Santoku bliss

I have finally graduated to Santoku bliss! All these years, I have tried serrated edges, bread knives, flat knives, thin long ones and so many other kinds, but never have I enjoyed the satisfaction of a knife cut through an onion so smoothly, as the Santoku.

The last block of knives I owned ( a few of them still lie in my kitchen drawer) proved to be the last straw. Wash and dry them - they'll rust; stick them in the knife block - they'll rust. So frustration drove me to the kitchen goods aisle and thats when I saw it! - my latest love - Santoku.
It has been 2 days and I have cooked 3 big meals now with my ever so pretty and surprisingly sharp, red handled, Santoku.

The Look...

That’s what I call my niece’s “Look”. It’s not a stare, it’s not a frown and so I just named it “The Look”. Ever since she was a baby, she has always had that look. It’s intense and times at which she has directed it at me, I’ve felt as though she isn’t looking at me but into me. Know what I mean? Like she is trying to assess my thoughts or something.

I hope someday, when she is old enough to articulate her thoughts, I’ll catch her with “The Look” and make her explain what she is thinking. For now, I’ll just have to settle with thinking about what she may be thinking! :-)

Yeah... I need to grow up

In India and among the Indian community all over the world, we have this (sickening) habit of calling elders Aunty/Uncle. Well, I didn’t give it any thoughts until I was called the same way. :(

There was this lady with her 5year old, standing in line before me at a store. I was shopping alone (to be interpreted as “totally glued to the phone yapping with my sister”) and it happened … The kid dropped his toy on my foot and apologized with a “Sorry Aunty!” OMG I just stopped talking for a minute and didn’t know what to say! The automatic “its ok sweetie” that jumped to my mouth just stayed put as my mind was totally bombarded with the “Aunty” bouncing around there… I know, I need to grow up! But one good thing that came out of that incident was a thought as to who else did I shock when I Aunty’d anyone a good 10 years over me? Hmmm…

It has been ages since that happened but I recollect the incident every time I’m “Aunty’d”. But I’m good now... I’m not shocked… so I guess I’m growing up though not there just yet! :(

Arranged Marriages - I do / I do not do ??

Believe me, my ancestors were real smart people when they started all this, its just the ones in the middle who messed it all up! When civilization started in the Dravidian world, people lived in small communities grouped by their occupation. So there were communities of farmers, merchants, fishermen and so on. The families within those communities were huge and close knit and everyone played a part in keeping the ball rolling. Naturally they preferred marrying within their community as it helped maintain the harmony.
There may have been exceptions (and not so good ones) that may have forced these "common sense marriages" to become rules. These rules then became baselines for the caste system.

And I believe thats from when my smart ancestors turned into dull rule following individuals.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against rules... I'm just against following rules blindly.
And I'm sorry to say the "marryIntoTheSameCommunity" thingy doesn't seem to be working anymore!!! Before you label me as "the know it all" and move on to the next blog, spare a few minutes, read through the end of this and if you still feel I'm the "know it all", leave me a comment and tell me so.

Take Sam and Sandra for example... (of course I changed their names, people!) Sam's parents searched high and low to find a bride in their same religion -> caste ->subCaste (Oh yeah ... the drill down is sometimes 4 to 5 levels deep). It took them 3 years to find Sandra. Sam told us he agreed to marry Sandra because his parents were happy with the alliance. BS! The marriage happened and then it all unfolded...
Domestic violence.. uh huh.. can u believe it? His excuse? "She isn't smart enough, she doesn't get the way of life here, she is too dull"

OMG Don't you agree with me when I say "smart, intelligent and what not?" should have been on Sam's list instead of the "what's good for my parents should do for me" ???? Atleast Sandra would've been spared.

Well, I agree, Sam and Sandra are on one end of the spectrum... at RED. There are people like Pete and Peggy at GREEN , who do it the psuedo way ( you know, get their priorities in order, parents search for a bride based on those priorities, the would be-s talk and talk and take their time to decide and then get married) and then there are people like me at VIOLET who step in only when they are ready... theAbsolutelyNoCompromise ready!

Ofcourse not every color in the spectrum is blissful! If it were, life would be too dull and boring. For instance, if I had gone RED, my seeramolagu saathamuthu and mendiya kozhambu would have been appreciated more than the no intonation "yeah its good, ammini" but then what about my cynical wisecracks, and deep rooted sense of independence? I bet that would have caused a lot of friction!

As my sister always says, we need to choose our battles. For it gets too tiring fighting each and every one of them.

So unless and otherwise marriages are arranged based on the actual needs and aspirations of the bride and groom, Arranged marriages in this age are a definite "I do not do"!!!

