If.... then....?

Been wondering. Suppose there is a trailer truck on a straight highway, going at a certain speed, carrying about 12 cars. Say, all the cars suddenly vanish into the thin air. If everything else remains the same (speed, path, wind direction, force etc.) the truck's speed should increase - innit?

Comments welcome....

Nothing tastes better than a(n) ...

...bowl of Bikaneri Bhujia with a cup of tea.
...cup of hot tea in the morning.
...dosa with coconut chutney and sambhar.
...serving of hot roti sabzi that mom used to cook.
...plate of "Kabuli" that dad cooks.
...a toast with a cup of tea when you are VERY hungry.
..."Pakoras" on a rainy day.
..."Chholey-Chaat" prepared by a 'Khomchewala" standing by the side of the road.
...Idli with coconut chutney.
...plate of poha with Ratlami sev.
..."Shahi Samosa" from "Arora Namkins" in Jodhpur.
...Parle-G "biskuts" with a hot cup of tea.
...glass of sugarcane juice on a hot summer afternoon.
...cold watermelon slice.
...glass of cold cofee with icecream as dessert.
...plate of bread poha.
..."Gujhiya" on Holi day!!!

Update: I didn't realize anyone was reading my blog anymore (except my brother and husband) so didn't care to elaborate on the items mentioned in here. Here is an update describing each item briefly, to my best ability, for those who are interested. Those who aren't can skip this section. They can skip this post entirely as I know it isn't very funny. I treat this space as my "Comment/Thought/Vent Space" and come here just to relax and put down whatever might be running through my head at that time.

Bikaneri Bhujia - Fine, savory, spicey fried noodles made with lentil flour. A speciality of Rajasthan, a state in India - my home state. Bikaner is a city in Rajasthan where this wonderful snack originated.

Dosa - A thin crepe made of a slightly fermented batter consisting of lentil flour and rice flour. Fermentation gives it a distinctive slightly sour taste and a wonderful aroma. Sometimes a vegetable (like dry, stir-fried spicey potatoes) is rolled up in it. But tastes good even by itself - atleast to me.

Coconut chutney - A dipping sauce made of fresh, grated coconut. Has many other ingradients, but coconut is the main one.

Sambhar - A lentil soup with a log of veggies in it. A lot of special spices make it a very distinctive dish.

Roti - Indian flat bread made of whole wheat flour.

Sabzi - Vegetables. Mostly any vegetable cooked with Indian spices and herbs.

Kabuli - A special "rice-pilaf". Very rich (in that it has a lot of dry fruits in it) and very filling. But, oddly, I could never have enougvh of it - even if I were bursting at the seams after having eaten a LOT!

Pakoras - Vegetable fritters. Vegetables (like potatoes sliced very thin, cauliflower, onions, spinach and almost every other vegetable you can think of) are dipped into a batter of roasted chickpea flour (mixed with other spices and herbs, ofcourse!) and deep fried. A rainy day is still a very good excuse to start frying these golden, crispy little nuggets. Go well with a steaming hot cup of tea.

Chholey-Chaat - Chholey : Chickpeas cooked Indian style i.e. with spices and herbs. Chaat: Potato patties, covered with chholey and other spicey and/or sweet-sour condiments. ("Khomchewala") :A street vendor with a small stall along the roadside.

Idli - Small Lentil flour+Rice flour cakes steamed. The batter for these is very similar to that for a Dosa. It is fermented too which gives it a distinct aroma and taste.

Poha- OK, I am having difficulty coming up with a description for this :P "Poha" is just boiled rice grains flattened and dried. Then you just gently wash them and cook them with a blend of spices and herbs. Washing makes them fluffy. A very popular breakfast dish in some parts of Middle India (like Madhya Pradesh - my husband's home state).

Ratlami sev - "Ratlam" is a city in Madhya Pradesh. "Ratlami Sev" are so called because they were first made there (I guess) and to my knowledge, you don't find them outside of Madhya Pradesh. I ALWAYS bring back loads of them from my trip to India. They are spicey, fried noodles made with roasted chickpea flour, much like "Bikaneri Bhujia" mentioned above. but the two are very different in taste in you couldn't replace one with another :D I like both.

Shahi Samosa - "Shahi" means "fit for royalty". Samosa is a savory, deep-fried to a crispiness, snack, made of whole-wheat flat-bread filled with a spicey filling of boiled, mashed potatoes. It is usually triangular in shape. Tastes great on its own or with a sweet condiment like ketchup.

Parle-G "biskuts" (Biscuits) - Cookies VERY famous in India. Supposedly very rich in calcium :D I loved them as a kid and my daughther loves them now. Having these cookies with a cup of tea (you dunk them in the tea) on weekend afternoon is a ritual in our family :)

bread poha - See the description for "poha" above. Instead of the rice flakes, you use fresh bread crumbs (not dried) for this. Is an acquired taste I guess - I haven't come across many people who like it. I used to crave this dish when I was pregnant - nothing else! Cooked it at 1 in th morning one time :))

Gujhiya (Holi day) - Ooooooooh! This is my favorite-est!! It is a little bit like empanadas - a semi-circular, deep-fried, crisp sweet filled with a mixture of "mava" (milk boiled and stirred until it dries up into a thick mass that you can no longer stir :D), coconut flakes, sugar, dried fruit flakes (like almonds and cashew nuts) and a whole lot of other goodies. Requires one to be an excellent cook before you can even think of cooking it (in my opinion. There are very few cooks who can cook these to my liking). "Holi Day" is a special festival in India, very close to my heart as I have many fond memories of it, but disliked by many others because it can get very messy and rowdy (well that is a part even i don't like - rowdy I mean). People have fun coloring each other with colors(dry as well as water-based) on this day. This is supposed to be a celebration of the completion of the harvesting season. There are many other meanings associated with it - won't go into them as this post is about FOOD :D

Que Sera Sera, whatever will be will be...

