Truce

Today when issues are discussed and reasons dug out from the forgotten pages of history which is replete with sad experiences and traumas of the women and therefore solutions worked upon i think some things will remain unresolved forever. The best example can be this penchant for the color of the skin which looks white and fair.
Stupidity arises when we are forced upon to change ourselves in a way defying our basic constitutions over which we have no control.
i turned to check what was the latest by friends and family on FB and what do i see...
Looking and reading too good to be true. This appealing with it's rich purple fruit a promotion ad about Acai Berry. There are various ads bordering the edges but what piqued my anxiety/curiosity was that it was on top of the page and that it was liked by a school friend. A friend who is successful in her career and is wow wowed on Facebook but is vehemently criticized in reality outside the FB for becoming hopelessly out of shape . Words and explanations about its miracle on Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutt...post pregnancy all i read diligently after i had clicked to the hyperlinked area see more.

The first words that silently escaped into the universe like an invisible prayer was, Thank Heavens a couple at least happened...who are not promoting this or anything which even remotely borders to weight reduction.
Two is no number in the teeming millions but thank God they are there now and if i could i would plant with delight the thank you hugs and kisses on the two...Vidya Balan and although had to go with weight reduction but nevertheless not anorexic but full enough to be a typical Indian beauty, Sonakshi Sinha.

Now i don't know how they have reacted to all when they were addressed to as fat but if i start penning down right from the time i can remember of all associated with the same of mine i think my blog would start looking like a novel. A novel very few would even care to glance and maybe i'd have to pay to get it published because i'm not as prolific and as assertive on issues as a novelist should be.

But thanks to the way the beauty of the Indian female body is projected across through these two beautiful women i feel free of the remorse as to why i have a low BMI. More from that feeling that made me pity my healthy self all my life. i had accepted the premise sadly no matter how rebellious towards it i was.
Illogical/irrational though it may sound that unwittingly people are cruel to those who are healthy. For i have been a victim of prejudices right from the day when i was an infant to being a small kid and my elder brother had nicknamed me MOTAKS ( Mota in Hindi meaning fat).

Free also of the pain from a knee injury that saw me almost bedridden for about a month and a half. Can't express enough the exasperation of being a temporary paraplegic with THE husband and THE irritable in his temperament most of the times octogenarian Dad breathing down my neck 24/7 with all the do's and don'ts. As if being imprisoned in a restricted area is not enough, as if the pain and discomfort in doing simple things is not enough. No no! i don't decry their care and concern rather for a healthy all her life who craved attention and pampering this could have been it. Alas!

A lesson learnt though while i was recuperating. Healthy all their life are still treated with the same prejudices accident or no accident. Taken for granted most of the time to take care of all and sundry like a female wrestler. Here too the culprit could be the healthy glow that never abandoned the face no matter how stressed/ tired/ in pain she was.
Or perhaps you are at a disadvantage when your threshold for enduring pain and staying put is slightly higher than the rest in your family.
And you are not yelling your pain out and bearing it with much stoicism.
Even when you've had a complex flap tear in the Posterior Horn of The Meniscus and you are experiencing excruciating pain in the affected area and your entire leg feels out of control.

There has to be some emaciated generally look to present a ' Poor You' else when Forever Healthy do get sick or have an accident a lot many accusations are hurled upon along with endless unwarranted advises.
None! mind you! none would be willing to take some responsibility in running the house like it should be when the female wrestler has had an accident. Instead-
All that will rain incessantly is accusations of how callous you could be, followed by assumed from Heaven knows where reasons of why or how the injury happened to be, falsified analysis, endless discussions about your body type... . Uff! it's so unbearable but you are made to undergo all that because you are not thin.
Yes also finally painful limping from one doctor to the other till  the renowned specialist reiterates that surgery is the only way.

You might feel like shrieking out in rebellion when a lie is propagated on your behalf. That you fell off from a stool. When the fact of the matter was that you tried getting on a stool without support and you heard something snapping followed by intense pain.
You will get sick and tired of hearing, " Reduce your weight" and " Physiotherapy exercises at least for 30 minutes four times a day." This when the person on whom these are dropped like missiles can't even move her snapped something- inside- the- knee leg.
One is then grateful to the various hospitals that Motaks was going to for they seemed so much kinder to her than her own folks who took her there. For at once a kind paramedic would be ready to wheel her around the moment he/she saw the poor healthy lady struggling with her limp and in intense pain.

