These are the catchy tunes I like on the radio these days. I like these almost exclusively for the tunes. The lyrics don't have much good to write about and the music videos are not special either, being no different from the countless music videos already out there. You can watch the videos on Yahoo Music by clicking on the song title links below.
1. Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado. The first time I heard this song on the radio last week, the chorus made me think they must be playing some hit song from the 80's. But the song got my attention right away! I looked it up on the Billboard Hot 100, and found it rising rapidly. It was on rank 30 last week (and on 93 the week before, I think), and this week it is already on rank 9! It will continue to rise to become one of the top songs of this summer.
Update on June 9th, 2006: Wow! This song has been at No. 3 since last week, on Billboard Hot 100!
2. Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg. I like the song, but we have to wait and see how big of a hit it becomes.
Other Pussycat Dolls songs I've enjoyed on Yahoo Music videos: Beep (my favorite PCD song), Don't Cha and Stickwitu (slower, romantic number).
Apart from their catchy songs, the main attraction of the Pussycat Dolls is their hot lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. Apparently, she is a Hawaiian-Russian-Filipino mix. But she could easily be one of those Indian supermodels who win beauty contests and then go on to movies. Nicole's photo on the Wikipedia link I have given here, does not do her justice (in fact, it doesn't even look like her!). You should watch the above videos to know what I am talking about.
3. Shakira's Hips Don't Lie is still going strong on the radio and on Yahoo music videos. However, it's moved down to rank 16 from it's peak of rank 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. SOS by Rihanna enjoyed a very brief No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and then went down to No. 3 the very next week. It is a catchy tune, but I think it will fade out this summer because of the other hits that are coming up. Of course, it is not near the class of last summer's big hit Pon de Replay. Everytime I heard Pon de Replay last year, I was amazed by the singer's talent, and was quite surprised when I learnt that it was her first hit. As per Rihanna's biography on Billboard.com, the only thing which kept Pon de Replay from the No. 1 spot was Mariah Carey's We Belong Together. Rihanna's Unfaithful is another song which is doing well (Billboard rank 14 this week). It is a slower song, nice to hear. The video for Unfaithful is not available on Yahoo Music.
5. Update on June 9th, 2006: Cassie's latest song Me & U sounds really nice and is on No. 7 this week, on the Billboard Hot 100. I love listening to this song on solitary drives in the evenings. Unfortunately, the video is not available on Yahoo Music. However, you can listen to the song on the Official Cassie site.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 10: Mongolian Grill Noodles
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: Mongolian noodles from YC's Mongolian Grill.
The way most Mongolian grills work is that, you take a bowl and fill it with your choice of vegetables, meats, tofu and rice noodles. You then add your choice of sauces, depending on your taste. You then hand-over the bowl to the chef, who will cook it on the grill for you. The quantity of veggies, meats and noodles is limited to how much you can fit in one bowl. I usually top my bowl at least two inches or more above the rim, when I choose my vegetables and add noodles! When it is cooked, the food settles down exactly upto the rim-level, and it is quite filling.
The vegetable choices include beansprouts, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, green onions, mushrooms, onions, spinach, tofu, tomatoes, water chestnuts, and zucchini. The sauces include BBQ sauce (see vegetarian alert below), sweet and sour, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, vinegar. The price for a bowl of noodles also includes sides of white rice, soup, pineapple chunks, roasted peanuts, soda, along with soy-sauce, hot-sauce, pepper flakes dressing.
There are similar Mongolian grill chains in most cities across the US.
Cost: $6.00 (includes tax), about 264 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: Whenever I visit this restaurant, I add BBQ sauce (and few other sauces) to my noodles. I did that today also. After I finished eating today, for the purpose of this blog, I asked them what if the BBQ sauce contained any animal products and they said it was made with beef broth! :-( Also, they cook meat and vegetables on the same grill, and use the same tongs to handle all food. So, if you are a vegetarian, you might want to ask them to clean the grill before they cook your food. Even then, the most cleaning they can do is to rinse the hot-top with some water. So, the juices and tiny pieces of meat would still be left-over on the grill and tongs. The soup is made with chicken broth.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 9: Cajun Grill Veg Combo
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: A three-items vegetarian combination meal from Kelly's Cajun Grill location at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, Arizona. My combination had a spicy pasta, roasted potatoes and vegetarian rice-with-beans. I spiked up my food with the special red-hot sauce they have. It has a distinct flavor and is really spicy. I thoroughly enjoy it despite my burning mouth and running nose! The size of the portions are always HUGE. The picture above shows only a half-portion left over after my lunch!
