If you're wondering why I'm still talking about food, well, as a stay-at-home mom in Islamabad there isn't much for me to do. I would love to go out and take James to some parks and playgrounds, which are plentiful in this city, but I feel exposed without my husband. There have been times when we did go out and attract some Pakistani men who want to take James' photo with their mobile phones. On other occasions, well, they can't resist touching him because Pakistanis love babies, particularly boys.

I hope this does not sound like I'm complaining. In addition to cooking dinner and James' baby food, I also workout to lose weight, look after the herbs I just planted last month, and surf the net. I read articles on weight loss, look up reviews about exercise DVDs,  or download recipes for low-fat, low-cholesterol, tasty dishes.

There was a time, like during our first year here three years ago that US brands of groceries are ridiculously expensive and expired. It still happens, but there are also many items now either made locally, imported from neighboring countries and even the Philippines. So yeah, buying glass noodles or fish sauce and shiitake mushrooms are not a problem anymore. This is another reflection of the expat community in Islamabad, where there are more Asians than Westerners. I am even more pleased that a couple of vegetable shops also sell bok choi, fresh basil, spinach, cilantro, and even the occasional red and yellow bell pepper. The only hitch is there are still no refrigerated shelves except for Metro, the Costco equivalent, which is too far. So we just buy the veggies the day or day before we need these.

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