Hungry in Hungary

Budapest.

Many years back when I saw Prague, it was love at first sight.

It was the first European city I visited. Till then Europe existed only in my Geography book.

I was mesmerized by its cobbled stone lanes and dim-lit bridges. They made me feel like a James Bond heroine. As I walked on the streets, the romantic aura was so tangible, so real that it felt like he would suddenly appear from behind one of the bridges and take me in his arms (btw, by He, I mean Pierce Brosnan, only he fits the Bond image). 

...and I would introduce myself...

Roy. Dayeeta Roy!

I decided Prague was the most beautiful city on Earth.

Later on, as my travel list grew, I saw many more cities that can offer tough competition to the beauty of Prague. But it still remains the prettiest European city, for me.

First impressions are as etched in memory as first love!

My recent visit to Budapest re-kindled that "first romantic" feel from many years ago.

The cobbled stone lanes, the bridges, the streetlights, the long shadows, the huge statues, the old trams, the markets, the castles, the churches.....

It was like walking inside a book! As each page turned, it felt like stepping into a different story.

As the hop on-hop off bus rattled along the roads, the voice of my electronic guide explained everything...

....and on your right is the famous opera house of Budapest.

.....on your left is the chain bridge of Budapest which joins the old towns of Old Buda, Buda and Pest..

I barely heard anything.

I just happily soaked in the beauty around me...

Without writing a  travelogue, this time I am trying to capture Budapest in a few photos with some captions. 

......trying to find peace, love and hope.......celebrating life every moment.

We saw so much, we did so much, we ate so much.

But it left me hungry for more......

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting to you, the magical city of Budapest.

Peace has no definition.
It is that one moment of perfect equilibrium that the mind relates to......

Love has no definition.
It is that one moment of realization that you are not alone and there is always someone to listen......

Distance has no definition
It is just a perception which tells you to come closer......

Greatness has no definition.
It is the art of sharing the same frame easily with anyone....irrespective of size, colour, origin....

Faith has no definition.
It is that one moment when you feel protected in His arms.......

Happiness has no definition.
It is that one moment when everything lights up in the dark, for no reason at all....

Hope has no definition.
It is the moment when you feel that even you can light up the sky..

Creation has no definition.
It is the artist's imagination expressed in any  beautiful form...                        

Strength has no definition
It is the confidence with which you face everything that comes your way....

Gratitude has no definition.
It is the moment of thankfulness one feels for having active taste buds ....

While walking on the streets of Budapest, I collected a few lamps.

Lamps that made the city even more magical. 

                                  Lamps that have a story.

                                  Lamps that say, "lets light up the world" ............

While walking on the streets of Budapest, I ate a lot.

Tasted the traditional Goulash.

Munched on the crispy Langosh.

Felt the warmth of the chimney cake.

Loved every bit of it.

Langosh:  deep fried bread. Top it with anything. We had it with garlic sauce. Please forget the word calories!!!

Goulash: Soup with chunks of meat, vegetables and paprika. Tastes awesome specially after a cold winter walk. The "comfort" food of Hungary.....

Hungarian Kolbasz sausage: a spicy smoked sausage, makes your taste buds toss and turn in excitement. You just cannot say no to it!

Chimney Sekler cake: These "steaming" cakes rolled in cinnamon make the open air of the Christmas market even more Christmassy! Walk around in the Christmas market while munching on them--sheer delight!

The vacation came to an end.
........leaving me hungry for more.

Pumpkin cake with a dose of Philosophy

Generation Z knows everything. There is no way one can beat them in speed especially in new technologies. They are the Linkster generation - a generation that is linked into technology from day one. Hence by the time I find the right button to click (and rejoice at my achievement), the 13-yr old clicks a couple of times and reaches the destination screen! In that high speed journey of clicks, reading whatever pops up on each intermediate screen is "not cool" and also "not required".
At times this freaks me out!
I have grown up with the "Thik kore poro (Read everything carefully)" instruction. I have read all manuals whether it was the hotshot camera or the cake oven or the VCR.
(Yes, So Gen X indeed!!...)
I did that not only because of the instruction above but also because I knew, if I break something, I will not get it again. I also did not have the luxury of Google and Youtube! 

