Oh, don't go, yet. You haven't reached my food blog, you are doing fine, still on my diary. Its so happens that old habits have prompted me into chirping about something gastronomical (and by the same token, emotional?) :-D.
I have gotten back from having some "chai" and "pakode". This is a combo, that i lighten up my weekend evenings (when not at home) with, quite frequently. Before you decide to feel jealous, let me dash those hopes. In the interest of full disclousre, that "chai" is from Starbucks! and the "pakode", well they are a close cousin, the falafel :-D. . By all means, feel jealous about the latter, because what i just had, are the best falafels ever (and they are served along with the best hummus and very-very hot saunce). And like i said, i get to enjoy those on a rather regular basis. The "chai" however, is a tricky/sticky note here ;).
I know i am making myself available for some criticism here for "enjoying" the Strabucks kinda' chai. Even though i have it quite often, the "chai-tea latte" at Starbucks (or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf or Pete's Coffee, or at any one of their cousins), isn't remotely like what i know as chai, with or without the masala. A hundred million people have said that before me, and an equal number is more than likely to say so after me. The name "chai-tea" itself creates confusion, exemplified by the following conversation that i had with my ex-colleague and friend AK, who hails from Russia:
Scene: AK and me standing in the line at Starbucks at workplace, waiting to order.
AK: "Musical, i have to ask you something-What is chai?"
That question drew him a strange look from me. Knowing that chai means the same in Russian as it does in Hindi, it sounded a strange question.
Me: Chai means tea in Hindi, and i guess its the same in Russian.
AK: (Big grin on his face) Yeah, true. But then, why do they (Starbucks) list chai separately and not with tea? So may be it is different indeed.
Me: They are trying to use the term chai for their version of the Indian style chai with spices, milk and sugar. Since in India we call it chai, i guess they just have been using that term. But their version is very different from homestyle masala chai.
And AK was happy, having freshly illuminated himself with the difference between "this" chai and "that" chai :-D.
This debate, whether the chai-tea or whatever is worth your $$ and attention or not, will go on. For me, i have a couple of choices, either to go to the local desi restaurant and order a beverage (many a time after waiting atleast for 15 or so minutes) which might match the taste, but may be served at a temperature totally not acceptable :-D or to go to Starbucks, and get some beverage which is not the same taste, but i can get it boiling hot! I choose both, depending on my mood and time :-D. Oh, and while i am at it, i must tell you that i recently discovered some tea bags for "Indian Chai: Classic Indian Chai with exotic sweet spices". Its black tea with spices, which suit my palate perfectly. For once, i don't reall feel the need to add any milk or sugar to this. The aroma is perfect! I wish they would make something similar with green tea as well, and then we can enjoy kahwa too :).
What can i say, i am shameless. I like that name, chai-and while i continue to treat myself to my home made REAL CHAI every weeekend and some weeknights (along with the delish goodness like upma, paranthas and what not), some weekends when i am not at home, and missing my buddies, i let the emotional appeal of that word get the better of me. I miss chirping with MD and Golden Girl over a cup of hot chai, i miss how Ms. Moon demands that her chai should not have any spice in it. And to think of it, i never even had much chai or coffee till i got into Graduate School. Like i have said before, chai and pakodas are the best combo, especially when friends are around :-D. And having a less than optimal "chai", with what i will again describe as the best falafels ever, sounds pretty good on such evenings :-D.
Showing posts with label Desiyana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desiyana. Show all posts
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Thursday, February 01, 2007
This is really crazy
Here's something really crazy!
You know how there are these people who are totally ignorant and crazy.....the ones who don't know what they are talking about, the ones who think they are the best!
Well, so here goes.....
Few days back, a colleague informed me that his brother was going to Bangalore for work. He then asked me something like, "Do you need vaccines to travel to India".....i told him that i never take any vaccines to travel back home-but i kinda' knew where this was going. He then said, "I thought so too. I mean, anyway, because Bangalore apparently is a big city and so it must be fairly westernized and clean".....i gave him a look and went about my business.
and so now that his brother is in India, the dude feels the need to come to me and enlighten me with this, "Hey, my brother is now in Bangalore and you know what, they even have a 48" plasma TV in his room, its pretty impressive".....and i said, "Oh, good (with a 'so what' expression, because again i knew where this was headed to." and then he said, "No, i mean so they are actually quite advanced. They have all these things". Like he was imagining a place full of you know what.....(fill in all stereotypes).
I know you'll ask me, "so whats your problem here". So, the dude here is trying to tell me how my country and my city are so sophisticated, good enough, in a very "here's your certificate of being westernized and sophisticated" kind of way.....Hold on, please don't jump and draw your conclusions about his identity. He's just gotten his citizenship a few years ago and is from a country thats struggled rather painfully with its economy in the recent past. Its not about where you come from, its about "how you think others are no good" kind of attitude that i have problems with!
Having respect for others doesn't hurt.....
You know how there are these people who are totally ignorant and crazy.....the ones who don't know what they are talking about, the ones who think they are the best!
Well, so here goes.....
Few days back, a colleague informed me that his brother was going to Bangalore for work. He then asked me something like, "Do you need vaccines to travel to India".....i told him that i never take any vaccines to travel back home-but i kinda' knew where this was going. He then said, "I thought so too. I mean, anyway, because Bangalore apparently is a big city and so it must be fairly westernized and clean".....i gave him a look and went about my business.
and so now that his brother is in India, the dude feels the need to come to me and enlighten me with this, "Hey, my brother is now in Bangalore and you know what, they even have a 48" plasma TV in his room, its pretty impressive".....and i said, "Oh, good (with a 'so what' expression, because again i knew where this was headed to." and then he said, "No, i mean so they are actually quite advanced. They have all these things". Like he was imagining a place full of you know what.....(fill in all stereotypes).
