A week of no Movies and only Reading

Its been a lull week. I have been concentrating on finishing the book Meri Teri Uski Baat by Yashpal and I finally did. The review will be up soon. I still am in awe of it.

Podcasts of this week

http://www.outtherepodcast.com/episodes/2015/2/2/test-episode-2

The story of a woman who challenged herself to sports at the age when athletes retire. It was inspiring to here about the adventure and how she managed to go through it.



https://soundcloud.com/the-real-food-podcast/the-real-food-podcast-4

The Real Food podcast is one of my favourites. This particular episode was about eggs and its cult culture. Who doesn't love it right? Even for die hard vegans I am sure this is one non-vegetarian item which they must have missed. Back here my husband knows 7 different ways of making these but will not because he claims I make better versions. I sniff laziness!



https://soundcloud.com/theintersection/the-intersection-5-unearthing-the-harappan-civilization

The Intersection podcast is all things culture especially India's. This episode was about the Harappan civilization which I am sure most of us must have learnt in History classes. I admit it is more fun hearing it in a podcast. :)



Thoughts 

Do not let your life be a string of memes. Its ok to like sarcastic humour but do not use it on your loved ones frequently.
I recently was talking to my teenage cousin and throughout the conversation I noticed he kept using meme phrases to either defend his life( we are close enough for me to scold him occasionally ) or inject humour into his lines. I wasn't bothered about his defensive attitude so much as his use or overuse of sarcastic humour. It was as if our call was being spammed by him by imaginary memes.
I love Chandler Bing and I love sarcasm but overuse or misuse....sorry.

Cooking highlights

Even kitchen experiments took a backseat and I just managed to bake Danish Cheese pastries,Goan pancake,Chicken Peralan and a Kerala fiery red fish curry. Both appreciated by the family. Check!

Danish Pastry

Kerala Fish curry

New Words Alert

These came up exactly at the time when you let your hair down, feet up, have excellent tea and joy in heart. Weekend! While talking to my friends, we ended up blurting out ahairness and underwareness instead of...well...something else!


ahairness - awareness that own hair is having a good day

underwareness - awareness that current underwear is comfortable and sexy

The Week of Suicide Spaghetti and more

Let me dive straight into what I meant by suicide spaghetti.

This week I tried making chicken spaghetti. Once it was done(according to me), I asked my husband to taste and check (for salt,spice levels etc). He said it was bland. So I added some more chilli and tomato sauce and mixed it well. The second opinion I took was of my brother-in-law, and I ended up adding even more chilli sauce because he likes his food with infinite SHUs. Anyway, after this dinner we all reached for chocolates.
To sum up,this did not feel like cooking. It felt as if I am committing those beautiful, carb filled strands to commit suicide by not letting it be in the company of the right flavors. I was letting it be bombarded with notions of what someone else's tongue-mood (note new word) version should be.

Nevertheless a cooking lesson!

So what else have I been cooking

Chicken Fillet, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Kerala Beef Roast. The former two from Laura Vitale and the beef recipe from Marias Menu. All amazing. :)

Podcasts and more

       Out There

http://www.outtherepodcast.com/episodes/2016/10/12/episode-22-a-new-identity

A refreshing take on how being rock climbing cured an alcoholic.

        The Loss of a Language

A introspective piece on how important preserving a language is.

https://soundcloud.com/theintersection/32-vanishing-voices-what-we-lose-when-we-lose-a-language?

 

      This week I also listened to podcasts on food or food culture.

        Cafe Samovar

The Avid podcast on Cafe Samovar of Mumbai is a nostalgic piece on anyone of that era. I am a 80s kid but I love the classic Choti Si Baat movie in which this cafe has been also shown. Such kind of places are unsung cultural icons.

https://soundcloud.com/user-251674764/1-the-magic-of-cafe-samovar-an-artists-residency-like-no-other

There is a specific line here which says that something which grows organically,naturally has a wonder,a delight but redoing it is impossible,it loses it charm.

