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Sunday, August 14, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
A sweet start to the week:
It has been a while since I've satiated your sweet tooth, so I thought I would treck out into town today and treat you to something truly delicious. If you are not familiar with Kulfi, let me be the one to introduce you to this mouth watering dessert. Though no one would turn it down, even during the icy winter season, Kulfi's true appeal is felt best under the hot summer sun. A local favorite, Kulfi is a frozen milk based dessert. One could refer to it as Indian Ice-cream, however, the texture is far creamier and the consistency is more dense when compared to western Ice-cream. While it comes in flavors like mango, the best, in my opinion and also the classic flavor is Kesar Pista. Kesar is hindi for saffron and pista is pistachio. The process of making Kulfi is also different from that of Ice-cream. Unlike Ice-cream, Kulfi is not whipped (which allows it to achieve its dense texture). The milk is slow cooked till it has reduced Upon being ready to be frozen, it is placed in tightly sealed molds, that are frozen inside a giant pot in the most peculiar of ways. I find the process of making Kulfi almost as enjoyable as eating it:
Once the Kulfi is ready, then locals turn in by the dozens to enjoy this delicious treat. It can be served with vermicelli noodles refereed to as falooda or eaten plain. Vendors or kulfiwala's usually set up shops along street sides, and wait for patrons to come by and order; upon receiving an order, the kulfiwala's break the sealed mold by cracking it hard on a brick that they keep near them and then serving the kulfi in clay baked dishes or leaf based dishes.
Kulfi can be made at home as well. There are plenty of recipes available online; However, to truly enjoy the taste of desi lucknow-a kulfi, I suggest you plan for your next vacation, brave the heat and fly on over.
Once the Kulfi is ready, then locals turn in by the dozens to enjoy this delicious treat. It can be served with vermicelli noodles refereed to as falooda or eaten plain. Vendors or kulfiwala's usually set up shops along street sides, and wait for patrons to come by and order; upon receiving an order, the kulfiwala's break the sealed mold by cracking it hard on a brick that they keep near them and then serving the kulfi in clay baked dishes or leaf based dishes.
Kulfi can be made at home as well. There are plenty of recipes available online; However, to truly enjoy the taste of desi lucknow-a kulfi, I suggest you plan for your next vacation, brave the heat and fly on over.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Dhab in the heat.
Today I went to Hazratganj to shop for "chutur putur" or nick nacks, when I happened upon a dhab stall. Shopping and drinking dhab to escape from the scorching heat is one of my favorite activities in the summer in India. As I approached the dhab stall and bought myself one, I noticed what is a fairly common sight, a woman probably actually in a bad situation but feigning more helplessness than she is experiencing begging on the side of the street, holding a small child in her arms, while another one clings to the lamp post next to her. This is a pretty common sight in Lucknow. It's hard to gauge their honest needs as a lot of the beggars actually make more money than hard working rickshaw cyclists. Begging has turned into an organized form of money making in India, where beggars are given areas that are theirs to work and they have a hierarchy to which they answer and give a cut of their daily “earnings”.
One of the most fascinating things about developing nations such as India is the juxtaposition of luxury and poverty. As one part of the country develops and rises to modernity, another part is becoming completely forgotten. Between the reconstructions, sidewalks, new multi-plex centers and malls, those who cannot fathom entering them are becoming an obsolete part of an old and rapidly disintegrating India. Though many would argue with me while quoting the nations GDP and booming tech industry, I daresay that this modernity, in many ways, is a facade. Perhaps facade is not the right word, because in an economic sense, India is certainly experiencing upward mobility and as far as globalization, or westernization, is concerned, you'd have to be blind to say it is not happening. However, simply saying "India is becoming a great modern nation" is an incomplete statement that is lacking in human consciousness. A more accurate statement would be, within the enormous financial disparity that exists, those that can afford to, are experiencing a rapid shift into western notions of modernity. In a town like Lucknow however, where government officials drive fancy cars right past people living in cloth tents on the street and we all get to go to shopping districts to eat and drink and make merry, while homeless children run around begging on the streets right in front of us, it's hard not to feel a little ridiculous tooting the modernity horn. Not to mention the lack of pure and basic amenities such as electricity. Since I have been here, we lose electricity for hours on end sometimes. It is my understanding that the situation in Lucknow is much better since it is a capital city and that in smaller cities/villages nearby, there is barley electricity for a few hours a day. How can a high rise in Delhi justify the situation in the smaller and so easily forgotten towns? It can't.