What perhaps could make your loved one so cruel is something that could be attributed to you being overweight according to the standards set by the slim and thin is perfect body world. But this beating round the bush when a simple decision could have relieved you from pain and discomfort is UNFORGIVING. Specially from those from whom you need some understanding/ sympathy for your pain and discomfort. These your own who won't know the difference or rather will not want to know the difference between a sprain and tear, between ligament and muscles what to talk of between ligament and meniscus. All they ever know to be serious is a fracture and fracture is something that bones have and that is not only painful but apparent and requires proper treatment and care.
No amount of showing them the light can or will work because neither will have the concern nor the patience for the ' Indulgent... Sloppy...' you to understand the anatomy and reason well enough that the doctor is not asking for surgery unnecessarily.

Rather sometimes you will get to hear comments like this, " The doctors are asking for surgery because they make more money out of it...these days it's the general procedure..." or
You might be yelling in pain when you have to turn over and instead you will be advised, " Why don't you try to do some simple exercise like this...physiotherapy is the only way..."
This and many other on similar lines hurt and the pain is worse than that you would be having on your knee.

Secretly then you start wishing that instead of the meniscus tearing why didn't the femur or the tibia break into two pieces instead to give you an elephant's leg. It would be very evident as your pain then can be seen/felt by one and all . Why did the snapping happen to be an invisible one, one that isn't evident to the naked eye. Although sometimes  in your anger and seething from within with all that hurt happening in your healthy soul you might also wish something like this, " Wait till something snaps somewhere in you too...and then when you are in pain i shall happily give it all back to you..."

Other times there will be comments from quarters quite elderly and you least expect that from the one you trusted would have more empathy/sympathy and respect for you. Comments so embarrassing and you feel like limppearing (limp and disappear) into the closet. Embarrassing you to kill yourself words like this, " You ought to have been more careful...your girth is wide...aren't you aware that your lower half is quite heavy..."

i've heard this phrase Fat-Phobic World but what beats me is why or how people start being contemptuous of their own race. i wonder if this is the case in Japan, China and elsewhere in the world were all bodies are different and definitely not Anglo-Saxon.
There is a recent craze that has gripped most of the young ladies in our country where they all want to look like the bulimic, anorexic models that walk the ramp in Paris. The recent fad being to have thighs with gap. Which actually means having legs that look uniform all over.

My own pictures from halcyon days to now tell me that i have the typical Indian Woman body. But it's taken two beautiful and successful ladies in modern times to convince me how beautiful, elegant, graceful that is.
i hope this prejudice, criticism, contempt for the Indian figure stops once for all and that we start respecting our own form. The so called perfected bodies that look painfully thin rather than it looking healthy has more to it than meets the eye. Some like Anushka Sharma and blessings to her goodness when in one of her interviews she honestly says that although she works out regularly to keep her stamina up she has a naturally high BMI there are others who become leaders in dismissing/ disregarding the Indian body and for reasons that may be important to them opt for what is known as Size Zero. Never knew that zero had so much value standing on its own.
Are they least bit aware of what they are encouraging. That they are in a way responsible for perpetuating the stupidity and the already existing cruelty. More on to the minds and psyche of the young generations who perhaps will soon dismiss and disregard the most original and pure aspect in a woman's life called Motherhood.

Healthy Forever like us are falsely accused of indulgence, disease, depressed, disregard for personal dignity...and demonised for our size and sometimes even insulted and often discriminated upon.

i still feel like crying when i picture this from childhood, " No! No! don't give her ghee ( clarified butter) in her rice...or how i was handed out plain toasts instead of a buttered one or 4-5 cashews while my brother/sister got a bowl full just because i was not thin like them.
BTW my younger sister and my brother who can gorge endlessly on cheese, butter and ghee sport a Anushka Sharma body, still. And denied myself of all the good things all my life i am still the one whom the healthy-phobic world calls FAT.
i might be having my first meal of the day and someone sitting on the table will promptly offer illogical/ stupid advise. Like this one from my sickly thin cousin, " Munni tumko rice nahin khana chahiyae!'' ( Munni you should not be eating rice)
i feel like hurling his own plate so overflowing with everything at his face. Then curse my own body before i eat but stick to eating rice instead of substituting it with chapatis more with vengeance at what i was forbidden to eat even though the joy of having a family meal together had flown out of the window of the dining room for me.

