. The tables are labeled with “shirts” and so on but the piles are emptied within 30 minutes. Then folks toss back their rejects. Why join this insanity? Other than the fun of watching it? The clothes are 150 Taka per piece (about $1.90) so you can find a nice sweater or pair of jeans for under two bucks.

The frenzy of the garment sale.
The frenzy of the garment sale.

Clothing for Men in Bangladesh

M's Adventures

The most popular search topic on my blog, other than weddings, seems to be what men wear in Bangladesh. So I thought I would blog some more about it. On a typical day in Dhaka, men still wear the “lungi” which I wrote about before. For a more formal event, men can wear a long tunic called a “punjabi” over tight white leggings. Or men can wear a “dhuti” which is sort of the men’s version of the sari. You can even use a sari. It’s tied and wrapped around to look like pants. Very elegant.

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Day Boat Trip Out of Dhaka

M's Adventures
Our proud prow.
Our proud prow.

It is possible to take a one day boat trip out of Dhaka. We used a company that charged around 2,500 Taka per adult if there there at least 20 adults. The boat is spacious (and shaped like a peacock!) and we had it all to ourselves. Lunch and several touristy stops were included: we had a quick walk to an old estate, a stop for a swim (dolphins were also promised but alas), and a visit to a village where the laborers make “jamdani” saris. The “jamdani” clothe is a woven gauze and very expensive due to the labor involved in weaving it.

The country estate.
The country estate.
Jamdani weavers working on saris.
Jamdani weavers working on saris.

I enjoyed sitting on the rooftop deck, in a comfy chair, watching the river float by. Plus, there is a toilet on the boat. So the day out included two hours in traffic, six hours on the boat, and an hour back to Dhaka.

Grab a chair in the shade and enjoy the breeze.
Grab a chair in the shade and enjoy the breeze.

Bangladeshi Wedding Holud Food

M's Adventures
Sweet fried dough - jalalopies.
Sweet fried dough – jalalopies.

The snacks and meal at a Bangladeshi wedding “holud” involve some standby favorites like “phoughka” which are fried dough balls filled with chickpeas, vegetables, and spices. When the same ingredients are chopped and served as a “mix” it is called “chop-puhti” which alliterates.  Bangladeshi samosas are called “sringhara” and they are often served as well.  Bangladeshis have a serious sweet tooth so jalalopies (fried sweet dough much like funnel cake) are another popular staple at weddings. The holud will have a start time of 7 p.m. but will not start until after eight (this is Bangladesh after all) and often closer to nine.

Chopped appetizer.
Chopped appetizer.

Somewhere near 10:30 p.m., the food will get served. Dinner is usually biryani with chicken, beef curry, vegetables, chapati, raw cut vegetables, and a sweet rice dessert.

Dancing at the Bangladeshi Wedding Holud

M's Adventures
The groom is carried in on friend's shoulders.
The groom is carried in on friends’ shoulders.

At a Bangladeshi wedding holud, or bride or groom’s party, there will be entertainment. Both skits, video skits, and dancing. If you get invited to get dressed up and dance in a wedding holud, say yes! It was great fun. The groom’s holud includes the groom’s party welcoming the bride’s party with flower petals and party favors and appetizers. Next time, I’ll talk about typical food at holuds.

Purple and orange are popular colors and match the petals to be strewn on arriving guests.
Purple and orange are popular colors and match the petals to be strewn on arriving guests.

Wedding Season Again in Dhaka – The Bride’s Holud

M's Adventures
Flowers decorate the entrance to the holud venue.
Flowers decorate the entrance to the holud venue.

It’s that time of year again when the Bangladeshis get married. I am lucky to have been invited again. A year ago, I went to a combined holud which I described in an earlier blog. At the bride’s holud this year, the bride was carried in on a palanquin. While the groom was absent, his family and guests attended, carrying gifts. I will blog more about the next part of the wedding later… right now, I need to go to dance practice!

The "mishti" or sweet pots.
The “mishti” or sweet pots.

Fishing for Rocks in Jaflong

M's Adventures
Medieval misery in Jaflong's rock fisheries.
Medieval misery in Jaflong’s rock fisheries.

As an alluvial delta, Bangladesh has few rocks. In Jaflong, in the northeast corner of Bangladesh, they fish for rocks. The rocks are fished from the river, broken, loaded onto trucks and taken off to be turned into cement. Jaflong sits on the invisible border with India and was once considered a beautiful place. Even now, amidst the horrors of backbreaking labor and touristy traps, you can still see the faded glory in the bridge and the hills.

Moving rocks from river to boat to truck.
Moving rocks from river to boat to truck.

It’s hard to see the beauty through the lifeless eyes and the maelstrom of medieval tableaux.

Sun sets on Jaflong.
Sun sets on Jaflong.
India is on the far side of the crowd.
India is on the far side of the crowd.

 

One Year of Madventures.me – Still Mad for Food and Adventure

M's Adventures

Madventures.me is one year old. One year ago, I started this blog in preparation for new adventures in food and travel. One year of great food and travel in Amman, Copenhagen, Dhaka, Doha, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Krabi, Luang Prabang, Mumbai, New Delhi, New England, Singapore, and many more.