      Amul Butter

https://soundcloud.com/the-real-food-podcast/amulbutter

      The classic Marie biscuits

https://soundcloud.com/the-real-food-podcast/mariebiscuits


    I read a fabulous article on the director Nasir Husain and his journey in Bollywood. I love films and like all,I detest badly made films. However, this article reaffirms my opinion that every film is an effort, somebody's effort. A lot of us like formula films, some parallel cinema and some according to genre. But standing firm on your belief and dream and creating art out of it should always be respected.

The week ended with a mini book meet at Meesh Cafe,Doha. We gathered with the full and honest intention of discussing books for the entire planned three hours and we did for half hour. : ) The rest was discussing the food culture in Doha! Well Well ! :)

Have a nice week ahead!

The Week of Less Reading and more Podcasts

Another week gone by and yet I could not make much progress of my book reading. I am currently with Meri Teri Uski Baat by Yashpal. A pre-Independence Hindi book which is touching and interesting in ways.However,the seemingly easy week was peppered with little tasks and meal preps. If only books could make us full. :)

What I have been cooking

So I made Apple Pie Cake,yet another recipe from Laura Vitale. I can't believe how on point and perfect her recipes are and how easy to follow. I have made her Chicken Quesadillas, Chilli Mac and Cheese and now this. All ,as she says, FANtastic!

I also cooked up Beef Casserole and this was a recipe in learning so I am glad it came out well. I hope to have the method up soon on my food blog which is lying dormant for years which is why I am not giving the link here :)

Something New

I recently bought this Sherlock Holmes colouring book and I will not call it adult colouring book because a) I don't feel grown up and b) Its a weird term for such a fun book. And no, I did not get this because I am stressed or depressed, according to the popular reason why people buy these lovely things. 

What I have been listening

Yes I am guilty of indulging in podcasts and hence suffering on my book reading...but these are really really good ones. 

   You Must Remember This

    A site for podcasts related to old Hollywood. Though it  has a good variety of topics, the

    navigation might be a little painstaking. 

    I liked the idea of a page or site dedicated to old classic movies and art because they were brilliant. 

   It was an amazing era,the originality of which is unsurpassed. That is why I humbly write 

   about classic Hindi and Malayalam movies ,a place where my thoughts and love for classics

   described in the best way I can.

  The Real Food Podcast

   In my recent post, I had talked about how food podcasts are an important step ahead for 

   any foodie. In yet another episode of The Real Food Podcast, the topic being Leftovers, it had me 

   thinking how a subject so insignificant like leftovers is approached differently in some cultures.

  

What I have been reading

    Slovenia and Sikkim  

    I chanced upon some links about Slovenian culture and cuisine and this country is on my 

    travel list now. I like places which are relatively unique in what they offer to the world and that is

    even my quest to know more about the quaint Sikkim state of India was there.

Gangtok capital of Sikkim

    These are some short reads and video links, that I felt, give a condensed picture about the two 

    places. Whether you visit them or not, it is always refreshing to know about places and customs.

    Sikkim - Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F0426kz4bg

                   Pdf - http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/bot/bot_1995_01_14.pdf

     Slovenia - read -http://www.ukom.gov.si/fileadmin/ukom.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti/Publikacije/kultura_web.pdf

Pictures from Incredible India site and toposophy 

What I have been watching/watched

   Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

   I am not going to review the movie (or maybe I will on a later date).  A good movie for a nice time

   on a weekend is how I will describe it. Worth watching? Maybe, as I felt it was a seemingly mature   movie ,a far cry from the typicalness of Bollywood. There is much better character formation of the

  actors and thankfully NO elaborate wedding saga.

  Kitaabnama series

  This is a books and authors based show aired on Doordarshan. I watch these off Youtube so I do not know if they are still broadcasted on Tv. For those who love Indian authors this is a good source of detailed literature analysis.

The week ended with a dinner at family favourite Bennigans and evening spent in the park, The feel of damp grass on bare foot is unmatchable right? 

And Happy Diwali friends!