Eat happily or warily?

It was the season of food poisoning for the media. It is always thus. One incident is enough to start a chain of events and then there will be nothing more. Everything shall continue the same way.

It started with the death of a person who ate Shawarma. This must be the first such incident in the world. Later one got to read daily reports of food poisoning and raids. Many hotels were closed down and many stayed closed in fear of raids!

But I do think that many hotels are taking their customers for granted. Maybe they are getting enough revenue from those who seek their daily spirit.

Recently we went to a hotel in Tiruvella for dinner. We had finished shopping from a new outlet and since Hubby needed to get his pants altered, we chose the nearest hotel. It is one of the oldest in the town. We glanced through the glossy menu and saw many delectable names. With much anticipation we placed our order with the head waiter. This is when he suggested that we order just chappathi and chicken curry if we want to get our order fast. Although our original order was not that great, he told us that it will take more than 30 minutes. Since we were all hungry we decided to take his advise. Thus started our wait for the food to arrive. 10 minutes, 30 minutes and 40 minutes passed. Hubby decided to collect his pants in the mean time. Later the food arrived and we wanted more chapathis. It was after considerable time that it arrived. Later when Hubby arrived we found that we might need more chapathis. This is when the waiter told us thus: ” Did I not give you 2 just now? Even when it was meant for other guests I gave it to you! “. Hunger can lead to many emotions and I don’t blame Hubby when he lost his temper. He was just about to dig into his food when he hears such ‘encouraging’ words. In Malayalam they say ” Paysa koduthe kadikkunna pattiye vanghichathupole ayi” or we paid for a biting dog. Here we are spending money to have some food but we are scolded for stating our needs. He gave it to the waiter and the head waiter comes with explanation that there are many functions going on and hence they are busy. In reply Hubby told him that in this case they should just close the restaurant and not open it for business. By then he had lost his appetite and went to find the manager. The manager nodded his head and said sorry. Anyway that was the last visit to this hotel.

It was this same experience we got in Bangalore. We had a booked one called ” Ivory Inn” through the net. I had called them and asked them if it was near to MG Road etc. and I was told it is very near. But it is only when we saw the rooms that we found that we had been cheated. Since it was late at night we couldn’t find another. This place was also far away from main Bangalore. We shifted from there the next day itself. We had found this place from Trip Advisor but next time we shall be very careful.

It is time the hotels made an effort to keep customer service their prime objective. With customer service should come cleanliness and quality. After all we are paying for it and if you lose customers who shall pay for your livelihood?

Where are you my dear lady?

Where art thou ?

Why have you abandoned us?

As usual the dates were fixed for June 1st but you did not grace us with your presence?

At times we might have cribbed when you unleashed your full power but please dont treat them seriously. You should know that we cannot be without you. There are some of us who make annual trips just to see you, to touch you.We carry precious memories of your visits and nothing can compare to you.

Yes it is the monsoon that I am talking about. Normally by the end of June the rivers would be full and so would the dams. But this year monsoon seems to have abandoned Kerala. If she does not make an appearance Kerala is doomed! Without power and water, what shall it’s residents do? Even those standing in queue for their daily spirit would need a bit of water 🙂

Every year when we go for vacation we watch the river slowly rising. Although monsoon can be a bit irritating  Keralites know that without it, the state would die a slow death.

It is time for prayers!

Another trip to cherish..

We did a lot of travelling this vacation and saw new places in Kerala. I have not travelled much through North Kerala but this time we could touch upon Mahe, Talacherry etc. The roads are good but not the drivers, specially the bus drivers. They just come barging upon you and force you to leave the road even if there is enough room for them. Hubby being accustomed to the Gulf roads got really irritated. But they have nothing to lose hence one need a lot of patience.

Mahe was good to have a tank full of petrol since the price was much less compared to other places but this was offset by the petrol price in B’lore. I think the highest in India?

The road towards Madikeri for a stretch of 25 km was very bad and we were happy to reach our destination. We were booked at Club Mahindra and I enjoyed the ambience. We did not do much of sightseeing but we drove quite a bit to reach the Coffee board and another nursery. We were lucky to get a few coffee & orange saplings and a few rose plants too. Coffee does grow in our area and we wanted to try the Coorg coffee since Coorg is famous for it . Another notable factor is the Coorg girls. They are very good to look at 🙂 

 

The bit I enjoyed the most at Coorg was waking up in the morning and sipping a hot cup of coffee from the verandah which faced a jungle of sorts. With only trees and bushes and with a climate to soothe you, it was heaven on earth. We did not want to budge out much and the children had their share of activities.

Our next stop was Blore but we also managed to see the largest Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe in Coorg District, near Kushalnagar.

Read more: http://www.itslife.in/travel/namdroling-monastery#ixzz225ZaAo1i

It was bustling with monks who obliged us with a few snaps too.