Kelly's cajun grill is a fast food chain. Their items have a distinct flavor to them. I really love their food. When I lived in Portland, there was one very close to my office and I ate there often. The only location I know of in the Phoenix area is the one in the Food Court at the Arizona Mills Mall. It is far from both my office and home, so I don't get to eat there often. But whenever I go to the mall, I try to eat at the Cajun grill.
Cost: $4.31 (includes $0.32 tax), about 189.64 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: Most Cajun restaurants have very few vegetarian choices. But Kelly's fast food chain has some good choices for vegetarians. In fact, their vegetarian items are vegan - with no eggs or dairy. You have to be careful when you get the vegetarian rice-with-beans because they also have a fried rice which has chicken and eggs in it. So, don't get confused.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Soulmate Love and Nirvana
In a previous post I said a soulmate is like god. I meant that conceptually they are both very similar - there are questions about their existence, their number, gender, so on and so forth. In a similar vein, love is like nirvana.
Knowing in your heart and soul and gut that god exists and believing in her/him absolutely might be the easy initial step on the path to nirvana. The long and hard path to nirvana is still ahead of us. Similarly, meeting a soulmate and recognizing that they are indeed our soulmate is only the initial first step. The real work is only beginning.
The fact that god exists and we believe in her/him/them is not at all a guarantee of the experience of nirvana. Similarly, the fact that we have met our soulmate does not guarantee the experience of love. There will certainly be the the feeling of love. But the experience of a lover relationship, especially a blissful, happy, peaceful relationship is not guaranteed.
There is much hard work, and may be even a fair measure of luck, needed to attain nirvana. The existence of god and our belief does not make it any easier. Similarly, to build a loving relationship, we need to put in much hard work. The fact that our lover is our soulmate does not make it easier.
Having attained nirvana does not mean we no longer work. We still have to work and do all the stuff that all humans do to survive. We have to put in even more hardwork to stay in the state of nirvana. Similarly, being with a soulmate does not mean the relationship needs no work and maintenance, and everything will be magically happy ever after. We still need to put in time and effort and communication and love and understanding and compromise to make the relationship work.
Even after we reach the state of nirvana, in the course of our daily lives, we may come across physical and emotional ups and downs... both big and small. A mosquito will sting and the fire will singe as it did before nirvana. We will feel anger, irritation, sadness as we did before. Similarly, in a relationship with the soulmate, we will face ups and downs - insecurities, jealousies, arguments, fights, pain, heartbreak.
What nirvana gives us is an internal state of grace, peace and security. So, although the mosquito stings or the fire singes, although we feel anger, irritation, sadness, etc. in our day to day life... we know and we can step back, tap into this state of grace that is always within us like a constantly alight candle. In the same way, being with a soulmate gives us this shared space of love and security deep within us that we can seek and fall back on when there are insecurities, jealousies, fights and hurts. But like I said, to reach this state of nirvana or soulmate relationship requires much hard work.
When our past karmic ties and balance is too much, it is not possible to progress quickly on the path to nirvana. We have to work as much and as long it takes to finish our past obligations, and make ourselves pure and eligible for nirvana. Similarly, we may have to work out issues from our past, issues in our personality, etc. before we are eligible to live a happy loving life with a soulmate.
Sometimes, it appears like a long-time believer/devotee faces more hardship on the spiritual path, than someone who casually takes to that path. Similarly, a relationship with a soulmate may be harder and involve more pain, than a relationship with those who don't seem to be our soulmate.
Sometimes, we do fall from the state of nirvana. We then have to spend a few days, years or even lifetimes living the average life before we find our way back to nirvana. This could happen with a soulmate too. Soulmate relationships can indeed break. We could spend a few years or lifetimes before we meet the same or another soulmate again.
