Flashes of delight in gastronomy

I love food.
So does our entire extended family. Ya, I know what you thinking - who in the world would not like eating? But saying that I was a gluttonous omni-voracious foodoholic would be quite close to describing the real me. Though as I reached my late 20s (sigh!), my gastronomic habits have become more sober, much closer to normal, civilized people.
Still remember the days in college when we used to devour our food like there was no tomorrow. And then our gang of hungry souls was solely responsible for putting out of business at least two all-you-can-eat food joints. God bless them.

Speaking of which, it brings me to last month which was a complete delight for the tummy. The folks were here in Stuttgart and that resulted in such great culinary wonders that not for a moment we felt we were away thousand miles from India. So here is a small walkthrough over what we treated ourselves with.

Caution: If you are somewhere in office or on a diet or craving for food, DON'T read further! Reading ahead and looking at these pictures could give you serious cravings, withdrawal symptoms and greedy tongues.

Yellow spongy bliss.
Khaman dhokla has been the snack of choice for every self-respecting gujju fond of food. Though not made as ubiquitously like the humble idli, it is a well known dish even to non-gujjus.

Top up these yellow steamed cubes with heavenly alphonso mango-ras and puris and it is a already on way to being one of the best lunches ever.
Whats for dinner, btw?

The Handvo is a relatively unknown dish from Gujarat, more so like a savory cake made by baking ground pulses with veggies of choice and a tasty mustard-spice tempering.
(the pic wasn't intended to make the Handvo look like Pacman, but here it is)

A completely microwaved stuffed Karela (bitter-gaurd) and potato dish. Loads of jaggery and spice, cooked to perfection, over the veggies, topped up with coriander and sev.
Ahaa...

Sinfulicious Daal-Makhni made by the missus, with generous amounts of cream and butter falling just short of the annual dairy produce of New-Zealand.

And here comes the most famous export of Gujju-land after Mahatma Gandhi and the Ambanis. The awesome Pav-Bhaji. Probably the most coalition-friendly dishes of all - a delightful mix of mashed up veggies and pav-bhaji masala and topped up with.... well see for yourself.And yeah, eaten with the humble paav, buttered and browned.Bliss!

Nice little south indian breakfast of bowled upma , only the coffee replaced by aromatic ginger-tea.

Speaking of South-Indian breakfast, how about masala idlis washed down with saffrony Alphonso mango milk-shake?

And now the Western Breakfast. Pancakes with a generous dollop of Apricot Jam. But mixed with Indian ginger-tea again.

Paalak Daal and jeera-rice go well if you in a mood for north-south collaboration. And why leave behind cool refreshing peach-flavored ice-tea?

A very gujju coup.

Gujju bhakhris (parathas) with a most tradtional eggplant-potato curry. Just yummy!

Lemon Slice-cake does the trick to cheer you up on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

And since we mentioned desserts, an Apple-pie with the best light-brown crust in Stuttgart will do just fine.

And to round up this yummy array of savories, we have yet another gujju dessert. The always-underrated Doodh-paak. Yummylicious thick flavoured milk with copious amounts of dry-fruits and saffron.

I'll leave you now drooping with saliva and running to the kitchen/fridge for some life-saving eatables...

Year Two Thousand and Nine

So an eventful year comes to an end.
The world came torn apart by mad bankers who played poker with the world economy, the mother of all presidential elections came to an end, making an African American the most powerful man on earth, a handful of youngsters tore apart Aamchi Mumbai (making it stand up stronger and more determined than ever).... and on a personal front, we both celebrated our first 12 months of the institution thats called marriage.

Christmas time is an empty kinda thing here in Germany. Streets are void, the snow is chilling and people are all inside their homes. So unless you have family here with whom you can spend your 4 days of vacationing, stuffing yourself to the ends of obesity in the process, you (read: all desis) MUST plan a trip out somewhere. Europe gives you quite many options to do that, though they are fairly limited during the cold winters.