I know you'll ask me, "so whats your problem here". So, the dude here is trying to tell me how my country and my city are so sophisticated, good enough, in a very "here's your certificate of being westernized and sophisticated" kind of way.....Hold on, please don't jump and draw your conclusions about his identity. He's just gotten his citizenship a few years ago and is from a country thats struggled rather painfully with its economy in the recent past. Its not about where you come from, its about "how you think others are no good" kind of attitude that i have problems with!
Having respect for others doesn't hurt.....
Friday, January 26, 2007
For all the fans ;)
So, Sendhil Ramamurthy made an appearance on Jay Leno's show tonight :).
Jay starts off by sort of chanting Sendhil's name multiple times-kinda' showing off that he got it right :)). And then the "Hero" shows up (WOW!!), looking his confident best.....you just notice a hint of desi shyness, so boyish :)). And Jay gloats again that he got Sendhil's name right, "So, i got your name right, its a tricky one-i practised all night". Sendhil sweetly says, "Oh, you did a great job.....even better than me". (sure honey, considering how you say Mohinder Surresh) :)). Just kidding, Sendhil proves himself to be an absolute sweetheart.
Jay obviously has some desi-related questions for Hero.
He starts off by asking Sendhil about where he comes from. He tells us that he was born in Chicago and three years later the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Jay asks him about his parents and Sendhil proudly tells that they are from Bangalore, India (cheers from some audience, making Jay and Sendhil chuckle)!!.
And then Sendhil shares in response to Jay's question about representing desis in mainstream roles on TV (i guess its his favorite question for desis-recall his interview with Parminder Nagra) how it was to be shooting in a small desi-owned motel in Monrovia (CA), where desis cheered him big time. Go India-so said Sendhil :)).
Though i have issues with this role being that mainstream, he still portrays a cabbie! May be mainstream means sufficient screen time .....
And Jay also brings up the sticky topic of choosing a seemingly non-conventional profession (from desi view-point). Sendhil confesses that coming from a family of doctors, it was a bit tricky to initially share his career-choice with his parents, but they are his big time supporters now. He himself has trained as a pre-med at Tufts where he had to enroll for an arts course to graduate, which made him turn to acting big time.
He also mentions that while he trained in dramatic arts in London, he adapted a British accent all through to get around smoothely :). Now we know where Mohinder's style comes from :)).
Yes, the guy doesn't do a convincing job of doing desi accent in Heros, yes he says Mohinder Surresh they way he does. But having seen him on this show tonight, he sounds very honest about what he's doing and is clearly proud of representing desis on small screen. (or is he just a good actor-hope he wasn't acting here).....Some girls call him Mr. Hot n' Sweet-dunno' about the hot factor-but he's definitely sweeeeeeet-really adorable.
Wish you much luck brother :).
Jay starts off by sort of chanting Sendhil's name multiple times-kinda' showing off that he got it right :)). And then the "Hero" shows up (WOW!!), looking his confident best.....you just notice a hint of desi shyness, so boyish :)). And Jay gloats again that he got Sendhil's name right, "So, i got your name right, its a tricky one-i practised all night". Sendhil sweetly says, "Oh, you did a great job.....even better than me". (sure honey, considering how you say Mohinder Surresh) :)). Just kidding, Sendhil proves himself to be an absolute sweetheart.
Jay obviously has some desi-related questions for Hero.
He starts off by asking Sendhil about where he comes from. He tells us that he was born in Chicago and three years later the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Jay asks him about his parents and Sendhil proudly tells that they are from Bangalore, India (cheers from some audience, making Jay and Sendhil chuckle)!!.
And then Sendhil shares in response to Jay's question about representing desis in mainstream roles on TV (i guess its his favorite question for desis-recall his interview with Parminder Nagra) how it was to be shooting in a small desi-owned motel in Monrovia (CA), where desis cheered him big time. Go India-so said Sendhil :)).
Though i have issues with this role being that mainstream, he still portrays a cabbie! May be mainstream means sufficient screen time .....
And Jay also brings up the sticky topic of choosing a seemingly non-conventional profession (from desi view-point). Sendhil confesses that coming from a family of doctors, it was a bit tricky to initially share his career-choice with his parents, but they are his big time supporters now. He himself has trained as a pre-med at Tufts where he had to enroll for an arts course to graduate, which made him turn to acting big time.
He also mentions that while he trained in dramatic arts in London, he adapted a British accent all through to get around smoothely :). Now we know where Mohinder's style comes from :)).
Yes, the guy doesn't do a convincing job of doing desi accent in Heros, yes he says Mohinder Surresh they way he does. But having seen him on this show tonight, he sounds very honest about what he's doing and is clearly proud of representing desis on small screen. (or is he just a good actor-hope he wasn't acting here).....Some girls call him Mr. Hot n' Sweet-dunno' about the hot factor-but he's definitely sweeeeeeet-really adorable.
Wish you much luck brother :).
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Now, thats quite a mocktail :)
Hmm, my friend, Ms. Wisdom e-mailed me this clip a cpl. of days back :). It goes by the title "12 days of Christmas for a brown".
Quite a hilarious mocktail it is: you can find all the typical masala here. It kinda' also serves as your guide to desi stereotypes ;).