The 'Read everything carefully' instruction has no meaning nowadays, totally obsolete.
..makes me think, philosophize....

The second phrase I have grown up with is "Ami bolchi bole....(because I said so)"

When I grew up, age was (thought to be) directly proportional to wisdom.  So there was no way I could challenge what the elders said, who has seen the world more than me and hence by virtue of experience knew more. I also did not have the required information and hence the confidence to challenge anything they said (no Google, no Youtube). 
This generation challenges !!They challenge even before the sentence is complete. They have the world at their fingertips (the Google, the Youtube).
The 'because I said so' phrase had vanished today, totally obsolete.
--makes me think, philosophize...

Parenting was and will be always difficult.....
No 'syllabus', no 'common questions', no 'second chance'!
Only philosophy can save us!

The good news is that Philosophy is not limited to Plato and Socrates and Aristotle and Confucius and....
It is everywhere around us, we just need the ears to listen and interpret.
[A beard definitely helps but is not a necessity]

pc:wikipedia

A few days back, A-junior's phone was not working. Even though the battery showed FULL CHARGE, the screen was frozen. None of the buttons worked. He kept on saying that the battery was really empty but somehow the screenshot of a full battery was frozen in time and was being displayed. 

I kept on saying that it is impossible. I could CLEARLY SEE that the battery was fully charged!

He said, "No mama, this can happen, I know!"

I said, (voice one decibel higher): Tumi beshi jano? (You know more?)

He sulked.

I sulked.
After a while, I confidently asked for his phone and said..."let me have a look.."
With all the expertise I have on smart phones, I used my first trick!

I tried to switch it off and on again...
......and BAM, suddenly it did show battery EMPTY!

A-junior (with an I-told-you-so-look): This happens, Mom. Just like sometimes we smile and show we are fully happy and charged but inside we are empty and sad.....

WHOAAA!! Philosophy!!.......That's big! Had to appreciate it......

Now the recipe, a few days too late but still relevant.
"Halloween" has never impressed me. In general, I am a fun loving person but totally fail to find fun in Halloween! I hate ghosts in all forms, however sweet they might be as a 'person'. I do not like spiders and cobwebs, they are creepy and ugly. Witches in fairy tales are supposed to be killed by the handsome prince dude. Dracula is not handsome, he is just scary! I am totally against face painting and I hate the Pumpkin.

.......you get the message!

But still, I tried this at home this year.....

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup  flour 
1/2 cup almond powder
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda 
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 cup oil 
1 can(or 1- 1/2 cup) pumpkin puree

Ready steady cook: 

Pumpkin puree
Remove the top of the Pumpkin and cut into big slices.
Scrape the seeds out from the pumpkin.
Bake them (skin side down) in a preheated over at 200 degC for 20mins.

Cool and scrape out the flesh from the pumpkin.

Blend into a smooth puree.

Add caption

1. First mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk it properly.
2. Mix the eggs, oil and pumpkin puree in a separate bowl.
3. Add this to the dry mix slowly to avoid any lumps. Mix it in a blender.
4. Preheat the oven to 190 degC. Transfer the cake mix to a nonstick greased baking pan.
5. Bake for 50 mins.
6. Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

ps: My son said it is a bit TOO healthy for a cake!!

Recent 'upgrades' ......

She took our boarding cards in her hand, looked at them, checked something on her computer screen, tore them off and printed new ones with BUSINESS printed on it!

This was just too much for the young 12-yr old boy to digest!

Eyes wide and shining, he turned to me and said, "Ma, business class! really?"

After that, as the A380 soarded high into the sky, so did the spirits of the 12-yr old boy!

'Ma, these small drink bottles are so cute'

'Ma, the seat can become a full bed'

'Ma, the foot rest is so nice'

'Ma, did you notice the size of the TV screen?".....etc etc....

Comfort, thy name is Business class!!

The icing on the cake was when we saw Sourav Ganguly, the famous Indian cricketer seated just 5 rows behind us!!

Nothing mattered in life anymore.
Mother-son duo basked in the glory of seeing Sourav stretch his legs in the aisle beside them.....Mother son duo went to the restroom more than required, just to walk past his seat....Mother son duo even walked up to him with star-struck eyes and took a selfie with him.

