I Rarely Protest about Food but This is an Exception

A Plate of Food at Jhansi Railway Station run by Indian Railways

I clicked a picture of this stuff that we ate at the Jhansi Railway Station just to remind myself that food can really taste like mud if it is messed up thoroughly. I thought hostel food has killed all my taste buds. But on this occasion I realized that a few have survived and protest sufficiently when served with mud in the name of food.

The Bar at Wagon and Horses, Abingdon, UK

It was Stella Artois for me from the Bar of the Wagon and Horses at Abingdon at UK

Gopi the Turtle at the Mangalam Guest House, Bundi, Rajasthan

I fell for Bundi by reading about it on the Indiamike Travel Forum. What I found most curious on that long thread was the description of a guest house that had a pet turtle! Then imagine my surprise when after landing and securing a hotel there, Brat 2 and I stumbled upon it as soon as we started up looking for breakfast. It is called the Mangalam Guest House. It is family run affair (most of the Havelis in Bundi are) and a huge place.

The Guest Book at the Mangalan Guesthouse, Bundi, Rajasthan

We rang the bell outside the Haveli and a girl called out. We asked if we would get some breakfast and she asked us to come in. She is a small girl studying in class 6 and has an elder and a younger sibling. We asked for Aloo Paratha (flat Indian bread filled with potatoes) and chai (tea) and while we were waiting the young girl kept chatting with us.

A Painting at the Mangalam Haveli, Bundi, Rajasthan

A specialty if Bundi is that every house if full of beautiful paintings and within the Bundi Palace there is a place called Chitrashala (The house of paintings) which houses some of the best paintings.

Gopi the Turtle at the Mangalam Guesthouse, Bundi, Rajasthan

And soon enough the turtle walked in, and was around for a long time. It is one animal that I did not felt afraid of, even went as far as touching its tough structure fleetingly, it felt like a stone.

Brat 2 was mildly amused that I knew of all this right from the start. But then he would tease me for every small thing that he would ask for and I would say I don't know. He would make the most exaggerated faces and say' "You didn't read about it on the internet?"

PS. I have written the Bundi article and sent it across to Gonomad yesterday! It is the Orchha one that I am finding difficult to write!

Walking Away from Nariyal ke Laddu

Nariyal ke Laddu

I have a huge sweet tooth and I also care that I do not gain too much weight. With tabel Tennis gone out of the schedule, I am scared to eat too much sweetsh. So when at lunch I saw this white looking stuff, thinking it is the normal Rasgulla, I took just one out of the heap.

After a bite I realized it was a coconut (nariyal in Hindi) sweetdish, something that I relish a lot. It was very difficult to refrain from taking a second one (see calorie chart for a similar dish called Nariyal ki barfi, and this is an unusual link, I do not count calories generally) but I did. I knew I would be haunted by the thought of the second one, so I decided that I would take a picture instead! That helped.

Burning some Midnight Oil!

Burning some mid night oil without Coffee

One good thing about this week is that I get to travel at the end of it. Though the way my next week is shaping .... I would rather not think about it now.

The Author of the Cold Pineapple Soup and a Blog

Cold Pineapple Soup by the Chef Manish from Taj Safari's at Banjaar Tola

And this is Manish's Blog.

In his recent post he talks about another Chef who was initially a gardener!

Therefore my first priority was to increase the production in the garden mean while the chef of the lodge usually ask for some favors like helping him in making chutneys and food etc. This regular interaction in kitchen created a interest and I started going kitchen after finishing my regular work to help the chef without his request.

Feeling Hungry!

Thai Rice and Vegatables at Chiang Mai, Oxford, UK

I wonder why do I have to look at food that I have enjoyed in the past when i am feling hungry!

Dosa Sambar at a Canteen near Mangalore Railway Station

Canteen Near Mangalore Railway Station

Dosa Sambar at a Canteen near Mangalore Railway Station

The orange Sambar (a type of curry) you see is not what we ate, as it has fish pieces in it. For us vegetarians they had another less colorful curry to have with the doasa.