So what was it be this time? Salzburg - the land of Mozart and the Von Trapps (remember the Sound of Music?)
After a good 3 days and a hugely overjoyed wife, we both are back to home, although not without a considerable hangover which (obviously) wants the vacations to never end.
The highlights of the trip surely being the Untersberg trip - up in the snowy peaks, and the trip to the Beer Museum - StieglBrau that was followed by a number of complimentary glasses of freshly brewed Austrian speciality washed down the throat.

Its that time of the year.
The aftereffects of too much beer
Makes you feel funny in the head,
And you say instead...
Meppy Christmas and Hairy You Near!

Have a great 2009 everyone!

Football, flying and the feeling of irony...

Excuse the bad alliteration in the subject line, but its for want of a better phrase...

21st May, 2008, the biggest football match of this season in Europe will unfold.
Mancheter United take on Chelsea FC.

Thats tomorrow.

The 2 best English teams of today will fight out the highest trophy in Europe. Its already assured that an English club will be the Champion of the continent.
And the irony is - the English national side didnt even qualify for the EURO 2008 happening this June.

My Personal irony:
As I travel between 2 of the greatest footballing cities in the world, flying from Lisbon to Madrid (and the next day back to Stuttgart), the feeling of void, of having missed one of the best footballing actions ever, will stay for quite some time.

I wish they had live TV on flights :P

What I now know about flying

- That a 3 hour flight journey is as bad as a 10 hour one, if you don't have something proper to read on the way, and/or you end up in a seat beside a 120 kg fella who conveniently spills over adjacent arm-rests.

- That 'Catcher in the Rye' is different, and good! Probably worth the accolades it has got, but it makes you feel like strangling that guy Holden Caulfield for being so irritating. (but thats what the author wanted I guess)

- That Air France stewardesses will go out of their way to freak you out (and always more than once) if you happen to get one of those seats at the Emergency Door.
"Sir, I have to ask you AGAIN - you must jock open this Emergency door if and when I tell u so. Is it FINE with you? (or should I ask some other ignorant fool to take your place?)"

- That the Emergency Door seats do have their latent advantages. There is so much leg room, you can almost tap dance there! (ok, that was a bit over the top, but you get the drift...)

- That Air France meals are actually decent, but if your crossiant topples out of your tray and rolls over to the bottom of the seat behind (and below the shoes of the guy sitting there), its actually not good news.

- That the laws of Physics do not work inside aircrafts compartments. (Murphy's laws do, though). So, no, the crossiant will NOT roll back to your feet when the plane actually applies its landing breaks.

- That having a connnection at Paris - Charles De Gaulle, and catching it smoothly is equivalent to expecting the Deccan (Dis)chargers reach the semifinals of the IPL.

- That if you happen to be dropped off at a CDG terminal other than your connecting one, then you could might as well say adeiu to your flight if it leaves in less than 45 mins. (forget asking why on earth did the airline offer you this impossible connection anyway)



- That Air France does have Boeing aircraft too on its fleet. 'French connection' doesn't come in way of free-market dynamics. (My solitary MBA gyaan for today. No such observations anymore)

- That at 2200 hours, due to the low flight traffic, the quick-as-ever ground handling staff at Lisbon airport will deliver your baggage to the conveyer belt in record time. In just less than 32 minutes. Really.

- That having an actually decent flight is not half as interesting as pretending it was lousy and cribbing about it online. :)

4 AM Morning, snowless European winter and a flat-flat country

Caution: Long. Very long. But not uninteresting :)

Since last 4 months, visits to the Netherlands have become quite frequent - due to official necessity that keeps arising at expected and unexpected times. These visits start with a extremely early morning flight to Amsterdam, then a 1 hour cab ride to Utrecht at the client office.
Then, back the same way.