As we waited for our luggage to arrive on the belt, A-junior looked at me and said...

"This was 'the best flight ever'!! From now on I want to travel  Business class only".

Indeed!

I smiled. ....we collected our luggage and proceeded towards the door.

Upgrading is easy.

Not only on flights...but in everything in life.

From the bicycle to the car...

From the bucket to the washing machine...

From the youth hostel to the 5 star....

From Blended to Single Malt...

Upgrading is always easy.

;-)

But once 'upgraded', it is difficult to come back to the 'base case'. 

The small gaps in the base case appear to be much larger!

The 'deltas' between the two cases start becoming 'necessities'!
..all normal, nothing bad, but.......

Lesson 1: Never forget your 'base case'.

We celebrated Durga Puja with a lot of happiness.The children also had a blast in spite of not having Durgapuja holidays per se, here in The Netherlands. 

For the kids, the main attraction every year is to be able to play together for 4 days in a row, even if it is only during evening hours.

For us, it is important to get them involved in the activities and make them feel that they are contributing to the festivities and sharing the workload.

It is difficult.

First of all, tearing them away from their i-pads and games gives us the glares. On top of that asking them to work in such a way that they really 'want' to ....is a difficult task.

Difficult but not impossible. It requires more focus and effort from us parents to make it happen.

(A few corporate courses on 'Negotiation skills, Giving feedback, Maintaining calm' can come in handy for us!!)

Raising kids as 'global' citizens and also making them proud of their roots is a challenging area for us as parents.

We need to 'upgrade' our communication skills, as required by the world today.

Long story short, the kids worked very hard. See the two youngest at work! Feel proud!

Lesson 2: Communication skills (face-to-face) have become all the more important with today's all-communications-done-on-social media-only generation!

The not-so-small-anymore boys also worked hard to sell food (samosa) at one of our stalls.
Once settled, they chatted and enjoyed too.

However, in this case, the convincing was tougher and more time consuming. A chocolate or a milkshake was not enough anymore. There were opinions, discussions, and logic required to put them on the other side of the counter.

(A few more corporate courses like Critical thinking, Integration across functions, Managing expectations,Collaboration and understanding, Diversity and inclusiveness thrown in this time!!)

We 'upgraded' their job profile and it worked.

The end result was fantastic! Enjoyment, enjoyment, and enjoyment! It also had descriptions of the food items written out with utmost creative language and marketing skills!!(read below)

Lesson 3: Responsibility, (if delegated in the proper way) is fun and can trigger creativity.

No recipe today, since I did not get time to cook much!!

Stay tuned, Diwali special will be cooked, for sure.

Varanasi -- the undefined 'something'

The city has 'something' and I cannot explain exactly what!

A recent visit to the city of Varanasi with my closest friends triggered many thoughts in my mind. Let me share some moments of happiness, nostalgia, and philosophy with you.....

First and foremost, the city has not changed at all. EXACTLY the same as I left it 20 years ago.

Nothing has changed. The people, the shops, the temples, the ghats, the bylanes, the dirt, the heat, the university, the lassi, the Rabri.....everything is the same.

These are the things that make it Varanasi. 

Change one thing from the list and the undefined 'something' may just vanish from the city......

Having said that, I looked at Varanasi through a different pair of lenses this time.

1990s. 

When I first visited the city, I was nineteen. Life was as beautiful as can be with some student struggles only.

On one hand, was the terrible homesickness, on the other was the sweet taste of first freedom.

On one hand, was the longing for Mom's cooked food, on the other was the amazing satisfaction of cooking the almost-edible egg curry in my hostel room.

On one hand, was the budgeting for every glass of lassi that I could afford, on the other was the immense sense of power when the monthly demand draft reached the bank.

On one hand, was the stress of passing the exams, on the other was a simple relaxed carefree life.

On one hand, was the thrill of falling in love, on the other was the uncertainty of what if he....

Life was all about friends, fun...and some studying. Period.

2017. 

This time I saw the city through the eyes of a mature wise woman (age is not only a number!) who has seen some life, felt even more, and has learned to appreciate it.

