I had no clue that I was going to adore this city as much as I did. My first night I met a man ( may or may not be real) who walked with me to an ancient Hindu temple and then bought me Samosas. I tend not to believe in aliens or angels, but as soon as he had appeared he vanished. This all after taking a twelve hour second class train straight from my flight to Mumbai and being haggled by Ahmedabad Autoricksaw drivers. I did not get a picture of the samosas or my mysterious man, but they were pure magic.
My second day I stumbled onto the street and found a place offering Thali. I ordered, not knowing I would receive a feast fit for a king. My favorite part of this meal was the Pickles, which are a Gujarati speciality. They have a smoky flavor that envelops your mouth. When eaten with curd they make it taste sweet. It is a trick similar to what I imagine magic fruit has on your senses.
My very presence, being a Blondie woman in North India is kind of like being a rock star, and the fact that I was taking photos of my meal drew an audience. Soon I was being invited to a home, from what I could tell, people speak English much faster than I can in Gujarat.My companion was not eating at the restaurant because I discovered that his mom was preparing Masala stuffed fish for him at home.
The family was happy that I am a pure vegetarian, although that meant I could not share the meal. They gave me some sort of snack and the the mom taught me how to make Chapati's.
I knew from friends that I was coming to India in the height of Hindi Marriage Season. Well one of them. I had aspirations of being invited to a wedding, but was surprised after being taken to a step well on the back of a motorcycle when I found my self in the midst of a wedding procession. This parade included dancing, music cascading from speakers from a roof of a car, and a band in uniform playing deafening drums. The atmosphere was addictive, my laugh seemed just about right not too loud as it sometimes feel in the states. I was filled with glee.
The wedding was spectacular. Naan was hand formed and cooked to delicious perfection in an improvised Tandoori. The Tandoori consisted of a pot with coals inside and underneath covered in tin foil. I split a Thali which had two rich vegetable curries, dahl, curd, and naan. I tried Paan which is a digestive and breath freshener. It is created in betel leaf and ingredients vary depending on the region but can include fennel, tobacco, and areca nut. This may be the culprit of what I will refer to as Delhi Belly. 
Delhi Belly is a sweet lover that likes to visit you frequently that surely you will experience if you visit India from anywhere other than India and eat anything. I was feeling proud and just in time for the arrival of two companions she showed. I have no way to describe it besides a tidal wave in my stomach. I also had the pleasure of running a high fever which was accompanied by hallucinating. It is possible to get electrolytes in India, but they are disgusting. It is advisable to pack as many Emergen-C as possible.
After days of fortifying with Emergen-C and picking at my companions food I developed a philosophy that my stomach needed to be filled so that what ever new friend was living in it could have some company. I had made friends with another Gujarati who suggested an amazing restaurant called Swati specializing in traditional Gujarati food,milkshakes, and pizza. This is where I met my muse Patra.
Patra is the name of the leaf that is used like seaweed in sushi but then is filled with seasoned gram floor and sprinkled with sesames and covered in lemon juice . I also tried Padav, Khandvi, Dholka and Khaman,Panaki but nothing tantalized more than Patra. 
The same Gujarati also was kind enough to share his favorite place to get chai and wonderful snacks. I tempted my Delhi Belly the next day with the most exquisite cup of Chai. The secret was a Masala mix passed down through the family and a few pieces of fresh mint. This refueled my Chai Truck passion and sent me on a path of research to bring the best Chai back with me to New York. We also snacked on Chili Pakoras and some sweets, oh and of course Patra.
My passion for these chile pakora soon equaled my zeal for patra and I was ecstatic when I noticed that they were available nearly everywhere on the street.
This discovery did not help my Delhi Belly and when shopping I met a man who was happy to share detailed directions to his daughters new Western Organic Vegetarian California inspired restaurant, I was sold. He perhaps was the proudest father I ever met. After this meal my Delhi Belly ceased. If you are ever in Ahmedabad with Delhi Belly look up Zareen chef and proprietor of Wild Ginger Hy Brid,near"aditya" building, mithakalinavarangpura,ahmedabad-6. 