Waking up at 4 AM in the morning. Catching the cab at 4:45 AM. And getting my boarding pass at the Stuttgart airport. Ah, doesn't leave me in such a fresh mood at all. But yours truly too bizy dozing off....
Wait! is that cheese sandwich and orange juice on the flight? I'm awake.
And hungry.

Its winter. Its a snowless winter.


6:15 AM

Flight begins on time. Stuttgart airport is never congested. No buses. Direct down the alley into the aircraft door. There you have (sometimes) nice looking Dutch air-hostesses wishing you that your morning is good.
Well, it is.

The usual civilities of aircraft safety - spoken in assortment of German, Dutch and Englees. I am done with skimming through the in-flight magazine in few minutes. This month's issue has a feature on Hyderabad!
Good.

I am now trying to sleep again. Read: make believeing my eyes that I am asleep.


7:50 AM - Arrival in Dutch-land!

Windmills. Tulips. Cheese. Bicycles. Football. Sex.
(the last one was just to draw some attention, in case the reader is already dozing)

I look out of the small window beside and I find a flat landscape with criss crossed lines that are actually canals. I try looking through the other window on the opposite side as well, and the blonde sitting there assumes I am staring at her. Oops.
I turn back my gaze. Of course its the same view from there too!

Digression 1: Prologue to the Netherlands
Haven't seen a flatter country! Its at the sea coast and its so flat (also below the sea-level) that the high tides enter the land areas and flood them outright. For this reason, one can see canals all over Holland, just to keep the tide water in flow. These canals - objects of neccessity, give Holland a distinctive identity, that is even oh-so visible from the sky! And then there are dikes that prevent the sea-tides at the shores outright. For these tall countrymen, the war with the sea is a never ending one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Netherlands

Quick fact: Canals of Venice are murky, dirty and close ended to the buildings. In Holland, they are more like rivers. Clean. Asthetic. Occassionally inhabitanted by gorgeous swans and bunches of noisy ducks!
Nice.

Digression 2: Prologue to Amsterdam (well, once I DO see the city properly, I might have more to add)
Its bad enough to miss seeing this city during summer. To top it, havent been able to experience the city in this winter as well! Yes it's beautiful in the summer months. Tulips that bloom, canals that meander through the heart of the city - cafes and bistros that are lined up on the sides, some good architectural visuals, and of course, the famous red light district.
(I happen to look up a map of Amsterdam while waiting at the airport, and voila, there I see an area marked specially as 'Red Light District' - a rarity for sure)
Well, the city is famous for that area ridden with so many caberets, massage parlors, sex shops, strip bars and of course the women (and men!) engaged in the 'trade' - full time. Holland isn't called the sex capital of Europe just like that!

Did someone mention sex? :P


8:15 AM
Sitting in the cab on the way to Utrecht.

Way out of airport driveway leads to the cross-road between Utrecht and Rotterdam.
Spotted a huge signboard of TCS visible from the airport driveway. Europe is getting faster on offshoring. Whats MY employer doing?
The soothing back-seat upholstry in the Mercedes Benz is a treat to the.... ahem... hinds. :)
Our cab guy is the extremely amiable Soerish. (loosely corrupted from 'Suresh' if you are curious) From an Indian family originating from Surinam, had been in Netherlands as far as he can remember. Indian roots are very much intact though - and bollywood music is one branch to cling to, passionately.
Surprise! Amsterdam and Utrecht have their own Hindi Radio channel! Its called 'Ujala Radio' and if you excuse the weird accent and half Dutch that accompanies the nattily written script of the RJ, it does manage to entertain. I mean, sitting there in the comfy back seat of the E-class, I am treated to numbers like 'Suhaani Raat dhal chuki...' (classic!), 'Aye Dile Nadaan...' and 'Khalbali'! Funny how after listening to an array of bollywood songs, I am tempted to sing aloud James Brown - 'Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good...!
Dammit! There's a Himesh track thrown as well!

