WEEKLY MAGAZINE, MARCH 24, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
WE’VE GOT HOLIDAY IDEAS THAT MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY MINUTE
indulge
VIR SANGHVI
Watch what you eat
SANJOY NARAYAN
Rediscover Led Zep
RAJIV MAKHNI
The S4 lowdown
SEEMA GOSWAMI
Comfort zones: Break free
4
B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Brunch Travels (Limited)
Before you sink into our travelogues, here’s a Pinterest-style peek at what the staffers of this magazine get up to when they go on holiday. Wish you were here?
Noses off! The Sphinx, Cairo. Egypt, 2010 Lady and the baby, Bhutan, 2012 Uploaded by Yashica Dutt
Tulip Festival. Seattle, 2010
Tiny but deadly hot. The Andamans, 2007
Uploaded by Shreya Sethuraman
Uploaded by Amrah Ashraf
We cooked, we ate. Malaysia, 2009
Uploaded by Swati Chakrabarti
Uploaded by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi
Beer tastes the best at Mondy’s! Colaba, Mumbai, 2012 Uploaded by Saudamini Jain
A giant head (Jaume Plensa’s Echo) at Madison Avenue Park, Manhattan, 2011 Uploaded by Poonam Saxena
Every winter, the country likes to read. Jaipur Lit Fest, 2013 Uploaded by Manit Moorjani
Nice to meet you, La Gioconda. The Louvre. Paris, 2008 Uploaded by Mignonne Dsouza
Feels like home to me. Doda, Jammu & Kashmir, 2007
Chiddia udd. Ranthambore 2012
Uploaded by Ashutosh Sapru
Uploaded by Rakesh Kumar
When all fails, go climb a tree. Shimla, 2008 Uploaded by Aasheesh Sharma
Cover design: SWATI CHAKRABARTI Cover photos: SHUTTERSTOCK
Are you talking to me? Australia, 2010
A snake? A boat? Nainital 2009
Uploaded by Veenu Singh
Uploaded by Ashish Singh
The world is a puppet show. Jaisalmer, 2013
The island you want to be stranded on. Maldives, 2009
Uploaded by Monica Gupta
Uploaded by Parul Khanna
EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani
MARCH 24, 2013
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh
The odd things Malaysians drink. Malaysia, 2010 Uploaded by Rachel Lopez
Drop us a line at: brunchletters@
hindustantimes.com or to 2nd floor, Mahalaxmi Engg Estate, LJ 1st Cross Road, Mahim West, Mumbai 400016
6
facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Photo: SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVANCY INDIA & TSERING ANGMO
Are You Seeing Spots Yet?
SNOW LEOPARD FACTS ■ It’s whitish-grey (tinged with yellow), patterned with dark grey rosettes and spots. ■ It lives at 3,000-5,000 metres. ■ It’s found in J&K, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. ■ Barely 200 to 500 remain. No reported attacks on humans.
If you’re lucky in Ladakh, the ‘grey ghost of the mountains’ will descend, and you’ll finally sight the endangered snow leopard
DO YOUR BIT
text and photos by Supriya Kantak
T
them lock horns while a third starts HERE WAS blood on my kicking up dust: try not to lose bladhands. Ute Meuser, a German der control, jump over the nearest artist and educator, was holdwall and cry when you fall into a ing a class on dry felting in poky bush. That’s what I did. the village of Ulley. The technique Here, in Ladakh, you’re more likeinvolves stabbing and jabbing a ly to be butted in the behind by a fluffy mass of yak wool, and occadzo than spot a snow leopard. While sionally your finger. I did have a close shave with the While I transformed myself into a hairy hybrid, I also tailed the cat. live voodoo doll, Ladakhi locals Twirling all those prayer wheels poked and pricked like pros, shapprobably turned my luck around. ing the wispy strands into ponies, yaks, ibex and other animals of the LEOPARD PRINTS region. Selling these souDry felting was no sweat venirs adds to their STAY (it was too cold), but it meagre agrarian WARM drained my patience, income and reduces No matter how warm its not to forget the pintheir dependency on people, Ladakh in winter is quite inhospitable. Layer up in pricks. So I snuck livestock. If only I thermals. That’s a ground rule. away for a snooze, could pick up the Drink plenty of hot water as awakening an hour skill, maybe I could you may get dehydrated. later to the call of cha supplement my Bathe sparingly to avoid (tea in Ladakhi). sparse earnings as a catching a chill. That’s when I saw freelance writer too... Jigmet Dadul from the I could picture myself Snow Leopard Conservancy India married to a mountain man as Trust waving rugged as this region, a bonny baby frantically. I had bound to my back, milking yaks, and just emerged from yakking with villagers about ploughthe loo, exhausted ing, harvesting, meeting deadlines from pulling up three and — snap! My daydream shatlayers of leggings and tered as a dzo stepped on a twig. then zipping up my A dzo (pronounced ZZZ-oh) is pants. But I ran anywhat you get when a yak meets a way. He was signalling cow, goes on a date, falls in love and a sighting. you know.... Boring definitions call it Across the valley, not a hybrid of a yak and domestic cattoo far away from the viltle. If the huge black beast happens lage, stood a snow leopard to lumber along your path, in a — a male in his prime, havmood as foul as its odour, may the ing his moment in the Buddha save you! And if two of
CATS AND CALM
Snow leopards are quite a rare sighting, but even if you don’t see one, there’s plenty to see and do in the little town of Ulley sun. I peered through the spotting scope. His thick fur had a yellowish tinge. He was shorter than other members of the big cat family, but his tail stretched much longer. To help maintain balance in this rocky terrain, I was told, and also to curl up with on a cold night. While snow leopards are solitary creatures, this one was not alone. We could hear the impatient mews of another cat (they can’t roar), probably a female telling him to get off his lazy backside. The chap hadn’t budged for more than half an hour. He was stretched out on a ledge, as if it were a recliner on a beach in Goa. We made the most of his idle contentment by recording every twitch of his whiskers.
YAKKING AWAY
Ladakhi women make felt souvenirs from the wool of the yak (above); a frisky goat in Ladakh (left)
The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, in association with Mountain Initiatives, organises winter treks to sight the snow leopard. To offer more help: ■ Join SLC-IT as a volunteer or intern. Or join their membership programme. ■ Support the Himalayan Homestay programme (www. himalayan-homestays.com).
As the sun went down, his highness finally made his way across the valley. The Conservancy team followed, while I stumbled trying to keep up. We got a few more shots before he disappeared behind some rocks along with the evening light. Next was the uphill task of getting back to the jeep. I huffed one step and puffed the next. More than the snow leopard, I thought, seeing our vehicle around the corner was the best sighting of the day.
OTHER CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Rumbak village within the Hemis National Park, has to be approached on foot from Jingchen. Along the way, my guide Gyaltson pointed out blue sheep making their way across a mountain ridge, chukar partridges and other birds of the region. I missed out on the famous Pangong Lake. It is frozen in April and is not the beautiful blue one sees in the summer months from June to August. I will visit it the next time I’m there. The snow leopard, however, may not be an experience that will repeat. They currently number fewer than 500, maybe as few as 200 (exact numbers are not yet determined). The SLC-IT team is working to ensure that the dry felt souvenirs are not all that is left of this endangered cat. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
Brunch travel tip: It may be a cold weather destination, but step out without sunscreen in Ladakh, and you will get burned MARCH 24, 2013
8
The King And I...
Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK
Hua Hin, barely three hours from Bangkok, is where the royals come to unwind and almost every Thailand stereotype comes undone by Rachel Lopez
N
OBODY WANTS to hear about your holiday in Bangkok. We’ve all been to the night markets, sampled the street food and brought home a flatscreen TV. Nobody cares about what you did in Pattaya either – we’ve seen a ping-pong ball ejected from the same orifice and it was 100 Baht cheaper. As for your Facebook pictures of Koh Samui and Chiang Mai: Beach. Beach. Beach. Yawn. Tell someone you’ve been to Hua Hin, however, and you’ll have all their attention. The coastal town barely three hours from the capital is perhaps Thailand’s best-kept, longest-kept secret. Hua Hin has been a getaway for Thailand’s rich and famous for almost a century. And it was discovered by the most rich and famous Thai of them all – the king himself. Back in the 1890s, on a trip along the coast, Rama VII found
Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK
SURF’S UP!
Hua Hin’s calm wind makes it ideal for kiteboarding, to watch or participate
the low-key fishing village an ideal escape from the political machinations of the capital. He built a palace, named it Wang Klai Kang Won (Far from Worries) and began heading there every summer, elephant retinue and all. Where a king goes, hangers-on must go too. By 1919, when rail connectivity was established, nobility and aristocrats began settling in. Bungalows were built, a railway hotel opened, a golf course set up, and the sleepy town woke up to very posh company. Today, Hua Hin is where tony Thais go to unwind. It’s where Bangkok-banker types sink their bonuses into ocean-view condos. It’s where moneyed Westerners retire in the sun. And because the royal family still vacations here, it’s also where sleazy Thai nightlife is kept at bay. No girlie bars, no budget backpackers, PAST DELIGHTS no drunken boys get“Hua Hin, a seaside resort, should be favoured with a ting Hangover kicks. visit. The sea is 10 minutes quiet walk from the railway Instead, you can tour station. Here, in addition to sea bathing, one may shoot leopards, deer, hares and doves, but except for the the nation’s only vinelatter, guides and permits must be obtained.” yard from atop an ele– From a 1924 travel guidebook to Thailand (then Siam) phant. The crisp sunshine makes it impossible to take a bad photo, and at night, you can walk along 5km of beach with only illuminated
TRAVEL INFO VISA: Indians can get a visa on arrival at Bangkok airport, but the lines are usually very long. It’s best to apply in advance of your trip. It’s
easier to get the visa done through a travel agent
CURRENCY: Thailand uses the Baht. One Baht is approximately R1.83
CHECK IN: The Amari
The newest sister of the chain that also runs Bangkok’s Amari Watergate hotel, the Amari Hua Hin is a great base from which to explore the town. Thoughtful little touches are everywhere – local residents as guides; a spa that focuses on your requirements, not set Swedish-Balinese-Thai therapies; and restaurants that serve inexpensive versions of street food. Visit www.amari.com/huahin to book
fishing boats on the horizon for company. No one’s hurrying to the clubs; they’re having long dinners at French, Italian, German and Scandinavian restaurants. The world flies in for great (and inexpensive) golf, championship-level kitesurfing, jazz fests and vintage car rallies. And the markets are full of stuff you actually want to buy. It’s a Thailand wholly unlike the Thailand your friends have become accustomed to. It’s about time, as I found out as a guest of the spanking new Amari Hua Hin hotel.
www.thaiemb.org.in/en/services/visa.php GETTING THERE: There are flights to Thailand from several Indian cities, and via several carriers, including budget airlines like Indigo GETTING AROUND: Buses connect Bangkok to Hua Hin, and it’s a three-hour ride. You can also book a taxi for the journey
Hua Hin is not as pocket-friendly as Bangkok and Pattaya since the Thai royals and aristocrats holiday there. You could pay 20 per cent extra for everything Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK
MARCH 24, 2013
PRINCELY PLEASURES
The Palace of Love and Hope is one royal residence open to the public
THE KING’S PALACE
Sadly, Rama VII’s Far From Worries mansion is still in use and receives visitors only by invitation. But Maruekhathaiyawan (Palace of Love and Hope), 20 minutes away, is open to the public. Rama VI’s palace was built in 1923 and will take your breath away. Three two-storied wooden pavilions face out to sea, halls are linked throughout the palace and you can stand on the verandahs and feel like a king, if only for the afternoon.
THE BEACH
The sea is safe for swimming, but why wade through water then you can glide over it? Kiteboarding combines kitesurfing and waterboarding, and several schools provide lessons and equipment. The season is from January to May, with brisk winds and slightly choppy water. The Professional Kiteboard Riders Association has made Thailand the launching point for its World Tour Season since 2011, so you can see the experts do it. Jetskiing, fishing and sailing are popular too.
9
twitter.com/HTBrunch
Were Instantly Charmed!
Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK
SO MUCH TO DO
Hua Hin has vintage car rallies and the country’s only vineyard is close by. Why bother with Pattaya, then?
WHERE DID YOU BUY THIS FROM?
Hua Hin’s floating market does away with tourist tat for unusual souvenirs
THE FLOATING MARKET
THE TRAIN STATION
This is where it all began. The picture perfect railway station is still in use (you can actually arrive in style by train), and the platforms have hand-painted tile floors and deep red lattice awnings. Check out the royal waiting room that once received members of the king’s family. Or pick up cute railway souvenirs from the little cafe next door.
Allow Hua Hin to cheat a bit. This isn’t the kind of place where you can buy brinjals from a canoe in the morning. This version puts shops and walkways around an artificial lake so you have a view of the water as you peek into the little boutiques. They all sell unique stuff – enamel earrings, handmade notebooks and umbrellas with a katana hilt. Just outside is a Dutch-style windmill where you can feed goats and carp.
A golf festival and a championship for … wait for it… elephant polo comes around in September. And December, when there’s little chance of rain, is when the vintage cars come out for a rally.
THE VINEYARD
Yes, the Thais make wine. The Hua Hin Hills vineyard produces the Monsoon Valley label on land where elephants were once domesticated. Elephant-back is the best way to see the vines.
The breeze is gentle, the animals trundle along calmly and you can pretend you’re in the Mediterranean. End with shiraz, chenin blanc, muscat and sangiovese over a meal at the vinery’s Sala Wine Bar and Bistro. (The writer’s trip was sponsored by Amari Watergate and Amari Hua Hin) rachel.lopez@hindustantimes.com
THE EVENTS
Great winds off the Gulf of Thailand guarantee a lot of action in the sky around March-April. That’s when Hua Hin hosts kite festivals. Every year since 2002, the town has hosted a three-day jazz festival over the first weekend in June. ONE-WAY TICKET
The historic Hua Hin railway station lets you arrive in style
Brunch travel tip: It’s best to visit Hua Hin during the week, because most Thais descend on the place on weekends MARCH 24, 2013
10
If you find the Russian capital cool and aloof, take comfort in the fact that its food is warm, hearty and unbelievably delicious
Say Mmm… In
by Romi Purkayastha
I
T’S NOT just the opulence of the tsars in imperial Russia or the awe-inspiring shuttles of the ‘space race’ that are etched in our memories. Moscow has sometimes intrigued, sometimes baffled and sometimes scared the living daylights out of us with its Cold War KGB spy stories, the legend of Rasputin and the fairytale spires of St Basil’s Cathedral. And while this love affair between Moscow and the world at large blossoms, the one thing that is getting deservedly disproportionate attention is Moscow’s best-kept secret – its fascinating little-explored food scene! Let’s be honest: our first thought – maybe even our second and third when it comes to Russia – is vodka. And why not? This ancient drink, distilled variously from rye, wheat, potatoes and even corn, literally translates from ‘voda’ in Russian to ‘water’ and is consumed with as much (dis)interest! But unlike the simplicity of vodka, Moscow is a smorgasbord of various flavours and tastes, and draws not just from its traditional Russian recipes handed down through generations of matriarchs, but also from Soviet-era states and border buddies on the European and Asian sides. So let’s get down to business and take off on a Moscow food trail, peppered with adventure, thrills… and a few spills! But first some ground rules: point and mime is the mantra while in Moscow since they really don’t understand English. Next, stay away from the dimly-lit eateries and bars in suburbia – this is a food adventure, not a suicide-by-food mission. And last, familiarise yourself with the Metro map – it’s comfortable, cheap and very quick to get around.