I was browsing through the old photos and these two caught my eye.

Sea Shells and Pizza

Pizza and Sea Shells, is there a link? Very minor, they were part of my extremely hectic and tiring day today.

I had a long class, one where students interact a lot on their own in the seminar (with me as the mediator) and they went on for half an hour more than the scheduled time. Yes, they sometimes do that.

Then I managed to go for lunch.

No, the pizza was not for lunch.

Next I faced a table at office that is so chaotic as of now that there was not a space to put my tea cup even. The day also felt the same.

Sea Shells

Then I was looking for something in my shoulder bag (the same I was carrying on the Surathkal Beach) and two coins fell out. Irritated I went down to pick it up and then saw that the shells I had picked up at the beach, one of them had fallen out too! That was one soothing incident incident in an almost out of control day.

Then it came to dinner and I had promised my nephew that we will have pizza today and pizza it was.

Domino's Pizza

We had pizza after a very long time and it was fresh and tasted nice. Looked colorful too, so I clicked a picture as well. Brat 2 was asking why are you taking a picture of a pizza, it is not even lazy Sunday! Wonder when does he takes a peak at this blog.

But I have left the best part for the last. My ankle is almost normal now. So, I am going to play mild TT tomorrow! Yes, I am going to do it, in spite of any sensible advice that would come my way.

If I can teach standing, I can as well play TT. And it is only today I realized (again) how much I rely on TT for releasing my stress.

PS. What a ghastly background I chose to take a snap of the sea shells!

Indian Chinese Food at Chung Wah!

When people ask me (they rarely do, I wonder why?) what kind of food I like my answer is Chinese and then I add Indian Chinese and not Chinese Chinese! I have had Chinese Chinese (in the real sense) only once at Singapore and it was so bland for my Indian taste buds that I decided it is not for me.

Not so with Indian Chinese, it is sufficiently spicy and I really enjoy it.

Chung Wah at Jayanagar, Bangalore

So, when I was in Bangalore and met Lakshmi for lunch she did ask me what would I like to eat. After taking a lot of time I finally stated my wish, Chinese and Chinese it was. Her friends had recommended Chung Wah and that is where we headed.

Now when I am sitting in the January chill of Gurgaon, I remember all the more clearly how beautiful the weather was and the terrace of the restaurant is actually nice!

Mushroom Soup

Another thing that I like is Mushroom, mushroom and more mushrooms! And I started with Mushroom Soup and Lakshmi had ordered Hot and Sour soup. After the first spoon both of us readily concurred that the soups tasted really good! So far so good.

Schezwan Rice

Both us shared the rice and the vegetables and the portions (for us) were quite generous, the food worth writing a post about! I can heartily recommend Chung Wah, it is in Jayanagar 3rd block.

Cauliflower in Sauce

And now it is somewhat late at night in India and I am craving for Maggi (some more Chinese noodles made by Nestle) but there is none in stock! I think I will have to do with some bread and eggs. What a let down.

Pani Puri Anyone?

Pani Puri at a Mall in Noida, India

You know what? When you have lot of work to do, meet some deadline, you want the most irrational things. I have a deadline of 15th Jan and here I am craving for some Pani Puri. If you have never tried it before, you have to try it once. I had gone there in December with my sis and would head there again at the first opportunity. There is a road side version of this too but because of the suspect water quality, I can now stomach the stuff only at the mall, where they use bottled water. What a pity.

Video of a Lassi Shop from Amritsar by Hobo

I was looking at a video by Hobo and thought I would share it at my blog too. He takes a video at a more than 70 year old Lassi (an Indian cold drink made of curd) shop at Amritsar and I quite enjoyed it. To see the video head to Hobo's blog now called India.

One of the oldest halwai in the city. Kalu, the autodriver (hope you remember) showed us the shop as we were moving towards Ramtirth. Estd. 1937, opposite Regent Cinema, Katra-Shersingh, Amritsar, Punjab.