i had hastily scribbled this in my diary one day. Some statistic to slap on the face of those who mocked me. One of the e-paper version of The Guardian of a study led by senior scientist Katherine Flegal of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. That people in the overweight category of 25-30 BMI demonstrate a lower death rate than their peers who are of normal weight. i presume by normal to be thin or what they call slim nowadays.
So i am telling myself and the rest who might be facing the same predicament as me to dispel all doubts and to finally forge a truce with themselves.

Also this could be relevant for Sonakshi Sinha and all the rest like me who are forced/ tempted by Acai Berry and all the rest including the various trips to body sculpting saloons to think twice before taking simple or drastic steps to change what you are blessed with. The same study also demonstrated that stable weight causes far less stress to the heart than going up and down the scales in weight.

So lets feel happy with what we are. It's not whether you want to live long or die young. But try and respect yourself by maintaining a healthy glow rather than getting a figure that looks thin but all charm gone out like a sucked out of it's juices Chus lee a term coined rhyming with Bruce lee meaning looking like a fruit skin devoid of it's juices and rich pulp. Something like how Sri Devi's face looks in the movie English Vinglish. Trust me on this compare her baby doll full look with her worked out to thin body and you will know what i mean.

To all those who keep prodding you to eat this and do that feel confident and free to dismiss them like a fly that buzzed by.
And if perchance you get this notion of being a blot on the landscape of sleek and slim open the computer and type Images Vidya Balan in Cannes on the Google search box or else
Simply say this to yourself- Curve is interesting and Flat oh! so boring...shrug your shoulders and just move on. Move on with pride and confidence saying to yourself, " Hey i'm curvaceous, interesting and oh! so voluptuous!"
Who knows this could be the prayer thrown to the universe and having something like size zero body might become history too...

                                                        http://phoebedawson.blogspot.in/

It's a Gal Thing

i often imagine my man to be a unicorn of a special kind.
A unicorn with automatic blinders on. The kind which pops in and later pops out of his face as and when it suits/ pleases him.
When mundane chores require vision he is the unicorn with his blinders on. Never knowing the whereabouts of his own personal effects. Can't even spot his flip flops which is very much there where it should be.
But when it comes to browsing/window shopping in a mall gone are the blinders rather he seems to get his third eye miraculously opened up what to talk of the x rated vision of the existing two.
It doesn't disturb me till he is attentive but there are times when i feel like i just said something to the six foot wall which cannot/ will not elicit response then i do what i'm best at...sulk first and when provoked in the ride back home shout and sometimes even cry out to my hearts content in the privacy of the car. A few apologies coupled with a few angry reproaches from my side and we are back to pretending to be chummy friends forever again. But to be honest...the pain of not being sexy/attractive enough to keep holding his attention remains, lurking in the crevices/ folds of the brain asking for changes in your whole physical being. The change that will require nothing less than a miracle.
Well that is one major uff factor which makes me hate my body even more. As if whatever reasons there were before was not enough.

For years now i have wondered how or why hubby dear can't get a single proper thing i asked for when he shops alone is because he never pays attention to all our grocery/ provision shopping together. He lurks around the vicinity happily shopping for something imaginary. i'm grateful that he pays the bill but c'mon what kind of a man irritates you to hell when you've asked him to get the regular paancphoren...asking you dumb questions as to what kind he is supposed to get when returning from the Supermarket where he has gone to get his particular brand of aftershave-alone. i tear my hair in despair wailing as if declaring to the universe my helpless plea- 29 years of home shopping together and he doesn't know what five spice a hardcore Bihari uses for the regular aloo ka bhujiya his the only one favorite he cannot do without.
Maybe it's a guy thing but then why i never mess up on the things my man needs or uses when i shop alone and i am able to deliver without fail or any faults each and every time is perhaps the gal thing. From the toiletries to the side of the bed he feels comfortable in to the way he likes his parathas done...
The unicorn complains that i'm never satisfied with what he brings and my answer is a standard one always, " That's not what i had asked for..."