Every moment spent with the closest of friends, going back to all those places where friendship and love were born, reminded me of how lucky I was. 

Varanasi of 2017 was very different from the Varanasi of 1990s!

The planning started a few months back when a group of friends wanted to go back to their university days, to recreate their carefree life from the '90s. It is here, in this city, that our friendship got sealed forever, and made each other our lifeline. Our Whatsapp group got very busy planning for a few months and finally, we made this trip happen.

With the years, we have all changed (the knee pain, the thyroid, the reading glasses). But the bigger reality is that actually nothing has changed at all. 

Our dynamics remain unchanged, the bond is even stronger!

Where did all the years vanish?

We had visited the Kashi Vishwanatha Temple many times before. All major exams saw us showered and fasting, with folded hands in front of the Almighty (especially Physics paper 3). 

Our young minds had no clue of the real exams coming towards us later in life.

This time it was different. 

This time there was the mature realization that His existence is not bound within the walls of the temple. There are far more meaningful things than the shower and the fast to prove the intent of our prayers. The fear of failing the exams was replaced by a certain confidence of 'done it, seen it, does not matter'. Priorities have changed a lot in these years. The power of faith has also shifted more towards humanity. Real exams of life have also taught us all to see things differently. 

Amazing mind shift! Loved it.

I stand unperturbed.....

Famous bylanes of Varanasi....so narrow yet so lively....

......Ganga Arati..We worship her and also throw garbage into her......

....that undefined 'something'

BHU.  

The University visit was a pleasure. Especially visiting the hostels was laden with nostalgia so strong that at times it even felt that we still lived there. We wanted to recreate every single moment of our college days. 

'Hey room 27, time for dinner'

'Can I borrow your yellow dupatta?'

'Please keep my bucket in front of the shower room'

'D, the TV is not working, can you go up on the roof and turn the antenna?'

'Maharajji, why did you make bread pakora again today?'

'Anyone wants tea?' '

'Please be back before 7, Thapa madam will be screaming..'

'Room number 211, you have a visitor'

The hostels were unusually quiet. It was a weekend but there was no hustle-bustle in the corridors, the front porch was silent, doors to most rooms were closed, no singing from the showers, and not a single girl drying her hair in the sun.....

We peeped into a few rooms. In most of them, the girls were busy with their smartphones or their computers!!! What a change from our times.....

Dear girls, how on earth will you make such life-long friends like us? 

Food was another delightful experience. Back then, as a hosteler, there was a serious constraint on our pockets. Food luxury was limited to once-in-a-while birthday treats which allowed for a bit of extra expenditure. A special lassi or a cold coffee or a chhole bature were the regular affordable delicacies. 

We looked for the same old places. We enjoyed them at that time, and we enjoyed them even more this time. This time it was mixed with memories of best friends, hence food tasted even better. 

One highlight for me was when the cold coffee shop guy (who had been observing us for some time as we waited in the queue to get coffee) at our university VT looked at me and M for a while and said "Maine to aap dono ko pehchaan liya"!  (I recognized both of you!) 

[Please let's not analyze what this means in terms of how much coffee we drank at VT, back then]

;-)

RABDI

CHHOLE BATURE

KULFI

LITTHI CHOKHA

LASSI

Memories are a very important part of our life. Not all memories are happy ones, but even the sad ones make us realize that we are lucky to have survived those times.

Going back to places that hold a lot of memories, both good and bad, can actually rejuvenate life.  

I came back .........appreciating my life even more.

It was not only the company of best friends, there was 'something' more.

Thank you Varanasi, for influencing my life in so many ways with your undefined 'something'.

Look up my friends! Don't miss the Quiche.....

Communication is important. 
It is the key to everything, especially in today's world......

Whether you are complimenting your 4-yr old son on his clean dinner plate, or explaining the 'rules' to your teenage daughter, or giving a 'push back' to your boss at work or asking your mother for her best recipe over phone, or calling customer service to complain about the broken microwave or wishing a belated birthday to your best friend or thanking the husband for the solitaire(??) or...whatever...

Everything is about communication.

Did the message land correctly?

Of late, I have started to think a lot on this topic.

No, nothing to do with age or grey hair or reflections! 
;-)

The question we need to ask:
Are we communicating?

