FDC

FDC was introduced to me as 'Fresh Decoction Coffee' by my MIL. I remember how my dad and mom went on a religious 'trial and error' method to choose the best coffee powder available in the neighbourhood when we moved from Trichy to Chennai. Now married and settled in mumbai, I feel blessed to get the coffee, that tastes just as good as the one that I used to drink at Chennai, at my in laws place too.

The typical ratio of chicori to coffee powder we use is 1:10 and we allow about 3/4 of a cup (am referring to a standard stainless steel tumbler used in indian homes) of boiled water to trickle down through 3 teaspoonful of this coffee blend. FDC is prepared by adding the first extract of the coffee blend with fresh boiled milk at a proportion that would give the final coffee a pleasing light brown colour that any coffee lover would know.

Now the tricky part is to collect the decoction real quick. I was very impressed by my MIL's tip on this - she places a fork into the powder in the filter to hasten the dripping of the extract - a very handy tip that helps you prepare a nice strong coffee for your guests in just 5 minutes.

With the rains on and the whiff of hot bhajia from the canteen greeting me, here i leave from work with a pack of onion bhajia my family would love having with their cup of evening coffee at home.

Men, Food and Sex!

This morning's paper quotes an Australian study that has declared 'Men prefer Food to Sex'...Now - That doesn't surprise me! Have they not just rediscovered the good old saying - 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach'. A bit of googling showed me that the phrase owes its origin to the American statesman John Adams who wrote in a letter in 1814, 'The shortest road to men's hearts is down their throats,' and about three decades later recoined by Richard Ford in 'A Handbook for Travellers in Spain'(1845) as 'The way to many an honest heart lies through the belly.' - So that, my husband A says, justifies his own belly - he is super honest and hence his beer belly! A, you are just incorrigible.

I wonder how prominent and celebrated facts like this one can be reported as recent findings by the papers! And as a matter of fact - dont you have to energise yourself sufficiently to have sex - that again lets me realize how beautifully human body has been programmed by Nature, the Unbeatable! Now if you are a fitness freak and also sexually active, you may want to check out this very exhaustive American study.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Liked the movie. Left us curious to learn how they have played around with the actors' looks - should be a very intelligent mix of make up and digital tricks. Hope the movie serves as a great model to look up for the creative minds back in India whose recent experiments in the name of 'Innovation in Make up' did not live up to the expectations. CCBB would be an interesting watch for movie buffs. The story unfolds to let you know something very beautiful - "Unconditional Love" gently sinks in, grows, understands, waits, surrenders and truly truly cares. So, go watch it with your loved one!

My first post ;)

As many debut bloggers do, I was wondering where to start ...And here I go nattering my way into the blogosphere….about the ‘school-college-work’ phase that all of us are bound to grow through.

School
Tiruchirapalli. A small town in Tamil Nadu, lovingly called as "Trichy". Grew up here for 12 long years and the mere mention of the place brings loads and loads of sweet memories of those innocent days. Never had the chance to explore all corners of this serene and calm town as had to move out of the place for my college. From discovering interests such as music and math to finding fun in playing and yakking with friends, its been a bracing childhood journey. People who have been intentionally and inadvertently shaping up your personality - your doting parents, relatives, loving teachers, friends bring in a chaste nostalgia which only those early seminal years can give you.

College
Chennai. What I hate about Chennai are its dented roads! My recent visit to the city only reinstated this fact! Well, but there is a pretty long list out there of things that I loved to do with the pocket money I was spared with as a student - Hang out: Marina, Eliots, Spencers, ECR; Food: Sambar idli - ras malai @Ratna Cafe, Adai aviyal @Grand Sweets, Jalebi, Dahi papadi @Gangotri, Mini tiffin @Shri Krishna, Biriyani @Ponnusamy, Bajji @beach, Coffee @Sarava Bhavan; Movies: Any damn air conditioned theatre but never missed a Rajini, Mani Ratnam, Sanjay Leela Bansali movie for sure. So what if the roads are bad, the city is one of the most pleasurable places in India to be in for your college - IF you can survive the blazing heat of the summers.

Work
Mumbai. I have never felt so safe (and touchwood!) about traveling late in any other city before...this city only gets brighter and busier by every passing hour of the day. Be it the countless rickshaws and taxis or the overflowing trains, am sure no other city in India offers its residents with such fairly priced public transport options for dailly commute. I have often landed up in numerous confrontations with Chennai autowalas over the excessive fares they charge. Now, I just could'nt stop admiring the rickshawalas here when they give that 1 rupee balance they owe to the hirer back in all earnesty! Yes, am all awe for the place and almost bragging about my new place of living to allll my buddies!

And yo....finally, I have started blogging!