Day 10: Throwback Thursday - My Favourite Food Moment

I thought of doing a Throwback Thursday for today and add some variety to my full length posts in the challenge so far. I love to share pictures from the past on my social media accounts. (I have laid my hands on an old hard drive, so expect more such treats in the future!) There are so many memories of lovely things we have seen and people we have been with. Old albums also show how we have changed over the years.

The one today isn't from too far in the past. It is from a trip to the US in March this year. I chose these photos because they are a special food memory. Any one who knows me well also knows that I am not a foodie. I don't go out of my way to find restaurants/cuisines or swear by the vada pao of any particular stall in Mumbai! But for some reason, I loved these pancakes and waffles during breakfast in New Jersey. I want to start at their sheer size! (I tried waffles at Aromas in India and got some sad looking waffles with lonely bananas on the side) The blueberry pancakes were truly delicious! And the strawberry-banana combo on the waffles when scooped with maple syrup poured on it was bliss!

I shall leave you for today drooling over these amazing dishes! If anyone knows of restaurants in Mumbai that can match or beat this, do ping me here or tweet to me on @Suman_Kher.

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Posting Month hosted by BlogHer.

Day 9: Table For One - The Solo Dining Experience

Eating alone can quality time with yourself (Photo credit)

The routine is simple. You go to a restaurant. Ask for a table for X number and are shown to one. Menus are passed on and your order taken. The game really changes when you are the "table for one" category. I have dined by myself millions of times - in india and many cities abroad. Initially, I said it apologetically but soon, the lack of choice made me confident. Solo dining is still not something people commonly do in India although a recent study by OpenTable suggests that it is on the rise in the US.

I did a bit of a research for this post. Let me share that with you before I come down to my own experiences. Eating out alone is mostly something people are conscious about. Unless you live in a busy city like New York which makes it easier since most others do the same too. It is interesting to note that there are people who've experimented with eating out alone and thankfully documented them as, what else, blog posts! Layla ate out alone for a week minus hiding behind a book or a phone and shares her adventure story in quite a detail - and I recommend you savour reading all the posts (pun unintended!) Laura Silver, the news reporter at Buzzfeed, UK took her own trip of eating alone. Sushi bars or a seat at the bar is a great option. It is a bit of a challenge at proper sit down restaurants.

It really depends on how you think of solo dining (photo credit)

Coming to my experiences of eating out by myself, I am still the minority. I have had lunch at a sushi bar in Hong Kong and cafes in Amsterdam and it turned out to be fine. Even in India, I haven't faced awkwardness or judgement from the staff like Anasuya Basu did - maybe because I never tried eating alone in Delhi. But there are a lot of things to be improved in our country before dining alone becomes a norm. Here are a few things:

1. We have no seating arrangement for solo diners. Best case, take a table for two. In cafes, it's ok. Fine dine restaurants, not so much
2. There are no one person meals. You can skip the starters and order only main course so you can finish what arrives at your table
3. There are no one person portions. And going to an Indian restaurant is out of question since the portion of curry is definitely for two people. (There's always the option to box it up for dinner)

When I ate at the Kingdom of Dreams, a theme park in Gurgaon (India), I hardly made a dent in the huge portion that their signature dish came in. It broke my heart to send it back. But I'm just me and can't finish all of it. That's the problem with proper sit down restaurants. I prefer cafes. My favourite haunt of late is Aromas. I get great service even at Le Pain Quotidian in Powai. They have portions good for one person - a sandwich, chicken breast with mash or veggies on the side, a portion of pasta - works well for me!

We really need some work done in this area. Maybe some dishes/portions meant for solo diners. A decent sitting area where we feel welcome and not stick out like a sore thumb sitting by ourselves. Maybe, restaurants meant solely for solo diners! Why not!

Eating out by yourself is quite a nice thing to do. Pick a restaurant of your choice, order what you like and eat as much as you like. It is a great way to have quality 'me' time with your favourite food and some nice coffee to round it off. It can feel awkward in the beginning but then who cares! You are as much a paying customer as two people.

