What's cooking??

Multi-culture cooking is happening in many T.V. shows across the country.The getting together of many culinary artisans who blend their art of cooking on a palette of aroma and colours is sure shot appetizing! Iam a hard core vegetarian, but the dressing of the dishes cooked(veg/non-veg), seasoning, blending in of the global flavours, adrenalin pumping pressure tests to bring out the best of the best chefs across the continent is food culture redefined. The passion of the food in the making, the prize money for the numero uno chef amongst competitors and the title to take home are rewarding and feel full for the aspiring cooks. The state of the art culinary techniques and finesse in their applying raises steadily higher and tougher in the ranks of select judges, adding steam to the whole process of becoming the deserved one. This journey, this experience is celebrated in the amateur being prepared to the next best level of master multi-culture chef.

Resting unrest

A sense of restlessness becomes part of a growing, professional mind.The day seems to end a new, tired beginning for the sunshine to follow. I write less and edit more now - quite the opposite to what I used to do! Being mindful of a measured sense of flow of words is what is the working flow all about. I enjoy the dim lighted darkness at the work foodcourt. It seems to be agreeing to the dark clouds hanging in my head owing to ignorance; exhaustion and the likes are passing clouds that look pale a moment and seem full of silver lining the next. The endless stream of employees trying to make life look larger, trendier, more informal, somewhat serious and a whole lot more than what one is needed for and asked to do is largely obvious. Iam one of those faces.A consciously corporate tight fit in, who takes time out to feel the real life and live simply as a free thinking and writing soul. Today is a day off from the maddening traffic mayhem, suffocating pollution and tight time schedule. My day of restimg my restlessness is quite the break to begin the next week ahead.

Chutnification!

Several ingredients that went into making us the way we are today-our cat fights with our siblings, our make believe play world, running and catching, kite flying, assisting grandma in making pickles, vadams(savory item like appalam/papad) during summers; pocketing sweet sour elandha vadams, badams (Almonds) and juicy maavadu (Tender mango), washed and dried and licking like hungry street urchins, squinting eye and rolling them, while clicking tongue in noisy, tasteful agreement, thayir saadam in placid company.A full moon above our heads on a breezy summer night, as Talat Mehmood sung pathos from the Philips tape recorder... Decades later, juicy nostalgia does find its way into my apartment kitchen, a full moon atop a neighbouring beauty salon and moist breeze that trickles down my sweaty forehead. Although chutney and thuvayal pastes are available in all leading super markets and stores in home food clonish Chennai, the true taste of originality was diligently practised on a groaning mixie, while coriander leaves were slightly sauteed in an oil pan, with til, urad dal and other ingredients, until the leaves were removed of their raw smell. With tamarind juice, red chillies and salt for an addition, the chutney looked a lovely green, for what it was worth.

Idlis sitting comfortably next to this chutney was the happily ever after ending to this chutnification.

By the people-To the people.

Social networking venues outside of the net is anything but gripping. A set pattern of rituals that earmarks the time and date in function, succeeding which the place of venue and the logistics to reach there can be worked out in predictable plan-specially the need to feel important enough, relatives (near and far) to be seen there and arbitrary comparisons drawn to one's own-belongings and other factors that is anything but one's business. To prepare oneself pre ritually is the gathering together of one's 'party' wearables-saree, lehenga,fitting blouse with befitting accessories.The face that masks hundreds of emotions gets a facial done, a necessity to present one's age and grooming gracefully and being a woman, the layers of cosmetic treatment from hair care to pedicure has to be scrubbed off and shine clean sans the weariness of customized  and irrelevant get-togethers. For who for what are probings that receive only a silent answer from within. To acquire a set role and get t(s)ucked into its making, thanks to many such rituals that make you feel more ornamental that tradition making rule book people can't care less.
Being familiar with a family that I am married to with ego divides within families, uppity snobbery, tongue in cheek sarcasm, insecure prestige and frivolous pride, the loud voice within the clan that always has to have the last word, these attitudes have also become part of the family 'tradition.'
The grand dinner or the sumptuous lunch can be a saving grace that the high and the low of a same human society can gulp down, in acceptance, if the humble food fare can quell their need to be nourished, failing which an unfulfilled appetite of wrath can fall upon the hosts, word of mouth adding the finishing touch.

'Im'proper Nouns

'Sheila' and 'Munni' have become the new face of Indian womanhood.Every curve of feminity exploited and promoted, one devouring eye candy item after the other. These proper nouns flaunt everything, stop at nothing and push the 'new' face of Indian woman to an all great high. An adjective that's come of age!! A sumptuous feast of perverted voyeurism,masala moves, bang on music and booze unplugged -a riot of human senses, which looks super hot and senseless at the same time.It is not sensitive and moves quite nothing within the viewer.Even hormones hibernate this cold season into numbness. To feel stripped off clean entertainment that gets itemized, tabulated at the top of film charts and worse still, we end up paying for it! Maybe calling women names have become the latest trend,a noun, an item. (Im)proper nouns anyone?