Maybe I'll try that 'I feel good' song next morning in the hotel room shower. :)


9:15 AM
Arrived at the client office. From then, the 'I feel good' counter is backwards!
Meetings. email. Coffee. Meetings. Lunch. Conference call. Meetings.
Wishing it to get over soon.

6:30 PM
Time to go!
Reach hotel room. Check in. Check out the room. Go for dinner.

11 PM
Hit the bed.
Its been an early morning actu.......zzzz


Friday. Next day
Checked out of hotel. Reached office again.
Done with the regular stuff of knocking heads with clients.

5:30 PM
Time to go.
Rush hour. Long drive. Hasty arrival. Schumacher-ish driver.

7 PM: Amsterdam Schipol Airport
Long queue at security check mocks at us. "Hah!" I say.

Digression 3: Crazy EU flying rules
The new EU rules tell me that I am not allowed to carry liquids, and if any, they should be in less than 100 ml packaging (why?) and carried in a transparent plastic bag. Ah, I already know that from Stuttgart, but its much strictly enforced here.
I see an attractive blonde being held up for not complying. She shows her bag to the attendent. The overwhelming contents of the bag emptied on to the table. Voila! Out comes a complete survival kit of sorts! At least 40 items!
Lesson learnt: If you wanna see how one can survive on a stranded island with a smal bag full of stuff (Castaway?) - check out such a woman's purse.

Frustated by the snail-pace of my queue. I see that the queue next to mine is smaller. I apply my quick logic - so I decide to shift to that one. It seemed that the people at the security check were not amused, because from that moment on, my queue started getting slower and slower.

~~~~
Murphy's law of serpentine queues:
Amongst a number of queues at the same place, the queue that you choose will be the slowest!
Corollary to the law:
If in the middle, if you decide to shift to a queue adjoining that is moving fast, from that moment, your new queue will become the slowest of all.
~~~~

8:10 PM
Quick dinner at the food-lounge over. Waiting for boarding. Gate C 22 to 28 seem worse than a State transport bus stop in India. Only cleaner.

8:35 PM
On board. Bring on the sandwich and the juice!

10:30 PM
Home sweet home. Sleepy again.

PS: Did someone say Amsterdam is the.... .... capital.. ?
PS2: That blog post promised in the previous post below will come soon, of course.

Further from the previous post....

The few lines in the previous post about wars in Europe remind me about something that happened last week in Stuttgart. A construction group was busy in activity at a site, and they unearthed something which we have only heard stories about, but its fairly common across this place. I'm talking about bombs. And huge ones!

While digging through the layers of earth, the site workers happened to come across a HUGE bomb, unexploded since last many many years - which apparently was dropped there during the world war 2. And there it lay, untouched and undestroyed....
That was enough to cause frenzy all around and soon the area was cordoned off, while the special bomb squad folks jumped in. Traffic and movement of trains came to a standstill around that area.

By the way, Stuttgart was one of those cities that was almost completely destroyed by bombing during the World War, and had been newly rebuilt. Thats the reason for its modernistic public transport and its public buildings. In and around Germany, its a fairly common thing to discover these sort of things, but hey, a bomb is a bomb! Who can beat that...?

On a lighter note, an interesting theory I read, about how the World War I started:
"A Serbian rebel killed an Austrian prince, so everyone declared war on Germany."
:-)

The Inscrutable Europeans

Firangs are weird people!
I'm sure half the population of Europe would find ME, the asian, weirder, but as the owner of this conversation I'll just let that point of conflict pass.... :-D

Ya I know, each society has a way of norms, behaviour and lifestyle and blah blah... but puhleese let me have the menial pleasure of ripping apart the ways of some foreigners that I find really surprising or stomach-tickling or both!
With all due respect, they (my clients) are the ones who provide the bread and butter for my employer, which in turn does a (half) decent job of giving me my daily bread.... so...