If you've never tried eating by yourself, make that the project of the week and go ahead! It starts with your super confidence in saying, "Table for one, please" and that's it! If you need tips, here are a few tips on how to rock it as a solo diner!

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Posting Month hosted by BlogHer.

Day 8: The Taste Of Kerala In Mumbai

For people up north, everyone down south is a Madraasi. Some people even today think that way. They have no distinction of the 4 states (now 5, since the division of AP) that make South India. Thankfully, I was born and raised in Bangalore (albeit in a Punjabi household) and so knew the difference. When I got married to a Keralite (people who hail from the southern state of Kerala) but born and raised in Mumbai, I was in for a surprise. Mallus do have a unique cuisine of their own which isn't common to other south Indian states. Since my in-laws are mainly vegetarians (who eat no meat), I thought that is how most Kerala cuisine is. But a few trips to the Mecca of Mallus, Dubai, gave me a taste of how great chicken and fish can taste with the kerala cuisine spices.

Imagine our happiness - well, the spouse calls himself a pseudo mallu but loves his cuisine - when we found authentic mallu food right here in Mumbai. I'm not a south Indian but definitely dig great food occasionally. Lalit, the taste of Kerala is an unassuming place tucked on a by lane in Fort with nothing posh about it. But the chef knows his stuff. The first time we went about a month ago, we ordered a sampling of a few dishes.

We had some tapioca which is unique to Kerala cuisine and some fish curry to go with it. We also ordered some prawns. Although all the food is spicy, this one is hotter than the rest. We ordered their special steamed fish that comes wrapped in a plantain leaf. Despite the watering eyes and sweat running down my back, it is still worth the amazing flavours the cuisine brings into your mouth. 

The next time we went was last week, we decided to try something we hadn't the last time. And as you can see below, we ordered a couple of their gravy dishes in chicken and fish and the special Kerala parotta (a variant of the North Indian paratha). And the prawns, which have now become our 'usual' order. 

They also have desserts which are typically made in Mallu households. If you love regional cuisine and would like to taste some authentic Kerala fare, this is the place for you. Only warning: you may find the food spicy if you are used to bland food. You can tell them to make it less spicy and it might help. It is definitely a try at least once and you can take it from there.

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Posting Month hosted by BlogHer.

Day 7: One Week Update Of The Challenge

The joy of writing and challenging oneself is an exhilarating experience (Photo credit)

So, we are at the one week mark in our blogging challenge! Hows it going for all of you? I had a rough October work wise and decided to jump into the challenge only on 31st. Since I took the challenge even last year, I kinda know the drill of registering, sharing etc. And I think this is the best opportunity for me to finally attack the blog ideas I have been writing down for months. So with 2 prompts used last week, I am able to finally write about things I have wanted to for quite some time now. 

Since this is my second time, I can’t help but compare it from the last time. So here is a bit of an update on how this challenge has been for me so far:

I am a lot more planned. 

No! I don’t have the whole month figured out. But I think writing every week on my work blog on communication and soft skills has put me into a routine of planning. And even when I run my workshop on blogging for beginners, planning a few posts before beginning to write is my first tip. So I guess it’s not hard for me to figure that out for myself. And like I mentioned, I have been jotting down ideas (which is actually the first tip in my blogging classes) and couldn’t wait to dip into it and start writing.

I am not scrambling last minute. 

This is one big change from last time. I remember writing my post for the challenge as the last activity of the day hurrying to make it to the 12 am deadline! Sometimes I posted and went on to edit later! But that definitely wasn’t comfortable. This time I learnt a valuable lesson from a fellow blogger I got acquainted with during the challenge. Shalini's posts for the day go out at 12am! Which means she is a day ahead in writing it rather than a day behind, like I had been. Although I still haven’t been organised enough to write the previous day, I do get the challenge post out of the way as the first task of the day. (In fact, the post for today is late due to ill-health) And I know I am able to do this because I have scaled back a bit work wise and I’m able to indulge in the joy of writing.

