Give PBC's a Chance

School is off today, and most of India is closed because of a national holiday. Actually, today is Himachal Day, and tomorrow is Republic Day. Many government schools and other groups in the area are practicing drills and marches and dances to celebrate in tomorrow’s parades, which will take place all over India. Today, I technically don’t have to go to work, because nobody else is, but since my work is in a hostel where food is served every day, and since it’s not my republic anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to come in and get something done.

Today I tested a new recipe on the girls: PBC No-Bakes. Very simple, very delicious, and egg-free, so I think it’ll be a good match. It just depends on if Indians like peanut butter. Whatever, nothing went wrong with this recipe, and for once, there aren’t a lot of good, interesting stories about which I can write. Many of the girls have gone home for the holiday, so I didn’t have nearly as many groupies following me around.

Also, I figured it would be time to start doing so accounting for all this baking I’m doing. That way, it’ll seem a bit more like work and less like play. Besides, if I plan to expand this as a small business venture for the students here, it will be important. So, I (KLB actually) spent just under 800 rupees on groceries so far. I made about 40 small brownies, 50 pieces of fudge, and 85 no-bakes, making a total of 175 pieces. I also didn’t use all of the groceries, as there was some left over. So, let’s call it 700 rupees to be safe. Divide the 175 pieces into that, and each piece costs a little more than 4 rupees. Sell them at 5 apiece to break even, and 6 or 7 to make a profit. That puts my sweets right around the same price as other sweets in India.

5 rupees for a PBC no-bake? That’s 12.5 cents. Pretty cheap by American standards. Also, the ingredients are much cheaper, so it all rounds out.

I guess when you apply it to baking and food, math can be pretty fun.

Next, Ramdev wants me to make another, bigger batch of PBC’s (that’s what I’m naming them) to more of the college to get a wider range of opinions. Plus, I should find another vegan brownie recipe, because the last one left a lot to be desired. Furthermore, the girls want something spicy. I was thinking hummus and falafel, since chickpeas are so abundant and cheap here. Finally, Ramdev has asked me to come up with American menus for one lunch, one breakfast and one dinner, just to change things up. Looks like I’ll have some more substantial things to do now. I’ll need to get some better measuring equipment, like a scale and some cups. I know I’m a nerd, but that’s so exciting!

Oh, and I have a roommate for the next couple of weeks. Her name is Agata, and she’s a Polish PR rep checking out the programs that GSC is offering in Palampur and the rest of Himachal Pradesh. She wants to make these opportunities available to Polish students. She took the midnight train from Delhi to get here, and fell right asleep upon arrival, but my first impression is that she should be a pretty cool person. Harmit, Atul, Agata and I will be hanging out tonight to get to know each other better.