A must visit place. I love the malaie put on top of lassi. It was awesome. (italics mine).

Meeting Lakshmi and Nilesh

I met Lakshmi and Nilesh (see the first comment, he does not blog, yet!) yesterday in Bangalore. And it had a positive side effect on the mobile phone camera and the PC relationship, my mobile phone started talking to the PC yesterday after I came back. But more about this a little later.

Lakshmi and I met for lunch in Jaynagar 4th block and she went with my choice of having Chinese (Indian Chinese food rules). We went to a place called Chung Wah in the Jayanagar 3rd block. The place was recommended to Lakshmi by her friends. The food was really good but I promise I will do a separate post.

I was telling Lakshmi that I am not really as talkative in the real life as I may seem on the blog. But I have seen this time and again that when you meet someone after reading their blogs for a long time, it is easy to talk to them. I got to hear a lot about her job and travels and time just went too quickly.

A Local Mosque in Bangalore

Then it was time to meet Nilesh in the Jayanagar 4th block (Kanti Sweets) and not only Lakshmi dropped me there, she waited till Nilesh arrived. I knew I would recognize Lakshmi because I have seen her pictures but it is not so in case of Nilesh (remember, he does not blog, yet). However, he had assured me that he would recognize me and so he did. I would have dismissed him for a college student and not an IT professional with at least 6 years of experience. With him I had coffee at Adigag, dragged him along while I shopped for my nephew (Brat 2, Sesha did some shopping for Brat1) and dad. Nariyal pani (coconut water) was the next stop and then it was time to head to the bus stop!

Pots on Sale at the Roadside, Bangalore

Nilesh dropped me to the bus stop. And right ahead was the bus that I needed to board. But when I asked the driver, he said the bus would go nearby but not the full way. I then asked him if I would get another bus, he said yes. Then I told Nilesh I would wait. He explained that the driver meant that I would get the another bus from the spot this one would leave me. I said bye to him and jumped into the bus. It took me to the place it had promised.

Then I had a little bit of fun. A lot of people were waiting where the first bus dropped me. They all boarded the next bus, so I too boarded it. When I asked the conductor for a ticket he said the bus would not go there and I should get down at the next stop. The next stop looked quite familiar, so I decided to walk to the place where I am staying. Just to confirm, I asked an elderly person about the housing complex and he affirmed that I could walk straight ahead.

And the two pictures that you see in this post have been taken while I was walking back. I am quite glad that I managed the bus journey without any hiccups as I can't speak a word of Kanadda Kannada.

The PC is now talking to the mobile phone because I using the back USB ports, earlier I tried the front USB ports and I did not know they don't work!

Before I wrap this post, let me mention that there are a lot of lady bus conductors which I have just not seen in the North India. And many of them speak English and give useful directions to helpless souls like me..

It was quite a wonderful day.

The Story of Dal Bati Churma- Rajasthani Food

The Dal Bati Churma Thali Shop, Jaipur Rajasthan

Before I say anything else, once upon a time I have studied for five years near Jaipur (my graduation and post graduation). But at that time I hardly explored Rajasthan. But the Rajasthani Thali (plate) of Dal Bati Churma was not new for me. We asked Gopi (the auto driver) to take us to a place for lunch, Brat 2 (my younger nephew) wanted to remain with Punjabi Thali whereas I wished to sample Dal Bati Churma again. So Gopi took us to a shop near the station and we ordered our stuff. You can see a picture of my plate below.

The Delicious Dal Bati Churma, Rajasthani Dish

For a while I was left wondering what the hell had I ordered, there was nothing to eat apart from the side dishes. I said so aloud to Brat2 and the people at the next seat laughed. So I searched more closely and found the missing Bati, it is the round ball in the right hand corner. It had been that long since I had been to Jaipur, I had almost forgotten what Bati looks like. And yes, once you have finished your first Bati, they will bring you more till you tell them that you had enough.