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
(Clockwise from top left) Roast leg of lamb; a bowl of borscht; pelmeni (foreground) and blini; tiramisu at café Bukle cooked buckwheat porridge, is the soul of Russian culture, an integral part of all feasts and wedding rituals. Every Russian has grown up on some variation of this, mostly the sweet one with milk and berries. And the traditional ‘black bread’ or rye bread is a regular feature at all Russian meal tables. Wangle an invitation at a local’s home to taste this. You can also get to taste these at restaurants and also get a feel of a real Russian home, in places like the popular Mari Vanna. This homestyle restaurant, a 10-minute
labyrinthine walk from Pushkin Square, is set in a typical ’50s-style home, complete with bookshelves, pickle jars and a crockery sideboard. In fact, once you make a reservation, you get your own key to enter this cosy two-roomed flat! Apart from Mari Vanna, Café Kasha and Shokoladnitsa also serve Kasha and other breakfast items in comfortable café settings, complete with free Wi-Fi. A must-try is the thick dark hot chocolate at Shokoladnitsa, where you almost have to eat rather than drink the
lava-like chocolate out of the mug. Breakfast done and dusted, if the Kremlin and Red Square are first on your list of places to visit, you will start feeling a bit snacky around mid-morning. Head to the nearest shawarma kiosk. Cheaply priced and packed to the rafters with succulent chunks of lamb, these are a preferable cousin to their cabbage-filled counterparts in India. Alas, the Russians don’t know of a vegetarian shawarma, so vegetarians can step into a Teremok restaurant or visit kiosks to eat a blini (pancake). Another good option is the fast-food chain, THE OTHER BASIL
St Basil’s Cathedral (right) is the most iconic landmark of the city; a book stall in the Old Arbat area (left)
BREAKFAST ON THE GO
There is an old Russian proverb that says ‘Kasha is our mother, Bread is our Father’. Kasha, a slowMARCH 24, 2013
11
Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK, ROMI PURKAYASTHA
hindustantimes.com/brunch
KNOW YOUR SOUPS Schi – hot, sour, made from cabbage Okroshka – cold, fresh, green Ukha – aromatic, clear fish soup Rassolnik – pickled cucumber, barley and kidneys Kisel – clear, fruit soup, popular dessert
The traditional ‘black bread’ or rye bread is a regular feature at all Russian meal tables
n Moscow Kroshka Kartoshka. Here, go crazy on a variety of veg and non-veg salads piled high on a baked jacketpotato slathered with butter. After gorging on these heavy snacks, you will want to work off the inertia that sets in. And since the cool, crisp air of Moscow makes you hungry, you should pick up Kvass, a drink fermented from rye bread with mint or berries.
MUNCH ON LUNCH
All Russians swear by their mother’s well-guarded recipe of borscht, much like the Indian mum’s recipe for khichdi. Usually a thick, hot soup made with beetroot, cabbage and a choice of starchy vegetables added in along with beef or pork, borscht is consumed by the gallon. Then there are the steamed, meat dumplings pelmeni, served with a delicious glob of sour cream called smetana, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. A few other must-try dishes are selyodka pod shuboy, a layered salad
of potatoes, eggs and herring fillets; Olivier, the original of the omnipresent Russian salad; pirog, a large stuffed pie; pirozhki, small stuffed buns and julienne, a baked mushroom casserole. Keep in mind that many vegetarian dishes are cooked in meat stock, so check with your server specifically. Lunch can be an elaborate fourcourse affair in an ambience reminiscent of tsarist times, or a
DINER ALERT
Beware of food billed per 100gms at food courts. Soups and salads with unwanted meat or fish. Overpriced bottled water. Chargeable add-ons like cheese, sauces, teas and milk.
TOP PLACES TO GRAB A DRINK OR TWO CLUB B2 – A five-storeyed mega club with great music DARLING, I’LL CALL YOU LATER – Throw your phone away and unwind STRELKA – Swish setting, good cocktails
of being touristy, offers up a slice of pretty and romantic European Moscow. Step into the intended chaos of Café Bukle, a 100-year old home-style meal at one of the hotspot that will transport you to a restaurants. For the glittering ‘60s party with live jazz former, head straight to and blues music, gleaming wooden Café Pushkin. If the rails, brick walls and some very impeccable service and good coffee and cakes. aristocratic surroundFor dinner, just hop across to ings do not bowl you Restaurant Genatsvale for some over, the Tsar’s Smoked seriously authentic Georgian food. Sturgeon and the desserts will. It’s an elaborately themed Expect to shell out a fair bit here, restaurant with singing waiters but take heart from the fact that (yes, singing waiters!), which serves you have dined at one of the most some of the best khachapuri, a iconic places in Moscow. golden-baked bread dish of cheese But if quantity is more your thing, and eggs. You could try the try one of the Yolki Palki outlets, momo-like khinkali here, or just that serve traditional fare in a across the Moscow river at Café kitschy country cottage. The food is Khinkalnaya, which serves up some good and the excellent home-made wines pricing middle-of-theand jonjoli (pickled road. Although flowers) along with Many chances are you will other authentic walk straight into a vegetarian dishes Georgian dishes. life-size Holstein cow If your last are cooked in tethered casually on thought before meat stock, the sidewalk first. If hitting the pillow is you do, look for Café what to take back so check with Mu-Mu nearby, a home, sleep easy! your server self-service restaurant The fascinating and offering a selection of ginormous farmer’s Russian and Ukrainian market at Dorogomilovsky dishes. has every conceivable fresh, packaged, pickled, and bottled food DINNER DELIGHTS you would ever desire. Pick up a tub Moscow’s dizzying array of tradiof surprisingly inexpensive Red tional foods includes delicious and Caviar, dig out a spoonful of creamy unique dishes from the Caucasian honey butter, taste some sun-dried region, chiefly Georgia, Armenia chikoo or raspberry papad, or just and Azerbaijan, as well as from gawp at the myriads of pickled and Turkey, Hungary and Mongolia. So fresh vegetables and meats on if you spot a crowd huddled around sale. It’s delightful to breathe in the a barbecue pit in the early evening, aromas of artisan beers, freshjoin in for a quiet chat and a few baked pies, vanilla beans, Beluga pieces of smoky meat and veggies caviar, sour apples and flavoured from the shashlik skewer, a cheeses. The prices are great, and Caucasian ritual adopted by the produce fresh. So take your Moscowites. And just when the pick, say your ‘Dasvidaniya’s and street lights turn on, head to grand carry back a piece of Moscow, a Old Arbat, a historic high-street foodie’s secret paradise, with you. lined with many restaurants, cafes You’ll cherish it. and souvenir shops, which, in spite brunchletters@hindustantimes.com ALL DOLLED UP
Old Arbat has many souvenir shops, buy your matryoshka dolls here (left)
Brunch travel tip: Don’t miss Moscow’s grand subway stations MARCH 24, 2013
indulge
Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK
WHAT’S ON MY PLATE? We have the right to know exactly what we are eating. But judging by the European horse meat scandal, the global food industry doesn’t want us to know what’s on our plate
D
WILD SNACKS
In the north of Thailand they eat insects that look like cockroaches and locusts
Vir Sanghvi
rude food
12
