Day 1089

01 February 2021

ಗೋಕರ್ಣ (Gokarna)

Six months ago, I was battling the standard of life that comes with $3 Indian guesthouses. Urban limitations fought against my willpower to get my bliss balls on the market.

I had Женя trudge home the cheapest mixer-grinder from the main market.

The plug wouldn’t reach the outlet. The power cut every 20 minutes, quite literally. No sink. My knees burnt from pressure in my kneeling position.

 

 

At events I was unseen. At shops my prices needed to be lowered. My supplies were locked in a far away fridge and the guy with the key was in the city. My recipe was too big for my mixer. Crumbs flying. Ants racing. Kicked out of a shop. And another shop.

But I believed. Not for a moment did I ever not believe. Or even think to do anything but believe.

Yesterday, six months later, six moon phases later, I relaxed.

I had continued to put work towards my #rawvegan creations in Himachal Pradesh, in Karnataka. States of snowy Himalayas and Southern coastline. Heeding to any calling to create.

 

 

I got into drinks and baked goods.

I wrote down recipes.

 

 

I even still have the markers and sketchbooks and money-collecting cookie jar from those bliss balling days.

And yet…

If only…

If only there was somehow one more showcase before I part ways with my mixer and containers and kitchen counter.

Somehow!

But no ifs. No wanting. Stop thinking.

Then it happened. An answer six months later. Sudden and spontaneous:

“By the way, there’s a Sunday market next door starting in a few hours.”

I got right to it. I prepped exactly the amount I wanted and priced it how I pleased. I made more than one flavor because half the people say,

“I’ll take one of each.”

More than one flavor, but just a few of each, because I just wanted to have a few, and of course I had to tucked away my own stash in the corner of someone’s freezer.

I didn’t put too much on my signs.

I didn’t try to hard, nor did I split myself too much (“I’ll do half a batch of matcha, these snickers bites, snickers bars, chocolate balls, normal balls, coconut balls, cream cakes, oh and I gotta involve tahini some how…” spinning through my head until I was dizzy with schizophrenic jitters).

Just balls. Just three types.

I accepted. I accepted that they wouldn’t be cold when people bit into them. I didn’t go extra early to set up.

I kept it simple. I gave it love.

I made a friend (it seems like half the market was balls), we promoted each other. I practiced Spanish. I supported others.

11 balls, 4 samples.

I went home with an empty box.

So did my new friend.

I genuinely had fun. I could call it a good time.

It was the first time I didn’t break even. I made what I felt was fair for my effort and commitment to quality.

I had nice conversations. All my customers were boys. Mangalore, Mumbai, Israel, the Netherlands.

It was so satisfying to come home in the dark, tired, high on experience, knowing that just a few more people got to try their first bliss ball. Knowing that I had a rounded 450 rupees in my biscotti jar.

So satisfying.

 

 

The moons are connected after all. Just like Rachel said in her Yoga Girl Daily pod, which I listened to only a day ago. This full moon is connected to the new moon six months ago, so look for something in your life that is now being answered, or illuminated, from mid-July. What has grown or matured?

Trudge home a mixer-grinder from the market…

◊

Now for a recipe of my best-seller:

Bald Bliss Balls

Coating

Quarter cup shredded coconut
Quarter cup pumpkin seeds

Balls

Handful almonds
Handful walnuts
Pinch pink sea salt
Double pinch cinnamon
Heaped spoon shredded coconut
Heaped spoon flax seed powder
Teaspoon chia seeds
8-10 Mazafati dates*

These measurements are for a small-size jar of an Indian mixer-grinder. If using a larger food processor jar, double or triple the quantities.
A video tutorial is saved in my Instagram highlights under the comet emoji @vivianlovesfluffy.

Pulse pumpkin seeds in food processor into a coarse meal and set aside.

Add nuts, salt, and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse until a coarse meal is formed.

Add coconut, flax, and chia to the processor. Give a quick pulse to blend.

Add dates, pulse until a sticky dough is formed. It should be sticking to itself and leading the sides of the food processor jar clean. If too dry or crumbling when forming into balls, add more dates and pulse. If too sticky, add more coconut, flax, or nuts and pulse until desired consistency is achieved.

Unplug food processor and remove jar. Dump out dough onto a plate. Pinch off dough in desired amounts, rolling into balls. Mine are typically slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.

Roll in one of the prepared toppings by dropping the ball into a cup containing only shredded coconut or only pumpkin seed meal, and giving it a toss around. This makes two colors of bliss balls. Additionally, if you want light brown, you can also coat in flax powder or walnut meal, and for dark brown, sift cacao powder over the balls.

Best served chilled. I like mine frozen and thawed for ten minutes.

Store in airtight container. Keeps for one week in the fridge or one month in the freezer.

Dangerously addicting; enjoy with caution(:

 

 

*I use ‘Kimia’ boxed dates from Iran, also known as Mazafati dates, but any Iranian dates in a cardboard box are great. They should be fresh, soft, and sticky rather than dried out. Check each date carefully and discard if bugs, larvae, or droppings are found. The next best option would be medjool dates. Start with five medjool dates and increase as needed.