Ani's second milestone

Time flies.. yet it feels so still at times. I've been to 6 places in the last 8 months but the pockets of void between the travels leaves me longing for more.
T'was a 4 day trip to DC. Ani's b'day celebrations covered more of the first 2 days. We had a gala time and never wanted it to end. The next day we went to the Udvar Hazy center and checked out all the cool fighter jets. I liked the "the stealth" the best and ofcourse we took a bunch'a snaps with the plane model featured in "Top Gun". ;) Well maybe we believed that if we stayed there just that much longer, Tom Cruise would pop out of the plane!

Anyways, the guys managed to round us up and get us back home in time for a steamy hot dinner. The last day was spent just sitting at home and overtaxing Bell's invention to say our byes to friends and family around there.

A bite of the Big Apple

Finally, after years and years of wishing and waiting, I visited New York!!! It’s my dream city and my trip has but only etched the yearning to live there, deeper in my heart. I love the vibrance the city exudes. What more can I say than “I love NY”.

Our plan was to fly to Philadelphia, meet Siva and Malar and then drive down to NY. But thanks to a delayed flight we were stuck in Detroit for the night. We boarded the first flight to NY the next morning and arrived to find that our baggage had landed in Philly!!! 

Thanks Northwest, for your prompt and accurate service.

But the little frustration over the lost (misplaced?) baggage could not dampen my spirits! We met Malar and Siva at the airport and drove on downtown. Siva kept pointing out every bridge on the way, telling me it was the Brooklyn Bridge and suggesting I strike that entry off my “Must see places” list!!!

We parked somewhere near the 46^th & 2^nd and walked down to the Grand Central Terminal. It reminded me so much of the Railway station in Chennai…ofcourse…. definitely a lot cleaner!!! We had lunch at an Indian food stall on the lower level (Café spice.. Malar and I had rumali roti with chicken tikka, Siva had biriyani and Jag had a combo meal) and then walked to the Ellis Island ferry ticket booth. 

There was a snake like Q winding along the whole place and after standing in line for about an hour we decided to opt out and board the Staten Island ferry instead.

So we walked down to the boarding area for the Staten Island ferry and saw the War memorial on the way. We had a good view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Once back, we headed towards Wall Street. We saw the Battery Park and the famous “Bull”. We took some pictures on Wall Street and then walked on to Ground Zero. Looking at the place brought back memories of the burning towers and it made me feel sad.

Our next stop was the Empire State building. After some photo ops we headed to Times Square. It was amazing! The lights and the life ….I can never forget. We dined at SBarro, shopped on Fashion Avenue (ok ok…. t’was at Kmart) and then headed back to the car. I was so tired it felt like my legs were threatening to break off. All said, it was a wonderful action packed day and all thanks are due to Siva and Malar for being our guides.

We reached NJ an hour past midnight and had a restful break at Sampath’s place. The next morning, Sampath drove me and Jag to Nalini’s home. It was very nice to see her after such along time and I am very glad we squeezed in that short visit in our otherwise tight schedule. We met Sundar Dinesh and Uma for lunch at AAchi’s and then just hung out at Sampath’s place watching Sathi Leelavathi for a couple of hours. Our next stop was Atlantic City. It was my first visit to a Casino and I enjoyed the glitzy feel of the place. We gambled at Trump’s Taj Mahal (tight fisted Jag only approved $27) and Bally’s and snacked on funnel cakes. After waving goodbye to Sundar and Uma, the rest of us drove on to Philadelphia. By the time we got there, I just had strength to admire Malar’s kitchen before curling up for a nice and restful sleep. The next morning (last day of our getaway) was very unlike the previous couple of days. We just stayed home and ate and ate…thanks to Malar’s egg +milk omelette: D, ishtu and veggie fried rice. On the way to the airport, we drove by Siva and Malar’s new home. It has a brick front and had a very nice and cozy look.

Later that day, we were back home with happy hearts and tired legs. Wow what a whirlwind of a weekend!!!

Honeymooning in the Bahamas…

Four months after we got married, we finally found sometime to “honeymoon”. I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland for my honeymoon. Being a crazy chocolate lover, I have always wished to take a photograph at the gates of Nestle` with my husband on one side and a big bar of chocolate in my other hand and caption it as “the Loves of my life”. Wishing for the photograph still remains, however I couldn’t make it to the Swiss for my honeymoon (Thanks to the limited vacation we lowly developers get!) Nonetheless we traveled to the Bahamas, the Grand Bahama Island in particular.

The 4^th of July and 2 vacation days along with the weekend gave us an opportunity for a wonderful 5 day getaway! We left in the wee hours of the morning and reached the Grand Bahama Island a little before noon, on the first day. The ride to the hotel (Port Lucaya Resort) took about 12 minutes from the Freeport airport (FPO) and cost us $20 (thanks to my bargaining skills we paid $5 lesser than what we were asked!) On reaching the hotel, check in took about 10 mins. After lunching on “ready to eat” meals, we compensated for the lost sleep and were ready to explore the new territory by 6pm.

