Happiness is...
Unlike other better-known bloggers, I have not been suffering from bloggers' block. Rather, procrastination and laziness are more likely reasons for the absence of any posts since my last one.
It must seem to all that I treat food as muse. Freudians will snark that such overt fascination for food may very likely be a substitute for other er passions. Be that as may be, I should have been super-extra motivated to blog the last couple of weeks but honestly I was busy with work as well as guests (my lovely Didibhai & JB, her even lovelier husband - jb being short for jamaibabu).
So since I last posted, I have had a nice Afghan dinner, complete with Qabuli Pulaw, Chapli Kebab, Kaddu, Mantoo and Firni. We have had crab in the SF Chinatown, chowder in Monterey, various sandwiches in Healdsburg in Sonoma, Thai in Berkeley and alas for a self-proclaimed foodie even a meal at The Cheesecake Factory. Hey that is quite quite representative of US food habits - if not 'cuisine'. We have really not been up for or had the time to eat good 'Californian' yet, so suggestions are helpful!
Actually though the culinary star of the last ten days has been my mom whipping up lots of good Bangali khabar like Shaager Ghonto, Alu Posto, Machher Kalia, Doi Begun and Lau Chingri. Oh and she does make excellent dal, arhar, musoor, chhola, the works. Drool! Not to make anybody jealous but I brought lunch to work today - Peas Kochuri and Alur Dom. Sighhh - whatever will I do when she leaves? Lose a little weight maybe, which is an excellent thing!
We've also managed to drive up and down the bay area, to Sonoma and Bodega Bay and San Jose and Berkeley and Oakland and Monterey and of course San Francisco. Minimize tolls people, go to SF in the morning from the east Bay and drive up Golden Gate Bridge and back down Richmond Bridge! LOL. I am of course only half kidding about the minimizing tolls bit! I have driven close to 600 miles in the last ten days, and my commute is 0.6 miles including my parking lot (trust me I have checked).
In other news I had convinced myself that I'd lost my W-2 and another tax related document until I found them safely tucked inside my least used red plaid purse, duh! Didibhai and ma have been treated to the rather entertaining sight of me walking around the apartment, muttering and opening various drawers and looking under books and my stack of Rolling Stones (the only magazine I subscribe to, LOL). They of course had too much sense to ask me anything as they would have been liable to get their heads snapped off if they had!
Oh also, I was rather chuffed at being able to say what Theobroma means ('Food of the Gods' how appropriate!) in a tour of the Scharffen Berger factory. Felt rather like the star student when I apparently also 'correctly' (not that this means anything objective in this context) identified the citrusy undertone in their 70% chocolate. I'm hoping they are gonna call me when that job of Her Nibs, the Chief Chocolate Taster opens up there :)
P.S. Appreciative and affectionate gestures to an Unnamed Person (UP) for generally being sweet and the most unexpected roses :)
It must seem to all that I treat food as muse. Freudians will snark that such overt fascination for food may very likely be a substitute for other er passions. Be that as may be, I should have been super-extra motivated to blog the last couple of weeks but honestly I was busy with work as well as guests (my lovely Didibhai & JB, her even lovelier husband - jb being short for jamaibabu).
So since I last posted, I have had a nice Afghan dinner, complete with Qabuli Pulaw, Chapli Kebab, Kaddu, Mantoo and Firni. We have had crab in the SF Chinatown, chowder in Monterey, various sandwiches in Healdsburg in Sonoma, Thai in Berkeley and alas for a self-proclaimed foodie even a meal at The Cheesecake Factory. Hey that is quite quite representative of US food habits - if not 'cuisine'. We have really not been up for or had the time to eat good 'Californian' yet, so suggestions are helpful!
Actually though the culinary star of the last ten days has been my mom whipping up lots of good Bangali khabar like Shaager Ghonto, Alu Posto, Machher Kalia, Doi Begun and Lau Chingri. Oh and she does make excellent dal, arhar, musoor, chhola, the works. Drool! Not to make anybody jealous but I brought lunch to work today - Peas Kochuri and Alur Dom. Sighhh - whatever will I do when she leaves? Lose a little weight maybe, which is an excellent thing!
We've also managed to drive up and down the bay area, to Sonoma and Bodega Bay and San Jose and Berkeley and Oakland and Monterey and of course San Francisco. Minimize tolls people, go to SF in the morning from the east Bay and drive up Golden Gate Bridge and back down Richmond Bridge! LOL. I am of course only half kidding about the minimizing tolls bit! I have driven close to 600 miles in the last ten days, and my commute is 0.6 miles including my parking lot (trust me I have checked).
In other news I had convinced myself that I'd lost my W-2 and another tax related document until I found them safely tucked inside my least used red plaid purse, duh! Didibhai and ma have been treated to the rather entertaining sight of me walking around the apartment, muttering and opening various drawers and looking under books and my stack of Rolling Stones (the only magazine I subscribe to, LOL). They of course had too much sense to ask me anything as they would have been liable to get their heads snapped off if they had!