You have to break it, dip it in the Dal or Kadhi (the two Yellow gravies in the center, Kadhi in the larger bowl, Dal in the center of the plate) and eat it. I find it delicious. The thali concept is that for a certain amount of price (60 rupees in this case) you can eat as much as you desire but subject to certain rules. The rules were displayed on a board and those of you who can read Hindi, would find the way they are expressed hilarious! For those who can't read Hindi, I will try translating it, but much will be lost in translation.

The House Rules for Thali Meals in Jaipur

*For children of over six years of age should please take separate token (what is implied here is that a child of less than 6 can eat with the parents, remember you pay for the plate and not the dishes)
*One person per thali please
*Please take food according to your need
*There is only one bowl of churma (sweet dish in the smaller bowl in the picture) per plate, no extras please
*Please take care of your belongings
*After 11 at night only Rajasthani Thali is available please
*Please do not wash your hands in your plate
*Please do not waste food
*Drinking Liqueur is strictly prohibited please

No doubt, Brat 2 and I had a good meal. In fact the Rajasthani thali is the background image on the Nokia N96 as of now.

Coffee and Coffee Beans

Coffee Beans on the Coffee Plan, Picture taken in Coorg

Let me make it clear first, I love tea. Coffee comes after it. But it was exciting to walk through coffee plantations in Coorg in December last year. The trip to Coorg was sponsored by Club Mahindra and I actually brought back two coffee beans thinking I would dry them and use them. But alas, such idea feel good only while you are away from home base. Back at home it soon boils down to routine.

Hot Coffee at Club Mahindra, Coorg

I had this coffee one evening at Club Mahindra, Coorg. The coffee in itself was quite good but the presentation was so eye catching that I had to take a picture. In fact, a colleague of mine from the Hotel school side once told me a story about the presentation of food at hotels. He used to work at a five star hotel and for breakfast buffet they had to worry a lot about presentation. For a 7.30 breakfast the preparations would start the previous night and the floral prsentation or the design of the fruit basket, or scons he told me, was more tricky than making the dishes itself. He said his shift manager would give them a real tough time over the decoration part. So, now whenever I see good presentation of food, I am aware of the hard work behind it!

There is Something about Garlic!

Freshly Cut Wild Garlic Stems at Langza, Spiti

You either like Garlic or hate it. I have not met too many people who are ambivalent about it. I belong to the camp who love it. A few days back I was eating Pasta at our campus restaurant (the perks of being partially associated with a hotel management school, even though I am not directly associated) and there were cloves of cooked garlic in the dish. I just loved it. Today I was talking to the instructor and asked him how did it tasted so good. Hmm, they baked it after marinating it in umm, many things. Sounded really complicated to me. So I gave up all the plans of making something like that myself.

Wild Garlic Flower, Spiti Region

So, today I am going to be content with posting some pictures of wild garlic growing in the Spiti region. When I was there I loved the colors of the wild garlic flower. I was also allowed to take one wild garlic out of the heap that you see in the first photograph.

New Camera Phone, Nokia 6275

New Nokia 6275

I bought the Nokia 6275 for the 2 megapixel camera, without any research and too much thought. I was hankering after a camera in my cell phone because it is very inconvenient to drag a camera everywhere I go. And I just love to click pictures! I know there must be many better camera phones available in the same range as Nokia 6275 but my connection is Reliance CDMA and this seemed to be the best buy. So here are some pictures (below) that I took at night without using the night mode (had not figured the phone out quite well), but I promise you I would improve. Also they did not include a data cable with the basic kit of Nokia 6275a nd I thought I would borrow it from someone I knew but then I wanted to post pictures immediatley! So I bought the data cale too.

Momos, the Mouthwatering Tibetan dish

Moms are now common across every nook and corener in the Delhi region. These pictures are from my local market. I just love Momos. The picture above was taken by my nephew Dilip.

The vessel in which they keep the Momo

Steaming Momos, Simply Mouthwatering!

The picture qualities would improve over time. Oh! I forgot to mention, for quite sometime my old cell phone had refused transmitting voice from my end to another and there were people who would protest! Hence the new Nokia 6275.