Though these seem like larger issues that don’t tie into the flow of our daily lives, or are far removed from a day to day routine, the truth is at least in front of us every day. Perhaps, the people that live here have become so accustomed to seeing certain sights that it blends into the background of their routine. Starvation, poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, disparity, the widening financial gap and lack of opportunity simply become white noise in the lives of people as they rush along.
While the fact that begging has been turned into a profession makes it difficult to gauge the urgency in the dissipating conditions of the poor, what is not hard to gauge is the pressing heat, the sweat dripping from our bodies as we step out into the city and the reality of children who should be in school as they loiter around the streets or try to shine your shoes/sell you some plastic toy. As I stood by the dhab stall, sweat dripping down from my temples, looking at the woman thinking over many of the issues recently mentioned, I caught eyes with the small child that was curiously staring at my making the video as he leaned against a newly installed lamp post. For a second I thought he was intently staring at me, but that flash was soon replaced by the accurate realization that he was staring at the giant coconut. Imagine 120 degree heat where the sun is so scorching that it has killed off most of the fish in the nearby pond and then the relief offered by amazing fresh coconut juice:
Once you've drank the amazingly refreshing juice inside, you can ask the guy working the stall to hack the tough green skin open for you and inside you will find fresh soft coconut flesh, which if you're anything like me, you will eat in its entirety in less than five minutes. The taste is rich and sweet at the same time; it's nothing that can be found in a package at a store.
In the midst of the heat, the dirt, the problems, somehow a small treat can make everything A-OK, even if just for a moment. In a day that was full of so many amazing things, I've saved the best for last:
One of the most fascinating things about developing nations such as India is the juxtaposition of luxury and poverty. As one part of the country develops and rises to modernity, another part is becoming completely forgotten. Between the reconstructions, sidewalks, new multi-plex centers and malls, those who cannot fathom entering them are becoming an obsolete part of an old and rapidly disintegrating India. Though many would argue with me while quoting the nations GDP and booming tech industry, I daresay that this modernity, in many ways, is a facade. Perhaps facade is not the right word, because in an economic sense, India is certainly experiencing upward mobility and as far as globalization, or westernization, is concerned, you'd have to be blind to say it is not happening. However, simply saying "India is becoming a great modern nation" is an incomplete statement that is lacking in human consciousness. A more accurate statement would be, within the enormous financial disparity that exists, those that can afford to, are experiencing a rapid shift into western notions of modernity. In a town like Lucknow however, where government officials drive fancy cars right past people living in cloth tents on the street and we all get to go to shopping districts to eat and drink and make merry, while homeless children run around begging on the streets right in front of us, it's hard not to feel a little ridiculous tooting the modernity horn. Not to mention the lack of pure and basic amenities such as electricity. Since I have been here, we lose electricity for hours on end sometimes. It is my understanding that the situation in Lucknow is much better since it is a capital city and that in smaller cities/villages nearby, there is barley electricity for a few hours a day. How can a high rise in Delhi justify the situation in the smaller and so easily forgotten towns? It can't.
Though these seem like larger issues that don’t tie into the flow of our daily lives, or are far removed from a day to day routine, the truth is at least in front of us every day. Perhaps, the people that live here have become so accustomed to seeing certain sights that it blends into the background of their routine. Starvation, poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, disparity, the widening financial gap and lack of opportunity simply become white noise in the lives of people as they rush along.