A Kannadian fare that we enjoyed..

 

We reached Bangalore around 7 PM, but Bangalore disappointed us terribly. It used to be an elegant city once upon a time and I have some good memories too. But it has lost all its charm and we just wanted to get out of it. The hotel we booked online was also  disappointing and to find this place we hired an auto guy to show the way. It took more than 2 hours through heavy traffic and road blocks. Too many vehicles, construction and nasty drivers have made this city a nightmare for drivers. Bangalore is also facing water woes and as per my cousin the bore well that they dug to 200 feet was later dug to 800 to yield no water. Many are selling water and thus a tank load of water costs 500 IRS. This is being shared by residents. She has to take turns in using this. My aunty stays at a place where there is no water shortage but she fears that the situation might change in the future. Guess it wouldn’t be wrong if one says that B’lore is similar to how Mumbai was a decade or more earlier. Things are expensive too. I found that a curtain that we purchased from Cochin was 100 IRS more in one of the malls.

Guess after the hectic construction work is over B’lore may change. We did not want to venture out much except to visit relations and for this we hired a taxi from the hotel. We did manage to visit the Bannerghatta National Park. A trip that we enjoyed.  The tourists are well protected now. I remember the incident where a girl was snatched away from her father in this same park.

http://www.karnataka.com/bangalore/bannerghata/

Later we shifted from the silly place that we had hired online and took a one closer to the Mysore road..yea we wanted to get out ASAP. 

Our next stop was at Wonderla and it offered the same pleasure as the one in Cochin. Well maintained. We had one more family friend with us who wanted to stop for a day at Mysore but we wanted to reach home and hence left Wonderla at around 3 PM. We wanted to cross the wild life sanctuaries before dark but is was not so. It was solemn faces that viewed the road for elephants, tigers etc. On our previous trip if we had prayed for a sight of wild animals, this time we all prayed fervently to get us out of the park before the animals ventured out.  Though Hubby was forbidden by his mother to drive at night we refrained from telling her and decided not to halt anywhere. The new road from Trichur to Cochin was superb and it took us only 30 minutes. Since there was a traffic block at Nadukani where we lost 1 hour and later another hour at Patambi since we lost our way, we managed to reach home at around 4 AM.  We realized that we were going in circles when we passed the same broken down truck twice! There were no proper sign boards unlike the road to Calicut.

We also found time to spend at Thekkady when temperature started rising in the plains. Thekkady has changed much since 3 years. Earlier one had only Spice Village (expensive) and Ambady for your food but now the whole lake road is dotted with restaurants; from exclusive French restaurants to Gujarati Dhabba. New construction is also going on. Since there were no rains the mosquito menace was a bit irritating. As per the Kumali residents, it is perhaps due to their prayers that the rain is sparse this time. They still fear the Mullaperiyar dam and doesn’t want the dam to fill up! I am sure the ones across the border are now praying hard for rains. They better solve this issue fast so that the rain Gods can do their job 🙂

I also visited my school at Kuttikanam this time. To the embarrassment of our children I was found running around clicking photos. I asked them to wait until they reached my age! My favourite Peerumade is also changing with new projects coming up. I hear that even Amritha has plans to develop something. Wonder what? Hopefully nature shall be preserved?

There is no change..

We are laying  interlock tiles around the house and since the material is being delivered from the factory directly it their own workers who are unloading the same. They include, Bengali’s, Tamilians and there is one from Delhi too. He is in Kerala since 4 years and also got married to a Malayali girl. Anyway the owner told us in advance that as long as the union workers dont interfere his workers will unload free of cost. But yesterday the workers somehow came to know about a truck load and came in a bunch and demanded that they be hired for the work. No reasoning would suffice them and in the end we had to allow them to unload. This took much more time than normal.

I thought this menace was under control in Kerala but it looks as though it isn’t. We did not want to antagonise them and invite trouble.

We hope to travel to Coorg and B’lore after a couple of days.

Yesterday for the first time I had a new kind of Rasam; made out of the illimban puli. I dont know the English equivalent for the same. But the rasam was very tasty.

Let me jot down the recipe before I forget it.

1. 2 Tbsp of Chilly Powder
2.  1 tspn of Fenugreek Powder
3.  1 tspn of turmeric powder
4. A pinch of Asofetida

Mix the above in 3 glasses of water along with the chopped Puli. Heat it until it just begins to boil. Remove from fire and splutter mustard seeds, brown small onions and curry leaves in Coconut oil.

Tasty rasam is ready for rice.

It is good

The much awaited monsoon is here and it is getting cooler as the days go by. When we landed the climate felt no different from kuwait. But now the nights are cooler.