Sea Buckthorn Drink- Spiti Magic, Spiti

Spiti Magic- Sea Buckthorn Drink

Last year when we were trekking in Spiti we were introduced to this refreshing drink called Spiti Magic. When asked what is it made of, pat came the reply- Sea-Buckthorn! Now what was that?

We were patiently explained that it is made of the same thing that Leh Berry is made of! Now that felt familiar as Leh Berry is available even in the plains.

Spiti Magic- Sea-Buckthorn Drink

When I sipped it first, I was not sure if I liked Spiti Magic, after all it had a strange taste. But gradually over the trek, I grew to like the drink. So next time you find yourself in Spiti, try it. They also make tea of Sea-Buckthorn that is also different and has a tangy taste! But I somehow prefer my tea boiled and with milk and sugar! Unless I am trekking.

Maggi Omelet in a Trek, Cooked on Wood!

One of our Group Members Cooking Omelet and Maggi on Har Ki Doon Trek, as the Canteen Owners Look and Pose for Pictures

I have to admit I am quite fond of Maggi even on an ordinary day (packaged noodles sold in India by Nestle. And as soon as you take the name of any corporation the current turmoil in the global market starts creeping in my thought process, even though Nestle is not a bank!). On treks I just love Maggi.

If you trek in the Himalayas, along the path you can find temporary canteens selling Maggi, eggs and tea (and what a pity that this year I did not manage to trek at all!) and many of us wait eagerly to come across such a canteen. With big groups like YHAI (Youth Hostel Association of India) that usually have 50 people trekking, such points get jammed. I mean 20 of us would reach together and demand Maggi or tea or some such thing.

Yet, it has always been worth the wait and food tastes so different after a long walk!

Lunch Time at Bylakuppe Monastery!

I clicked this picture at Bylakuppe Monastery on my way back from Coorg. The meal seem to consist of rice and Dal.

And sometimes (and only sometimes) when I pay Rs. 1000 for two large Pizza I wonder why should it cost so much! I do like eating out (or in this case home delivery) but Rs. 1000 for two Pizzas take all the fun out. In fact the local Momo shop guy is that way much more attractive!

A Colorful Vegetarian Meal!

Colorful Vegetarian Meal

No doubt the meal is colorful, I mean those orange and whitish roots look good, the greens are perfectly placed near the brown and that red sauce and white cheese also look good. But how would you react if this was your main vegetarian course at a dinner?

Food Sense- I Have None!

Ice Cream

This post revolves around ice creams and tea. Long time back when I was a Ph.D student at Kanpur, I went out for dinner with a visiting faculty from Sweden, one of the few people whom I consider a thorough gentleman. He, I think, was fond of food. One has to marvel how he survived on the mess food for a year on campus. And he is one person who beat me at every single TT game I played with him. On top of that my feeling is, it is because of his generosity I could make 14-15 points with him, if he wished he could thrash me under 10 always. But then I am digressing.

So, that night at dinner, the food was over and we were ordering desserts. We decided to order ice creams, he was very sure he wanted to eat Kesar Pista (an Indian flavor) and I vaguely ordered vanilla. Some discussion about our choices occurred and I remarked, "I am really quite indifferent to food." A little later we were eating our ice creams and I told him, "Mine tastes good." And the gentleman that he was, he said "Because you are eating mine." I must have gobbled at least a quarter if it by then (the waiter served it wrong!) but we exchanged the ice creams and I had to finish the bland vanilla one. I told him, "See, I am that indifferent to food." This incident is almost a decade old, the time when I didn't need to watch the number of ice creams I ate in a week or even in a day.

I was reminded of this incident because last week I was drinking 'black coffee' and I was telling someone that it is not good, there is too much coffee in it. And I was told, "Well, it is not coffee, it is tea."