O NON-VEGETARIANS have the right to be squeamish about what they eat? Well, there are the usual religious reasons, of course. Hindus will not eat beef. Muslims and Jews will not eat pork. And there is the squeamishness about offal. The Gujarati in me keeps me from liking liver, brain, kidney, sweetbreads and all the other disgusting parts of the animal. But should non-vegetarians have other reservations? Logic suggests no. But the truth is that we do. In the north of Thailand, they eat insects that look like cockroaches and locusts. In Laos, they eat ants. In much of South-East Asia, they eat snakes and drink their blood. And the Chinese brag that if it crawls, walks or flies, they will find a way to eat it. (Cue the old joke about Chinese food: how do we know that the Garden of Eden was not near Shanghai? Well, because if Adam and Eve had been Chinese they would have eaten the snake and thrown away the apple. And we would all still be in Paradise.) Most of us, in India and in the West, would visibly blanch when confronted with some of the more exotic foods served in East Asia. We would be uneasy with those parts of Caribbean and South American cuisine which involve the consumption of large rodents. And even English people make fun of the French for eating snails and frogs. To some extent, the revulsion that many of us feel when asked to eat insects, worms and ants is understandable. But is it fair to choose between animals? Take the case of dogs. There are parts of the Far East where Westerners are shocked to discover that dogs (the small, cuddly ones, especially) are regarded as delicacies. Every English schoolboy grows up hearing the story of the British couple who go to a restaurant in Seoul only to find that the staff speaks no English. They make miming gestures to indicate they want something to eat. Then they point to their poodle and suggest he be fed as well. The food takes a long time to arrive but when it does turn up the Brits are horrified to find that the main course consists of Fido, roasted and laid out on a silver salver with a little apple in his mouth. Over the last month, I’ve been wondering about the Western MARCH 24, 2013
SHOW IT TO ME
Determined Punjabi housewives first choose a cut of meat and then make the meat-wallah mince it into keema in front of them
attitudes to the consumption of animals especially since it has been revealed that most Europeans eat horse meat on a pretty regular basis. Only they don’t realise that it is horse they are eating. The latest scandal to hit the Western food industry has to do with the addition of horse meat to what is supposed to be minced beef or lamb. Tests have revealed that pretty much any supermarket product that is made from mince – hamburgers, sausages, lasagna, spaghetti bolognaise etc. – contains traces of horse meat. The supermarkets say that they had no idea that their mince was contaminated, though activists claim they deliberately turned a blind eye. What is clear is that any processed food (at restaurants, cafeterias, shops etc.) that has not been made from scratch on the premises stands a good chance of containing horse meat, no matter where in Europe you eat it. (Hence that popular expression, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”. Or perhaps not.) There is still some dispute about how the horse meat got into the keema and why the problem is so widespread. But here’s my question: why is this such a big deal? As Hindus would say, if you can eat beef then does it matter if a little horse meat has been mixed with it? Some Hindus may actually find the horse meat easier to stomach than the beef. It is not as though they do not eat horse in Europe. The French have been slaughtering horses for food for centuries. The Italians eat horse meat with their pasta. Hell, they even eat donkey meat in Verona. So is it such a huge issue if they mixed the beef keema with the horse keema? But apparently it is. The burgers and spaghetti sauces made with horse meat have been flying off the shelves for years and nobody seems to have been able to tell from the taste that they were not eating pure beef. So, if it tastes okay and if there are no religious injunctions against eating horse then why has the outrage been so widespread? I suspect that it has to do with the legitimate desire to know exactly what is on the plate. In the West, nasty bits of fish or animal are routinely served up by stealth. Such interesting names as head-cheese and sweetbread conceal bits of offal, brain and gland. Fish are rarely identified correctly. If a menu at a British Chinese restaurant says ‘Long Fish’, it means snake or eel. Nobody serves ‘squid’ any longer; it is always ‘calamari’. And the industrialisation of food production has made it worse. These days, food companies use machines that can grab every tiny bit of fish off the bones – i.e. the bits we would throw away in a home
13
htbrunch.tumblr.com
THE BIRD SONG
Chicken sausages are often made with the chicken waste which usually means beaks and other parts of the bird that you would never dream of eating kitchen. All fish gathered in this way is pressed together by an industrial process, breaded and then sold as fish fingers. Sometimes bits of cheap fish are turned into sticks by machines, artificially flavoured and sold as ‘crab sticks’ even though there is no crab in them. (Remember that the next time you go to a sushi bar – 90 per cent of the time the crab and the wasabi are both fake.) Among the worst offenders are the Western sausage companies. In the Sixties, the American consumer rights activist, Ralph Nader ran a campaign against the frankfurter. His supporters argued that franks and commercial sausages were usually made from the sweepings of abattoirs. And they were right. If there was any waste meat left lying around after the good bits had been packaged, it was gathered, pulverised and put into sausage skins and sold as frankfurters, cocktail sausages or whatever. Nor are you safe if you order chicken sausages instead. These are often made with the chicken waste (as are industrial chicken cutlets, croquettes, etc.) which usually means beaks and other parts of the bird that you would never dream of eating. And on and on it goes. Breaded scampi, in most Western supermarkets, often don’t have even one per cent of scampi in them (scampi is the Italian name for the large prawn the English call ‘Dublin Bay Prawns’ and the French call langoustine) but are made from monkfish remnants or from cheaper fish. Most breaded prawn dishes do not contain whole prawns but are made from ‘reconstituted’ prawns, cleverly shaped to look like the real thing. Till now, however, most people in the West believed that even if a fast food beef burger was made from the cheapest meat, at least it was not made from other animals. The latest scandal has demonstrated that this is no longer true. There are lessons for us in India from the European horse meat scandal. Squeamishness is only part of it. (For the record, I ate pasta with horse and a donkey pasta in Verona. Neither was terri-
SOMETHING’S FISHY
Breaded scampi, in most Western supermarkets, often don’t have even one per cent of scampi in them
bly exciting. But neither tasted very strange either.) The key issue is one of trust. Most of us live in homes where food is still made from fresh ingredients. If the gobhi has no flavour one week, then we can probably tell. If the meat tastes wrong, we will know when we eat it. Determined Punjabi housewives will first choose a cut of meat and then make the meat-wallah mince it into keema in front of them. When Bengalis buy fish, the men behave as though they are on a date: they feel the fish’s cheek and flutter its eyes. So, Indians are hard to fool when it comes to most kinds of food. With each passing day, however, that’s changing. As more and more people work all day, we fall back on fast food, ready meals and pre-packaged ingredients. A day is not far off when, like our counterparts in the West, we will forget what fresh food tastes like and become easy prey for the global food companies and supermarkets. And, for us in India, the dangers are greater. An Italian who finds horse meat in his pre-packaged Bolognaise sauce or Meat Ragu will get angry (or at least he will when he’s told that he’s been paying for beef and eating horse) but he will not have violated any religious principles. Indians are different. Put beef or pork in pre-packaged food or fast food without making this clear and you risk offending the religious sensibilities of millions. Plus we are much more squeamish than Europeans. Would you buy a chicken sausage if you knew if contained beaks? Would you eat a pasta sauce if you knew it was made from a donkey? Most food prejudices are illogical. But for better or worse, they are our prejudices and we feel sick when they are violated. So we have the right to know exactly what we are eating. But judging by the European horse meat scandal, the global food industry not only does not want us to know what is on the plate but it is so lax in the sourcing of ingredients that it often doesn’t even know itself what it is putting into its dishes.