Despite everything I have said above, there are no hard and fast rules about nirvana. For many of us it might take a lot of work to attain and keep. For some of us it might come absurdly easy. Some of us might seek for many lifetimes without finding it. Some of us might find it without seeking it. The love of a soulmate is similarly not bound by any rules. It is what it is. It will come, go, stay as it will. There is not much we can do about it, except just love.
The thing about attaining nirvana is that, we realize it has always been there with us. It is not something external - not some place or some outlandish state of mind or anything. It is just the realization that we are what we are, everything is what everything is, and it is all okay, no matter what happens. Attaining nirvana is not like going from point A to point B. It is the realization that we are at point A and point B and everywhere at the same time and that everywhere is also just one single point and infinite points simultaneously. It is the realization that we are fine exactly where we are, where we were and where we will be and it is all okay. Similarly, when we experience the real depth and breadth and height of a soulmate's love we realize that everything is love, that there is nothing but love, that we are love, our soulmates are love, the whole universe is love, and everything is made of love... even all the fights and arguments and hurts are made of love. It is the realization that everything is love, always love and it's all okay.
Knowing in your heart and soul and gut that god exists and believing in her/him absolutely might be the easy initial step on the path to nirvana. The long and hard path to nirvana is still ahead of us. Similarly, meeting a soulmate and recognizing that they are indeed our soulmate is only the initial first step. The real work is only beginning.
The fact that god exists and we believe in her/him/them is not at all a guarantee of the experience of nirvana. Similarly, the fact that we have met our soulmate does not guarantee the experience of love. There will certainly be the the feeling of love. But the experience of a lover relationship, especially a blissful, happy, peaceful relationship is not guaranteed.
There is much hard work, and may be even a fair measure of luck, needed to attain nirvana. The existence of god and our belief does not make it any easier. Similarly, to build a loving relationship, we need to put in much hard work. The fact that our lover is our soulmate does not make it easier.
Having attained nirvana does not mean we no longer work. We still have to work and do all the stuff that all humans do to survive. We have to put in even more hardwork to stay in the state of nirvana. Similarly, being with a soulmate does not mean the relationship needs no work and maintenance, and everything will be magically happy ever after. We still need to put in time and effort and communication and love and understanding and compromise to make the relationship work.
Even after we reach the state of nirvana, in the course of our daily lives, we may come across physical and emotional ups and downs... both big and small. A mosquito will sting and the fire will singe as it did before nirvana. We will feel anger, irritation, sadness as we did before. Similarly, in a relationship with the soulmate, we will face ups and downs - insecurities, jealousies, arguments, fights, pain, heartbreak.
What nirvana gives us is an internal state of grace, peace and security. So, although the mosquito stings or the fire singes, although we feel anger, irritation, sadness, etc. in our day to day life... we know and we can step back, tap into this state of grace that is always within us like a constantly alight candle. In the same way, being with a soulmate gives us this shared space of love and security deep within us that we can seek and fall back on when there are insecurities, jealousies, fights and hurts. But like I said, to reach this state of nirvana or soulmate relationship requires much hard work.
When our past karmic ties and balance is too much, it is not possible to progress quickly on the path to nirvana. We have to work as much and as long it takes to finish our past obligations, and make ourselves pure and eligible for nirvana. Similarly, we may have to work out issues from our past, issues in our personality, etc. before we are eligible to live a happy loving life with a soulmate.
Sometimes, it appears like a long-time believer/devotee faces more hardship on the spiritual path, than someone who casually takes to that path. Similarly, a relationship with a soulmate may be harder and involve more pain, than a relationship with those who don't seem to be our soulmate.
Sometimes, we do fall from the state of nirvana. We then have to spend a few days, years or even lifetimes living the average life before we find our way back to nirvana. This could happen with a soulmate too. Soulmate relationships can indeed break. We could spend a few years or lifetimes before we meet the same or another soulmate again.
