aka Om Routray
I stress about a lot of things, so this may not be a big deal. But I have been stressing about it since yesterday, that makes it one. I came across a tweet from a food writer that equated Chinese dosa with rape of food. Now, to me, it is not about political correctness or feminism or sensitivity at all. It is about English. Rape has a meaning and it does not mean this. I have asked her on twitter, hope she takes it down….Continue Reading “‘Rape’ in food writing: tell me I am wrong”
Aaj ka bawal wala mudda – national anthem pe dharti pe bojh daalna The newspaper had a report that they want the same implemented in Delhi. Some lunatic has gone to the courts asking them for speedy implementation. But both central and Delhi govt have not responded for months. They know better, this is not Mumbai. There are no Shivaji offsprings here. Delhi would stand up and dance for Honey Singh and Badshah but a 70 year old track which has not even been remixed!!…Continue Reading “Standing for national anthem: The secret revealed”
On recent trip to Alwar, we spotted this incomplete looking shack by the roadside. There was a charpai, a cooking station with a stove and a tarpaulin roof. It looked like a food place but given that no one stopped by we were not too sure. We decided to stop on the way back. It was a dhaba. The guy had nothing ready. He explained all that he could cook and how much time it would take. We decided on the dal baati in twenty…Continue Reading “Impromptu dal baati, Alwar”
Dhunuchi is the Bengali term for the whole set of jhuna or dhuna – jhuna being the plant resin of sal tree. First, let me explain what a whole set means. It includes the resin, dried coconut husk and an earthen receptacle to hold the fire. When you set fire to the husk and throw the resin on top, it sets off fragrant smoke. And, that is the point of the whole exercise – fragrance. Actually, that’s not the whole point. Jhuna is offered during…Continue Reading “Dhaak & Dhunuchi naach, Durga Puja Pandal”
Jack and Jill went up the hill. On the hill, they saw a clearing with lots of people and hi tech gadgets. A big corporation was scouting the place for mining. Jack and Jill were killed and hung from a tree. The papers read that two Christian lovers were killed by their caste communities. They had converted as their castes didn’t permit intermarriage. When they cut the ropes, Jack fell down and Jill came tumbling after.
We all make mistakes but only the best of us accept them. Let me be one from the superior league by accepting I erred by voting for AAP. Not that I had not realised earlier, but I spend more time driving now. When I am not dodging incoming cars, I am dodging Manish Sisodiya on radio. On every channel, every two minutes either he is sorry for the teacher killed or for Dengue or for something else. If he had invested the crores he spent…Continue Reading “Delhi made a mistake : AAP”
Why north campus, you may ask? In order to enjoy autumns, you need open areas, walking paths, trees and wind, tea places and some quietness. There is no other place in Delhi that matches North Campus in all these aspects. So, here is what you can do in a day in the campus if you start really early in the morning. 1. Walk in the ridge Start early. By early I mean 7 o’clock or earlier. You can join the morning walkers with walking sticks…Continue Reading “Things to do in Delhi Autumn: North Campus”
I got an invite when this place opened. I wondered if I would like to review a fast food chain and never went there, until i did, yesterday. They had massive standees all over the place and the bacon caught my eye. We walked in, the price seemed extremely reasonable at 179 rupees or thereabouts. And, the burger was damn good, with fried chicken, lettuce and tomato. The only other burger chain that serves bacon is Jonny Rockets and the prices don’t compare. The railway…Continue Reading “Wendy’s, Cyberhub”
In my fifteen years in Delhi, Nizamuddin is one locality that I was never really interested in exploring. The food scene seemed like a lesser cousin of Old Delhi and I was antagonized to the dargah as it forbids women from entering the inner sanctum. So, I have refrained from venturing there time and again. I finally did, and as it mostly happens, for no significant reason at all. I guess time had eaten through the wall of resistance. Anyway, what I found is a…Continue Reading “Kit Care Kebab Corner, Nizamuddin”
For someone who has had so many kebabs, I was always stumped by the shammi one. Is that a hard galouti? Is there some other difference ? Why is it hard at times? Should not all kebabs be soft? Ghalib kebab corner in Nizamuddin probably has a few lessons to teach to morons like me. The shammi holds its shape, is made from beaten meat that is stringy than tender and tastes of chana dal and spice too. They also have some other amazing looking…Continue Reading “Ghalib Kebab Corner, Nizamuddin”
Do you use ittar? I do. Where do you get yours from? Chandni Chowk, that shop at the corner of Janpath, Nizamuddin or Jamia Nagar? I know the ones in Chandni Chowk come from 100 buck a bottle of 10 ml and the ones in Janpath are only a slightly more expensive. You can get Davidoff cool water and most other well known fragrances there too. I know a senior in an ad agency I worked for refilled his Cool Water with Chandni Chowk stuff….Continue Reading “Ittar shopping in Delhi”
I have written about Raju naan wale dwarka in another post but this one is about the owner. Sometime back, there was much talk about this lady who sold chole kulche from a streetside cart in Gurgoan. Her family had fallen on bad times and they owned SUVs and so the story went. But here is the godmother version of the story. This kulche stall has such a huge rush during all hours. I was there on a lean day and probably that’s how I…Continue Reading “The godmothers of Delhi streets: Dwarka”
Okay, I have to rub my hands and warm up to start this post. I personally know people who had a good time here and to some extent I did too. But if you are here to get spooked, forget it. Given that I didn’t do any research or see in photos beforehand, I was surprised by the scale of the ruin. It is not just a fort, it is a city. Coming to the scary part, if you are there on a busy weekend,…Continue Reading “Bhangarh – what’s scary is not inside the fort”
Alu tikki and dahi papdi There was not much time to travel the city and try many things. So, started with the first stall that I laid my eyes on. First, the alu tikki. I had never had a tikki with curry. The curry was not even an afterthought or a side dish. It had small kabuli chana, kala chana, matar and a delicious gravy. This was awesome. Then the dahi papdi. This was new to me. He took the papdi, crushed them, topped it…Continue Reading “Streetfood in Alwar”
Many many foodies raised a toast to the award and claimed how it will change everything. It may and that’s not a good thing. It’s not even the first time that someone has decided to award streetfood outlets. Times had an award for streetfood, if I remember right. Some places in Old Delhi had the certificate on their walls, as if it added anything to their legend. Somehow, I am skeptical about awards for streetfood places. Here is why: 1. Restaurant sector didn’t benefit from…Continue Reading “Streetfood hawker wins Michelin Star. That’s trouble.”
You have failed me, social media. And, all my friends are either too lazy or liars. Otherwise, why won’t anyone tell me that the movie starts and ends with ‘I can bring him back into the program or we eliminate him.’ The story has not moved a millimeter. The chase scene in the end was unnecessary and too Fast & Furious for a Bourne movie. Most of the scenes were rehashed scenes from earlier movies. There was no honesty in the script. The franchise has…Continue Reading “Jason Bourne and social media failure”
