Month: May 2014

Beverages To Keep You Cool This Summer

The 40 F plus temperatures, the scorching Sun, the long vacations, the sweaty bodies, the fast metabolism rates, the urge to sip-in or bite into something soothing – this and much more defines Summers. And here we are again! Can’t eat a whole lot at one go in Summers, the hunger pangs claw into your tummy post-dinner and post-lunch. What to sip? What to nibble? Something to cool you off! Something that would make Summers not just about bearable but enjoyable! These are the trademark summer-time cool-offs that we all look forward to and are always up for!

9. Carbonated Drinks/ Soda

Local Soda Shops are sprouting everywhere. They offer orange, kaala-khatta, lemon and various flavored sodas. There are bottled sodas and then there are packaged sodas! You can opt for the multinational variety of carbonated drinks too – be it cola or mango based. It sure feels good to feel that fizz in your mouth as the sun brews up the temperature around you. Open a can of happiness! Indeed!

8. Mocktails/ Cocktails

A concoction of few of your favourite drinks/items and you’ve got a mocktail/ cocktail in your hand. What’s more! It’s so easy that anyone can prepare one! You get to add everything you want, right from soda to that big jug of beer sitting snugly in your fridge! If you happen to be a teetotaler, you can always avoid the alcoholic beverages and opt for fresh fruit juices – pineapple, kiwi or sweet-lime. So get a glass of drink in your hand and get transported to a Hawaiian Beach this summer.

7. Milkshakes/ Smoothies

Bored of your glass of Bournvita? Want to add flavours to your drink? Go get that glass of milkshake! Be it banana, chickoo or mango! Oh well, if chocolate if your thing, then so be it! Are milkshakes too thick for your taste? Opt for smoothies! All it takes is a few ice-cubes to smooth your milkshake out. Remember to do your shake-dance before you decide to sip your glass full of awesomeness!

6. Cold Coffee/Iced Tea/ Cold Cocoa

Are you a Caffeine junkie who has to have a cup, no matter the temperature of the room? Well, discard the hot boiling cups of Coffee and Tea. Switch to Cold Coffee and Iced Tea. Try flavours like Irish Coffee, Frappe. Sip a lemon, ginger or mint Iced Tea! And if you got a sweet-tooth to cater to, opt for cold cocoa and go to choco-land! These drinks are sure to up your energy levels and help you while you get through a hot day.

5. Falooda

Want to try something new? Falooda is a rose flavoured, milk-based cold-drink with variants like khas and strawberries. A perfect sweet drink to turn to during summers! It contains scoops of ice-cream and once you have had it, you can be sure to feel content. It leaves a syrupy taste in your mouth thanks to rose. Falooda goes on to prove that rose by any name tastes the same!

4. Thandai

Thandai has loads of dry fruits, masala and malai! And milk! It’s a popular drink during Holi and Mahashivaratri, when a bit of bhang is added. For day to day basis, it is a glassful of calories but all in good taste! Kesar is added to thadai to give it the original taste. You may select your favourite dry fruit and prepare a version of thandai by adding just crushed almonds/walnuts to your glass of cold milk like kesar milk, badam milk and so on. Let thandai cool your soul and senses!

3. Chaas/ Lassi

Do you like yogurt? If so, these are the drinks for you! Many people chug glasses of Chaas and Lassi as part of their staple diets. Masala Chaas with coriander leaves is a light dairy-based cold-drink to sip anytime, anywhere – with or without a meal. A lassi on the other hand is a bit on heavier side. It comes in flavours like salt, sweet and fruity additions. A glass of buttermilk is enriching and fulfilling at the same time.

2. Sharbats/ Fruit Juices

So many flavours to choose from! Rose, Kokum, Saunf, Nimboo, Pudina? What do you want? They come in bottled flavours and all you got to do is add a spoonful of liquid to a glass of chilled water. The other option is to blend the fresh fruits – be it watermelon, pineapple or pomegranate. The raw mango juice is a one of a kind which helps you to face the hot summer winds and adds to your stamina, keeping you hydrated. The question now remains, to sip or not to?

1. Barf Ke Gole/ Slushie

That grated ice on a stick, which you quintessentially get on the roadside lorries is a thing to enjoy during Summers. The more the ice absorbs the juice, the better it is to slurp! It has the same flavours as the sharbats, and more! The gola-waalas have taken it a step further by adding grated fruits, chocolates, dry-fruits, coconuts to your gola, with a slice of cream! This is unofficially the best slurpie ever! So, what are you waiting for? Go! Slurp on! Sip on!

May 16, 2014
Popular restaurant Chains visited by the Populace

Restaurants are the first thing that come in our mind when there are plans of going out with friends or family. And when it comes to choosing restaurants, we go for the most acclaimed ones, with highest ratings and the best reviews. We sometimes prefer international cuisine with a bit of Indian touch to satisfy our taste buds. This is the list of some of the famous national and international food chains visited quite frequently.

Pizza Hut:

Pizza Hut was originally an American chain of restaurants which later became an international franchise. Pizza Hut has various outlets in major cities of India. It offers garlic breads, pasta, lasagne and desserts, in addition to pizzas. The pizzas offered by the Indian outlets have been slightly modified to suit our taste buds. They are more spicier, added with Indian flavours. It is one of the best hang-outs for pizza lovers, with a good ambience and an excellent service. The fun part about Pizza Hut is that you can clang the bell after you’ve paid your bill to express your satisfaction with their services.

