Wishful thinking

For the past week the sky has been putting up a fabulous show of colors, especially during sunrise & sunset. I feel handicapped without my camera which has traveled all the way back to the States for some repairs...…

The monsoons are here, almost, so this transition period from summer to monsoon is when nature shows her versatility and grandeur. The sky is crystal blue interspersed with white fluffy clouds of all shapes imaginable that turn into grey in a heartbeat… The sun behind then benevolently shines through these gray clouds casting the proverbial silver lining… around sunset, the drab grey gives way to golden yellows, fuchsias, magentas, reds…. You name it, nature’s got it. I can only imagine the reflections it is casting on the sea, the mountains and paddy fields…. All I have around me are the concrete buildings, some thatched roofs, trees, muddy puddles from the rains…. Wish I was sitting atop a mountain watching this spectacular show….hmmmmmm

Travels

My travels took me to several places these past 6 months...... some were undertaken under pressure, some were mandatory, some I chose to preserve my sanity. All, though turned out interesting, beautiful and inspiring. Here is the list in no particular order:

Udupi, Karnataka
Innanje, Karnataka
Siddapur, Karnataka
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Bangalore, Karnataka
Karad, Maharashtra
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Nashik, Maharashtra
Vadodara, Gujrat
Muscat, Oman
Cancona, Goa
Margoa, Goa
Mantralaya, Andhra Pradesh
Haveri, Karnataka
Kallur, Karnataka

I could write travelogues about some of these, but sheer laziness maybe or the inability to pen down the unseemingly mad rush of thoughts that my mind churns out .... feel I should buy a recorder or a Dictaphone.... and see if I can speak out as fast as my mind thinks :-)
futile exercise it may be, but well.....

Kitchen comfort

For the past 2-3 months I've been in Mum's kitchen a lot, cooking quite a bit, and observing her cook more. You'll find me sitting at the table a lot, with my diary out, penning furiously the recipes that she is either making or talking about at break-neck speed. It doesn't help that Mum is one of those whose measuring device is her hand..... forget the measuring spoons/cups/weigh scales. It's all about 'just this much', 'about that much', 'about one fistful' or 'just a pinch'.

Now agreed I picked up the same skills in the kitchen from her, and my hand is my best measuring device, but writing recipes is a pain with no indications like '1 Cup' or '2 Tbsp'. Ahhhh well, I take solace in the fact that I will understand her measurements which I write down verbatim, 2 or 5 or 10 yrs down the lane.... If it does come down to the day when I might want to publish those recipes or create a food blog, I will just have to standardize the formulation and process.... more R&D in my personal kitchen.

Authentic Udupi rasams, curries, desserts, pickles, chutney powders, with a few blends of Udupi-Maharashtrian, Udupi-North Karnataka recipes might some day soon make it to my new food blog.... will have to just wait and see :-)