The burgers and spaghetti sauces made with horse meat have been flying off the shelves for years
Photo: THINKSTOCK
Photo: DREAMSTIME
MARCH 24, 2013
FAKING IT!
Remember that the next time you go to a sushi bar – 90 per cent of the time the crab and the wasabi are both fake
MORE ON THE WEB
For more RUDE FOOD columns by Vir Sanghvi, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch
indulge
youtube.com/HindustanTimesBrunch
A NEW GALAXY IS BORN The Samsung S4, with its many pros and few cons, takes the evolution of the smartphone up many notches
Rajiv Makhni
F
OR SAMSUNG, the Galaxy S series of flagship phones are their lifeblood. It’s their largest weapon against Apple and the biggest selling premium Android phone series in the world. And Samsung took the brutal smartphone war right to Apple’s home turf, when they launched the allnew S4 just a short distance from Apple’s most glitzy store in New York. Unlike the very understated Apple launch events, this was a larger-thanlife, noisy, over-the-top and glitzy event. But far more than the hype and buzz around the event – is the verdict on the phone. Does the S4 live up to expectations, can it fill the big shoes of its predecessor, will it outsell the iPhone 5, will it outgun the rest of the Android competition, and more importantly, should you buy it?
THE FEATURES THAT WILL GET YOU ALL HOT AND EXCITED
VISUAL: 4.99-inch Super Amoled screen with
The 13.0 megapixel camera takes the optics to a new front
ACHILLES HEEL
The S4 looks have stayed almost the same and that’s getting monotonous
techilicious
14
the phone will pause the video till it sees your eyeballs return to the screen and start playing it again. Slightly eerie but quite cool. POWER: Battery has been upped to 2600mAh, which was critical for a phone with such powerful hardware and a screen this big. Even better, it has a removable back cover for you to insert a spare one. TWO LIVES: The Knox feature separates your business and personal lives on the phone, thus your IT guys at work can set up your phone easily. Corporates will love that. CONTROL FREAK: The Watch On feature works with a built-in infrared module that makes it into a universal remote control for everything in your room or office, including the TV, sound, Blu-ray player and even the AC. OTHERS: It’s now got a temperature and humidity sensor built in. Group Play where you can sync four or five S4s together to share and play music at the same time (even pictures and videos), Mobeam technology and also some interesting health accessories and a wireless gamepad where you insert your S4 and it becomes a fullfledged portable gaming machine.
full 1920 x1080p HD and a pixel-per-inch density of 441. Those who think that’s all just tech jargon, let’s put it this way – this is pretty THE FEATURES THAT WON’T GET much one of the best, most intense, most vibrant screens YOU ALL HOT AND EXCITED you’ll ever see. All HD TVs have the same resolution and LOOKS: The Achilles heel of the S series continues with the form pixels are distributed over 42 to 85 inches. You have all this factor and looks remaining almost the same – and that’s getting wonderful visual wizardry concentrated into five inches! monotonous. We all make a style statement with our smartphones HEART: The 1.6 Ghz Octa (8) core processor makes this a world and the S4 is still all plastic and looks almost exactly like the S III. first on a phone and it’s a powerful statement to make. Combine The S4 needed to look premium, innovative and very exclusive – it this with the intelligence to only use all 8 cores only doesn’t. when required – intensive graphics, number GAME ON, BUDDY! NON-CLICKER: Images with sound is a feature that crunching, HD movies. This helps improve battery The S4 can also become records a few seconds of sound with each still picture life and keeps the phone cooler. And all that power a full-fledged portable that you take. It seems quite useless as you could just gaming machine makes this phone very future ready. shoot a few seconds of video instead. CLICKER: The 13.0 megapixel camera takes the SPEECHLESS: SVoice drive is where you can respond optics to a new front. While HTC has started a new to messages through voice commands with text war with Ultrapixels which have 300 per cent to speech and speech to text while driving. May more capacity to absorb light, Samsung throws in not work with Indian accents and its predecessor even more add-ons. Dual video conferencing SVoice wasn’t very good either. with both front and rear cameras coming into WIRELESS CHARGING, NOT!: It’s Qi wireless chargplay at the same time is a very handy feature ing capable, but it doesn’t have the wireless chargwhen you’re having Skype calls with multiple ing pad in the box. You have to buy it separately! people in the same room. Simultaneous still Why, why, why? For a world that was supposed to photos with both back and front cameras move to wireless charging on EVERY phone, this also put the person taking the photo into the is a death blow. picture. There you have it. The Samsung Galaxy S4 in all TAPE TALES: It’s thin at 7.9mm and light at 130 its glory. A phone that has a huge number of pros to grams and that on a phone with a screen this big matters. The its very few cons and takes the evolution of the smartphone up sevamazing thing is that the screen is bigger than on the S III and eral levels. But is this now the best smartphone in the world? That’s the phone is still smaller, lighter and thinner. a crown it has to earn next week, when I pit the S4 against the top AIR TRICKS: The Air View feature is one that you’ll use a lot. Just five other smartphones in the world – in a full-blooded shootout! Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell hover your finger over an email or a folder and see the content Guru and Newsnet 3 inside. And air gestures is when you’ll wave your hand in the air to move to the next page or picture or website. EYEBALL MAGIC: It’s been called gimmicky, but I think it may MORE ON THE WEB For previous columns by Rajiv Makhni, log on to just work very well. The front camera scans your eyeballs and hindustantimes.com/brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter smart scrolls a page up and down when you tilt your phone at at twitter.com/RajivMakhni the end of a page. And if you’re watching a movie and look away, MARCH 24, 2013
indulge
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Seema Goswami
Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK
COMFORT ZONES GO FOR IT
MORE ON THE WEB
For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log on to hindustantimes.com/ Brunch Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ seemagoswami Write to her at seema_ht@ rediffmail.com
A
end bad relationships because we fear being alone more than we hate being lonely. We stay in unhappy marriages because it is too scary to even contemplate the alternative. Sometimes our reliance on comfort zones means that we miss out on a lot of what the world has to offer. I have friends who head back to the same holiday spot every summer with their kids, even though the world is littered with better beaches, more stunning mountains, and far more exciting cities. But they like the fact that they can walk around the streets without getting lost; that the waiters in the neighbourhood bistros know their kids by name and dote on them; that there is a certain familiarity to the surroundings. I know how they feel. There was a phase in my life when I used to head to London every time I got some time off. I loved the idea of going back to familiar haunts: the perfume department at Liberty; the shoe section at Harvey Nichols; the lingerie section of Marks & Spencer. Every trip to London had the same rituals. A stop at Nicky Clarke to get a ruinously expensive haircut; a visit to a theatre to watch a play; a walk through Hyde Park; window-shopping on Bond Street; an orgy of book buying at Waterstones. That phase is now over. My biannual pilgrimage to my spiritual home, London, has been junked as I explore uncharted territory on my holidays. And thanks to my new-found taste for adventure - and my decision to venture out of my comfort zones – I have discovered the delights that the world has to offer. I have tracked lions in the African jungle; marvelled at the wonder that is the Great Barrier Reef of Australia; trekked up the heights of Machu Picchu; taken a helicopter ride to a live volcano in New Zealand; bathed in the waters of a spewing geyser in Iceland. Okay, I’ll stop showing off now. But my point is that however much we want to stay within the safety of our comfort zones, sometimes it makes sense to venture outside and see what else is out there. It could be the small stuff: signing up for a salsa class instead of pounding away on the treadmill. Or it could be the big one: giving up on a dead-end relationship or a soul-sapping job in the hope of starting something new. Either way, sometimes it makes sense to leave the security of a comfort zone for the excitement of a new start. You really should try it sometimes.
