Dessert By Candy

Strange But Treasured Experience

For my farewell snack, KK organized a trip to a nearby snack joint, Manmeet Chaat. Since it was not within walking distance, I had the good fortune to once again ride on a motorcycle hours before leaving Pune. I originally thought that I would have plenty of time but my driver insisted on leaving Pune at 19:00 due to the unpredictable Friday evening traffice from Pune to Bombay. Plus, I was caught in a meeting with JB and couldn't make my escape. Anyway, the point is, our group of ten was driving at breakneck speed to beat the clock.

Needless to say, the chaat was one of my best eating experience in this trip. We ordered a selection of different things to share. There was a basket chaat (basket made of fried noodles filled with dahi, fried potato cubes, pomegranate seeds, and lots of other things that I couldn't identify), aloo tiki with dahi (potato croquette drenched in yogurt), puri with dahi, lumps of lentil dumpling with chickpea topping (my memory on this was fuzzy), and of course a very milky foamy cup of coffee. That's not all. Just before we got back on the bikes, SB bought a few tickets for some more puri. This was a lot of fun. The vendor gave me a little bowl made with leaves. KK told me to hold out the bowl and the vendor put a puri (a deep-fried hallowed pastry, a little like choux puff theoretically) filled with spicy sauce and a very watery sour sauce. I sloshed out some of the sauce before eating the whole thing in one bite as per KK's advice. The minute that I bite into the puri, my mouth was filled with the refreshinly cold sauce. It was unlike anything I tasted before. Gosh, I wish I came here sooner!

Looking at my watch, I had only 10 minutes before the driver would come to pick me up at the hotel. KK assured me that I would make it back okay, he said that we would have a brief stop before returning to the hotel. What?! A stop?! I was absolutely worry at this point but he wouldn't hear a word of it. Turned out the surprise was Fabindia. As a souvenir of my visit to the Pune, the guys wanted to get me a kurta. So there I was, aware of the ticking time, shopping for clothes with the help of a big group of guys. Let me tell you, this was one of my most surreal experience ever but yet, it was such a sweet gesture. After much discussion, I picked a mustard yellow long sleeve kurta. I think it will be very comfortable to wear on humid summer days.

The ride back to the hotel was fast, thanks to KK's driving skills. Everyone at the office showed such generosity in including me as part of the team. I'm really glad to make some friends in the last five weeks.

A Warm Farewell

Today is the last day of my trip to India. Over the last five weeks, I had sampled some great food, met some wonderful people, shopped too much, and had a few adventures...in addition to working long hours and being very productive.

Speaking of shopping, I'm not one who likes to shop for gifts and souvenirs while traveling. I insist that these gifts are often tossed aside and of no particular use. However, as luck would have it, I found many wonderful gifts in Pune that do not scream "I-was-here-souvenir" at very reasonable price. So I'm happy to say that my holiday shopping is close to complete.

My coworkers in the Pune office took me out to lunch and snack to send me off in style. I had a great time hanging out with everyone and glad to be part of the team.

In less than 24 hours, my travel will take me to my favourite city, Paris. A Bientot!

New Caterer At Work

Today's my first day this week to have my meal at the office catered lunch. I was too busy to eat on Monday so I just hastily munched on some bananas and some buns before getting ready for my daily presentation. Tuesday I took a sick day and stayed at the hotel. When I went to the terrace during lunch time today, I was surprised to find a long table full of chafing dishes, each holding a different side dish. We had chana masala, dhal, a spicy potato dish, chicken in a dark gravy, fragrant bismati rice, roti, papadum with a good kick from black pepper, salad, raita, and jelebi for dessert. Not only that, our usual retangular sectional plates are now round and we have napkin holders holding stacks of napkin. It was fancy compared to what I've seen in the last four weeks! I looked around and asked my coworkers if today was some special occasion. Turned out we now have a new caterer. The food was defintely tastier than our previous caterer and this company appeared to be more aware of food safety (storing things in cooler and keeping warm food warm). Lots of my coworker helped themselves to second serving of chicken. I think that was a good sign.

I was absolutely looking forward to snack time today. With the big honcho in town, our refreshment of the day was extra special. I didn't get the name nor the picture for most of these snacks but they were delicious. First, we had a hollowed ball of fried pastry. The server poked a hole in the middle and filled it with yogurt, crunchy noodles, a green chutney, and pomegranate seeds. It was a great mix of sweet and creamy taste. Next, we had cubes of yellow steamed rice cakes. They were alright, just a little bland. We also had wraps made with toasted roti and a filling of paneer tikka and slivers of raw sweet onions. Last but definitely not least, we enjoyed a dessert of warm carrot halva. The halva was delicious. It was the first time that I had halva since arriving in India. Better late than never. I was really hoping to get a second helping but alas, I did not have a chance to. Wow, I now have a new favourite dessert!