While the fact that begging has been turned into a profession makes it difficult to gauge the urgency in the dissipating conditions of the poor, what is not hard to gauge is the pressing heat, the sweat dripping from our bodies as we step out into the city and the reality of children who should be in school as they loiter around the streets or try to shine your shoes/sell you some plastic toy. As I stood by the dhab stall, sweat dripping down from my temples, looking at the woman thinking over many of the issues recently mentioned, I caught eyes with the small child that was curiously staring at my making the video as he leaned against a newly installed lamp post. For a second I thought he was intently staring at me, but that flash was soon replaced by the accurate realization that he was staring at the giant coconut. Imagine 120 degree heat where the sun is so scorching that it has killed off most of the fish in the nearby pond and then the relief offered by amazing fresh coconut juice:
Once you've drank the amazingly refreshing juice inside, you can ask the guy working the stall to hack the tough green skin open for you and inside you will find fresh soft coconut flesh, which if you're anything like me, you will eat in its entirety in less than five minutes. The taste is rich and sweet at the same time; it's nothing that can be found in a package at a store.
In the midst of the heat, the dirt, the problems, somehow a small treat can make everything A-OK, even if just for a moment. In a day that was full of so many amazing things, I've saved the best for last:
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sound and Song
Recently I've rediscovered my obsession with Indian music. As much as I would like to share the songs I love with certain people, it is impossible. The beauty of the lyrics: the pain, weight and poetry that they carry is something that just cannot be translated. Instead of facebook, skype and the likes, I've been up till 5:00 the past few mornings listening to songs for hours on end, singing them to myself. I am sure my family thinks I've officially lost my mind, but there is something so seductive about living in your mind. The world that these songs create is mine alone by choice and force, since I could not share, even if I tried. Perhaps a scoff that sounds like escapism could ring true, but somehow that's not all there is to it. I feel a constant and enormous gulf between people, my self and strangers alike, as I watch us interact with one another and exist side by side. In this day to day situation, language becomes the fragile thread that connects us. However, just because spoken language is an incredibly fragile facet of being human, doesn't mean it isn't necessary or that it isn't wonderful. Simply that it is an ephemeral thing. Things are said and easily dissolve, become forgotten or misunderstood. Over time, words and promises take on forms of their own, after having walked down roads they never set foot on. We remember words with a weight that creeps more out of our insecurities than the mouth of the person speaking them. When confronted with this type of alternative, to read a poem, or listen to a song and to exist in it, while letting it exist in you is invaluable. There is no need for words because the understanding is deep and complete. It is easy to become lost and engrossed in a world which you create for yourself, void of misunderstanding, because it is inevitably void of people. I am not promoting or condoning it; I am simply acknowledging that aloneness can be enchanting. On this note, here are some pics for you crazy kids:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Eats and treats on the streetzzzz (part deux)
So.. I think pretty much anyone that knows me, has at some point heard me rave about a delicious Indian desert called Jalebi that is orange in color and eaten with yogurt. If this doesn't sound familiar, then trust me, you've just forgotten, because I have mentioned them. Jalebis are generally eaten as a breakfast food and I freaking love them! There is nothing better than starting your day with fried sugar and tart yogurt...or so I thought *gasp*. Enter Imerti. It's like the Antonio Benderis of deserts. Exotic, refined, perfected by time and freaking delicious. Also, you eat it with sweet cream instead of yogurt. How could I say no to something like this? I couldn't. The man making the Imerti's was incredibly nice and told me that the paste that is fried is made out of a lentil that we in India refer to as Urad, however, in English it has the pleasure to be called "Vigna mungo". Go ahead, take a second, laugh, I did. Sounds like some stealth sex monster. Here is a picture of a guy preparing the batter
One person is in charge of making the batter out of the lentils and then this magic happens:
After speaking with the man a little, I learned that he has been making these for 50 some years, and the ones here are considered the best in all of Lucknow. He made a monster one specially for me, which when eaten fresh is honestly orgasmic.
The finished Product:
This is all for now, I'll be back later with more eats and treats for the hungry!