Enjoy :)).
Quite a hilarious mocktail it is: you can find all the typical masala here. It kinda' also serves as your guide to desi stereotypes ;).
Enjoy :)).
Friday, January 12, 2007
Charles, Charlie Card and more :)
More Boston stories, about the city and the folks.....
It is just amazing to go back to a city you are familiar with. There hasn't been much change, the same places and people-the same familiar and comforting surroundings. I even recognized the lovely girls, who worked at the Longwood area Starbucks and CVS :).
The first noticeable change was that my all time favorite Lindt's store has moved from Longwood Medical Area-so i had to go to Cardullo's at Harvard Square, which has Lindt's and lot more :).
And yes, finally MBTA has said bye-bye to the token system and introduced the cutesy Charlie Cards (drumroll please, and do view this link-must see)!! The system came into being not so long ago and hopefully would do quite well. There are some teething problems: for one, it sometimes takes a lot of patience to recharge-the vending machines may not read your credit card well. But overall, i like the concept and design and have saved a Charlie Card as a suvenir :).
Pic: The Park Street T-stop
And the wonderful outing with MD (who was taking a brief vacation in Boston before flying to Europe. See, that was another great reason to be in Boston) at the Harvard Square: eating at Tanjore, watching a movie (The Good German) at AMC Loews and then walking upto Memorial Drive to stop by (and take pictures, ofcourse) at Charles
, the gorgeous Charles.....
And we had fun, walking around.....enjoying the Boston skyline.....
Now, i am not going to review this movie! and
would rather sum it up saying that it was high on style (great cinematography) and low on substance. Geroge Clooney, who i am a huge fan of, didn't do much except parading in uniform like attire!
Also, one evening it finally snowed.....
just a day before i was leaving.....Ms. Doll smiled and we decided to go out to Boston Commons
to see the ice-sculptures :). 
Snow.....the first snow is always beautiful.....
and now is the time to share some desiyana, Boston style :).
First, the restaurants: I only ate out thrice:once at Tanjore, another time at Indian Entree' in the Corner Mall food court in Downtown Crossing and then at Indian Chilli Cambridgeside Galleria. I must say, i was pretty disappointed with both the food courts, more so with the Indian Chilli-the hostess is really rude. She doesn't really care if there's a customer waiting or not! and food at both places was also just OK. The Indian Chilli stall used to be Alladin's at some point-the food and service were a shade better then.
Tanjore was OK, had decent service-the sambar and chutney were too sour though. But atleast, MD and i could sit and chat for long-thats what made it worth it.
So, the conclusion is that MOST (not all) desi food court stall are not worth it-i really wish they would be, though.....
and i really missed not being able to go to Gourmet India in the Coolidge Corner (Brookline Booksmith, a wonderful bookstore is located there-and yes, i didn't amange to got there). Decent food and the simplicity would make me go for it :). and they apparently have food-court stall in several malls in Greater Boston area.
and also, i missed the Bombay Cinema.....at Allston, on Comm. Ave.-they stopped playing movies long ago.....
Hmm, and then i had this interesting incident in the T :).
There was this strange guy in the train, who i noticed was looking at me. I tried to ignore him. and then minutes later he was saying something not so audible. I thought may be he's asking somebody about a stop or so. He said the same (similar sounding) thing a cpl. more time, and then i realized he was asking me something! I still didn't get what he was trying to say, given that he was talking really too soft.
and thats when he asked in a more audible voice "Are you of Indian nationality"- and i said "yes". and he smiled and then went on to say "You look like an Indian" :). Hmm, i wondered, what would he ask next! and then he asked this gem of a question, "Are you also into hotel business, because most Indian who i know are into hotel business" :)). I really tried hard to control my laughter!! and finally managed to put a stern look on and firmly said, "No". By this time, other people, especially women around, were on an alert mode, as they wondered if this guy was crazy! He continued, "So, what do you do?". When i briefly informed him about my profession, he was, like "Wow" and went on to say "Oh, yes! many Indians are doctors and scientists. BTW, are you into psychiatry" :)). The woman next to me gave this a guy a dirty look and next thing we both noticed was that it was time for us to get down :)).
So much for desi related fun :). Will chirp more on friends and folks i met there, soon.
It is just amazing to go back to a city you are familiar with. There hasn't been much change, the same places and people-the same familiar and comforting surroundings. I even recognized the lovely girls, who worked at the Longwood area Starbucks and CVS :).
Pics : Park Street , X'mas Tree at Boston Commons and the State House
The first noticeable change was that my all time favorite Lindt's store has moved from Longwood Medical Area-so i had to go to Cardullo's at Harvard Square, which has Lindt's and lot more :).
And yes, finally MBTA has said bye-bye to the token system and introduced the cutesy Charlie Cards (drumroll please, and do view this link-must see)!! The system came into being not so long ago and hopefully would do quite well. There are some teething problems: for one, it sometimes takes a lot of patience to recharge-the vending machines may not read your credit card well. But overall, i like the concept and design and have saved a Charlie Card as a suvenir :).
Pic: The Park Street T-stop And the wonderful outing with MD (who was taking a brief vacation in Boston before flying to Europe. See, that was another great reason to be in Boston) at the Harvard Square: eating at Tanjore, watching a movie (The Good German) at AMC Loews and then walking upto Memorial Drive to stop by (and take pictures, ofcourse) at Charles
, the gorgeous Charles.....And we had fun, walking around.....enjoying the Boston skyline.....