Despite everything I have said above, there are no hard and fast rules about nirvana. For many of us it might take a lot of work to attain and keep. For some of us it might come absurdly easy. Some of us might seek for many lifetimes without finding it. Some of us might find it without seeking it. The love of a soulmate is similarly not bound by any rules. It is what it is. It will come, go, stay as it will. There is not much we can do about it, except just love.
The thing about attaining nirvana is that, we realize it has always been there with us. It is not something external - not some place or some outlandish state of mind or anything. It is just the realization that we are what we are, everything is what everything is, and it is all okay, no matter what happens. Attaining nirvana is not like going from point A to point B. It is the realization that we are at point A and point B and everywhere at the same time and that everywhere is also just one single point and infinite points simultaneously. It is the realization that we are fine exactly where we are, where we were and where we will be and it is all okay. Similarly, when we experience the real depth and breadth and height of a soulmate's love we realize that everything is love, that there is nothing but love, that we are love, our soulmates are love, the whole universe is love, and everything is made of love... even all the fights and arguments and hurts are made of love. It is the realization that everything is love, always love and it's all okay.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 8: Pasta Toss from Coin Room Cafe
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: Penne and shell pasta tossed with olive oil, red pepper flakes and vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, onions, red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc., in marinara sauce, and topped with cheese. This very yummy spicy pasta dish was prepared in front of my eyes at the excellent Coin Room Cafeteria in the basement of the Chase Tower (formerly Bank One building) in Downtown Phoenix. The portion size was also very good.
Cost of the meal deal: $5.07 (includes 0.38 tax), about 223.08 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: Even if a pasta dish contains no eggs and no meat, eggs are often used in the making of the pasta noodles themselves. You can get pastas which are made with no eggs in the stores, but I doubt that most restaurants are very scrupulous about this (unless they are vegan restaurants). Also, in restaurants which offer meat dishes, they don't always use a fresh washed pan to prepare your vegetarian dish. They might have just used the same pan to prepare a non-vegetarian dish. So, your dish might come mixed with juices and even tiny particles of meat. I am happy to say, the chef at the Coin Center cafeteria happened to use a fresh clean pan to prepare my pasta. Normally, he just scrapes remains of the previous dish off a pan and wipes it with a piece of cloth to prepare the next dish. And of course, the usual warning about animal rennet in cheese applies.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 7: Fusilli's Pasta
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: A pasta combination with a slice of focaccia bread on the side, from Fusilli's restaurant at the Park Central complex in Central Phoenix. A glass of Naked orange juice.
Fusilli's has a bunch of pre-prepared pasta dishes on offer for lunch. When given a choice of many items, all equally tempting, librans like me find it hard to decide on one. So, I ordered half-portions of two dishes: creamy mushroom & asparagus penne and Pasta Valducci. The former was made with oven-roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, marsala wine and parmesan cheese on penne pasta. The Pasta Valducci was also penne pasta with artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, ove-roasted tomatoes in a pink sauce. Both YUMMY!
Cost: $7.03 (includes $0.53 tax), about 309.32 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: Even if a pasta dish contains no eggs and no meat, eggs are often used in the making of the pasta noodles themselves. You can get pastas which are made with no eggs in the stores, but I doubt that most restaurants are very scrupulous about this (unless they are vegan restaurants). Of course, the usual warning about animal rennet in cheese applies.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 6: Baja Fresh Grilled Veggie Burrito
(Click for bigger pics)Today's vegetarian lunch: A grilled veggie burrito from Baja Fresh, with a side of tortilla chips, hot red salsa, pico de gallo (mix of fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, chillies, cilantro, etc.) and marinated yellow chillies. And of course, my favorite hot sauce for mexican food, the Cholula hot sauce.
The grilled veggie burrito at Baja Fresh is the most consistently yummy burrito I have had. It is a rolled flour tortilla (very similar to the Indian chapathi) filled with grilled peppers, chilies and onions, pinto beans, melted jack and cheddar cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo and sour cream. It is served cut in half, with a side of tortilla chips.
