Midnight Cravings

Okay, so it's not quite midnight, but the smells coming from my downstairs neighbor's apartment are downright intoxicating!

I'm an adventurous eater. I love just about all cuisines -- Thai, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Greek, etc. My palate is a venerable United Nations!!!

So tonite, as I sat in my apartment -- reading, listening to music, surfing -- I didn't anticipate the smells that would be coming from my downstair's neighbor's apartment.

Up until now, he had been a quiet guy. Friendly enough, but never seemed to cook. Much like my next door neighbor, who is a single lawyer and obviously eats all his meals out.

Anyway, about two weeks ago, downstairs neighbor was nowhere to be seen. Rumor had it he had returned to India to take a wife. A pre-arranged marriage. Well, he has returned and there is definitely a female presence.

I now hear a woman's voice when I pass by their open window, and now, there is more activity and more cooking.

Tonite, there are smells emanating from their apartment that almost make me want to go downstairs and ask exactly what they are cooking and if I can have a taste. First, their was the aroma of seared beef, now, a smell of burnt soy sauce, which may sound gross, but actually smells reallly, really good!

And, it is not dissipating, nor getting stronger. It is simply remaining. And, it smells delicious!

That is part of what I like about living in the complex that I do. There is a variety of lifestyles and nationalities. For some reason, the aparment below me always seems to end up being middle eastern -- and their cooking gives me a glimpse into their lives.

The guy who lived their before was Saudi, and the cooking smells were always spicy - and filled with the intoxicating scent of curry and cumin and seared vegetables being stir-fried with the skins on.

Now, there is a guy who hails from India and recently married, and altho I still get the smells of seared onion and ground beef, I get both curry and a burnt sweet smell that makes me salivate!

Since he brought his wife home, he has kept a low profile, but I hope to get to know him better (and get some of his new wife's recipes!)