I have read other blogs too.

This is a bigger change for me since I have never been able to hop onto others’ blogs and read. I just never managed to find the time. I think what really helped, apart from being planned, is the blog link thread on Facebook. That really worked as a ready reckoner to read other posts. Every time I post my link, I look up a few blogs and comment/share posts. Another thing that helped is looking up the blogs of people who commented on my post. I am guessing that they landed on my blog from the thread since they are from different countries. It is great to hop over to their posts and return the favour. That covers a few more blogs. Although it is impossible to do justice to the madness that the number of blogs and new posts there are everyday, I think looking up a few every day and making friends along the way is a worthy goal to set for ourselves.

Conversations with fellow bloggers

I not only hopped on to other blogs and discovered amazing blogs, I also had conversations on Facebook around the usage of daily prompts on Facebook. It is heartening to know that most people use a mix of prompts and freewheeling in their posts. 

I am planning more variety in my content. 

I think of my posts in a very linear fashion. I am trying to break that thought pattern and put in more variety in the content. Maybe I should keep this under wraps and you can see it for yourself when I post :)

It’s been a great writing experience so far. And I am already gearing up for week two and planning posts. It is such a great joy to write and even more so when you challenge your own self and see it through. All the best to everyone else taking the challenge. 

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Posting Month hosted by BlogHer. The last date to join the challenge was 5th November. You can still look up prompts and write for your own practice even though it wouldn't be a part of the challenge. 

Day 6: Why Do People Honk So Much?

We take this quite seriously! (Photo credit)

Disclaimer: I don't drive and so I don't know how critical honking is to be able to drive through the streets. My spouse pretty much doesn't use it at all and that's all the exposure I have about this)

Whether you drive or you don't, the loudest noise when you step out on Indian streets is the incessant honking from every vehicle. And as someone who's always sitting next to the driver, I have unique observations about honking. People honk in traffic jams, people honk when the light turns green as if it'll speeden up the process, people honk if someone stops for as much as a second in front of them even though no one would stop unless there's another vehicle blocking their way. Sometimes people honk only because they are imbecile because it seems just like that - no reason!

So here are a few reasons why I think people honk so much:

1. We are Indians and we want to use every feature to the maximum capacity. We have a horn and we'll use it well.
2. Sitting in traffic gets boring - let's make some noise
3. It could be a source of entertainment - honk-honk every few minutes keeps the rhythm going
4. This is my fav - some people hit it like it's some kind of a pleasure point and the driver will be finished before reaching home - if you know what I mean ;)
5. Sometimes it just seems like lack of common sense - honk just to be on the safer side
6. Maybe, there's a myth that says the more you honk, the luckier you get! Why else would people honk for no reason too!
7. Honking noises might reach the aliens who are looking for a planet with life and this could be our chance to get discovered!
8. I guess honking is also a secret way to making/saving/generating money - I don't know! Seems like a good reason to go honk honk honk honk honk
9. Honking also seems like a secret code to something. Maybe, people who honk so much are trying to tell us something. We should hear more carefully, I guess!
10. All the honking might help people discover their musical talent. I am guessing some of our music composers found their talent honking away to glory
11. This is my last guess - people keep pressing the horn hoping to release weapons to destroy all the vehicles ahead of them. They keep at it hoping the button will get unstuck someday

Why do you think people honk so much? I am sure you must have some theories about it! Go on..shoot!

This post is written for the daily blogging challenge #NaBloPoMo by Blogher where I will write one post everyday!

Day 5: Doomsday is here!

The smog is Delhi is worse ever in 13 years! This is a picture from 31st Oct 2016 (Photo credit) 

I had a phone call with my very worried sister yesterday. Her daughters, aged 7 and 10 are both unwell and unable to step out, thanks to the thick smog that has enveloped the city. The schools declared a holiday and the kids are confined to one room where the air purifier ensures that they have some clean air to breathe. Remember the ads we watched on TV that presented a dreary picture of the future for our kids if we did not stop polluting the world? Guess what! That future is finally here! Schools have prescribed masks so that kids can cope with the situation they are in for no fault of theirs.