Cost: $5.24 (includes $0.39 tax), about 230.56 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: In many Mexican restaurants the Spanish rice and refried beans are made with beef or chicken stock, and in some places, even the chips could be fried in beef lard. I have checked that the pinto beans at Baja Fresh are not cooked with any animal products. Similarly the chips are not fried in lard either. Of course, the usual warning about animal rennet in cheese applies.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 5: Mi Amigos' Veggie Burro
(Click for bigger pics)
Today's vegetarian lunch: A veggie burro from the Mi Amigos Mexican Grill, with a side of tortilla chips, salsa and hot red sauce.
The veggie burro is a rolled flour tortilla (very similar to the Indian chapathi) filled with grilled vegetables (bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, carrots, zuchini, etc.), beans, and if I am lucky, guacamole. The veggie burro at Mi Amigos is sometimes really good, and sometimes average, but always filling. The service - normally by waitresses - is always good and cheerful. Today the burro was average, and the male waiter did not seem to be very cheerful.
Cost: $6.68 (includes $0.43 tax and $1 tip), about 293.92 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: In many Mexican restaurants the Spanish rice and refried beans are made with beef or chicken stock, and in some places, even the chips could be fried in beef lard. At Mi Amigos, the Spanish rice is made with chicken stock and the refried beans are made with lard. However, they have black beans and whole beans which are made with no animal content, and their tortilla chips are not fried in lard. I was assured that my veggie burro had no rice or refried beans. I don't remember if it had cheese, but if it did, the usual warning about animal rennet in cheese applies.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 4: Taco Bell No. 6 With No Meat
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: It is "No. 6 with no meat"! It is a Taco Bell meal deal, number 6 on the meal menu at the Taco Bell I visit. It contains two chalupas, one hard-shell taco, plus a large 32 Oz Pepsi cola, full of sugar and caffeine. I grab lots of Fire sauce and a few Hot sauce sachets on the side.
Chalupa: It is very much like a thick soft Indian puri (deep fried flat flour bread), which is folded in half with fillings. The standard main filling is ground beef, but I ask for beans instead of the beef. The additional fillings include sour cream, shredded lettuce, a blend of three cheeses — cheddar, pepperjack, and mozzarella, and diced tomatoes. The chalupa is on the right in the picture above.
Taco: The hard-shell taco that comes with my meal is a fried flour or maize semi-circular shell, which is about as hard as a potato chip. The standard filling in the taco is ground beef, but I substitute that with beans. The additional fillings include shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese. In the above picture, the taco is on the left.
Cost of the meal deal: $4.64 (includes $0.35 tax), about 204.16 Indian Rupees.
Taco Bell is a Mexican-style (not authentic Mexican) fast food chain, quite popular in the US. This is the first fast food chain I visited in the US. If my life style is such that I don't make my own lunch daily, I visit Taco Bell about once every 2 or 3 weeks. I like Taco Bell for two reasons: (i) almost any item they have can be made with no meat; (ii) they are available across the length and breadth of the country, which makes them very convenient when I am travelling in some strange place and want to quickly find something familiar and vegetarian-safe to eat. The only other fast food places I go to are Subway (quite rare) and Baja Fresh (about once in 2 weeks).
Vegetarian alert: My Taco Bell meal today had no meat and no eggs. Even the cheese was not made with animal rennet as per Taco Bell's website. In many Mexican restaurants the Spanish rice and refried beans are made with beef or chicken stock, and the chips are fried in beef lard. I have checked in person as well as on Taco Bell's website that their beans and rice are not made with any animal stock. When ordering at Taco Bell, just ask for any item with "no meat". If you ask for beans, they will add it instead of meat for no extra charge (most Taco Bell places substitute beans or suggest it without your asking). If you want to avoid Taco Bell items with eggs or any other allergens, check this chart. Most importantly, before you take a bite or take away your Taco Bell food, check for yourself that there is no meat in it. Sometimes there is a mistake in the kitchen and you can get meat in your food, although you asked for "no meat".
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 3: Mushroom Burger
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: A veggie burger with Stacy's Parmesan, Garlic and Herb Pita chips (baked, not deep fried) on the side, and Killian's Irish Red beer.