Now, i am not going to review this movie! and
would rather sum it up saying that it was high on style (great cinematography) and low on substance. Geroge Clooney, who i am a huge fan of, didn't do much except parading in uniform like attire!
Also, one evening it finally snowed.....
just a day before i was leaving.....Ms. Doll smiled and we decided to go out to Boston Commons
to see the ice-sculptures :). 
Snow.....the first snow is always beautiful.....and now is the time to share some desiyana, Boston style :).
First, the restaurants: I only ate out thrice:once at Tanjore, another time at Indian Entree' in the Corner Mall food court in Downtown Crossing and then at Indian Chilli Cambridgeside Galleria. I must say, i was pretty disappointed with both the food courts, more so with the Indian Chilli-the hostess is really rude. She doesn't really care if there's a customer waiting or not! and food at both places was also just OK. The Indian Chilli stall used to be Alladin's at some point-the food and service were a shade better then.
Tanjore was OK, had decent service-the sambar and chutney were too sour though. But atleast, MD and i could sit and chat for long-thats what made it worth it.
So, the conclusion is that MOST (not all) desi food court stall are not worth it-i really wish they would be, though.....
and i really missed not being able to go to Gourmet India in the Coolidge Corner (Brookline Booksmith, a wonderful bookstore is located there-and yes, i didn't amange to got there). Decent food and the simplicity would make me go for it :). and they apparently have food-court stall in several malls in Greater Boston area.
and also, i missed the Bombay Cinema.....at Allston, on Comm. Ave.-they stopped playing movies long ago.....
Hmm, and then i had this interesting incident in the T :).
There was this strange guy in the train, who i noticed was looking at me. I tried to ignore him. and then minutes later he was saying something not so audible. I thought may be he's asking somebody about a stop or so. He said the same (similar sounding) thing a cpl. more time, and then i realized he was asking me something! I still didn't get what he was trying to say, given that he was talking really too soft.
and thats when he asked in a more audible voice "Are you of Indian nationality"- and i said "yes". and he smiled and then went on to say "You look like an Indian" :). Hmm, i wondered, what would he ask next! and then he asked this gem of a question, "Are you also into hotel business, because most Indian who i know are into hotel business" :)). I really tried hard to control my laughter!! and finally managed to put a stern look on and firmly said, "No". By this time, other people, especially women around, were on an alert mode, as they wondered if this guy was crazy! He continued, "So, what do you do?". When i briefly informed him about my profession, he was, like "Wow" and went on to say "Oh, yes! many Indians are doctors and scientists. BTW, are you into psychiatry" :)). The woman next to me gave this a guy a dirty look and next thing we both noticed was that it was time for us to get down :)).
So much for desi related fun :). Will chirp more on friends and folks i met there, soon.
Pics: Downtown Crossing, Inside the Prudential Center Mall and near the Boston Commons
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Dancing with the penguins :)
Whats your favorite dance style: Bhangra, tango, tap or salsa-bring it on!
Mumble wants you to dance along-Mumble, the cutest penguin ever (besides Pingu).
Oh! and i've been meaning to share my meeting with this lovely penguin since a couple of days. A meeting that made me laugh and cry.....gently tugging my heart strings.....
I am clearly besotted :).
I met Mumble at the Fox Theater where he's currently making an appearance, and in style! His show is named "Happy Feet"-it leaves everyone happy.....and touched :).
Rarely there is any movie that tries to address many things at the same time, and does it so wonderfully well.
The story is about Mumble, a lovely, cutesy penguin, who's different! Different, in that unlike others in his 'hood who sing their way to glory, he expresses himself with dance. Born to Momma and Papa penguins, he's not particularly well received by his community, but lives on with a smile. He finds his muse in the pretty Gloria, who's every young penguin's heart-throb. Our dude makes friends with the cutesome foursome penguins, who are naughty and full of beans (but also feel the pain of being from 'the wrong side of town'). The naughty bunch enthuses Mumble, dances along with him and takes him to a philospohy spouting guru Lovelace (voiced over by Robin Williams). Together, they solve the mysteries of the penguin-land, doing everything penguinely possible, reaching out to the other worlds and having their voices heard.....
This penguin-land story has many shades of what we desis are so familiar with: here are few things that make you nostalgic ;).
1. Its a musical :). Yeah! and plenty of dance numbers ;).
2. Momma and Papa penguins singing a love song (Baghban, anyone!).
3. Mumble wooing Gloria in typical Hindi movie style (playes a saviour to the damsel in distress: imagine the baddie running away with heroine's purse and the hero chasing the baddie. well, in this case its about a fish :)). Mumble dances for his beloved, while she sings on.....
4. Our hero fighting the baddies and reaching out to the aliens single-handedly! He's surely a super-sweet super hero :).
5. Song and dance in the graduation party :). (Papa kehte hain and more).
6. Father and son duo dancing crazy ( Rock and Roll Soniye-Mumble and Papa make the AB duo of penguin-land ;)).
7. One of Mumble's amigos singing for him (just like Kishore Kumar sang for Sunil Dutt in Padosan :)).
See, the Hindi movie school works!
Mumble, you are good. You are great. i totally heart you. and i sincerely hope and pray what you did in the show, someone would do in reality too. Wanna come and stop by on planet earth.....
Al Gore must be a happy man :).
Verdict: GO watch the movie, NOW! Mumble takes us through this joy-ride bringing lots of things to our attention. As a bonus, he DJs some great music and lots of it. Its really heart-warming to hear some great songs from back in time.