One person is in charge of making the batter out of the lentils and then this magic happens:
After speaking with the man a little, I learned that he has been making these for 50 some years, and the ones here are considered the best in all of Lucknow. He made a monster one specially for me, which when eaten fresh is honestly orgasmic.
The finished Product:
This is all for now, I'll be back later with more eats and treats for the hungry!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Inside view of Lucknow, as promised!
Today I braved the 42 degree weather and decided to go around Lucknow. It's strange how much this town has changed. It used to be a town, but it has truly developed into a city. I went to Ambedkar park, which has blossomed into an amazing architectural monument, with 62 live size elephant statues... which some, me included, argue is a bit much when a large percent of the population is still unfed and homeless...but hey.. why get political when you can just look at pretty things? yes... pretty... Here are some pictures of the magnificent Ambedkar park:
Near the park, i found an old school Ice cream cart that took me right back to being in boarding school. Growing up we used to buy orange flavored ice for 2 rs. Though it was probably made in some dude's bathtub, it was so freaking delicious. One of the few things in India that has remained the same price vise, at 5 rs. you can still enjoy an amazing Orange Bar! (though many guide books will warn against them...since you can't really vouch for the quality of the water. lol)
From Ambedkar park, i headed over to Hazratganj an area that is known for its shops and good eats. I know I sound old when I say this, and that I should welcome change... but I was honestly shocked at how much it has changed. Though most of the places I love are still there, the general topography of the area has totally changed. Wide roads and night lamps have replaced the crooked mud and rock roads. While the exterior decoration of the area has changed, I was really happy to find that the interior (i.e. the food stalls) are just as good as they used to be! Here are some examples:
This is a Dish called gol gappa.
The round things are cracked open, filled with a spiced mix of ... deliciousness... for lack of better translation and then dunked in flavored water which is made from a baby mango.
(The water can come in many flavors and you can try as many as you'd like). You usually stand on the side of the street and eat as many as you want and then pay after. I can probably eat around 20 of these bad boys!
This is one of the many different types of dishes that are encompassed under the category of chat (pronounced like "part" but with a ch sound and minus the r). Since I love me some chat, I will probably be eating and posting about different types through out the trip. More to come later!
<3 Tanz
Near the park, i found an old school Ice cream cart that took me right back to being in boarding school. Growing up we used to buy orange flavored ice for 2 rs. Though it was probably made in some dude's bathtub, it was so freaking delicious. One of the few things in India that has remained the same price vise, at 5 rs. you can still enjoy an amazing Orange Bar! (though many guide books will warn against them...since you can't really vouch for the quality of the water. lol)
From Ambedkar park, i headed over to Hazratganj an area that is known for its shops and good eats. I know I sound old when I say this, and that I should welcome change... but I was honestly shocked at how much it has changed. Though most of the places I love are still there, the general topography of the area has totally changed. Wide roads and night lamps have replaced the crooked mud and rock roads. While the exterior decoration of the area has changed, I was really happy to find that the interior (i.e. the food stalls) are just as good as they used to be! Here are some examples:
This is a Dish called gol gappa.
The round things are cracked open, filled with a spiced mix of ... deliciousness... for lack of better translation and then dunked in flavored water which is made from a baby mango.
(The water can come in many flavors and you can try as many as you'd like). You usually stand on the side of the street and eat as many as you want and then pay after. I can probably eat around 20 of these bad boys!
This is one of the many different types of dishes that are encompassed under the category of chat (pronounced like "part" but with a ch sound and minus the r). Since I love me some chat, I will probably be eating and posting about different types through out the trip. More to come later!
<3 Tanz
Sunday, May 15, 2011
It's Allliiiiiiive!!!!
So, I ambitiously started this blog with a vision when I moved to Paris. Like most good things, it slowly (or rather quickly fizzled out). However short the romance, I could not forget my beloved blog and have decided to give it another go. I am now in India and think this is a great opportunity to document my experiences here. While most of my time so far has been spent eating delicious food, playing video games and watching movies, I will eventually brave the 43 degree weather and try to document some of the cities I grew up in and of course the wonderful hole in the wall food spots they offer!
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