Hmm, a decade later I am as bad, still not able to differentiate between tea and coffee (but only black) but I am sure I would know a vanilla ice cream now, or better still I will not order a vanilla ice cream anymore!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Aloo Pakoda (Potato Snack)

Aloo Pakoda (Potato Based Indian Snack)

I am not at all fond of fried stuff and Aloo Pakoda is one fried stuff, but on certain days they do look tempting. And today somehow happens to be one of those days. But then I am to going to make it. Feeling just too lazy to take the trouble.

How Come I Never Posted a Picture of Sidu on My Blog?

Sidu/Sidhu- Himanchali Dish

I have talked about this heavenly Himachali dish Sidu before but it is a sacrilege that I never posted a picture of it on my blog. Actually I got comment from Dilliwala on India Mike and my blog about Shringi Vatika and that prompted me to search for a picture of Sidu on my blog. Then I realized that even though I have talked about it, I never actually posted a picture. And even though the dish looks like the Holi sweet Gujhia, but this one is salty and tastes heavenly. Let me see if I can go back there once again!

Lazy Sunday Photo- The Chang Story

Chang- The Local Home Brewed Beer from Spiti

Once again, I decided to write about food or rather drinks, this time. I generally do not like alcoholic drinks and stay away from them. Given a choice I like soup over alcohol any day. And both tend to cost a ton in restaurants! I know it is strange comparison but that is how it is.

This changed a little when I discovered chang in Spiti. The locally brewed beer tastes nothing like a Foster brewed in Aurangabad or some such place. I mean I can't stand Foster or Kingfisher. They have such a nasty stink (or so I feel and I know I am alone in this) that after one sip I do not try another. Chang has no nasty sting about it and I liked both the barley and the rice versions.

Then on the trip to Oxford last year we had a dinner hosted by the university (no and this is not the Oxford I am referring to) at a Thai restaurant called Chiang Mai. There were four of us, my colleague from India and two of my colleagues from UK. So when we started ordering soon the question came, "What would you like to drink?" I gave the default option, "Nothing." Then I browsed the beer list anyway and discovered Chang on the list. Not thinking too much, I changed my mind and decided to order Chang. It of course turned out to be a popular beer from Thailand but minus the stink. It was not the Chang I wanted but it was quite OK. The end result was that I ended up trying a lot of beers in UK and now I have to say, once in a blue moon I may pick them up over soup.

More Food, from Spiti this Time

Bread from Spiti- The Taste still remains. And along with local butter it was heavenly

So were these greens.

I wonder why it took me so long to post these images.

And once again, it has been very hectic at work, but we would be heading out soon, though not to Corbett! It didn't work out.

South Indian Side Dishes

Lunch at Kamath's in Bangalore, Side Dishes on a Banana Leaf

Can't I have a lazy Sunday on a Tuesday? Looks like I can!

The Noodle Bar- Oxford, Gloucester Green

The Noodle Bar, Oxford, Gloucester Green

Noodle Bar turned out to be my favorite eating joint in Oxford. One, the place was not too heavy on the pocket and two, if given a choice, I invariably end up eating Chinese. A few of the dinners and lunches were hosted by the university, so it felt quite strange when one day my colleague asked me what should we have for dinner? I have said this before, I am quite indifferent to food. So, I tried hard to make him decide but he would not budge. We were walking around the city and as I am vegetarian my options are just a little bit limited. I think I looked at every restaurant in the two hour walk as a potential eating place. We had ruled out the Indian fare, as we thought we anyway get a lot of it back home. And some places where ruled out because a single dish would cost more than 20 pounds (don't you think it is a neat idea to display the price list outside the restaurants? I wonder why we often don't do it in India).

After walking round and round I remembered the Noodle Bar near the Gloucester Green bus station. So, we decided to head there. I think almost the entire crowd (the waiting staff and the customers) consisted of students, only we and a few others were the odd people out (read older :).

