Little India

If you're in the city, and need to spend a few hours in India (whether it be to sample all the rich food or to stock up on items), the place to go to is Jackson Heights in Queens. My sister and I had both of the aforementioned reasons to go to 'Little India'. And as can be imagined, we came back with a backpack full of things, and eventually nursing our bellies. But it was worth it.

Before getting to the supermarket named Patel Brothers (which is supposed to be the best place to shop), we figured we'd build up some energy. So we caught the buffet at the local Indian diner, which had yummy items like chaat (a spicy snack with crisps, chickpeas, tamarind and chilly sauce), butter paneer, mixed vegetables, aloo gobhi (a potato and cauliflower dish), naan and much more! It was difficult not to overeat, but we had to leave place for dessert.

After lunch we roamed through Patel Brothers and found everything we wanted, and more. The last image shows a brand that made me laugh, so I had to photograph. It's an Ayurvedic medicine for your teeth, and the name translates to monkey brand! I mean, who would want to buy a brand of tooth medicine endorsed by a monkey?

Before heading home, we stopped at a sweets shop and got an assortment of Indian sweets, which we devoured over the remainder of the day. It's safe to say we were very happy with our decision to make this trip.