India food diary

4 weeks in India and a few kilos Gained!! Though mom's food was the main reason I tested the limits of my body's immune power, tasting various cuisines across different states. Here is a list of my top 5 things I enjoyed outside "different mothers' cookings".

5th Position : Ven pongal with moong dhal sambar
Place : Shri Yogi ram surath kumar ashram, thiruvennamalai
Specialty :  Dripping ghee and a unique sambar made from moong dhal
Prasadams(Offerings to religious deities) in temples are simply delicious. Add to that an ashram with good funding who can afford good quality ghee and a wonderful cook, you get your gluttonous appetite quenched. A word for fitness freaks- keep yourself away from this heavy south indian breakfast.

4th position: Masala Dosa with special karnataka smabar, ghee roast
Place: Some hotel in bangalore in Koramangala that ends with Sagar (Rad side hotel with stools around with people stand and eat), Adayar anandha bhavan in chennai.
Long ago, long long ago, very long ago I fell in love with dosa!! I genuinely think that one gets the best dosa in Tamil nadu. But sadly i have to admit that dosa in bangalore is very unique. Additionally the sambar there gets an awesome flavor because of the Bedige chilli used in the preparation of the powder. I absolutely loved the masala dosa in bangalore. Thankfully to save tamil nadu's  respect, adayar anandha bhavan served me with a wonderful ghee roast. So 4th place is a tie between these two dosas. Sadly my trusted ghee masala dosa in saravana bhavan was a disappointment this time.

3rd position: Pani puri
Place : Amchi mumbai, anywhere on the roadside
I cannot say anything about this!! You just have to feel and just enjoy and not think even a bit about the water that the vendor uses.  Most of the times this would come first!! But this time I was plain lucky.

2nd Position: Masala Puri
Place: Neyveli  book fair, neyveli
No this is not a Chaat from mumbai. Neither it is the famous south indian breakfast Puri masala. Its a brilliant concoction of a Mumbai chaat like name and a typical south indian taste that liberally uses all the ingredients of a famous mumbai chaat and south indian masalas. Its a brain child of a local vendor in neyveli (I think) and can be tasted only once a year in the Famous neyveli book fair!!

Ist place: Molaga bhaji (Chilli bhaji)
Place : Beseant Nagar beach, chennai
Easily a dish that could give the terrifying kolapuri veg roll a run for its money!! Eaten along with an equally terrifying tomato chatni,  its the best dish I tasted in the last 4 weeks. A thing of beauty that is not to be  missed by the spicy food lovers. A word of caution - only two of us were able to complete one full bhaji amongst a group of 5 people. And we had to drink about 3 bottles cold water after sharing a plate (6 bhajis).

Its a hastily written post!! But I am sure most of you would have enjoyed the above mentioned items though I am heavily biased against south indian cusine!!  Things that almost made it to the list are Maduri idlis, Rajdhani thali in express avenue in chennai and the wonderful mexican sandwich in the notoriously famous leopold cafe near the Gate way of india in Mumbai.

The RVP Conundrum - A delusional arsenal fan's prespective!!

RVP after his scorcher against charlton in 2006

"You should always try to show respect, and this is just basic stuff that all human beings should have in their life – just being nice to people. It’s the little things, like giving people a minute of your time in the street, you show them respect, and live with your principles on life."

 This was what Robin van Persie had said when he was given the arsenal arm band last August. For once I was so happy that the footballer I loved watching had actually said that is apt for for all walks of life. Even when he was injured I used to support him with utmost loyalty. I even tried to choke a friend of mine as he tried to mock a RVP miss. Over the period of 7 months from August 11 to February 12 the respect I had for him quadrupled. The way he had encouraged his team mates during the 4-3 Blackburn fiasco, and the subsequent winners in almost all the matches that followed, I started idolizing him and started seeing him in the same bracket as Dennis Bergkamp. The height of which was the goal against spurs on 26th February 2012 at the Emirates and the his celebration that followed!! I was so very happy that day as it spurred me to take one of the most idiotic decisions in my life. 

But what followed is nothing short of a disaster personally as an arsenal fan!!  Every year I have been an eternal optimist hoping that Arsenal would win something inspite of Losing its captains. For once I was so damn sure that there is a player who is ready to put his everything for the club. But alas i was served with the most damning of reality checks!! Here is the statement he released recently. He has come out and said that arsenal lacked ambition when, for once they bought couple of decent players at the beginning of a transfer window. Really what is ambition? Buying the best player in every position, that's not ambition, that's football manager 2012 or Find a sheikh for unlimited funds and win everything every season, that's not ambition that's cheating and doesn't really fulfill the true sense of achievement. Look at Ajax 1995 for inspiration.

Robin van persie was the first person Wenger bought post the invincible season. Coming to a team full of superstars he came with quite a reputation of being a hot head. Following the pattern of youngsters being integrated into the team via Carling cups, he became a first team regular by 2006. His best moments came against Blackburn and Charlton. The period from 2004-10 was littered with countless injuries, niggles and lay offs. In almost all those years, he had missed the crucial times of the season, but the  touch of class was always apparent whenever he played!! He formed a lethal partner ship with adebyor in the beginning of 2008-09 season. It was a partnership that was broken more due to financial reasons than footballing ones. Understandably fabregas is the biggest footballing talent to have graced Arsenal in the past few years. RVP comes a very close second. The biggest surprise was when he was offered a new 4 year contract when he actually had played only 20 games in 2008-09 season. I dont think any other club would have done that.

So what will the departure of RVP mean. Another year of rebuilding. Another year of no trophy (most likely) and another summer of trying to hold on to our precious talent.(Is there someone left?? ox of jack possibly). Over the past 7 years I have seen most of my favorite players leaving arsenal. Cole, Viera, Henry, Helb, Flamini, Fabregas and the list is endless. Along with the departure of Fab, RVP will be the most painful. The present team was built around him. If Henry was the hero of Hiburey, emiretes has had only one prodigal son and it is RVP w/o doubt.

I feel so terribly sorry for Arsene Wenger tonight. Whatever mistakes he might have made during his tenure, at his heart he is an Arsenal man. Through and through. The club had come before his own family. The club has come before his own ambitions and interest. For all the faith and time and effort he has put into helping RVP become the player he is, Wenger is left with only disappointment. Just like cesc, just like nasri, just like cole and adebayor. He is one supreme eternal optimist and a sagacious patriarch who will not bend even a tiny little bit from his principles. Players have been continuously stabbing him from the rear and he has been valiant enough to  take it in his stride and still produce a team decent enough to compete in most competitions.

Wherever he goes I hope RVP remains the focus of that team. I would prefer if he chooses Juventus. The old lady are a striker away from becoming a fantastic team. But one thing is for sure, he would never achieve the same cult status he enjoys amongst the arsenal fans. One of the bitter lessons we all should learn is that "Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving." - Einstein.  The same is applicable for Arsenal and Wenger must have perfected that art by now.

Personally i will try reduce the emotional attachment with the players and the club as it has been really painful. Its better to be professional and just follow the club.  But as always I will hope that arsenal win the quadruple and this fellow has a blinder becoming the best midfielder in europe. (No i am not kidding!!)

Hoping that diaby has an RVPisque return from injury!!