The Dish with Thick Noodles, Noodle Bar, Oxford

I scanned the menu for vegetarian fare and found a dish with mushrooms (my absolute favorites) and decided to order it. But then the young guy who came to take the order had a bouncer. What kind of noodles would we like Ho Fun, Mai Fun, or Udon? Well, the names definitely sounded Chinese to me. Had to ask him to explain what did they mean! He told us one was really thin noodles, the other really thick noodles and the last something in between. But don't ask me which was which. So we decided to try two types. The portions were huge and I really struggled to finish my stuff. My colleague this day also ordered a veg dish.

Then the next day, we had the same question. Where to go for dinner? And you guessed it, we went to the noodle bar again. And this time we realized that out of the three vegetarian dishes we had already ordered two the previous day! Still, it was fun to have dinner at the Noodle Bar in a typical student environment but where none of the students knew me :)

Off Topic- That Magic Drink, Tea

A Cup of Tea- Magical!

I am really surprised how come I did not wax eloquent about my favorite drink in the world. No, this was not the planned post for today. Smita is responsible for this one. She has waxed eloquent about tea and it is infectious. And I have to quote her-

Drinking tea is a form of meditation, did you know?

Just sitting there, with a steaming cup in the hand, the mind is so relaxed, so much at peace. The Buddhist monks still use it as a mode of meditation. Tea is regularly offered as means of learning, practicing, and experiencing awareness in simple, everyday activities.

I absolutely agree with her. There was a time when my daily average (read Ph.D. days) tea consumption was about 20 cups. No, this is true, I can count from one to twenty. Now it is down just to six cups of tea. But 20 or six, I do absolutely adore the drink.

Food at Prashar Lake

When we reached the forest guesthouse at the Prashar Lake after climbing for 4.5 hours (it took me 4.5 hours, you may take more or less) from Bagi (the starting point of the trek) food was the dominant thought. The trek route and the jeep route are different. At Bagi there are a fewDhabas but there is nothing on the way. So, if you like to munch in between 4.5 hours of climbing up and up and up, one has to carry stuff from below. The Dhaba gives good bun -omelette but little else. We carried chocolates and stuff from Mandi.

Once we reached the guesthouse and finally given a room food was the next logical question. TheChowkidaji (caretaker) who cooks the food does so on wood and buys ration only when someone is there, so nothing was immediately available.

Prashar Lake Near Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, India

The lake that is 1.5 (approx) kilometres away from the guesthouse and has two canteens or so we were told. We headed there next for a late lunch. One canteen is near the entrance and other close to the temple. At the canteen near the gate the only food available was Dal (curry) and rice with no vegetables or anything. But we were so hungry that the food tasted like one the best meals we ever had. The dinner was promised at the guesthouse and as cooking on wood is difficult again you get either Dal and rice or Chapatti and vegetables.

We got Maggi Finally at Prashar Lake

We asked for Maggi (noodles) at the canteen the next day and they were not available. It was a little disappointing. For us eating Maggi after a trek is almost a ritual. However, the day after there were mules and jeeps as the canteen near the gate was replenishing stocks and we finally got Maggi! Both the canteens make equally good tea but the one near the gate has the location advantage. We did not feel like walking down (and later climbing up) to the canteen behind the temple.

The Forest Guest House Kitchen at Prashar Lake- Where We Took Our Meals

We took all the major meals at the guesthouse. There was no breakfast available at the guesthouse on any of the days. The guesthouse room rent charges this season were Rupees 200 per day.

When we were finally settling our account on the last day, our room rent was Rs. 400 and when we were asked about the food charges to the gentleman who cooked food for us, his reply just stunned me. He said, (in Hindi and I am translating loosely) “Room rent is the government charge but give us whatever you wish for food, we are not going to quote any price!” Both my husband and I were floored by this completely unexpected reply. We gave what we thought was fair money and he seemed to be happy for it. But I mean in this day and age who says stuff like the above anymore?

PS. Now also cross posted at myHimachal, from where I saw the first picture of this place.