Oh also, I was rather chuffed at being able to say what Theobroma means ('Food of the Gods' how appropriate!) in a tour of the Scharffen Berger factory. Felt rather like the star student when I apparently also 'correctly' (not that this means anything objective in this context) identified the citrusy undertone in their 70% chocolate. I'm hoping they are gonna call me when that job of Her Nibs, the Chief Chocolate Taster opens up there :)
P.S. Appreciative and affectionate gestures to an Unnamed Person (UP) for generally being sweet and the most unexpected roses :)
12 Comments:
Mmmmm....roses, on the Big Day :)? Ki phataphati byapar! I shall watch the space for more on this.
What was the compulsion for the Cheesecake Factory meal? Oh, to have mayer hater ranna. I try and try and I can never ever make mushoorir dal like my mother. Trust me I follow the recipe to a T. And yet.
So some Greek lessons you haven't told me about eh? How did you know what "Theovroma" means? The "vroma" (or broma) is ancient Greek, and apparently in modern Greek it means unpleasant, especially a bad odour :D!
Thats where the term bromide meaning unpleasant medicine comes from I am guessing?
I must have read the meaning of theobroma somewhere in the context of the latin name for cacao and tucked it away in my head unknowingly you know? No Greek lessons I'm afraid. Unless you count the "Theos, ohi" that I learned out of an M&B in class 8 maybe?? LOL.
tag! you're it!
I hope you realise that you ARE overdoing this food thingy to the extent of making it sound like COD. I don't expand acronyms for superintelligent beings!
Kheye jaa, joddin parish, shudhu kheye ja. Ctrl+alt+Del the alphabet "W".
Ha - VishK, I do believe you're the second one to tag me on this, so I don't have to do it! Yippee!
Priya, nahoy ektu khai - ta bole awaaj dibi? Ami kintu khelbo na :(
No wonder Dahl got it right in his 'Charlie and the chocolate factory'.
Have you read his 'Boy'? It talks about him and his schoolmates (at Repton?) being used as guinea pigs by the Cadbury people.
Your friend the little-sea does not guess how extensive was and is are your reading habits, Rolling stones included.
The best place to pick up a little greek and a smidgen of latin would be the last few pages of some fat respectable dictionary, (Webster?)where the common tags would be explained.
But to appreciate 'peccavi' I think you need to have Apumama's library at your disposal.
And the funniest thing about mothers and their cooking is that once you become a mother yourself, your child appreciates your culinary skills. I have been dubbed the Best-Momo-Maker by Mehr.
Intelligent husbands, says Fats, never ever critisise their wife's cooking.
As I have found out, they say things like -- "Am I not an Angelic husband with the Sweetest Temper? Don't I eat everything that is put in front of me?"
Hello to the Singaporeans visiting you.
Bulididi! Next time I visit - you are making me momos for sure. Why was I not aware of these hidden talents???? The Singaporeans have gone back, they reached last night I believe. When are yous tarting your blog, hmmmm?
Sigh! Even you've written about food. And in great detail at that. I'm now craving for a lot of different things. Not a good sign at all!
Isn't it great fun when mothers come a-visiting? And you feel like a Goddess with all the pampering...
And you got roses too!!!
WOW!
:D
Hey Vijayeta - nice to see you post again! I can't seem to post about anything but food these days, LOL...
patient portnoy! Thanks for stopping by :) We have to start a 'Dal Support Group for Bloggers" :D Did I tell you we had shukto a couple of days back [even bigger grin].
Oh Bodega Bay was very interesting, and just as eerie as in 'Birds'. In fact we were passing through in twilight and the effect was one of both beauty and creepiness! I have to visit properly next time as this time we were on our way back from a trip to Sonoma so were suitably stuffed and/or sloshed.
Hi…I’m Roy, though it's few weeks I start the journey in the blog-world. still, learning the tricks by peeping in others blog without any prior permission (sorry for that!!).
hei...when u eat chanachur, do u not miss moori...bcoz I like this combination is the best..moori & chanachur..
Heii, why not take a look to my blog: (http://comeonroy.blogspot.com/) & tell me where I need to improve. Most important, maybe you can also get something new & interesting stuff…..maybe!!
Hoping to hear you..
Roy
Urmea, please. Please, please ebaar post koro. Haven't you been tagged (twice, at that! shameless lazy-blogger-person, you!) to do the eight point thingy? Go on now, be a sport! Aar kotodin ek post dekhte bhalo laage? :(
Patient Portnoy, you are bhery bbhery bhelcome.
Roy, nice to see you again!
Rimi, tomar wish is amar command. And so on. Shirodharyo and all that!
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