spectator
We all have our own, whether it is on the snuggly sofa at home or between the pages of a favourite book...
Photo: DREAMSTIME
Thanks to my new-found taste for adventure, I have trekked up the heights of Machu Picchu (above)
S I GROW older, I find myself turning into a creature of habit. I have the same breakfast no matter where in the world I am. I wear the same perfume, buying a new bottle when the old one looks like it will soon run empty. I shop at the same stores; I buy the same labels. I read the same authors, waiting impatiently for their next book to be out. I eat out at the same restaurants time and again; hell, I even order the same dishes. I guess you could say that I seek comfort in the familiar. It could be the Greek salad at my favourite café, a staple of many lunchtimes, with the sharp tang of onions offsetting the soothing creaminess of feta cheese. It could be the dog-eared copy of a favourite book, where the plot springs no surprises, the characters are like old friends, and the dialogues so familiar that I know the best lines by heart. It could be the sagging old couch at home, that has long since moulded itself to my contours. It could be reruns of a favourite sitcom to rewind after a long day (though Friends has been replaced by Modern Family in my household). In some ways, of course, this is a basic human instinct. From the time we are born, we seek out our comfort zone amid a forbidding, unfamiliar world. We first find it at our mothers’ breasts, her smell and touch providing us with a sense of security and well-being. As infants, we move on to being secure in the environs of our home, which is why being sent off to school is such a traumatic transition. And no matter how much we complain about school as we struggle with our homework, it is a wrench to leave the comfort zone it represents to move into college. Comfort zones keep us feeling safe and secure. But sometimes they also make us fearful and timid, afraid of venturing forth from our shells to explore what the world has to offer. We are afraid to leave jobs that we loathe because there is a certain comfort factor in the familiarity they represent (rather the devil we know, we tell ourselves dourly). We are reluctant to
15
indulge
THE JUKEBOX
I
download central
Sanjoy Narayan
Photo: CC/PAUL HUDSON
16
WHEN LED ZEP REUNITED
In 2007, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited to produce a concert that many would’ve died to be able to watch live
T
CELEBRATION DAY
If you grew up in the 1970s listening to rock music, this album is your stairway to musical heaven Photo: COURTESY FACEBOOK
HERE’S BEEN so much hype about Celebration Day, the name of the 2007 concert by the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, who reunited to play just one gig at London’s O2 arena as a tribute to the legendary producer and music industry executive, the late Ahmet Ertegun, that even after the recordings – both video and audio – of the concert were released late last year, I hesitated to check them out. Big mistake. I should’ve. I did, finally, only over the last week. Led Zeppelin, for all practical purposes, dissolved in 1980 (although there have been brief reunions such as the 2007 concert), but they are a band that many of us grew up listening to. I can still remember where and when I first heard their eponymous debut album, Led Zeppelin, or for that matter the three following that one: II, III and IV (the last one actually being an un-named album but referred to by fans as IV). There were five more albums that they released during their tenure, including Physical Graffiti and In Through The Out Door, but for many, the first four remain the most influential Led Zep releases. For many of us who heard Led Zeppelin in our formative years, their sound defined hard rock music. Jimmy Page’s lead guitar, Robert Plant’s wailing style of singing, John Bonham’s (the band dissolved with his death in 1980) trademark drumming and John Paul Jones’ bass and keyboards were the precursors of heavy metal or hard rock as
t’s not often that the name of the recording label is what draws you to the bands that it produces. But when I heard of a label called What’s Your Rupture?, I quickly checked to see which bands this New York indie label produced. I found one called Parquet Courts. A punk band from Brooklyn, their first full-length album, is fun and full of malcontented songs Light Up Gold by that are a fun listen. Parquet Courts
we know it today. I don’t know how many thousands of bands that one band has influenced. For Celebration Day, Bonham’s son Jason joined the surviving members and the quartet produced a concert that many would die to be able to watch live. The band played 17 songs, including two encores, and the playlist has all of your favourite Led Zeppelin songs. Black Dog? It’s there. Dazed and Confused? Yes, a nearly 12-minute version! Kashmir? Yes. Misty Mountain Hop? Ditto. Whole Lotta Love? Yup. If you grew up in the 1970s listening to rock music, this album is your stairway to musical heaven. Yes, of course, Stairway to Heaven was also on the playlist. Besides the glowing warmth of nostalgia that I felt while listening to Celebration Day, I couldn’t help but marvel at the remarkable fact that three ageing rockers (Jason Bonham is only in his 40s but the three of his late father’s bandmates are inching towards 70) were able to perform the way they did. If you don’t watch the video, they could well sound as if they were playing in the 1970s. I don’t know what others feel but for me, it was Page who stole the show at the O2 arena that night. Not having heard my Led Zeppelin albums for a while, I had indeed forgotten how huge a deal he was. And, evidently, still is. He’s grown old terrifically too. Just take a look at the elegant gent in the latest John Varvatos ad campaign for which Page has modelled, along with a more contemporary young bluesman, Gary Clark, Jr. (See DC, dated December 16, 2012). Incidentally, it’s Page who outshines the younger musician in the ads. But last week was not just about an old band in a reminted version. I caught a spectacular new band as well. Miyazaki are an electronic band from Washington DC and they describe their music as “gloomy-spirit, house, loud beat, rain dance-synth pop”. Whatever that may mean, they make music that I found instantly appealing. Miyazaki comprises Eduardo Rodela, Marisa Grotte, Rob Hart and Omari Mayers-Walker. As far as I could make out, they have one full-length album out and it’s called Color of Glass. Rodela and Grotte sing. Rodela’s vocals reminded me of The National’s Matt Berninger and not just because it’s a baritone but also its shade of gloominess. Yet, Miyazaki’s is music that you could dance to as well. I’m not sure it would work at a young people’s party as a medium to dance with but if you’re at a mature grown-ups’ party, it’s the sort of music that can be played after a couple of rounds of drinks have been demolished and every middle-aged leg is feeling uninhibited enough to afford a shake.