And that's what my blog is about...the guy vs the gal thing. And what brought it all up was this wee bit of an article about men in the Sunday edition of the special feature of Times Life (TOI).

The wee bit article i would love to quote, ' Why he has a roving eye...' . Well that's the sub title of that which reads under ' Men Decoded '.
So then this is it i say to myself which partly explains this guy thing of having a third eye aka the roving eye. The COOLIDGE EFFECT., i.e. their urge to reproduce with multiple partners!..."
"According to the findings of a study by researchers at the University of Stirling and the University of Glasgow in the UK, men can't help staring at other women because their wandering eye is the result of evolution...''
The Coolidge Effect dispelled the erstwhile composure/ temperament i had maintained all this while.
That they are perhaps just too curious about the bird in the bush than being attentive to or perhaps appreciating the bird in hand. That perhaps this too was a typical guy thing and i can't do anything about it. Temporarily maybe sulk and later shout/cry OR else chuckle with delight to know what Bernice did. As if Bernice did what she did was purely on my/our behalf.

But the fact that there is a logical reasoning to this guy thing has it satisfied me and made me okay with it i must admit my answer leans towards the negative and i feel pained rather infuriated too. Actually it has annoyed me well enough to exclaim with exasperation," Evolution! my foot! two hoots to that crap...***%%*#####..."
Bernice needs to understand it too that her solution is not a permanent one. And that she needs to work on a better solution. For me, for all of us.
The Coolidge Effect better have another Warmidge Effect counteracting it to explain and make us woman accept the truth with a kinder heart and not blame our men for philandering even when it is an imagined and quite harmless one. i was attracted to this wee bit of article carelessly tucked into the border of page 3 of Times Life because i thought the article might give me some enlightenment which can make me come to terms with this guy thing just like how i have with the others. Wonder about the how and why's, throw hopeless gestures of despair and still move on. But unless i get a valid explanation and it better be more digestible than this i will continue to treat this Coolidge thing as yet another of those which one day says potato is not good for you and the very next day supposed to be so full of nutrients and everything.
Till then i shall continue to be just the gal i am...

Viva ! Artocarpus lakoocha

i have travelled quite a lot...although virtually though to find what i had been looking for so long. That tete e tete i had with Sanjoo yesterday formed an integral part of my travel and long after he had gone i searched the internet seeking out the fruits and the trees he had talked about. i guess knowing the vernacular name has its disadvantages. Thus finally before i signed off i typed , ' lesser known fruits ' on my Google search box. Once again i started on another journey which took me to the US, UK , Malaysia and Indonesia. Found a couple of what i had been looking for. The text book aka the scientific names of kafal and one other. Won't say i was bang on to all the six fruits he had talked about instead i had enough for the hungry to know more of two if not six. Nobaad nobaad at all. It sufficed for the time being for i was enriched with not only the nutritional value but also the brilliant sights of the plant/ tree/ shrubs. Satisfied and before hitting the sack i sensed the same intuition...of being able to find my own burhar sooner than i have expected. Probably because i knew exactly now which path to take.

This morning saw me with that hurrah moment. My Burhar was always there where it should have been all the time. The culprit was the vernacular name...and sadly there were no posts with that name. Bihar the place of my birth and growth has four major local dialects. The Bhojpuri being the most well-known. But then there is Magahi, Angika and the sweetest of them all Mythili. i hail from the Bhagalpur district and that part of Bhagalpur which speaks Angika. One peculiarity of Angika being using R instead of L in their dialect. Thus peela meaning color yellow is Peera, kela meaning banana is Kera, jhola meaning bag is Jhora and similarly katahal meaning jackfruit is Katahar so on and so forth.
Thus the reason my travelling round the various sites was not giving the desired result. All along i had been searching for burhar pronounced bur + her = burhar when as a matter of fact it was Burhal . The enlightenment and thus this reasoning dawned upon me only after i had typed, ' lesser known fruits of India '. There it was...the picture of  the tree, it's broad leaved foliage and many delightfully clear images of the forgotten fruit. Bumpy and folded from outside and visually so appealing from the inside which is the edible part. Not only that but other information about the taste, the nutritional value and why it is getting rarer. i wish i could copy paste the picture here on my page but ever since i did my post on Shami tree and a gentleman was just too annoyed when i had used his picture with the source i think it would be best if i provide the link where Burhal/ Barhal can be seen and read about.
However i shall not let go the opportunity of using the free resource. So my Barhal looks like this.