My burger is made of: Lightly toasted onion buns. A layer of hummus on the bottom of the bun, followed by a layer of dill relish, a Morningstar Farms Mushroom Lover's burger (defreeze in microwave, heat on the stove in a flat pan) next, then a layer of Tillamook pepper jack cheese, a little bit of Dijon mustard, finally topped with Pace Chunky Salsa. All ingredients came out of packages, but the burger itself was assembled at my home.
Vegetarian alert: The pita chips had parmesan cheese. The usual warning about cheese and rennet applies. The Tillamook pepper jack cheese is not made of traditional animal-based rennet as per the factory's cheese FAQ. Woohoo! The mushroom burger has egg whites listed as one of the ingredients. I think the bun does not contain eggs in it, but who knows! I am pretty sure the Killian's Irish red beer has no animal products in it (unless some trace quantities of bugs were accidentally added in the manufacturing process! Heh-heh!).
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 2: Cinco de Mayo Dessert Potluck
(Click for bigger pics)
Today's Vegetarian Lunch: A sugar-filled, calorie-rich, not-so-healthy variety of desserts! We had a Cinco de Mayo desserts potluck at work, also to celebrate a colleague's graduation, and there was pretty good turn out. The Indian dessert plate above has: two types of rice kheer, a semia payasam, gaajar halwa, rasagulla, jamoon and peda, all home-made and pure vegetarian. The Western dessert plate above has: different types of cakes, at least three of which were to be eaten with whipped cream and strawberries, a yummy banana-split cake which also had pineapple pieces in it, a cookie, a tiny muffin-shaped biscuit. By the time I started working through the plate of Western desserts, I was starting to feel sugar-sick. Fortunately, someone brought chips with HOT-and-EXCELLENT home-made salsa just then (the above pic of a hand holding chips is not mine, for the record). I dumped the remaining Western desserts in the garbage, had some chips and salsa, and finished off with an ice-cream cone! Only regret: Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, and the only Mexican dessert at the potluck (sweet bread) came in so late, I had no more space in my tummy left for it.
Vegetarian alert: Most of the Western desserts, of course, were made with eggs in them!
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Vegetarian Lunch in America 1: Veggie Patty Sub
(Click for bigger pic)Today's vegetarian lunch: A veggie patty sub from Subway, with some Lays classic potato chips on the side, and bottled water.
Here's what my sandwich is made of: six-inch Parmesan Oregano bread, two (half?) slices of provolone cheese and a veggie patty (looks and tastes much like Morningstar Farm's Garden Veggie Burger patty, only rectangular). All three grilled. Then, it's filled with spinach (I ask for spinach, the default filling is lettuce), cucumber slices, tomato slices, red onions, green peppers and olives. For dressing, I chose red wine vinaigrette and a little mustard, plus salt and pepper. (When I asked for the red wine vinaigrette, the lady mis-heard me and poured vinegar first. This has happened once before at a different Subway outlet. Come on, even with my distinct Indian accent "red wine vinaigrette" sounds differenet from mere "vinegar"!)
Cost: $3.99 (includes $0.30 tax), about 177.15 Indian Rupees.
Vegetarian alert: The Parmesan Oregano bread I chose has parmesan cheese in it. I also added slices of provolone cheese to my sandwich. Cheese is nothing but a milk product, right? Well, a substance called rennet is used to make cheese. According to Wikipedia: The most common source of rennet is the abomasum (fourth stomach) of slaughtered, milk-fed new-born cow calves or other young ruminants such as camels or goats. Traditionally rennet was prepared by washing and salting the stomachs of animals shortly after slaughter. The rennet was then hung up and dried until needed. Non-animal rennet is also available, of course. But there is no way of knowing if the cheese used in Subway is made with this less-common non-animal rennet.
Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.
Vegetarian Lunch in America
A lot of folks back home in India ask me about what I eat in the US. Since I am a vegetarian (no meat, no seafood, no eggs) and America is a place where people predominantly eat meat, people back home are curious about what I eat, if not Indian food all the time.
I have also noticed that Indian guys who come to the US (or any Western country) for the first time, confine themselves almost exclusively to Indian food and miss out on the delightful culinary diversity that the US has to offer. If the guys are vegetarians, they suffer even more.
