Hi Helga,
I completely agree with what you said. There are very few resident Goan males on this forum so the absence of women from Goa is hardly surprising. Among the expatriate women, I hope the situation is not as glum as you paint it to be. Especially since Goan girls back home in Goa regularly out perform the boys in academics and are now fast catching up in the professional fields. What Aristo said about fish cutlets(h) however is partly true. Most girls in Goa(and many in the rest of India) are now proud that they don't know to cook.... I guess because cooking has long been symbolic of gender discrimination. I foresaw this situation a while ago, but never left home for long enough to take corrective action. When I spent months outside Goa, it was usually on company expense so it really didn't matter. However, when the time came to depart to London I spent weeks with every member of the family learning to cook everything I liked. Instead of being condemned to a life of fast food and microwave meals I am now able to cook Goan and Indian food myself(including fish cutlets!). This was unheard of a generation ago. Even more amazing is that many friends of mine(Aristo not included!) have realised the fact that if you want to eat good food in the future you are going to have to cook it yourself, infact your wife will demand it:)). Many have taken cookery courses from professionals for which they have suffered alot of ridicule from other boys(boys will be boys!). However they say he who laughs last.... While Aristo has to be content with Sambar Thalis, Chinese Fast Food and McDonalds in Bangalore(until he gets married, he thinks), I am going to enjoy a dinner of Mutton Xacuti tonight or maybe a Pork Vindalho. Regards Sunith Helga wrote: Just to clear matters Aristo I don't think Goan women living in Goa spend their time making pattice or cutlecy which is what Selma said - seriously or in jest I don't know. I am very impressed at the daughters of my friends who take posts overseas, work for big name companies and are very self assured. At the NIO where I spent two weeks there were women everywhere (apparently they cant find any guys to do fieldwork!!) and they are working toward their doctorates in very interesting fields like paleoclimate, molecular biology and biotechnology. -- Sunith D Velho [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goanet supports BMX, the alumni network of Britto's, St Mary's and Xavier's -- three prominent institutions in Mapusa, Goa. Events scheduled from Dec 16 to 21, 2006 For more details visit http://www.bmxgoa.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------