For us who heard Led Zeppelin in our formative years, their sound defined hard rock
FOR WHEN YOU DANCE IN THE RAIN
Miyazaki are an electronic band from Washington who describe their music as “gloomyspirit, house, loud beat, rain dance-synth pop” MARCH 24, 2013
MORE ON THE WEB
To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to blogs.hindustantimes.com/ downloadcentral; follow @argus48 on Twitter
18
ELM HILL DATES FROM THE MIDDLE AGES
As London gets cosmopolitan, Norwich is where to go to get a taste of quintessential English life text and photos by Nikhil Hemrajani
T
DRAGON HALL HAS STOOD SINCE THE 1400s
NORWICH CASTLE IS A MUSEUM
Talk About This Town not obese, counterparts to the emaciated fries usually served in fastfood restaurants. What’s conspicuously missing though, is the tartar sauce, which we Indians believe to be the authentic combination with fish and chips. In London, when I asked for tartar sauce, the waiter looked at me blank-faced and returned five minutes later with a badly fermented salad dressing. Here, chips are had with salt, pepper and vinegar. I dole out three pounds for the meal (restaurants charge upward of six pounds), and decide to eat them straight from the pack. But when I remove my gloves, my fingers freeze and I’m forced to wolf down the chips, peas and fish all at once.
HERE’S NOTHING that quite explains England’s love for fish and chips better than witnessing it in person on a snowy afternoon in the medieval town of Norwich. It’s 1pm, but the sun’s low enough to make you feel it’s evening. There are at least 20 people in the queue at a takeaway fish and chips counter in Norwich Market. Evidently, the piping hot, batter-fried haddock is worth the wait. The marketplace too has played a role in the life of the townsHOLY ENCOUNTER folk since a millennium. Traders A five-minute walk from the market and merchants sold their wares through cobblestoned alleys is Elm here as long ago as the 11th century. Hill, which isn’t really a hill but an The rest, as they say is history, of untouched street from the Late which Norwich is certainly proud. Middle Ages. The street looks A stall nearby sells only mushy almost the same now as it peas, and at that moment I did after it was rebuilt know that Norwich GO after 1507, when a takes its peas very BEYOND great fire destroyed seriously. While The Norfolk Broads are a over 700 houses in mushy peas are a series of rivers and lakes, easily accessible from the Norwich. Back then, side dish in bigger it was the posh part cities, here it is possi- town of Norwich. This is one of the best inland waterways of town, where digble to buy them with in the world for leisure boatnitaries and proschips and fish on the ing. You can also go anperous merchants side. I see other coungling, cycling and resided. Some houses ters stocking bangers birdwatching still sport jetties on the (English sausages) and banks of the adjoining Wensum mash, Cornish pasties, pork burgers River, whose name comes from the with apple sauce and fresh winter Old English term ‘wandsum’ meanvegetables, and I realise that ing ‘winding’. Barely wide enough English street food is far from for a single car to pass through, this boring; it’s a cuisine in its own right. short street is now well-known for Back to the meal: the fresh hadits Victorian fashion stores, coffee dock caught from Britain’s eastern houses and craft shops. A word of coast, is served as two fillets advice to the ladies: leave your stacked over the other, fried golden stilettos behind. At the end of Elm brown. The chips are the fleshy, if MARCH 24, 2013
BLESSED PLACE
Norwich Cathedral does not have an entrance fee. Praise be! Street lies the now decrepit church dedicated to saints Simon and Jude. Though the current structure dates from the 15th century, these grounds have housed a place of worship since 1066. The magnificent Norwich Cathedral, a short walk from Elm
Hill, will inspire different emotions in you depending on the weather. The Cathedral I saw in photos, swathed in sunlight with blue skies as a backdrop, seemed like it were eternally blessed by the seraphim, cherubim and archangels depicted on its inner walls. The version I witness in person on this icy day evokes Britain’s cold and dark origins – about its people’s relent-
19
hindustantimes.com/brunch
DON’T MISS THE FOOD STALLS AT THE MARKET less determination to erect grand structures in testing environments – about their will that went on to see them colonise four continents. The cathedral looms over Norwich’s red-bricked houses and is easily spotted from around the city. The 315m spire, later built in stone after lightning destroyed the original wooden one in 1169, is the second tallest in England. The central area of the church has elaborate work on the ceiling – and the reverent Gothic hum of the massive organ will transport you hundreds of years back in time. The enchantment holds even when you leave the cathedral – as you walk through the streets, everything speaks to you with the wisdom that can only come through the passing of centuries. You’ll see houses unchanged from the 1700s with exposed wooden beams as their foundation – one such construction opposite the cathedral stoops a bit towards one side, much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
– after a night out at The Fat Cat or The Adam & Eve pub. Norwich is said to have once had over 50 churches – one for every week of the year and a pub for every day of the year. The Fat Cat stocks quite a collection of ales, over 30 to be precise. Seeing as it’s impossible to try more than a few in one night (one English pint is 568ml), I settle on the Fat Cat Hell Cat that costs 2.8 pounds. Its smoky taste is undoubtedly English and matches the warm surroundings. An elderly gentleman downs two tequila shots and tells us he’s “going partying”, making us boring old folk, sipping beers and
THE LAKE AT THE UNIVERSITY OFF THE STREET
You’ll always find fish and chips, but don’t ask for tartar sauce ciders on a Friday evening. The Adam & Eve’s claim to fame is altogether different. An alehouse was first built here in 1249 from flint, brick and timber for workmen repairing the nearby Cathedral. Back then, labour was paid for with bread and beer. I notice more oldtimers than adolescents at this pub, and have a chat with a geriatric English neurosurgeon discussing the magic of the human brain. The sprightly owner Rita McCluskey interrupts us when she finds out
ALE OF A TIME
The town’s age-old grace is reflected in the manners of its citizens – ask a passerby for directions and they’ll accompany you until you’re able to continue by yourself. You can spend days discovering old sites – in fact, walking seems to be the number one hobby for the general public and the students of the prestigious institute, The University Of East Anglia. Even in winter, it’s not uncommon to see sophomores trudging their way back to college – 5km away from the city centre THERE’S BEER HERE
The Fat Cat pub stocks over 30 ales; but remember that one English pint is 568ml
TRAVEL INFO GETTING THERE: Apply for a UK visa online here: www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk /ApplyNow.aspx Norwich, approximately 200km north of London, is accessible via flight, train and bus from the capital. Ticket prices range from 5-20 GBP for a bus, 50 GBP and upward for a train and approximately 150 GBP for a flight. WEATHER: Norwich’s summer temperatures range from 10-20°C. Winter sees temperatures drop to 2-8°C with plenty of snowfall. It rains throughout the year.
www.visitnorwich.co.uk ■ Carry a macintosh or umbrella
regardless of the time of year as it can rain anytime. ■ For the winter months, you’ll need to carry thermal wear, cardigans and fleece jackets to keep yourself warm. ■ Ales are as English as it gets. If you’re a fan of beer, you should try as many as you can in Norwich’s pubs. ■ There are significantly fewer food options available for vegetarians.
THE CROOKED HOUSE
that I’m writing an article on Norwich and instantly conjures a stash of cut-outs and leaflets on the pub’s history. “Get more Indians to come here,” she says with a laugh.