So, I am going to start a series of posts in which I will write about vegetarian lunches I eat here in the US. When I pack my own lunch, I usually pack Indian food. I will probably not blog about them. However, I eat out half the time or more, and when I eat out, I usually don't eat Indian. I will blog about those non-Indian vegetarian lunches in America, with pictures. We'll see how this goes.
I have also noticed that Indian guys who come to the US (or any Western country) for the first time, confine themselves almost exclusively to Indian food and miss out on the delightful culinary diversity that the US has to offer. If the guys are vegetarians, they suffer even more.
So, I am going to start a series of posts in which I will write about vegetarian lunches I eat here in the US. When I pack my own lunch, I usually pack Indian food. I will probably not blog about them. However, I eat out half the time or more, and when I eat out, I usually don't eat Indian. I will blog about those non-Indian vegetarian lunches in America, with pictures. We'll see how this goes.
Two-Minute Cooking School 7: Daal Paalak
Daal Paalak (Click for bigger pic)Come on over for dinner! :-)
Recipe for Daal Paalak:
Daal curry is the ultimate in North Indian comfort food. Daal paalak is a yummy variation of the plain daal curry, which contains spinach. In English it may be called lentil-spinach curry, daal being lentils and paalak being spinach.
Ingredients: Toor daal (yellow lentils), fresh washed spinach leaves, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chillies, coriander / cilantro leaves, mustard seeds, jeerige (cumin), turmeric, salt, oil, ginger-garlic paste, fresh lemon juice. Red chilli powder, if required.
Cooking steps:
Start by cooking the toor daal in water. Use enough water so that when the cooked daal is mashed with a spoon, it turns into a thick liquid. Different people like their daal curry at different consistency levels. Use water accordingly.
In a cooking vessel, heat the oil. Add mustard seeds to the heated oil. When they begin to pop, add cumin seeds. Take care not to burn them. Then, add the chopped green chillies and fry them. Next, add the chopped onions and fry them also. You can add the chillies and onions at the same time. But I like to add the chillies first so that the oil absorbs the hot spicy taste some more.
Just when the onions start getting light brown, add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for half a minute more.
Then add cooked daal, spinach leaves, chopped tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Mix and boil well.
Finally, add the fresh lemon juice. You may also add some red chilli powder at this point, if you want the daal to taste more spicy. Mix well. Boil for a minute or two.
Hot, yummy daal paalak is ready. I like to eat this mixed in with hot white rice and some ghee. Spicy hot pickle on the side completes a great comfort meal.
Reference: Lentils Reference Page
Related: Two-Minute Cooking School: Prospectus
Monday, May 01, 2006
A Tale of Two Trains
The Bangalore Metro Rail project has finally received the cabinet nod as reported in The Times of India:
That is good news. However, I can't help but wonder if the 2011 target date for completion of the first phase of the project is too ambitious and unrealistic.
Yes, it is good to have a positive outlook. Nobody wants to be pessimistic. But having seen the saga of the Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (not to mention the many fly-over stories of Bangalore), is there anything at all to give us real hopes that the project will be completed on time? A 33 km urban railway which runs above ground, below ground and on the ground to be completed in 5 years in India? Yeah, right!
Let's compare the Bangalore Metro Rail project to the Phoenix Metro Rail project, which is in the contruction stage right now. The two projects together make a great comparative case study because they are both contemporary urban rail systems, covering the same distance (33 kms ~ 20 miles).
The first phase of the Phoenix Metro Rail project from "right of way acquisition" to inauguration is taking eight years in a country like the US. Construction phase alone spans about 4 years. And as far as I know, the Phoenix metro rail has no underground segment.
Can we really believe that the Bangalore Metro rail will be completed in 5 years, after receiving the "cabinet nod" just now? Given the way things work in India, I would say that is not optimism. That is an unbelievable fantasy!
Just building one fly-over involves so much bureaucracy and delays. How can we hope that a big project like the metro rail will happen on schedule, let alone an aggressive schedule? We have seen how just one fly-over construction disrupts surrounding traffic and life in Bangalore city. I am scared to imagine what a 33 km construction would do to the city!