now i am waiting for Sanjoo to be back from his holidays. Then i will ask him if he knows the tree and the taste of Burhal . Will remember to ask the name in his own Kumaoni language.
i  wonder if Mr Prasoon Joshi and many like him who still cherish memories of their childhood fruits...if they know the taste of this tangy fruit. the fibers of which look similar in texture to jackfruit but so brilliant in color what to talk of the juicy, sweet and sour feel to the palate. Something which is pleasant in smell and tastes somewhat like a kiwi...

As for me i feel fortunate that my Burhar exists and is thriving not only in India but has traveled too. From India to the other countries. Specially South Asia and that it is commonly known as Monkey Jack/ Emerald Jack also sounding so cute- Lakoocha.

Also grateful and deeply indebted to all the good souls who have launched posts on my Burhar/Burhal complete with shots and lots of information that i was bereft of all these days. My sincere thanks to Professor Deepa Dwivedi of http://www.cropsforthefuture.org/ and her article ' Barhal, a little-known fruit from northern India'. Had it not been for her article and thus the knowledge that i obtained of my Burhar i would not have had such an enriching journey. Through her post i learnt the scientific name Artocarpus lakoocha and the ride from then on was such a smooth one. Of the kind that not only excited me but also refreshed the bored to silence and sulking me.
Need to thank blogger Catherine Reddy for her ' All About Lakoocha' at theindianvegan.blogspot.in whose blog nourished by feeding the dil maange more me. ( heart wants)

Finally but most importantly Mr Spencer Woodard in his weblog called 'anthropogen' does much more than giving facts alone. His blog inspires. The amazing work done by him in his weblog is an ideal  for bloggers like me who blog not only for sharing the knowledge/ experience they would've gained but also for the sake of preservation and contribution. i wish one day i am rich enough to contribute with the same commitment and passion as he has done and is still doing in all possible ways. i take this opportunity in quoting his words, " I am interested in the history of human relationships with plants and how the ever-changing state of these relationships has affected the ways in which our species interacts with and influences larger ecological systems in our midst."
My journey which started first with Sanjoo and later with Professor Deepa Dwivedi traversing many on Artocarpus lakoocha and Catherine Reddy came a full circle with Mr Spencer Woodard at http://anthropogen.com/2008/05/05/unidentified-fruit-orange-bumpy/

Right now reliving the memories of that journey is delighting me the same way as when one enjoys photos of the journey taken after hitting base. Another great feeling is like i have accomplished something. If not for humanity sakes but for myself and my heart sings with joy to know that what i thought had gone extinct is very much alive and kicking.

Before i quit i want to share the environment anthem of the 70's from Joni Mitchell once again. Not before quoting her words, " I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song. "



                                                         - : Image Courtesy :-
                                       From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

Kafal and where art thou Burhar

Sometimes it amazes me to realize that my country is so rich in variety. Rich with many many of that of which i don't have the faintest idea about. Other times there is this half hearted desire to just pack a few necessary belongings and start on a journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. To know and get an idea of all things existing and more about those which might not exist. Sure one gets interested in holding on to some if not all of that which will be lost forever. Rituals, culture, art, birds, trees, plants and last but not the least the lesser known bounties of nature savored through the palate and the sight.

Then one fine day as you dedicate your time to read an article about the person you admire tremendously as a writer the urge becomes like a longing and you get serious about doing something.
The article an interview of the most admired poet/composer/jingle ad man in which he goes down memory lane to talk about how he matured as a poet then composer and now a very inspiring story teller. All of his narration kept me attentive to what he had to say about his journey but what stopped me in my tracts was this word Kafal. Just for anyone who would care to know i am talking about none other than Mr Prasoon Joshi.
Reminiscing he says," I lived amidst nature and always ate this wild fruit called Kafal. The fruit was getting extinct and there was no reason for anyone to save it. But those are the ways of nature, when it tells you, through murmurs, if you want to listen. Today, it is shouting out loud. But when the kafal was disappearing, no one heard it. I could hear it every time i went back. I had memories of my parents plucking Kafals for me. ..."