Domino’s Pizza:

Also an American franchise, this is the second largest pizza chain in the US after the Pizza Hut. Similar to the Pizza Hut, Domino’s have tailored their pizzas to cater to our taste buds. Domino’s explains their lack of cutlery by saying thus, ‘Our pizzas taste better without knives and forks’. Domino’s outlets are seen in every locality we go to, thus providing an excellent home delivery service. Most of the time, they keep their 30-minute delivery promise, but when they don’t, they don’t delay the delivery by more than 10 minutes. It is the best way to enjoy a sleepover with our friends, munching on pizzas and listening to the stories each other has to offer.

Cafe Coffee Day:

Unlike Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza, Cafe Coffee Day is an Indian cafe chain. Abbreviated as CCD, they specialize in coffee, tea and finger foods. It is very famous among the youth and the outlets are present at many places in India and as well as a few international outlets are available at Prague, Karachi, Vienna and Dubai. The atmosphere is relaxing and composed, and many students visit CCD to discuss about their projects or simply to hang-out. It has been mentioned in the books ‘Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition’ by Chetan Bhagat and ‘The Bankster’ by Ravi Subramaninan.

KFC:

Initially known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, it was first established in Kentucky, and has now spread to become an international franchise. It is frequented by chicken lovers who devour lovingly on the food and drinks. KFC is known for its famous catering trade secret, the ’11 herbs and spices’. The secret has been signed by Colonel Sanders himself (the founder of KFC), and is kept in a safe vault in Louisville. Despite specializing in chicken, KFC also has a wide range of dishes for the vegetarians. KFC is sought-after for the ease in which the orders are placed and the minimal time taken to receive it.

McDonald’s:

Another American corporation, which has spread its roots to various countries, McDonald’s is yet another famous food chain in India. They specialize in burger, and like Domino’s and Pizza Hut, they have ‘Indian-ized’ their burgers. One of McDonald’s special feature is the drive-in takeaway services, which only very few restaurants provide. It is the kids’ favourite hangout because they get a chance to take pictures with the McDonald’s mascot and get free toys in their Happy Meals. What better way is there to have meals than play with the free toys, right?

Barbeque Nation:

Like the Cafe Coffee Day, Barbeque Nation is an Indian restaurant chain. It is especially famous for its mouth-watering starters and desserts. The starters are unlimited, which would be added on and on, until the famous trademark flag is let down. When the flag is down, it is an indication that the starter service be stopped.. The service is excellent, and the attendants make sure that there is not one moment when we are not chewing. After a point, the refilling is overwhelming, and we end up pulling the flag down. The main course provided here is excellent too. In addition to these, there are at least half a dozen different desserts, excluding the ice-cream, to choose from. Personally, I would recommend their starter, Cajun spiced potato as a must-try.

Mainland China:

This Chinese cuisine was started by yet another Indian hotelier. A favourite haunts among the lovers of Chinese cuisine, this chain of restaurant’s food claims to have authentic Chinese taste. The setting of the restaurant provides a very Chinese feel to the entire place. One of the most trusted food joints, it is frequented by their regulars and newbies alike.

Subway:

Yet another American fast-food joint, Subway is one of the famous fast food joints in India, with their outlets available in most of the shopping malls. Subway is one of those few fast-food joints that boast on the fresh and healthy food provided by them. They don’t employ the use of preservatives and each sub if freshly prepared. In addition to subs, they also provide salads and cookies. It can be safely said that Subway is the healthiest restaurant in this list.

These restaurants are more popular than most regional ones because of their various outlets. There are many more food joints, which are smaller in scale, but is constrained within a particular locality, which serves food as wonderful as the ones mentioned above.

May 16, 2014
The Brahmin Weddings

Marriages they say, are made in heaven. The bonds that last a life time and follows you throughout the seven circles of life you are supposed to complete.

The weddings in the traditional Brahmin households are extravagant. Traditionally the weddings would last a good 19 days. With the ever evolving present, it is exclusively celebrated for 3 days. It is usually organized by the bride and her family.

Pre – wedding rituals

Nischitartham – It is a formal announcement of the bride and the groom being engaged in front of the elders and other family members. Gifts and clothes are exchanged. The horoscopes of the bride and the groom is matched and an auspicious day in the future is fixed for the marriage.

Devarasamardhna – It is a function where in the bride and the groom separately worship the sacred fire and seek blessings from the lord. They pray for a healthy and auspicious life ahead. The mantras are usually chanted in Sanskrit.

Vara pooja – The groom is formally welcomed to the marriage hall, by the bride and her family. He is showered with gifts and clothes

THE WEDDING

The respective houses of the bride and the groom are decorated using mango leaves and flowers. Colourful lights are also added.

The hall where the marriage is to take place houses a mandapam. This mandapam is filled with the voices of the scholars reciting the auspicious sanskrit mantras. The bride offers prayers to lord Ganesha and goddess Gowri and her gothram (which is the identity of her father’s family) is then changed to that of the groom family.

The groom on the other hand performs a ritual called kashiyatra. Here the groom says he is above all the worldly pleasures and wants to go the holy city of Kashi. He is then stopped by the bride’s father and her cousins and is swayed to take the responsibilities of the household.

After the ritual the bride is accompanied by her maternal uncles and brother and brought to the mandapam. Then a ritual called Kanyadanam is performed. The feet of the groom who is believed to be the incarnation of lord Vishnu is washed. The bride and the groom are not allowed to see each other before muhurtam . At the pre decided time ( during nischitartam) the bride and the groom place seeds of cumin and jaggery on each other’s head. This symbolizes the hand over of the bride to the groom.

After this the sacred fire is worshiped and the mangalyam is tied around the neck of the bride. Then a small portion of bride’s saree and a small portion of the grooms outfit is tied. They walk seven steps around the fire hand in hand , promising to be there through the good and bad times. The groom then adorns the bride’s feet with silver toe rings.

The wedding ceremonies comes to an end when the bride and the groom share their first exquisite meal on the plantain leaf together.

May 15, 2014