The Phoenix Metro Rail can be a model for the Bangalore Metro Rail on how things should really be done. I highly recommend my readers to check out the Phoenix Metro Rail's website. Take time to navigate the site, check all the details, right down to the animated simulation, the community outreach, the marketing efforts, etc. I have personally seen some of the construction efforts and how it is handled so that there is minimum inconvenience to existing traffic and businesses. They have come out with marketing and promotional programs to help businesses along the rail tracks, which are affected by the construction.
The volume and depth of information available on the Phoenix Metro Rail's website gives us an idea of how well the project is coming along. More important, it provides us important information and confidence in the project. Contrast that with the Bangalore Metro Rail's website.
I am born and brought up in Bangalore. I love it as much as any localite or immigrant to Bangalore. The purpose of this post is not to spread pessimism or to criticize for the sake of criticizing. As I mentioned in a previous post on NRI Nationalism, we can learn a lot from seeing how things are done in other places and countries. There will probably be more comparative posts in the future, about the Bangalore and Phoenix Metro Rail projects. I hope this series of posts will spark healthy debates and discussions, will be informative to all the stakeholders of the project(s) and will help in a small (or a big) way towards providing a great train service to the urban commuters.
Related link: Bangalore Metro Rail Watch
NEW DELHI: In what will come as a big relief for Bangalore residents, who have to grapple with clogged roads every day, Union cabinet on Thursday approved the Metro rail project for the city.
Emerging out of the cabinet meeting, Union urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy said the Rs 6,395-crore project, to be completed by 2011, would cover a length of 33 km in two corridors.
That is good news. However, I can't help but wonder if the 2011 target date for completion of the first phase of the project is too ambitious and unrealistic.
Yes, it is good to have a positive outlook. Nobody wants to be pessimistic. But having seen the saga of the Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (not to mention the many fly-over stories of Bangalore), is there anything at all to give us real hopes that the project will be completed on time? A 33 km urban railway which runs above ground, below ground and on the ground to be completed in 5 years in India? Yeah, right!
Let's compare the Bangalore Metro Rail project to the Phoenix Metro Rail project, which is in the contruction stage right now. The two projects together make a great comparative case study because they are both contemporary urban rail systems, covering the same distance (33 kms ~ 20 miles).
The first phase of the Phoenix Metro Rail project from "right of way acquisition" to inauguration is taking eight years in a country like the US. Construction phase alone spans about 4 years. And as far as I know, the Phoenix metro rail has no underground segment.
Can we really believe that the Bangalore Metro rail will be completed in 5 years, after receiving the "cabinet nod" just now? Given the way things work in India, I would say that is not optimism. That is an unbelievable fantasy!
Just building one fly-over involves so much bureaucracy and delays. How can we hope that a big project like the metro rail will happen on schedule, let alone an aggressive schedule? We have seen how just one fly-over construction disrupts surrounding traffic and life in Bangalore city. I am scared to imagine what a 33 km construction would do to the city!
The Phoenix Metro Rail can be a model for the Bangalore Metro Rail on how things should really be done. I highly recommend my readers to check out the Phoenix Metro Rail's website. Take time to navigate the site, check all the details, right down to the animated simulation, the community outreach, the marketing efforts, etc. I have personally seen some of the construction efforts and how it is handled so that there is minimum inconvenience to existing traffic and businesses. They have come out with marketing and promotional programs to help businesses along the rail tracks, which are affected by the construction.
The volume and depth of information available on the Phoenix Metro Rail's website gives us an idea of how well the project is coming along. More important, it provides us important information and confidence in the project. Contrast that with the Bangalore Metro Rail's website.
I am born and brought up in Bangalore. I love it as much as any localite or immigrant to Bangalore. The purpose of this post is not to spread pessimism or to criticize for the sake of criticizing. As I mentioned in a previous post on NRI Nationalism, we can learn a lot from seeing how things are done in other places and countries. There will probably be more comparative posts in the future, about the Bangalore and Phoenix Metro Rail projects. I hope this series of posts will spark healthy debates and discussions, will be informative to all the stakeholders of the project(s) and will help in a small (or a big) way towards providing a great train service to the urban commuters.
Related link: Bangalore Metro Rail Watch
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