Now i have memories of this weird rather some may call it ugly looking but delightful to eat fruit of my childhood. In appearance somewhat like cheekoo ( Sapodilla) although not uniformly round but rather having bumps and folds with exactly the same texture and color of the skin of Cheekoo. A fruit called in colloquial as Burhar in my own homestate Bihar. The tree huge with broad leaves and the fruit delicious with it's sweet and sour taste. Juicy fibres, orangish golden with a stony seed inside. i have searched the Internet in vain and still searching...for the tree...for some pictures of the fruit. Someone told me about the tree still existing somewhere but as for the fruit none of the markets including small town village markets have it anymore. Any place i visit which still has forests and is renowned for it's wide variety i keep asking the locals about this fruit but my questions at best give me countenances which are trying to figure out the structure of that mysterious fruit the hyper lady is talking about. Some the very elderly have confirmed about my memory and it pleases me to see an affirmative nod but they too feel helpless in guiding me to the where . Thus i am led to presume that just like Kafal, Burhar has gone or going extinct too.

This time though Mr Prasoon Joshi's Kafal made me turn towards my own boy Friday Sanjay Singh Negi instead of Mr Google. Young sweet chap who is attentive and quite amused by this Madam of his who is always quizzing him on not only for the local names of flora but also about the lesser known fruits of the hills and tales of his childhood spent in his homeland. He belongs to Uttarakhand too. i simply love the glow on his face and that smile that seems innocently angelic like a child when he talks about some of those. Thus Hisaalu, Kirmodi, Kilmoda, Mehal, Ghigharu...and something of the fruit of which they played with called Baanjh.

Meet Mr Sanjay Singh Negi although when i call for him it's always Sanjoo instead of Sanjay. i asked him to choose one pic of his from his mobile and send it to me and this is what he sent. Although the neon heart is predominant and the pic has none of those expressions that i'm talking about it suffices for the time being to have him here as i ask about Kafal and the rest.

Sanjoo

Sanjoo speaks about Kafal fondly too and i am indeed indebted for he guided me to not only where to find it for the time being but also the correct local pronunciation too which is kaa + phal = kaaphal
So i happily present Kaaphal thanks to Sanjoo and  http://uttarakhand-devbhoomi.blogspot.in

Me : Sanjoo this looks amazing tell me how it tastes...

Sanjoo: Madam it has a sweet and sour taste. The tree is a big tree and the fruit has to be eaten quickly or it starts sweating and becomes mushy. Just for an hour that's how much you can keep it. There is another one quite like it and it is called Hisaalu/ Hinsaar. Hisaalu is a creeper which looks like a rambling rose bush with thorns and serrated leaves but that from a distance. The fruit looks similar to Kaaphal but is golden yellow in color and aromatic too. Also even quicker to sweat and be mushy than Kaaphal...

Me : Does it taste like Phalsa ( Mulberry) it looks similar to that...

Sanjoo chuckles and shakes his head in the negative but he is not over yet. With a glint that conveys some sense of pride about his beautiful land and it's amazing bounties he tells me all he can remember of the fruits no longer to be seen but perhaps still existing in the forests at higher altitudes.

He sure has lots to enlighten me with as he carries on. i listen to him with rapt attention planning a journey too in my mind promising myself that i shall seek these that he is talking about out...at least till i can. Who knows that while tasting and knowing how to play with some fruits like Sanjoo i might have a reconnoiter with my own Burhar.

My attempt at doing something may be a selfish one...that to see, know and savor but in my own way this should be my first step. After all how will i take care to nurture that of which i have never known before. 

Thank you Prasoon Joshi jee (jee a respectable term in Hindi ) for introducing me to Kafal and sharing with me this love of all that is local. Also for opening the can of warmth which seems to melt that ice of formality and protocol and makes Sanjoo accept me as something more than just being the wife of  a senior officer only to be yes madam no madammed with. 

