How does one provide 'context' for a cultural chaos called India? The "a country where marriages are still arranged" has worked well thus far. 'Poverty' and 'slums' also provide excellent context. 'Colorful' is not bad either. And the 'call center' was reigning supreme for a while.

First there was an old, unequal law. And now that may be amended into a new unfair law. A century-old Indian law on adultery -- which I had no idea existed -- that gives the woman a free pass, has been targeted for change for a while now. But the new law being proposed, which promises to be "inclusive" and to bring women into the punitive fold, holds on to the old law in spirit: adultery is a criminal offense.

The three days of excruciating pain that Mumbaikars suffered and survived last month hit home like no other terrorist attack in India, as I watched the horror unfold, safe in my living room 10,000 miles away. I lost a former senior colleague to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel siege. I was saddened, shaken and sobered. The next time, it could be my family or my close friends, in their own homes, in my home country. 

I'd intended to post a traveler's thanks, but the attacks in Mumbai turned my thoughts to the travelers - and others - there. Here's a round up from a few travel sites. A Luxury Travel Blog posts details on the hotel sites:

UPDATED NEWS: The siege of India's financial, commercial and entertainment capital, Mumbai, continues. The city is likely to be shut down for the second consecutive day. A set of eight or nine coordinated attacks on the city's landmarks  -- including the Taj and Trident-Oberoi hotels, a Jewish center (Nariman House), a train station, an upmarket restaurant and a hospital for women and children -- has claimed over 125 lives and injured over 300. The final toll is likely to rise.

Reportedly Oprah is considering retiring from her daily talk show when her current contract ends in 2011. Maybe she worries that there is nothing new left to talk about or that she is on auto-pilot rehashing lessons already learned. If today's show is any indication, sadly I wonder if Oprah has already mentally checked out.

China has had several food safety scares in recent years, with contaimants found in ingestible products such as toothpaste and petfood.  But the crisis going on now strikes a deep chord with parents both in and out of China:  as of today, four children have died from baby food contaminated with melamine, and over 6,000 have been sickened.  Over 150 babies are hospitalized with acute kidney failure.

I spent the last six hours of my Saturday evening (September 13 here in India) watching a familiar tragedy unfold in the capital city of New Delhi and calling up friends and family to make sure they are okay: five bombs went off in under 30 minutes in three crowded market areas, leaving 20 dead and over a 100 injured. Four live bombs have also been diffused in other parts of the city.

Torn up about traveling to China? You're not alone. Human rights, oppressive politics, environmental disasters, con. Incredible food (thanks Kalyn!), a culture so rich it's mind boggling, a nation in a staggering state of change? Pro! Every time I read about travels in China, every time I crack a National Geographic that's got a China feature I think two things. First, WOW, do I need to go to China. Do I ever. And secondly, WOW, China looks difficult and exhausting...I can hardly wait.

When I visited Beijing in late 2001, I certainly knew more about authentic Chinese food than the average American, but classes in Chinese cooking hadn't prepared me for what turned out to be the food adventure of a lifetime. This was before my food-blogger-with-digital-camera days, so I couldn't photograph my Beijing experiences, but plenty of other food bloggers have shared about food adventures in Beijing.

I had never imagined my first post from India would be about a series of terror attacks in two economically vibrant cities, 1,000-odd miles apart, which claimed over 50 lives and left more than 100 wounded.

Last week, BlogHer CE Lanaid's post raised the issue of racial biases among ethnic minorities in America: A former  professor of Indian-origin, who was unhappy that his son (then 19 years old with no college degree) had married an African-American woman, allegedly ordered his daughter-in-law to be killed. Lanaid's post has details about the case, so I'll skip those.