I am in a reflective mood today. An hour and half trip to New Jersey (and another 1 1/2 hrs back) does it to me. I think a lot and that is the time I and my husband talk the most. Maybe because there are no chores or TV programs to distract us. Pathetic, isn't it? :)

Anyway, today I was thinking of (some) things that could have been. Like how I always wanted to be a career woman, and then had to go without a job for over 5 years. And now my career is just starting. How I always wanted three kids, for instance, with very little age difference (maybe 15-18 months apart - I know I wasn't thinking straight when I wished that!). What happened in reality? I have one daughter - 6 1/2. I never thought I and my husband would leave his parents' house (we lived in a joint family) and here we are - in Ummreeca :P I was thinking all this and then this song began playing in my head - "When I was just a little girl..........". Haven't been able to get rid of it since :( I do that a lot - think of the past and of things that could have been. Been trying to get rid of that habit - almmmmmost there!

A couple of weeks back, we went to see "Bunty and Babli". Liked it. But in the beginning I was worried about what message my daughter will pick up from the story. After all, she is only 6. Running away from home and living a fun life might seem fascinating. So, she comes to me today and says "You know? Every movie has a message in it for us!" "Really? What do you think this movie wanted to convey?" (We were listening to songs from "Bunty and Babli"). "Well, I think it says don't lie and don't trick people". Hmmm. I have been thinking - is my daughter seeing someone on the side for "parent advice"? I don't remember discussing this with her!!

So you want to know me a little better, do you?

Mint started it all here. I thought doing this would be fun. Besides, I haven't posted in a long time. Here goes....

1. I don’t smoke.
2. I don’t drink – maybe a glass of wine once every six months, but that’s it.
3. I don’t do drugs. Never have.
4. I wanted to smoke very badly once when I was in college. My husband (then my boyfriend) held me back. And I thank him for it now.
5. I like to read murder mysteries.
6. I like to watch thrillers/action-adventure movies.
7. I hate reality television.
8. I love romantic comedies.
9. “Step Mom” is one of my favorite movies.
10. I loooooooove shopping :)
11. I love driving, too.
12. 12 years after completing my Masters in Computer Management, I am still studying. I don’t think I shall ever stop studying. I enjoy it way too much.
13. I love my husband and my daughter very much.
14. I love and respect my parents very much.
15. My brother was my first, true best friend.
16. My husband is my confidante, best friend, pillar of support.
17. I still miss a lot of friends I lost touch with.
18. I love to cook.
19. I love to cook for people who love to eat.
20. I sometimes worry about my parents’ health, wondering if they will get the pleasure of watching my daughter grow up.
21. I am very career-oriented.
22. I am very loyal to my friends.
23. I like being by myself sometimes.
24. I like being with friends sometimes, too.
25. My idea of a nice evening is to have dinner with some close friends, sit around and talk or maybe play monopoly or scrabble. Oh, and the kids are already in bed!
26. When eating out, I am not an experimentalist – I like to stick with the choices that I have already tried and tasted.
27. I am an experimentalist when I cook.
28. I believe that being a “working-out-of-home” mom will make my daughter more independent.
29. I like to help people.
30. I would like to have a little more money (who wouldn’t?) but money isn’t “be all, end all” thing for me.
31. I was very depressed for over two years after my daughter was born – because of a number of factors. They included poor post-partum care and unemployment among other things.
32. When I was a kid, I was very ashamed of my big feet. With time, I learnt to counter criticism (directed at my feet) with “Tall buildings need big foundations”.
33. I am a survivor.
34. I don’t like participating in organized religion. I have religious beliefs, I am tolerant to others’ beliefs and I expect them to tolerate mine.
35. I don’t like politics so I behave like an ostrich where politics is concerned. Bury my head in sand…
36. For me it is very important that my daughter goes to college and has a good career.
37. I used to be a funny, bubbly person. Now I am just a little funny.
38. I regret not learning any musical instrument.
39. I grew up in a desert town.
40. I used to sketch. Now I don’t.
41. I believe terrible parenting begets terrible kids. A kid has to have one good influence in his/her life.
42. Rudeness leaves me speechless. I come up with a million answers to someone’s rude comment five days later : (
43. I feel I am blessed to have my daughter. She is a great kid.
44. When I was pregnant, I wanted a girl and I wanted her to be born in the month of October. Desparately. Why? I don’t know. Both my wishes came true. (My due date was November 9th and my daughter was born on October 31st).
45. I love spending money on books.
46. I don’t listen to many English songs. Absolutely know nothing about western music and am not ashamed in saying so.
47. I am trying to get more knowledgeable about western music. I already know a LOT of nursery rhymes ;)
48. I love western novels. Specially those authored by Loius La’Amour.
49. I make new friends very slowly and break old friendships slower-ly. (If I have to)
50. I still haven’t told you a lot of things about me!! Maybe next time…