Pimp My Ride (Autorickshaw Edition)

The streets in Pune are cluttered with autorickshaws but I can assure you not all rickshaws are created equal.

Last week, I was riding on possibly the slowest rickshaw on the road in Pune. The driver was an old man whose face definitely showed the signs of time. His richshaw was an equally rickety-patched-roof piece of machine. There we were, puttering along North Main Road, while absolutely every car/motorcycle/bicycle/cow/pedestrian on the road sped ahead of us. It gave a whole new meaning to "the scenic route".

Today, I had the luck to ride on a totally pimped out autorickshaw. It had fancy peach-colour cushioned seats. The driver's seat was lined with long-haired fur (how can he bear to sit on that for hours in the hot Indian weather?!). Even the roof was lined with matching colour cushions. I was half-expecting to see a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror but of course, that would not be too creative, wouldn't it? Instead, a stuffed monkey in peach was holding on for its dear life at every bumps and turns that we made.

Even if the driver does not want to go all out, personal touches for a cheaper price are always available. I saw one autorickshaw that was draped with garland after garland of flowers. Getting ready for a wedding, perhaps? Of course, we can't possibly miss the ubiquitous stickers on the windshield. I wonder if these stickers contain cheeky messages such as the bumper stickers we see so often in North America? Now that's a good reason for me to learn Hindi.

Just My Luck

I bought a bag of bhakarwadi on Friday and brought it with me to my weekend trip. This is a crunchy pinwheel of pastry filled with a fragrant spicy mix. I had no idea that this is actually a Maharashtrian dish nor did I know that I bought it from one of the most famous store for this snack. I only bought it because it was what I liked most from the four unknown crunchy snacks that I sampled a week earlier. I was going to get a few bags and treat my friends back home. When YP saw what I brought, he recognized it immediately and told me that I bought my bag from the original store that made it famous. Wow, I guess I was really lucky.

Of course no trip is complete without trying out food that I haven't try before. For my Sunday lunch, I had a masala dosa and medu wada from Hotel Milan in Ellora. I've been meaning to have a masala dosa ever since I saw it being served as a huge standing cone at Coffee House in Camp. The paper-thin pancake was filled with a spicy mix of potato & herbs and was served with sambar and coconut chutney. The medu wada was a savory donut that was deep-fried to oblivion. Although tasty, I much prefer the crispness of the dosa.

I suppose every place has their own interpretation of sambar. At this restaurant, the sambar is has a rich tomato taste and chunks of pumpkins and root vegetable that tasted like turnips. I really like it but when it becomes too spicy, the mildness of the cold coconut chutney was just the thing to balance out the flavour.

So many snacks to try, so few calories to spare!

Ajanta & Ellora

I took a weekend trip to Ajanta and Ellora with YP and AS. The caves at both locations have been declared as World Heritage Sites and this turned out to be my fourth and fifth visit this year to a World Heritage site (others were historic monuments in ancient Kyoto, Himeji Castle, shrines & temples of Nikko in Japan last January). There's a Chinese saying that goes "rather than reading ten thousand books, it's better to travel ten thousand miles". I cannot agree more. My travel experience this year has greatly enriched my knowledge on history and culture from different countries.

Needless to say, I was floored by the grandness of the rock-cut temples in Ellora and the intricate frescos depicting myths and history in Ajanta. You can check out some of my pictures in my Ellora/Ajanta: December 2005 photo album.

A Day Of Feasting

I can't believe how much I ate today. Let's see my menu de jour:

Breakfast: aloo paratha, dahi, masala chai

I've been craving aloo paratha for breakfast for the last couple of weeks but I always resisted the urge to indulge in such greasy food. With only one week left in my trip, I gave in and had this delicious flat bread stuffed with mashed potato. The paratha was mildly spicy, just enough to kick start my day.

Lunch: flavoured rice, sliced cabbage, dhal, beans stew

It wasn't very memorable but it was nourishing. I needed the energy to get through with the rest of the day.

Dinner: couscous salad, naan, lentils extraordinaire, sweet samosa

I tried out the new restaurant 3rd On 7th today. It has only been open for 2 days but I adore their immaculate open kitchen and the friendliness of the staff. However, most importantly, does the food taste good? I think so. The lentil stew has a good kick of heat that lingered long after the deceivingly mild mouthfuls of lentils are swallowed. I felt so...healthy too. The medley of beans and lentils made for a hearty stew perfect for less than balmy evenings. The naan was okay although I would prefer it to be more fluffy. However, while I was waiting for my order, I was absolutely mesmerized by the deft skill the cook who made naans with a oil-drum-cum-tandoor. The best part of the meal though, was the sweet samosa served with a dip of honey butter. The samosa was bursting with chunky apple filling. Remember those good ol' days when MacDonalds used to serve deep fried apple pies? Yeah, that's what this samosa tasted like. Awesome! I'm thinking of ordering a batch to deliver to the office on my last day here next week.