I know, I know....what an absurd question! 
In today's world who is NOT COMMUNICATING?
Everyone is connected! 24/7 !!
But does being technically connected all the time ensure proper communication?
I doubt.

Over the years, the mode of communication has changed a lot. 
With the advent of technology, we have become faster in communication. 
The small device which has become our extended hand (and an integral part of our lives) has made the world a smaller place. 
It is 'smart' and allows us to communicate all the time and with the whole world.

My personal feel is that the smartphone has made communication 'easier and faster' but not necessarily 'better'!

(Totally my personal opinion)

On one hand it is the fun of getting connected to school friends after so many years, on the other, it is the disconnect with a person standing next to you.
One one hand it is the excitement of 'sharing' your vacation photos with people around the world instantly, on the other, it is missing the sunrise with your own eyes!
On one hand it is being more productive doing round-the-clock Skype meetings across the world, on the other, it is missing lunchtime with your favourite colleague!
On one hand it is playing a thrilling game with an unknown online friend, on the other, it is missing the thrill of breaking the neighbour's window in street cricket!
On one hand it is sending emoticons with all possible different expressions, on the other it is missing that one smile which no emoticon can express!
On one hand it is communicating 25 times a day, on the other, it is missing her handwritten 'love you' at the end of the letter.

I am not against any of these technologies. I am an avid user of these technologies myself and I struggle too with the balance.
I feel concerned about their "over use"! or even "ab-use"!

One scary effect I see nowadays is that we have become a lot more indifferent to our surroundings. 
On many occasions, I even feel that we do not care anymore.

How can we care about our surroundings?
We never look up anymore!! (No pun intended)

Whether it is at the airport or the dentist's waiting room or a lovely beach......we all have our heads bent over our phones.
We are apparently communicating!

pc:slideshare.net

I watch my 12-yr old son play with his friend. Both boys end up spending the entire time on their tablets playing online, sitting "side by side" in the same room without uttering a word to each other directly.

Keeping the young ones away from these 'smart' devices is also a struggle for the parents.
A mere 'NO' does not work. 
It has become very important to do something  "together"!
... the art of communicating  'smartly' without using 'smart' devices....
;-)

Time for some food now. Lets cook together.

Quiche Lorraine

A-junior loves to cook. He wanted to buy a cookbook (yet another!)last week.
....we never say 'NO' to books.
Hence the book was bought and put to use immediately.
The plan (at this moment)  is to cook atleast one recipe from the book every week. 

Yesterday we made Quiche.
I loved the Quiche. 
I could 'smartly communicate' some Broccoli florets into the original recipe and it kept the boy happily away from his 'smart' devices for 2 hours.
;-)

Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake. The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. [from the net]

For the dough:

• All purpose flour: 200 gms
• Salted butter: 100 gms
• cold water

For the filling:

• Butter: 15 gms
• Onion :  1 (finely chopped)
• Bacon cubes :  100 gms
• Broccoli:  small florets ( the mother's addition)
• Cheese : 60 gms (grated)
• Eggs : 2 
• Cooking cream : 200 ml
• Salt, black pepper : to taste

Ready steady cook:

Mix the flour and the butter with both your hands (to make it crumbly)
Apparently this step was really enjoyable according to A-junior...
Use cold water to make it into a tight dough. Preheat the over to 200 degC .
Roll out the dough into a large round shape and carefully place it on a ovenproof dish in such a way that it covers the sides as well. Press gently into the corners and cut off excess dough over the sides. Set it in the refrigerator till you use it.
Make it smile too.........

In a frying pan, heat the butter and add the onions. Cook for 2 mins.
Add the bacon and saute for a while till they are crisp and golden brown. Add the broccoli florets (keep saying how beautiful the green looks and what a fantastic idea it was to add them to the original recipe).
Add  black pepper and salt. Careful with the salt, bacon has a lot of salt already.

First bake the Quiche form in the oven for 10 mins till it turns a very light brown.
Take it out from the oven, pour in the filling and spread it evenly.
Add the grated cheese, the whipped eggs and the cream.
Bake it again at 190 degC for 20-25 mins, till it is golden brown.

Enjoy !!