P.S.: I noticed a desi contribution while the credits were rolling: Sonal Joshi is the Supervising Dialogue Editor here.
Mumble wants you to dance along-Mumble, the cutest penguin ever (besides Pingu).
Oh! and i've been meaning to share my meeting with this lovely penguin since a couple of days. A meeting that made me laugh and cry.....gently tugging my heart strings.....
I am clearly besotted :).
I met Mumble at the Fox Theater where he's currently making an appearance, and in style! His show is named "Happy Feet"-it leaves everyone happy.....and touched :).
Rarely there is any movie that tries to address many things at the same time, and does it so wonderfully well.
The story is about Mumble, a lovely, cutesy penguin, who's different! Different, in that unlike others in his 'hood who sing their way to glory, he expresses himself with dance. Born to Momma and Papa penguins, he's not particularly well received by his community, but lives on with a smile. He finds his muse in the pretty Gloria, who's every young penguin's heart-throb. Our dude makes friends with the cutesome foursome penguins, who are naughty and full of beans (but also feel the pain of being from 'the wrong side of town'). The naughty bunch enthuses Mumble, dances along with him and takes him to a philospohy spouting guru Lovelace (voiced over by Robin Williams). Together, they solve the mysteries of the penguin-land, doing everything penguinely possible, reaching out to the other worlds and having their voices heard.....
This penguin-land story has many shades of what we desis are so familiar with: here are few things that make you nostalgic ;).
1. Its a musical :). Yeah! and plenty of dance numbers ;).
2. Momma and Papa penguins singing a love song (Baghban, anyone!).
3. Mumble wooing Gloria in typical Hindi movie style (playes a saviour to the damsel in distress: imagine the baddie running away with heroine's purse and the hero chasing the baddie. well, in this case its about a fish :)). Mumble dances for his beloved, while she sings on.....
4. Our hero fighting the baddies and reaching out to the aliens single-handedly! He's surely a super-sweet super hero :).
5. Song and dance in the graduation party :). (Papa kehte hain and more).
6. Father and son duo dancing crazy ( Rock and Roll Soniye-Mumble and Papa make the AB duo of penguin-land ;)).
7. One of Mumble's amigos singing for him (just like Kishore Kumar sang for Sunil Dutt in Padosan :)).
See, the Hindi movie school works!
Mumble, you are good. You are great. i totally heart you. and i sincerely hope and pray what you did in the show, someone would do in reality too. Wanna come and stop by on planet earth.....
Al Gore must be a happy man :).
Verdict: GO watch the movie, NOW! Mumble takes us through this joy-ride bringing lots of things to our attention. As a bonus, he DJs some great music and lots of it. Its really heart-warming to hear some great songs from back in time.
P.S.: I noticed a desi contribution while the credits were rolling: Sonal Joshi is the Supervising Dialogue Editor here.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Elephants in the head
Y'day i was wondering if i had hallucinations about the whole elephant thing. I tried to cover my angst under the mask of pun and humor. No longer are those things of much use.....
Today was a real busy day. I am tired, drained and hurting.....
After finishing my work at 9:30 PM, i was leaving when i met one of my colleagues. She's a SwissMiss, a great friend and wonderful colleague. She had come to take care of some experiment quickly-and brought her friend (who we shall refer to as SillyMiss) along. A casual chat about the silly conversations we had at the dinner table y'day ensued (we were in two different corners). She mentioned how someone was super-mean to her. And i ended up mentioning about the E-thing. Like most people y'day, her jaw dropped too.....and then SillyMiss contributed the following with all her intelligence and knowledge.....
Me: "The guy next to me was ridiculous-he asked Do you still have elephants roaming around on streets in India.
SwissMiss: "OMG, thats so ignorant, silly-really stupid".
SillyMiss: "But, isn't that true, right (looking at me)".
Me: "NO! its not".
SillyMiss: "But no, its true, aren't they on the streets in the villages".
Me (trying to hold myself): "NOOOOOOOO!" and the (angry) music played on.....the songs of how elephants were seen in zoos and circuses were sung.....no avail.....our girl just won't stop.....
SillyMiss continued arguing for the next couple of minutes.....illuminating my ignorant self.....
SwissMiss looked on in embarrasment.....
The contentment of a great lunch and wonderful time spent with a dear friend in the noon couldn't last me through it.....no chai would work today.....and there aren't even any pictures of the beaches and palms to soothe.....just the thoughts.....about whether we were talking about the same geographical coordinates.....
and i sincerely wish that there won't be more stories of this sort to share.....
P.S. There were more things to share.....chance encounters with two desi couples.....one sweet and another one strange.....will chirp on that sometime else.
Today was a real busy day. I am tired, drained and hurting.....
After finishing my work at 9:30 PM, i was leaving when i met one of my colleagues. She's a SwissMiss, a great friend and wonderful colleague. She had come to take care of some experiment quickly-and brought her friend (who we shall refer to as SillyMiss) along. A casual chat about the silly conversations we had at the dinner table y'day ensued (we were in two different corners). She mentioned how someone was super-mean to her. And i ended up mentioning about the E-thing. Like most people y'day, her jaw dropped too.....and then SillyMiss contributed the following with all her intelligence and knowledge.....
Me: "The guy next to me was ridiculous-he asked Do you still have elephants roaming around on streets in India.
SwissMiss: "OMG, thats so ignorant, silly-really stupid".
SillyMiss: "But, isn't that true, right (looking at me)".
Me: "NO! its not".
SillyMiss: "But no, its true, aren't they on the streets in the villages".