 Somehow i get this feeling that i'm going to find my very own Burhar soon.

An Eternal Relationship

What does one do when when the following happens :
*When you've been restricted in your movement for quite a long stretch and then given a green signal to roam free again-
* When the weather is hot and humid and none of the theater is showing movies worth your free time-
* When the only friend you can count on for company is indisposed-
* When you know you are not the mall trotting for nothing personality-
* When you are tired of reading and for a change wanted to do something else instead-
* When your enthusiasm for creativity is snuffed out due to lack of support and the cause attributed to circumstances which is beyond your control-
* Finally when in order to smile and laugh about @ Comedy Central you get glimpses of Masterchef on TV leaving you more and more in the lurch and despite the doctors warning you feel like going on a binge spree more in rebellion than anything else which perhaps might bring you closer to a Bypass.

You do JUST THAT.

1) So thus first i counted my blessings for being able to walk on my supposedly healthy two feet again.
2) Then before i could instruct my guide, my pal, my very patient and attentive Mr Khan who incidentally also drives me around i counted the amount i carried in my purse. Then without much ado i confidently said, " Geoffrey's please! " and happily sat in anticipation of my destination as he rolled on.

My association and loyalty to Geoffrey's goes way back to when i was in Chennai. The bar is good, the food suits me and moreover the ambiance and all that jazz does not drill a hole in the pocket of my purse. Mainly because i do it only once in a while and i love not only the cuisine but also the chestnut wood interiors. They play good music too with the volume kept just sufficient to let you chat in peace in case you are in company. Can't miss to mention the great time i had in Chennai at Geoffrey's when i was fortunate enough to hear and see Gary Lawyer perform live and sing some of my own requests.

Now it's predictable though what i order for exploring newer dishes is my forte.  i love food that not only is new for me but colorful too. A plate that looks akin to what they show on Masterchef. Some meat, some veggies, something of potatoes even if it is mashed all brought to you with some style in a stylish plate. Here too i am a medium explorer...my self abhorrence to some meats is typical of a non vegetarian who for reasons unknown/ unexplained/ illogical to her would not even lick the sauce of certain meats.
As for drinks i like to play it safe when i am alone.  i am daring when i have company and people who are connoisseurs suggest but when on my own i always ask for something i have tried before. Easily red wine. Makes a European meal look complete.

So as i sat soaking in the cozy atmosphere and admiring the decor once again while i had ordered my starter which was a dry Sesame Chicken and a common cocktail Cosmopolitan i sensed some joy inside me. Food/ drinks sure is a panacea for all evils perpetrated by circumstances or even otherwise.
On impulse and feeling a bit restless wishing someone was there to give me company i thought of taking a pic of that bartender who was making my cocktail and instead my vision got restricted to what i saw just in front. A few masquerade masks and the faking stained glass roof window above the bar shelf. Loved the cheery glow of the window, adding a pale sparkle to the wine glasses on the hanging rack.

Geoffrey's doesn't make you wait for your food for long. Rather they are very prompt and before i could review the picture that i took from my cellphone i had big crescent and a small moon of heaven before me.

i ought to have taken a proper picture first instead impatiently dropped my cellphone inside my handbag and dug into the heaven armed with the cutlery provided. Then suddenly conscious realizing that i might be presenting a pathetic picture of a ravenous glutton i paused and for want of anything better because i was dining alone i dug into my handbag again and brought out the cellphone again. Then some shots in random order were taken which gave me a presentable break from hogging the heaven all in one go.

Sesame Chicken

Chicken steak with potato wedges and veggies
Sesame chicken on my plate

Although i was able to enjoy every bit of the chicken steak that i had ordered i felt thrilled coming back home with a doggy pack of some 7-8 juicy from inside and crisp from outside Sesame chicken. Evening for the doggy me was taken care of.

For anyone who would want a peek into the chestnut interiors and know more i am privileged to pass on the link http://www.geoffreys.in/

A disclaimer though. i am not a food critic just a foodie who loves to eat. And when circumstances permit i go all the way of dining alone.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." George Bernard Shaw

Wonder how many people out there are like me...