Cooking Stuff
Raleigh has its share of Indian stores. You would be surprised by the variety of stuff that you get in them. Unfortunately, everything would have a price mutiplied by the going exchange rate and they will all seem outlandishly expensive. So, if you are going to be starting with a fresh bunch of roomies, get the essentials like rice, dal(in very limited quantity just to get started). Also get all the basic masalas and condiments that are required as per your style of cooking. And most important learn to cook! You want to stay alive and well. And you possibly can’t achieve that by eating sandwiches, pizzas and tortillas. Focus on the essentials. Cooking rice, dal and vegetables (well) would be a good starting point. It is always a good idea to bring a cook book or two along else you end up downloading recipes online. It is highly advisable that you get along with yourself the Everest Masala packs for Garam Masala, Chhole masala, Biryani masala, pav-bhaji, etc. You can also get stuff like the ready-made gravy mix. Also get along other spices & condiments (turmeric, jeera, chilly powder, etc). Get along sweets and namkeen(for us!!)you will miss them the moment you reach here. It takes time to get adjusted to the crap that you get here!
Kitchen Utensils
A pressure cooker (big enough for 4-7 people i.e. atleast 4 liters size, trust me you will need it if 4 of you are planning to stay together) with spares, a non-stick pan and/or kadai (understand how it needs to be treated). A few medium sized dishes. Tumblers, spoons, forks, knife, glasses, coffee mugs, bowls. Flat-bottomed pans are highly-recommended keeping in mind that most stove-tops here are electric-coiled, the round bottom vessels do not work on these stove-tops. We suggest that you purchase microwaveable dishes, bowls etc. from here rather than getting it all the way from India. ASK MOM, SHE KNOWS BEST !!!!!!