I started this blog to share some of my adventures with family and friends. As I’ve blogged, my blog has evolved into a source for providing information on restaurants in Dhaka, shopping, and how much one can do in Bangladesh. As a blogger, I’ve been enormously happy when readers from all over the world visit my blog. Thank you for stopping by… from almost the entire world:

Map of visitors to madventures.me in the first 11 months.

As my readership expands beyond people I know, I’m curious about what leads readers to my blog. So here are the top search terms people have searched for in the past year:

Top search terms on madventures.me.

Where to Buy Household Stuff in Dhaka

M's Adventures

Shopping directly from the artist’s studio is the most unique experience (but more about that in a later post) for acquiring household goods. Otherwise, since there is no Ikea, Target, and Pier One in Dhaka, these are some of the main stores where expats buy goods for the home. Plus clothes, gifts, etc. Here is a list of some of the places where I shop.

This handmade bowl and carved table are from Tayabuzzaman Topu’s studio.

Arong: A chain with many outlets. Located in Gulshan 1 and Uttara, etc. Like a Pier One. Everything from curtains, doohickies, clothes, shoes, plates, etc.

Jatra, 60E Kamal Ataturk, Banani, Dhaka-1213: On Kemal Ataturk. A place to get saris, hand made paper, rugs, bracelets, gifts, doohickies, etc.

Aranya: Same as Jatra and located in same building.

Decor Idee: Rangs Arcade, 153 A Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan 2: A custom made 70 inch long fabric hanger for 3,300 Taka. They text messaged me when it was ready at about 10 days.

Probhatina: Down in Dhanmondi somewhere. Lovely soft material and other items. Mostly Clothes. A little snooty shop.

Kumudini: on Gulshan. Several stories high and sells clothes, cloth, and some household stuff.

Carlotta Sisters: In Bashundura. Call to make a reservation. They are nuns who teach students to make lace. Tablecloths, aprons, runners, napkins, etc.

Then there are the markets: DIT 1, DIT 2, and New Market. And the “malls” like: Bashundhara and a place next to the flagship Arong in Uttara. Lastly, there are the roads: Road 11 in Banani is filled with shops and restaurants. The markets will give you the “local color” more than the newer stores.

A salesman at New Market.

Bangladeshi Home Cooking

M's Adventures
Eggplant, fish, squash, potato, taro root mash, gourd, peas, red spinach, beans, taro leaf…

A secret was revealed to me… plain home cooking Bangladeshi style. Every time I’ve been to a Bangladeshi home, I’ve been served beef, chicken, biryani, and other bounty of the table. The food in Bangladeshi restaurants is fancy as well. I just want home cooking. Apparently, home cooking involves lots of “mash” made from different vegetables. Like in most cultures, this is not considered good enough for guests.

Veggies, shrimp curry, eggplant dip, pomelo and apple salad…

Finally, a Bangladeshi friend of mine understood me and my out of town guests (it makes me really happy when this level of cultural understanding happens) and he invited us to dinner. He made us “ordinary” food of vegetables. And more vegetables. I loved it. We had taro root in three different ways, tamarind sauce, squash, peas, eggplant, potatoes, fresh chapati, rice, beans, shrimp, and so much more. My favorite was the white taro mash with chiles. My guests were thrilled to be invited to a Bangladeshi home on the very night of their arrival from the other side of the world. I’m glad to have been given a friend who so comprehends me. He explained to me that even he likes to drop in on friends so that he can get real home cooking.

Taro mash. These mashes are typical, apparently.

So now I’ve got to learn this skill. More taro root for me please!

Tradtional Dress of Bangladesh

M's Adventures
Red and white shalwar kameeses.

Color, colorful, vibrant, and so on are some of the words used to describe the traditional dress of Bangladesh. It’s not only women who wear colorful clothing. Bangladesh is known for its garment industry and the clothes reflect the bounty of this industry.

A street scene. Notice the trim on the ladies.

Women wear sarees or shalwar kameeses. Some cover their heads and some cover their faces. Some wear all black and some wear all color.

While the traditional dress for men is a lungi (see my post here), many of the men in the big city of Dhaka wear jeans or pants/trousers instead. Men can also wear a dressier bottom (of which I cannot remember the name right now), and everyone dresses up for special days including weddings.

Beautiful formal sarees.

Hopefully, these photos give some idea of what people wear in Bangladesh.

Shalwar kameeses and lungis galore.

A Monsoon Wedding in Bangladesh

M's Adventures
A happy Bangladeshi bridal couple.

Wedding season in Bangladesh is December-January mainly because the temperature cooler (and family from abroad can make it as well). It’s been ten months since I started this blog and one of the most popular themes I’ve notice people search for is information about Bangladeshi weddings. Now that I had the honor of being invited to another one, I have more photos to show.

Groom poses for photos as he cuts the roast.

My friend and arrived at the community center three hours late due to other social engagements which was just in time to sit down with the bride and groom.

Children are welcome at weddings even late at night.
The bargaining begins…

I know that before I went to my first Bangladeshi wedding, I was curious about what would happen. I hope to go to more weddings while here.

The groom takes his bride and she acts demur.