3rd On 7th

Lane No 7, North Main Road

Koregaon Park, Pune

I Don't Know They Come In Different Sizes

I bought some gorgeous bangles as gifts today. I picked up three sets in totol. There's a silver set that looks exactly like the ones I purchased a few weeks ago. There are also two sets with dangling bracelets and charms. It's a little difficult to describe so here's a picture of me modelling one set:

I don't know about you but I think they are absolutely gorgeous. Problem is, I only found out that they come in different sizes when I showed SK my purchases. My old set of silver ones are size 2.8. Both the new silver set and the burgundy set in the picture are size 2.6. The purple set is size 2.4. I can easily slip the bangles on and off my wrist for size 2.8. I have a little difficulty with the 2.6 because it was tight around my knuckles. It's one thing to push and pull one bangle over my knuckles but it's an entirely different experience when I have to do it for 60 times (30 bangles in a set). Hmm, I hope my friends have thin wrists and delicate hands.

Intoxicatingly Floral Fragrance Of Guava

I dropped by Pune Central in the afternoon today to get a backpack and gifts for my friends. Since I was already there, of course I made a stop in Food Bazaar to pick up some snacks. I got a small box of mithai (milk cakes and american masty) for my team at the office from Poonam Sweets. The store clerk remembered me! He asked me if my friends like the pictures I took. This sweets counter looked very well-organized so I got a small box of three rasgullas from the refrigerated section. The rasgullas tasted like balls of baked dough soaked through and through with syrup. I wasn't particularly impress but at least now I know that it tastes like. I see these in almost every sweets store I visited.

I wasn't planning on getting any fruits but as I set foot in the produce section, I was immediately enveloped by an intoxicating floral smell. I knew that smell but for a minute, I just couldn't remember which fruit it belongs to. I looked left and right, hoping in vain to find the source of this sweet fragrance to no avail. Just as I was about to turn away, I remember! Of course, this is guava! I love guava nectar but this smell was so much more potent than those emitting from the pink sugary liquid. But I couldn't see any guavas...those green fist-size fruit with pink or white flesh. I asked one after another store clerks but none of them understood what I was trying to say. After what seemed like an eternity, finally someone knew what I was talking about! He helpfully picked out two great-looking guavas for me and I walked away a happy customer. I can't wait to taste them!

Good Eats On Busy Days

The last few days have been very busy and stressful at work so a proper meal did not rank high on my todo list. Fortunately, even in this busy schedule, I managed to scarve down some very delicous food. Here's a brief look at what I ate:

• chaat at the dhaba next door: SS took me to the dhaba (neighbourhood eateries that look like a dive) next to our office for snacks in the last two days. I tried their chai, coffee, potato croquette sandwich, and freshly-made samosa. The tea was rich & milky but the best part was to watch the guy brewing a huge pot of tea over low flames in front of the store. The samosa was absolutely delicious! This must be the first time that I had a freshly-made samosa. I want to come back on my own but there's the language barrier to think about...
• aloo paneer kathi roll: I wanted to pick up a quick dinner while I was waiting for a server to recover. So today, I went to the kathi roll vendor whose stall is tucked inside a little hole between Hotel BelAir and a construction site on Lane No 6. I ordered an aloo paneer kathi roll to go. It is basically a roti covered with eggs and grilled. The filling is a mixture of potato and paneer with slivers of raw sweet onions and a green chutney. For a grand total of Rs 25, this was one tasty and filling meal. Too bad it was so greasy. Otherwise, I would probably love to eat this more often.
  
• mithai galore: I sampled more mithai from what my coworkers brought. I had a gulab jamun, a burfi, a homemade almond ladoo, and a little fish-shaped mithai made of pressed lentil flours. I came to the conclusion that I like well-made mithai. Most of the ones I had in India are not cloyingly sweet, have complex flavour from spices & nuts & rosewater, and look quite attractive. I know I will miss these when I'm back home.
  
• catered lunch: I like our daily catered lunch service. The food is simple yet it is not greasy like the ones they sell in restaurants. Between the flavoured rice, dhal, and our daily choice of sauce-laden dishes, lunch has become my most important meal of the day. I had aloo gobi, some eggplant and tomato dish, and some chana dish. Besides, it's just wonderful to have a hot meal under 15 minutes so I can get back to work.
• local fruits: I had bananas and one whole seedless papaya. Although they are far from picture perfect, the flavour was intensely wonderful.

No wonder SS said that it is difficult to lose weight while living in Pune!