Firangs have a way of doing EVERYTHING systematically. Thats a good thing, considering that they usually end up doing a quality job. (especially engineering and sports!) But 'systematically' usually has an after-effect of turning into 'boringly one thing at a time'!

Try getting towards a salesman here when he is attending another customer, and all you'll get is a big IGNORE! Of course you'll have to wait till he is over with the current person that has occupied all his limited attention.
Try telling a foreigner about 2-3 different things simultaneously, and you can be damn sure his processor will hang! Good-ol' multitasking - I dont think its exists in the foreign dictionary.

And they in no comparable ways can get closer to us desis in terms of money-management, cash-optimization! (I'll tell you what it means... by an example)

A friend of mine in Amsterdam had the following interaction with his client. (he was offered the luxury of being given a lift to office by the client Project lead (PL))
Friend: Hey, I'll wait at the R-square and you can pick me up from there.
PL: Okie, what time you'd be there?
Friend: Oh, just gimme a miss-call on my cell just when you leave, and I'll be there in 5 mins.
PL: What is a miss-call? why would I give you a 'miss-call'?
Friend: Oh, its when you give me a call and I don't pick it... Just to let me know that you are on your way.
PL: (confused) But why would I not pick the phone if you call me?
Friend: (aaaaaaahhhhh !!!!!)

Once at a shop I managed to cough up a bill of 5 euros and 18 cents. I paid the cashier a 10 bucks crispy note and wished I wouldn't be stralled with a handful of loose change of cents. Then I realized I had 20 cents with me that might save me (and her) some bit of trouble. So I handed that to her with a new 5 euros note and asked for the 10 rupee note back. That did it! Her system totally crashed! Firstly because she had already entered 10 in her cash registers, and secondly bcos she totally lost track of the transactions that we were mutually were into! (whatever happened to math classes in junior school?)

And of course there is this vast cultural difference - which a desi is duly subjected to, from the moment he/she enters phoren land. Be it the Public Displays of Affection, or the way senior citizens are treated (bad, really bad), or the way individuality and professionalism is rooted here, or the way they eat, drink and party - everything is oh-so different here!
A greet to everyone you meet - its the norm. Its really a good thing to have around - politeness and 'assumed' nicety, but after a while when you see everyone speaking the same thing artificially, EVERYDAY, it can get to your nerves.
(Prakash seems to think on simlar lines) :-)

A friend of mine who had recently moved in with her husband to Stuttgart was asked by her landlady whether the guy was her husband or boyfriend! (ya, I know live-in relationships are slowly picking up in India too, but a question like this?)

Another friend of mine had this conversation: (oh so typical :-))
Foreigner: Are you married or single?
Friend: Single :-)
Foreigner: Do you have children?
Imagine this being spoken in India. Something like this would send the person on a minor heart attack!

On a serious, more factual note:
Europeans have been at the crux of the Industrial revolution. They have been the foremost in science, technology, the arts and monarchy. They are responsible for all the development around the world (and also responsible for all the backwardness due to colonization - thats the irony) Such a small continent, so beautiful to the eyes, divided in small small pieces of nationalities, each speaking a different language, each weirder than the other! Europe is one its kinda continent (ok, ok - we don't have many continents anyways)
The funny part is - most of the nations have ended up fighting each other throughout the centuries and still have remained the most developed and rich nations. Except beautiful Switzerland which hasn't fought wars, probably explained by Scott 'Dilbert' Adams' theory that cooler nations have had lesser battles, ha ha.. Maybe while the whole world was busy killing the world, the Swiss were too busy freezing their chocolate covered nuts! lolz!

But all things apart.... there are hundreds of things we Indians could learn from these goras, of course! (too big a discussion - might take a whole new post and a very hopeful mood for that, maybe for later :-) )
Prakash and me both are seeing the ways of foreign land (in separate continents), and that is naturally accompanied by a mental comparison between that place and our very own motherland.... so be it! :-D

Peace.
And, Jai Hind!