Me (trying to hold myself): "NOOOOOOOO!" and the (angry) music played on.....the songs of how elephants were seen in zoos and circuses were sung.....no avail.....our girl just won't stop.....
SillyMiss continued arguing for the next couple of minutes.....illuminating my ignorant self.....
SwissMiss looked on in embarrasment.....
The contentment of a great lunch and wonderful time spent with a dear friend in the noon couldn't last me through it.....no chai would work today.....and there aren't even any pictures of the beaches and palms to soothe.....just the thoughts.....about whether we were talking about the same geographical coordinates.....
and i sincerely wish that there won't be more stories of this sort to share.....
P.S. There were more things to share.....chance encounters with two desi couples.....one sweet and another one strange.....will chirp on that sometime else.
Friday, December 01, 2006
The great dinner time questions by and for a desi :)
Hmm, today was a busy day :). Have been up since 5:30 AM. Too tired right now, but i must share this with y'all. You must know, i am a real foodie and a chatter-box. and so this post is about my lunch and dinner today-and the chit-chat while taking care of my calorific needs ;). Hold on, this isn't as simple as it sounds. There are those lunches and dinners that you love to attend, and then there are those that you have to. The latter is the focus here, folks.
You know, these are the lunches at the most expensive restaurants in the best of hotels, where you go as a part of professional obligations/duties :). The celebratory lunches and dinners.....;).The kinds, where the ambience promises to be great, but the dining leaves a lot to be desired-both in terms of whats on your platter and the conversations during food. Read on, this desi first asked some silent questions and .....got asked the most brilliant question ever!
And so, my lunch and dinner today was at two 'great' restaurants in Santa Monica in two adjoining hotels facing the beach-after a marathon session of presentations and discussions. I totally love this place-ideal setting:beach, sun and warmth.....
The lunch, well, was a buffet: one salad, breads, cous-cous, ravioli, fish and chicken. Yummy, yeah :)). If only you knew that salad was just arugula leaves with the blandest possible dressing, cous-cous didn't taste like cous-cous and rest everything was not my cup of tea since i am a vegetarian. Colleagues informed that rest of the stuff could probably count as one of their least memorable outings! If only money could buy flavor and taste.....The dinner was more expensive, with fewer vegetarian choices (one salad and a ravioli). The food was fine, OK Some discussion with colleagues and some senior people, very interesting thoughts and experiences exchanged while waiting for the main course.
but here are my questions: 1. Why can't such places provide better quality food for the exorbitant prices they charge. 2. Why does the vegetarian choice end at either a very rich ravioli or a very light salad (indeed, this has been my experience at the so called fine dining places). The learned and experienced chefs can do wonders (hopefully) with meat, poultry and fish-does it really take a lot else to dish up something vegetarian thats innovative, delicious and fulfilling.
And as they say, save the best for the last: so here comes the masala. During the dinner, the gentleman sitting next to me was chatting with me. He looked Indian (but he wasn't)-and asked where i was from. After talking about tons of things, including how difficult it must have been for me to be away from home all by myself (really, i get this a lot)-he popped the question :)). No, not THAT question, silly. What is the best thing anyone ask an Indian-any guesses?
" Do you still have elephants roaming around on streets in India".....(swoon).....
i am charmed.....the wit, the intelligence.....ah! my dil goes ummmmmmmmmm ;)
do you have any answers.....
i thought of this ;)
and this :)).
PS: Don't believe it? I felt may be i was hallucinating! but no, other people heard it too and were shocked beyond their wits.....and i thought such stuff existed only in bad comedies.....guys, i need a chai.....(rushes to the kitchen). Let these pictures soothe a hurting desi dil.
....
You know, these are the lunches at the most expensive restaurants in the best of hotels, where you go as a part of professional obligations/duties :). The celebratory lunches and dinners.....;).The kinds, where the ambience promises to be great, but the dining leaves a lot to be desired-both in terms of whats on your platter and the conversations during food. Read on, this desi first asked some silent questions and .....got asked the most brilliant question ever!
And so, my lunch and dinner today was at two 'great' restaurants in Santa Monica in two adjoining hotels facing the beach-after a marathon session of presentations and discussions. I totally love this place-ideal setting:beach, sun and warmth.....
The lunch, well, was a buffet: one salad, breads, cous-cous, ravioli, fish and chicken. Yummy, yeah :)). If only you knew that salad was just arugula leaves with the blandest possible dressing, cous-cous didn't taste like cous-cous and rest everything was not my cup of tea since i am a vegetarian. Colleagues informed that rest of the stuff could probably count as one of their least memorable outings! If only money could buy flavor and taste.....The dinner was more expensive, with fewer vegetarian choices (one salad and a ravioli). The food was fine, OK Some discussion with colleagues and some senior people, very interesting thoughts and experiences exchanged while waiting for the main course.
but here are my questions: 1. Why can't such places provide better quality food for the exorbitant prices they charge. 2. Why does the vegetarian choice end at either a very rich ravioli or a very light salad (indeed, this has been my experience at the so called fine dining places). The learned and experienced chefs can do wonders (hopefully) with meat, poultry and fish-does it really take a lot else to dish up something vegetarian thats innovative, delicious and fulfilling.
And as they say, save the best for the last: so here comes the masala. During the dinner, the gentleman sitting next to me was chatting with me. He looked Indian (but he wasn't)-and asked where i was from. After talking about tons of things, including how difficult it must have been for me to be away from home all by myself (really, i get this a lot)-he popped the question :)). No, not THAT question, silly. What is the best thing anyone ask an Indian-any guesses?
