a new fast food joint in town...

i went for a short while with some of the other volunteers today - mahmuda and nancy had to pick up clothes they'd gotten tailored and carly and i just wanted to get out (as in outside. of our building).  mahmuda and nancy had stayed behind in Chittagong last weekend while the rest of us went away and had discovered they similar obsession with shoes.  so while those two went off in search of a few more pairs to dazzle and decorate their beautiful feet, carly and i were drawn into just a few scarf/fabric stores...i've never really been one to wear scarves that often, even in the winter, but they're a must here.  not only do they add another layer of covering to protect women (and especially women that stick out like us 'bideshis' - foreigners), but we've found loads of other uses...they're great for wiping the sweat off your face in the heat of pre-monsoon season, they're fantastic for shielding yourself from mosquitoes, or swatting them away, they can help hide our most obvious foreigner trait (the white skin?) when we're out, and they're always just one more piece to an outfit that can impress even the most fashionable bangladeshis.  

suffice it to say, we're all a little scarf-obsessed.  carly and i were talking today about how we're already attached to wearing scarfs all the time, something we're not really used to at all in the US/Australia.  besides the fact that shopping for scarfs and fabrics is a trip in itself.  like the two pictures below show...there are limitless patterns, colors, styles and fabrics to choose from.  the scarfs are usually all tied together on a bar or hook and hang length-wise for all to browse.  the other amazing thing about shopping for things in chittagong is that most 'shops' are located within huge markets or bazars, and will be set among a ridiculous number of other stalls selling exactly the same items.  it really is a lot of work if you're going to try and pay the lowest price - you have to price check at many places and then gauge which vendor will let you bargain the price down most...as long as you're in the mood, it's a lot of fun. 

here's just a slight sampling of the available scarves at one stall.  ps - tie dye is IN over here in bangladesh.  maybe i should have brought my children's leaders shirts...

each shop will have at least one, if not more, small boys who (i'm assuming are related to the owners) help customers look for specific colors/patterns/fabrics, etc.  carly and i were trying to use our little bangla by asking, "dam koto?" meaning "how much?" for a particular scarf and he replied "one twenty" (120 taka).  carly, continuing to try, uttered, "ek show bisch?" (120?)...and he goes "yea, one hundred twenty." 

so much for practicing our bangla. 

ah, yes. and then, on our way back, we decided to check out Helvetia, a new "fast food and coffeehouse" restaurant that opened a few weeks ago.  one of the deans of the AUW, during the first few weeks of planning/students arriving/classes, mentioned she'd seen a sign for a new coffeehouse opening in our neighborhood...and of course it turned out to be this helvetia chain restaurant (there's at least one in dhaka...don't know how many you need for a chain). our hopes were slightly dashed, but then we discovered the iced coffee (granted, nescafe, but still pretty decent iced) and soft-serve ice cream.  perfect treat at the end of a hot day.  mahmuda, carly and i stopped off for slushies...but this is what the soft-served ice cream comes in, byyyy the way. seriously? real glasses? it might be impressive except for the service and quality of food disappointing mirrors that of most fast-food places in the US...