Our first stop was at Le Mediterranean. Jag had the chicken penne' (special for the day) and I had the grilled snapper. Any entrée comes with a salad, some veggies (boiled carrots, broccoli and cucumber) and rice / French fries. I didn’t like the rice too much and would definitely suggest the “fries”. Dinner was great and filling. We walked around the Port Lucaya Market place and had a nice pleasant stroll on the white sandy beaches and witnessed the moon rise. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy the cool breeze and look out to the sea. On our way back we had a great time at the Count Basie Square with all the live dancing and entertainment by local bands.

We were a little late waking up the next morning, and that was when I had a good look at our room and the view from the deck. We had a “standard room” with a king size bed and a wonderful view of the yacht club. There were brown clay tiles on the floor, a small fridge, coffee maker and microwave in the room. The only disadvantage is that no shampoo/ conditioner are provided as part of the toiletries. Also, if u plan to cook / heat stuff with the microwave, remember to pack some utensils, spoons and plates as you only get two coffee cups with the room.

The hotel has a tour desk in their lobby (Executive Tours) and offer wonderful tour options. We were right on time for the SeaWorld Explorer – launch boat with a glass bottom on the lower deck. The captain and his aide took us to about a mile into the sea and gave us a tour of the coral reefs. Jag had his first snorkeling experience here! (I was too sea sick and couldn’t even hold my head up long enough to take a picture of him! Poor me!) I was so glad to be back on land when the tour was over. We lunched at Zorba’s (a Greek restaurant – Jag loved it for the white walls, tables and as he says “the clean look” – as for me I found the food and price good but didn’t care much about the ambiance). Later that day, went to the beach and had a nice time swimming – Ok Ok trying to swim - in the water.

On the third day, we arrived at the “Pine tree stables” in style! Yes, our taxi turned out to be a limo!! It was a day of firsts for us - a ride in a limo and later horse back riding! I felt a little squirmy when I first sat on the horse (Apollo) but started relaxing after a bit. We were taken on a tour of the nearby woodlands. Our guides pointed out the native trees and shrubs and some other land marks. We were also taken to the “Silver Pointe Beach” where the horses wade into the water. The tour as a whole was a new experience and we enjoyed every bit of it except for the sore backs!

We then went to UNEXCO and signed up for the Dolphin Experience. Here we were taken to a Dolphin enclosure and we touched the smooth backs of the Dolphin. It was a one of a kind experience but after a while I just got a little repulsive – Thanks to Jag touching the dolphin’s tongue! It was an eventful day and we were tired out by the time we reached our room. We floated in the big swimming pool in the hotel premises, had a sumptuous dinner and were asleep even before we wished each other “Good Night!”

On the last “whole” day of our vacation, we went on a tour of the Lucayan National Park. First we went kayaking through the mangrove. While setting out, our guide took us on a small detour so we could take pictures of the remains of the “Black Pearl” used in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The ocean current was a little bit too strong for us and we tried to opt out. But our guide (Ben) towed us all thru’ the rest of the way! We were provided a light lunch and sometime on a deserted beach (Golden rock beach). I’ve never seen such clear sea water ever before in my life! It was amazing. We were then taken on a guided walking tour of the nature park and visited some clear water caves which the Lucayan Indians considered sacred.

That night (last night of our vacation) we dined at The Pisces - a very famous and extremely busy restaurant at the Marketplace. The food was nice but I felt it was way overpriced. Armed with a pizza for breakfast the next morning, we headed back to our room to pack and get ready for our flight home the next day.

The best thing about visiting the Grand Bahama Island is that immigration is done even before we leave Bahamas! On arrival at the airport, we checked in to get our boarding passes, crossed security clearance and completed immigration even before we boarded the plane. So when we got to the US, we could just walk out to baggage claim without the hassle of standing in line for clearance. I wish this could be made the norm for all international travels. I always find it difficult to keep awake and be coherent after a 22 hour trot around half the globe!

This was our first visit to the Caribbean and definitely not our last!

Points to Ponder:

1. Visa – US citizens and Green card holders do not need a visa to enter the Bahamas. Indian nationals on a H1B visa definitely need an entry visa. It takes less than a week to get one and costs around $55. You would need to fill out an application and mail it out to them with your passport and copies of some other documents.
2. Nassau is considered to be a little busy, Abacos very deserted and Grand Bahama Island a right mix of the two. There are totally 700 islands in the Bahamas…so have a pick!
3. Bahamian dollar is equivalent to the US Dollar and can be used interchangeably.
4. Being a vacation spot, everything is a little expensive on the island when compared to the US. So try to stock up on the necessities.