We have a new member in our family. Jim- he is only 2 months old but very adorable. He is a labrador. Here is a cute picture of him. Hope none puts eyes on him :).  He is already on antibiotics due to change in food. He now travels with us wherever we go and behaves very well when out in the public.

This time I have help around the house. She is very efficient and her appearance has further enhanced my vacation. She has 2 children, a girl and boy but her husband left her and hence she is a single mother. They were in Bombay and during her second delivery he left with the lady who had come to cook for him, while she was in Kerala. She now stays with her parents who are getting old. Her children are now studying in the government school and she says the school is good. Yesterday she went for the PTA and met some good teachers. The uniform and school bag is provided free of cost and they also have lunch; rice gruel with a lentil dish. When the student reaches 7th standard, they will be provided with a bicycle too. Felt very happy hearing this. This arrangement eases much burden off her and she is much hopeful for her two children. The school recently shifted to English medium. I do not know if every other school is similar or if it is because of the teachers who are teaching in this school. And I also wonder how the situation is in the rest of the country.

Kokum

The monsoon is not in full swing yet and hence the kokum fruits have some time under the sun. 

The tree.

The fruit

The final seasoning or smoking

Kokum

The kokum is the main ingredient for the famous red fish curry which is unique to central Kerala.

The recipe….

1. Fish – 1/2 kg, cut into medium size pieces
2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
   Fenugreek (uluva) – 1/4 tsp
   Ginger & garlic – 1 1/2 tbsp, crushed into a fine paste
   Small onion – 6-8
3. Kashmiri chili powder – 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp
   Coriander powder – 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp
   Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Cocum/kudampuli – 2,3 pieces
5. Curry leaves
   Salt
   Coconut oil

Soak cocum in 3 tbsp water for 10 minutes.Mix the powders (chili,coriander & turmeric) together with coconut oil/water & make a paste. Heat oil in a meenchatti (earthen ware) or a pan & splutter mustard & fenugreek. Add crushed ginger garlic paste & stir for 3,4 minutes. Add small onion & curry leaves & saute till it becomes soft. Add the masala paste & fry till oil starts appearing. Add cocum along with the water & fish pieces. Combine well. Make sure that fish pieces do not get broken in the process, it will be safer to rotate the pan to ensure that fish & masala is mixed well. Add required amount of water & cook till the fish is done & gravy becomes thick, it will take around 20 -25 minutes on low flame. Serve with rice or kappa , dosai or even your good old bread!

http://www.mariasmenu.com/spicy/meen-vevichathu-fish-currykottayam-style

Time to rejuvenate

Yes… it is that time of the year for rejuvenation or vacation.

We shall soon be boarding the plane and this time we have some plans to travel a bit. Last time we were tied up at home and could not move around much.

Out here the temperature is rising and we are also having frequent sandstorms. The monsoon will be a welcome change after all this. I hear the rains have started in a small way.

I started to value the beauty of the places I grew up more, after I left home for my studies. Was able to visit home only during study leaves and long holidays. By then Father was transferred to Coonoor, another beautiful place on earth. This estate was in the Kotagiri district. If one walks a bit one could see the old roads that led to Ooty. We have made many long treks through this place and almost reached this old road that wound up through the Nilgiri mountains.

I remember how I used to drink in the beauty of the place during my return trip. The drive from our place of stay to Coonoor was long and had tea gardens, a bit of forest and small towns in between. I never took off my eyes from outside since I feared each trip would be my last since Father was nearing retirement. I also used to thank God for giving me such happiness but at the same time I never dreamt I would have to travel far away to a desert. But that is how life is.. very unpredictable indeed.

So if net and time permits, I shall be posting; else please do not abandon my blog, but do wait until I get back.

Voted to kill

Licensed to kill is associated with James Bond and we saw him kill the bad guys and gals. Now if one wants to see those voted to kill then please come to God’s Own Country aka Kerala.

Just today we heard one of the communist chota leader from Peerumade tell us that the great party has killed and will kill again if needed. And to imagine that these goons were voted to power by the common man. Are the police listening? Cant they arrest this man and charge him for the murders he is publicly owning in the name of the party? Are we in a Banana Republic?

Voted to power to uplift the voters but now they say that they were voted to even kill. I do not think that it is only the communist party who has indulged in this act but the others too. But it is only the communist party who has blatantly challenged democracy by saying that they have killed and will continue to kill.

If they can retain power only by killing then they have lost all credibility. VS is right to ask the criminals to step down from power.

Voters, are you listening? They are obviously not listening since they have gathered like donkeys today at the court premises. There is a leader shouting loud that the party has not killed while his chota leader has already declared that the party has killed and will kill.

As they say, you get what you deserve.