" Do you still have elephants roaming around on streets in India".....(swoon).....
i am charmed.....the wit, the intelligence.....ah! my dil goes ummmmmmmmmm ;)
do you have any answers.....
i thought of this ;)
and this :)).
PS: Don't believe it? I felt may be i was hallucinating! but no, other people heard it too and were shocked beyond their wits.....and i thought such stuff existed only in bad comedies.....guys, i need a chai.....(rushes to the kitchen). Let these pictures soothe a hurting desi dil.
....
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Where's the authentic desi accent!
For those of you who have ever watched Heroes, surely know that the series has a reasonably prominent desi angle-presented to you as a father and son duo, who are Professors in Genetics from Chennai University. Dad Chandra Suresh (played by Erick Avari) and sonny Mohinder Suresh (you know it girls, Sendhil 'heart-throb' Ramamurthy). The story has the Dad proposing a certain theory of evolution, with a strange touch of out-worldly mystique put together in a book named "Activating Evolution"-disappears and dear beta sets out to search for him. And nothing to your surprise, drives a cab once he lands in NYC. Streotypical, hmm, very much-but still significant footage is dedicated to Mohinder's character. Sounds good, yeah-well, no! That's the problem-they don't sound "good"!
So, Mohinder talks in an accent which is a very strange amalgam of desi, amreekan and Brit accents. By his own admission, Sendhil was asked to adapt a British accent.
Further, y'days episode (and few more before that), featured Erick Avari playing Chandra Suresh, who very dreadfully pronounces his name as "Chaandraaa Surrreshh" with a distinct Amreekan accent. There is nothing Indian about his accent, whatsoever!! Few people even disputed if he looks Indian enough-well, to put those troubled minds to rest, he has Indian roots. But couldn't the actor have made some effort at getting the accent even a bit right.
From the desi perspective, Kavi Ladnier was the saving grace. She got her accent reasonably right and her dress and make-up were also very authentic. Wish there were more of her and wish she would inspire some authenticity :).
Hmm, so either we have the strange mutilated accents passed off for desi accent or forced British/Amreekan accent....."what is a desi accent anyway, with so many regional twists", says the critic. Grrrrrrrrrr, desi accent is one of the sweetest, got it-so better get it right.
So, Mohinder talks in an accent which is a very strange amalgam of desi, amreekan and Brit accents. By his own admission, Sendhil was asked to adapt a British accent.
“The producers wanted a very specific accent. I did an Indian accent, and I listened to tapes to develop it. Then they came back and said the guy was educated in English, so it should be a British accent, with a lilt of Indian. My accent changes throughout the pilot a bit, because then they wanted it to be predominantly English. It’s kind of been a work in progress. So now, it’s very English with Indian hints.” ( See Nirali for more).Now, people like me who are born and brought up in India find this very perplexing. Most of the higher education in India is in English, but i haven't seen anyone educated in India in recent few decades, talk in British accent ever. What were the producers of Heroes thinking?
Further, y'days episode (and few more before that), featured Erick Avari playing Chandra Suresh, who very dreadfully pronounces his name as "Chaandraaa Surrreshh" with a distinct Amreekan accent. There is nothing Indian about his accent, whatsoever!! Few people even disputed if he looks Indian enough-well, to put those troubled minds to rest, he has Indian roots. But couldn't the actor have made some effort at getting the accent even a bit right.
From the desi perspective, Kavi Ladnier was the saving grace. She got her accent reasonably right and her dress and make-up were also very authentic. Wish there were more of her and wish she would inspire some authenticity :).
Hmm, so either we have the strange mutilated accents passed off for desi accent or forced British/Amreekan accent....."what is a desi accent anyway, with so many regional twists", says the critic. Grrrrrrrrrr, desi accent is one of the sweetest, got it-so better get it right.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Teesri Gali ka Vihar :)
The original motive of this post was to give some friends (who are currently enjoying their vacation elsewhere) an update of my extra-curricular activities, and that i WAS enjoying the holiday time. But as the day progressed, I realized that my excursion was turning into something blogworthy, a truly desi tunnel vision experience. Hmm, so here goes:
Its the Friday after Thanksgiving-6:00 AM, wake up with an interesting news on the TV (TV that’s been playing whole night, and usually does), about a new likeness based search engine like.com that would allow you to shop for your favorite celebrity style goodies. Quite “go-shop”inducing news. Even otherwise its been constantly drilled into my head by friends and colleagues, how I must go and avail the early bird discounts.....Well, so today I decide to go check it out. Hold on, but in the subsequent news, Chris Schaubel is reporting on how different stores arepotential wrestling zones.....Ohhhhhhh no, I don’t want to do that-the shopping bulb is dimming.....then, I have this brilliant flash. Go Santa Monica, Third Street Promenade. I assure myself that it wouldn’t be too crowded.....and thus the day begins. I get up, get ready, have breakfast and am off to SHOP.
10:00 AM, I reach Macy’s, avail some good discounts-buy a bag and a pair of ear-rings.....am completely emotional seeing ear-rings, they so remind me of Ms. E, one of my friends in Boston for whom my present always was a pair of ear-rings.....and no, neither I, nor she have and Henry Blofeld fixation. As I parade around, I hear some Marathi, she’s a really sweet Aunty ji and soon approaches me to ask if one or the other color would be better for the scarf she wants to buy for her daughter. We have a cute lil’ exchange, wish each other and move on.
