Channeling my inner Bollywood

Every time I eat Indian food something funny happens. Well, besides my brow perspiring from the punjab heat, I swear my type 'O' negative blood turns Hindi positive! That joyful song from "Slumdog Millionaire" goes off loudly in my head, my pasty pigment changes to a lush caramel-ish toffee color, I am clad in a fine silk sari (green, of course) and my wrists are jangling with copious silver bangles. Alas, I am awakened upon leaving the restaurant to the bland reality check: Adrianne, you are merely an American mutt, a mixed up specimen of German, English, Irish, French and Cherokee. Kind of hard to extract any inspired sensual experience from that bag, boo...courtesy of Mom and Dad's collective gene pools I suppose. Hmmm.

Thankfully, on occasion, I do luck into creating flowers for an Indian bride and/or groom. The jewel tones, spicy hues and unexpected textures of the culture really flip my global lid.

Event coordinator, Kelly Aull of Mint Weddings http://www.mintweddings.com/ brought 2 fine clients my way, Pamela and Craig...she being Indian and he, French Canadian and THEY = foodies! All the tables were named after exotic spices, so cool. Custom chocolates made with cardamom, chili and curry were abundant, while clove-spiked orange pomanders were placed on everything that stood still and don't get me going on about the cake - doi!! Artero Photography http://www.artero.com/ captured the event at the San Diego Natural Natural History Museum http://www.sdnhm.org/ where the most beautifully dressed Indian women of every age swirled about the dance floor - a rainbow blur of brilliant turquoise, saffron yellow, marigold orange and watermelon pink. Aaaaaaahhh, such magic!

May my next dinner at "Monsoon" transport me straight to a steamy Bollywood movie set via a creaky bamboo rickshaw with sassy mango lassi in hand. I could get used to that.

Cheers,
Adrianne