Dange’s ghost

Those in Kerala will now be recalling Dange. The utterance of VS has shocked not only his own party but the entire state. But he has only told the truth. He has nothing to lose being close to 90 years. Does he look even 70?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In stinging remarks, CPI-M veteran V.S. Achuthanandan warned Saturday that his rival Pinarayi Vijayan will soon meet the fate of the once iconic Indian Communist S.A. Dange who was shown the door by the party.



Achuthanandan, a former Kerala chief minister who is now the opposition leader in the assembly, made the statement following the recent murder of former CPI-M leader T.P. Chandrasekharan, 51

After the killing, which police believe was done by CPI-M activists, Vijayan dubbed Chandrasekharan a “traitor”. Achuthanandan, who was said to be close to the dead man, disputed the label.



Achuthanandan told reporters here that Vijayan’s remark was not the opinion of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.


“In our party things are different. It is not like the Congress where the final word is that of the party high command.

“In our party, an opinion is arrived at after detailed ideological discussions,” he said.


Chandrasekharan, a former CPI-M firebrand, was killed in Onchiyam near here Friday night. Police said he was attacked with a bomb and then murdered. His face was disfigured

The brutal killing of shocked the entire state but what shocked and was even more disgusting was the utterance of Pinarayi. His intolerance and hatred against those who left the party was very evident in the speech delivered in his usual style; with a very dead eyes. Have you watched them? If has no hand in the present killing, it needs to be recalled that it is his intolerance that led to the split.

But I blame the current government too for letting this crime happen when there was a threat to his life.

Who gave the deadly killer parole and why was he not monitored?

There are many killings. Some are done at the spur of the moment and later leads to years of regret and unhappiness. But there are others who have made killing their job and they do it with no regret. They very well know that their own fate will be no different, hence they do not care for the consequences. They live for the moment and do the killing like a machine.

The latest killing had a few witness and within 3 minutes the police were informed and even requested to block roads and such to catch the criminals. But nothing like that happened and today it is 9 days since the killing and still the police has no clue. So who really gave the order?

As for VS, he has always known the pulse of the mass. He knows that this murder has disturbed the entire state and his own party workers. If he does not offer sympathy, it would definitely be the end of the party, specially since it has put the party on defensive. As for Pinarayi, he should remember that in a democratic setup, it is the people that matters. Else he will be left with only a party office.

Who is he to decide the fate of every Keralite?

Why should the common man be bothered with party ideologies, if the party doesn’t deliver?

We are not in China to pay obeisance to the party leader and keep our mouth shut!

I hope this government acts with responsibility and brings the culprits; not just the killers but the handlers too to justice. Else it is only natural to believe that even this government has a hand behind this killing. After all, it is they who shall benefit most from it. It is they who let the killers out on parole.

There should no more be such killings in the name of the common people. There shall be more such issues but one cannot kill the messenger instead of solving the issues.

Unfortunately, we the people have made the job of the politicians very lucrative. It is so desirable that they are ready to kill anyone who opposes their dictates. This needs to stop.

One thought that the killing of the teacher in front of his school students would finally wake the conscience of the judiciary at least. But even today those behind one of the most brutal killing have not been apprehended. We robbed those students their innocence. I am sure they are scarred for life.

When one listens to media saying that even the recent killers may be killed by another set of “quotation” gang , one wonders if Kerala is the land of quotation gangs. Is there no provision in our law to put these killers behind bars forever?

Yesterday I listened to a media discussion on quotation gangs and one member of this gang was also present. The final word was from him. He said that it was the political party that nurtured him and made him to kill and he ended by saying that every party uses them.

This needs to stop!

http://expressbuzz.com/topic/pinarayi-will-meet-danges-fate-achuthanandan/391115.html
http://expressbuzz.com/topic/stormy-days-ahead-for-vs-cpm/391241.html.

Forgiveness = 1 crore

Yes.. that is the price for forgiveness in God’s own country. Until then, they were hell bent on getting justice. They wanted the Italian marines to be jailed and given maximum punishment. But 1 crore changed everything. The boat owner has even changed his stance; he says he is no longer sure if it is the same ones who killed the fishermen.

The relatives of the dead fishermen has heard a good earful from the court. They rightly said that they shall no longer entertain such cases and that their time has been wasted.

It required only 1 crore to evoke Christ’s style of forgiveness. For sure they were tutored by their well meaning priests but the Keralites were ridiculed enmass when they wanted the Italians to go free. They could have just accepted the compensation and let the case run it’s course but instead they went ahead and told the court that they wanted the case against the Italians cancelled. And since the government itself was looking forward to the same, it has become easy.

Methinks, GOC can become a sought after tourist destination for trigger happy beings. You can shoot to kill if you have enough money to pay for it!

And who knows, these Italians may soon be on their way to become saints too. After all, how else would these family have ever seen 1 crore. The Church may have been praying hard for these poor Italians, if not for the fishermen’s family.