11:00 AM, I walk out of the Santa Monica Place after spending some more time (and money) at my all time favorite: The Bath and Body Works . A block away I am greeted by two Indian guys, one of whom has a big Nama on his forehead. The guys say “Excuse me Maam,please take a minute to look through this book about meditation, its free, you can take it”.....and the dude hands out a book with the title “Bhagvad Geeta”. I wonder if Geeta has just been reduced to a book on meditation. I am a lil’ upset now, I politely refuse and walk on and keep wondering about it for next few minutes or more.....and I worry if this kind of preachiness is doing anyone any good-come on, if you really want to talk about it, put up a stall, keep the books, let the interested people come and do it for themselves.
11:20 AM, there is a sudden urge to hit the bookstore. I contemplate stopping by Borders on the way to lab, completely unaware that I am in front of one :). realization dawns upon me and I walk in and buy a couple of books (will write about them soon). BTW, I didn’t like this store much, they have very limited desi and psychology collection.....Westwood store is better, anywday. but I loved the lady who helped find a certain book.
Aha, and all this while I have also kept my camera-phone busy, clicking pics for whatever its worth. The pictures range from the really fake looking but cute X’mas trees, my favorite Poinsettias, balloons, flowers and what not :).
11:45 AM, I am at Express, and I am out within 15 minutes of idling around. I move on to Levi’s and soon realize that i am plain bored.
12:10 PM, am a bit tired and need something to charge me up-I decide upon Starbucks and get a Chai-at this moment am not interested in too much caffiene-just some warm liquid to soothe me. I lounge around a bit, reading one of the books I bought and listen to the music playing in the background. After Chai, its one more round of pictures, another lil’ walk to Santa Monica Place, and on the way am about to be greeted by the same bunch of guys, when they realize that I have been there before . they catch hold of a Japanese guy instead, who also politely refuses them and moves on. Inside the mall, I notice a shop named “India Arts”, am not sure if it refers to Indians from Asia or the Native Indians.
1:20 PM, hunger pangs.....I am in the food court now, and look around aimlessly. I know where I am headed to. I so feel like checking out the Indian corner here: Tandoor Cafe’. The owners are a cute Aunty ji and a gruffy Uncle ji. The girl on the counter is asking people to try out “samples”, she’s not Indian and so its a bit tricky to place the order as I end up ordering Palak instead of Spinach . Confusion sorted, I buy an onion naan with palak ka saag. I find myself a seat and sample the food.....The saag has got a lil’ sweet taste. I was hoping for something with my favorite ginger and a bit spicy fair.....its strictly OK. The naan smells fresh, its got a freshly baked home like quality (you know the smell of atta in tandoori rotis when you just take them out of tandoor, that smell)-its a big portion, has great texture, crispy outside and fluffy inside, but I strongly wish they had added some salt to the dough. and hope am not being too critical. I really wish them to be a hugely popular and succesful Desi food joint.
A picture of my khana
2:00 PM, am about to finish my lunch and I notice an Indian girl sporting Trojans t-shirt, as she sits close by and smiles. I smile back and we have the usual exchange-its sweet. She’s from Ne Delhi and I inform her that I am from Delhi too (well, that’s not completely true, I am from Amritsar, Delhi, Bangalore, Boston, New York City and Los Angeles equally). She is a graduate student doing Computer Science and claims that its very predictable. We exchange few more silly things, wish each other and I realize its 2: 30 PM and I have had enough masti for the day. I better go to the lab and do some work .
So, this is the story, full of Desiyana-ekdum interesting and enjoyable.....hai na Tunnel vision turning the Third Street Promenade into Teesri Gali ka Vihar.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Indiawich!
Aha! the title of this post sounds strange. Many of us have heard of Naanwich, and i really heart this wonderful fusion khana, but Indiawich-well, that was a surprise, hehe.
So, the story goes, there is a sandwich place in West Los Angeles that goes by the name East-West Sandwich. they specialize, and you are right, in fusion sandwiches. and so they have Japanwich, Chinawich, Koreawich and INDIAWICH!
And this is one extremely popular place, popular among all sorts of people.
and here's the descrption of their INDIAWICH, reproduced here ad verbatim, for your reading pleasure.....
Chicken yellow curry and yellow curry salmon!!!!!
Now, if anyone can answer the following questions for me "whats Madras Curry powder" and even if we assume that it refers to some spice mix with Southern Indian Spices that flavor our beloved Sambar, rasam, palyas and kootus, i certainly am left wondering, if yellow curry is an Indian dish i know of.....Go figure, this is your Thanksgiving homework :)).
So, the story goes, there is a sandwich place in West Los Angeles that goes by the name East-West Sandwich. they specialize, and you are right, in fusion sandwiches. and so they have Japanwich, Chinawich, Koreawich and INDIAWICH!
And this is one extremely popular place, popular among all sorts of people.
and here's the descrption of their INDIAWICH, reproduced here ad verbatim, for your reading pleasure.....
Our INDIAWICH™ sandwiches are prepared with madras curry powder which gives them spicy but not overpowering flavor.and this interesting creation is presented in two glorious flavors:
Chicken yellow curry and yellow curry salmon!!!!!
Now, if anyone can answer the following questions for me "whats Madras Curry powder" and even if we assume that it refers to some spice mix with Southern Indian Spices that flavor our beloved Sambar, rasam, palyas and kootus, i certainly am left wondering, if yellow curry is an Indian dish i know of.....Go figure, this is your Thanksgiving homework :)).
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