1800 schools in Delhi were closed - for the first time - due to pollution levels that are now 13 times higher than safe limits. According to an NDTV report:

"Data from the city's pollution monitoring agency showed that concentrations of Particulate Matter or PM 10 (coarser pollutants) was over 1,200 micrograms per cubic metre this morning compared to a safe level of 100 at around 9 am in Delhi's Anand Vihar. PM 2.5, a standard measure of air quality, was as much as 13 times the safe limit."

Kids are the worst affected! (Photo credit)

The smog this year is the worst in 13 years. The major culprits are burning crops, vehicular emissions and of course, crackers during Diwali. As it is winters are a bad time in Delhi when smog cover the city. With this kind of pollution level already present, I wonder how kids are going to survive this. It is worse for kids who already have breathing ailments like asthma etc. I am sure it is hard on the adults and older people too! The noxious fumes have health implications for everyone.

I think we have now arrived at a point where it's no longer a topic to debate on social media. It's no longer about blame game. It's no longer about saying that we can't do without cars, people should stop bursting crackers. It's no longer the time to hope things will be back to normal once the Diwali smog has settled. Or the winters are gone. It is time to make a decision. NOW! Is the inconvenience of giving up cars worse than putting our health and that of our kids' at risk? Is it so important to burst crackers rather than enjoy Diwali in so many other ways there are?

I am sure the current situation in Delhi - other cities aren't any better - has us all thinking about how responsible we need to be from now. We have to decide the kind of world our children are going to inherit from us. We need to think of a long term plan and start working on it immediately.

Meanwhile, here are some tips to help us tide over the hard times for now.

This post is written for the daily blogging challenge #NaBloPoMo by Blogher where I will write one post everyday!

Day 4: Flashback - Trip to the Grand Canyon

My man looking out at the Grand Canyon from the Skywalk!

Some trips are quite memorable but this one takes the cake. The mighty Grand Canyon is definitely worth a visit once in a lifetime. Grand Canyon is a natural gorge carved by the Colarado river and you can read more about how it happened on the Wikipedia page. What I really want to talk about is the personal experience of actually being there.

The Grand canyon was one of the places we visited during our US trip this March. Las Vegas is the closest to drive to the Grand Canyon and that became the starting point of this leg of the journey. Since this was our second time in Las Vegas, we just took it easy and did not do the touristy shows or the slot machines. In fact, sitting in our room at the Bellagio and watching the fountains dance from our room every evening was a good enough treat.

The room with an awesome view!

The drive to the Canyon is a breeze except that if you are running late, like we were, you also lose another hour going from Nevada to Arizona due to the time difference. But we did make it in time to get on to the last tour on the bus that left in a bit. And where it took us has to be the most spectacular site nature ever holds. Miles of orange rocks that run deep and scary! Man has conquered mountains but being amidst something like this definitely makes one feel diminutive and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Photo credit

And the most amazing thing is the man made sky walk at an elevation  of 4770 ft that juts right into the Canyon. And what's even more goosebumpy is that the floor of the skywalk is made of glass. So when you look down, it's like being suspended on nothing! It took some coaxing from the resident photographer - no cameras/cellphones allowed on this ramp and I think that's a great decision for safety reasons - for me to walk in and pose. I never looked down once! Peeping from the safety of the locker room was enough to make my heart skip a beat!

Photo credit

Putting the skywalk into better perspective

Photo credit

More photos from the trip

My man right on top of one of the hillocks. I'm too scared of heights to do it!

A shot of the Colorado river from the plane 

Another shot of the Grand Canyon with the river

That me, obviously! :)

The skywalk is suspended right into the Canyon and the photographer has his favourite poses! 

 We also went to New York, Hoover Dam and Disneyland in Orlando. But those are probably for another blog post some other time. Have you been on to a place that really blew your mind off? I'd love to add them to my travel list! Shoot!

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo hosted by BlogHer where I will write one post everyday this month.