Kungis Soup: Himachali Cusine

How many of you recognise this plant? Those who frequent the hills, chances are they know this is the bicchu jari (rough translation: scorpion plant, I do not know its real name). It stings if you touch it. Now this time at Shringi, I realized that they make a soup out of it (a different variety from the one in the picture above) and no, the soup doesn't sting. It was called Kungis soup in the menu of the Shringi Vatika and it tastes quite decent. This time around I tried two more Himachali dishes, Sidu and sweet rajma (now what is rajma called in English?) I am no foodie (ten years of hostel food killed all my taste buds) but I enjoyed all the three dishes mentioned here. If you get a chance, do try it.

PS. The full post on this trip is just not happening, give me some more time.

PPS. I might go to the place again to get my cell phone back sometime in March :)))))))))
I will surely bring back a picture of Sidu and then try to describe it.

Another One From IITK Days

Mess Food Anyone? I ordered an omelet once and found something else 'free' altogether.

Have some Parathas

I get people directed from google search to my blog through the keyword 'picture of parathas.' So I decided to oblige those who want to see a picture of the Paratha! This is from a restaurant called 'Satyam' in Pathankot. We sat here while going to Bharmour. It is just next to the bus station and if you find yourself at Pathankot, do give this resstaurant a try. Nothing very extraordinary but basic and clean and light on your pocket.

That, and my mind is not functioning properly, there is a 'thought jam' there, hence this post.

The Food that Keeps Me Walking

trOn my visit to Bharmour, we logged 12 kilometers everyday on foot for three days, one after another! On the first and the third day we could easily have taken a jeep to and from Hadsar, but when H is around such things rarely happen. I protest initially but in the end, the photo opportunities are just too good to ignore while walking. The waterfall or ice block on the road becomes a blur from the jeep, whereas I can stop as often as I want when we are walking. So, I always agree to get tortured one more time, after putting in a token protest initially.

I think I can still walk 12 kilometers because once upon a time, I used to run a lot. I could run for 10 kilometers at a stretch but that is real ancient history now. The second thing that makes me walk is the thought of food, that I can eat without any guilt if I walk something like 12 kilometers.
Looks yummy? A steaming pot of Maggie noodles is just the kind of food I like to gobble at the end of a long day's walk. I like it anyway but I am teased mercilessly by my two nephews, H and even my dad joins in and calls me 'head junkie' of the home, all for savoring some Maggie :( Whenever I have a bad day, there is nothing like a hot plate of Maggie made by my elder nephew (B1 = Brat 1) to cheer me up. I think he cooks the best Maggie in the world. But after a long day's walk I am forgiven for eating it. H feels I have earned it. That, or he knows one wrong word and I would refuse to budge even an inch on the next day, forget 12 kilometers.

Dhaba Tea Anyone?

Maggie is something that I like a lot but I like tea even more. There was a time and I am not joking, I must have been gulping at least 20 cups a day, now I am down to 4 or 5. I do not like the nes-tea (ever occured to you it ryhmes with nasty?) that they serve in my office. I like the hot cup I get at my home and it is B2 (Brat 2 = Younger Nephew) who makes it so well. But nothing can beat the dabha tea. As soon as I see one, I refuse to move ahead without having a cup and H again behaves like an angel (he is not so fond of tea) cause he knows he has to make me walk again the next day, so better to keep me in good humor.


The next best thing in this world is jalebi but I did not get a very good picture of it here, for the uninitiated it is the left most iteam in the picture above. There was a time when I could gulp one packet of cake daily and remain feather weight because I would spend 2 to 3 hours on a badminton court or a basketball court. Gone are those days now. All I get to play is some TT, and though I enjoy it thoroughly, but I cannot gulp sweets like I used to. Still, I seem to gain weight everyday! After walking 12 kilometers I can afford to have a few sweets without feeling guilty.

This is Mr. Sharma of Sharma Dabha near the bus stand, Bharmour. He makes the most wonderful parathas (stuffed Indian bread) and tea in Bharmour. He puts a few clove flakes in the tea and it tastes heavenly. We got chatting with him and he told us that he worked for IB (Intelligence Bureau) for 21 years before taking voluntary retirement and coming back to his village. If you ever head to Bharmour do not miss his tea or parathas.