CASTLE IN THE SKY
The next day, en route to Norwich Castle, I walk by the Dragon Hall that functioned in the 1400s as a trading place for merchants. In the distance, I spot the castle, perched atop a mound. Commissioned by the first Norman king of England, William the Conqueror, this fortified stone keep was built sometime between 1095 and 1110AD. It was completely refaced in the 19th century with Bath stone, a certain kind of limestone. While very little of the original material used to build the keep remains, the restoration stays faithful to the original design. Used as a jail from the 13th to 19th centuries, it is now home to the Norfolk Museums & Archaeological Service. There’s a lot to look at, so keep at least half a day aside if you’re interested in Britain’s history – right from the Neolithic Era circa 10,000 BC and Roman Britain to the period of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. It’s 4pm and twilight approaches as I make my way to the University Of East Anglia. I take a detour around the UEA Broad – a shallow lake with a thin layer of ice on its surface. There’s a small fenland where reedmace (also called cattail) grows in abundance. This type of plant thrives in marshland and its cotton-like seeds float about in the air like candyfloss through a turbine. Some kids up ahead brush the stalks against the trees and the cotton fluff floats towards me. My attempts to catch some of it are futile, but at that instant, I somehow get a taste of quintessential English life. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
Brunch travel tip: Norwich castle’s entrance fee drops to 1 pound one hour before closing, and from noon to 1pm in school term MARCH 24, 2013
20
htbrunch.tumblr.com
M
ORE THAN the pictureperfect Alps, more than the pristine white snow, more than the furry boots and the mulled wine, what made me fall in love with Switzerland were its beautiful cobbled streets. The temperatures hovered near zero, but the fairy lights strung across the streets turned every corner into a dreamland. It turned my solo traveller status into a bonus, leaving me with time to properly appreciate the little details in this landlocked European country.
GENEVA, CLOCKWISE
Geneva, my first stop, isn’t impressive at first glance. Most tourists initially notice only its fantastic public transport system. Buses and trams run like clockwork, and hotels usually provide a pass that let you travel free on them. It’s no irony then that it’s the transport that shapes your memories of Geneva. I’m an old-fashioned girl who loves real timepieces, not cold LCD screens marking the hours on my phone. So I headed to the Patek Philippe museum. It was a ticktocking delight! It traced the story of how Patek and Philippe got together, how a watch is really made, and displayed some exquisite pieces. As with most Swiss cities, Geneva has an old town. It’s where the little markets, quaint cafés and photo ops are. For a solo tourist, it’s perfect. It’s safe and you browse at your own pace. But head back early, if, like me, you have a train to catch next day.
Sailing Solo In Switzerland
HIGH POINTS
Switzerland is as pretty from the top down as from the cobbled streets, as I finally discovered from Mount Pilatus point and the famous Mount Titlis. The latter offers a 360° view of the Alps, and all I could see when I boarded the cable car, was beautiful, pristine snow in every direction. Once you’re done Snow, mulled wine and cobbled streets – indulging long-cherished Calvin and an affair with the Alps is one you’ll cherish Hobbes fantasies by playing in the snow, you know why the for life, even if you travel alone Swiss are so contented. WHEN IN text and photos by Shreya Sethuraman I was lucky to SWISS LAND Snow couldn’t have been befriend a student prettier! However, layer up! DDLJ Bell (the one from Sweden and ALL ON TRACK You don’t want to be stuck Kajol buys in two best friends on Ah, the Eurail! Slick, quick and indoors nursing an awful cold! Dilwale...)! Another holiday. Buddies comfortable. My four-hour ride Indulge yourself. Have hot advantage of going especially help when from Geneva to Interlaken was a chocolate. LOTS of it. And solo: You can indulge you can’t find a bus breeze. I planned to visit Jungfraucheesy fondue too! your corny side and back to the station joch, the highest point in Europe. Drink cool water there’s nobody to judge. and you have to walk in But I didn’t make it there in time. out of the tap. I did make it to the snow – in running Heartbroken, the lovely snowfall my Interlaken the next day – though not shoes. They’re also welcome when only consolation, I changed plan – to Glacier 3,000 since the cable car later, you’re taking in a pub quiz headed to tiny Grindelwald, an hour service was cancelled, allowing me over some Guinness and a beef from Interlaken. Solo holidays rule – to amble around the pretty city. The burger. Most of my pub buddies had the only person you have to adjust day’s highlight was finding a store been to India. They didn’t call my plans with is yourself. that specialised in bakeware. The 45 country “exotic”. How refreshing! And what a great plan it was! I minutes I spent there made up for In Zurich, all tall buildings and loved Grindelwald on sight, even any disappointment – and again I fast-moving people, I saw the sights though it was covered in snow and was lucky to be my own boss. via the Classic Trolley vintage bus, half empty in the cold afternoon. My By evening, things began to look which had headsets offering a comfirst port of all: a gift shop to pick up. I found the Christmas market mentary of the places we passed. A up their quintessential souvenir – and made merry amongst colourful great option for single travellers. the cowbell, better known to toys, woollies and curios. The next This isn’t to say I was solo all Bollywood-loving Indians as the day, in Lucerne, was a lazy one as through. I had a date at the cool VILLAGE PEOPLE well. I headed straight to the lake, Jules Verne Bar. Solo or otherwise, Grindelwald, a tiny village an hour away free to do nothing except watch Switzerland beckons you to return. from Interlaken, will keep you busy for ducks wade though the icy water. shreya.sethuraman@hindustantimes.com hours with its bylanes and curio shops
Brunch travel tip: Holidaying alone? Use FourSquare to keep track of where you are, whom to approach and leave a trail, just in case MARCH 24, 2013
youtube.com/HindustanTimesBrunch
Finding the ideal soulmate to vacation with can be harder than you think by Zara Murao
I
T WAS 50 degrees outside, the desert sand blazing along the Nile. But she wanted to go for a walk. “Even the guide says it’s too hot. For God’s sake, the cruise has cancelled the afternoon tour,” I pleaded. To no avail. Snapping that I was a spoilsport and “wasting a precious afternoon in Egypt”, she marched
TRAVEL BUDDIES ON SCREEN THE HANGOVER: Only go on holiday with this lot if you want to get lost. For real! DIL CHAHTA HAI: They drive off in a fancy car, clown around in Goa and have a good time. THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: You can’t get any closer to one another than sharing a motorcycle. Especially if you share the same political beliefs too. ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA: Best friends in Spain egg each other on to do daring things. They even throw tomatoes! THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: The boy reporter, Captain Haddock and even Snowy get on so well together! HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE: A shared love of pot and hankering for burgers. Despite the odds, they reach White Castle, eventually! DUMB AND DUMBER: Look at the movie title. Enough said. LORD OF THE RINGS: Hope you get a travel buddy like Sam. And not like Gollum!
off while I sighed, blinked and pouted (those three stages just before the tears), picked up a book and tried to enjoy my free afternoon. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect travel buddy. Even when you find someone who checks all the boxes – same interests, similar income, flexible schedule, neat, clean, punctual, pleasant – there will still be the odd disaster. Like that afternoon in Egypt. Or the time I really needed a loo, but she had spotted a ‘muse’ who would make the perfect photograph against the façade of a museum in Istanbul. She left me waiting and waiting as she crouched and knelt and circled, determined to get the perfect angle.
S
till, it is a rare blessing to have a travel buddy. After all, it’s not like you can just pick any friend, parent, cousin or sibling. Believe me, I’ve tried. Travelling with family, for instance. What is it about packing a bag that can so totally alter a person, taking them from kind, loving parent to a complaining nag who will not let the cook make tea without handwritten instructions? Who will complain that every single person we meet is either “too nice… how suspicious” or every place has “dreadful service… we should never come here again”. Sigh, blink, pout. As for friends, you may have known someone for decades and still have no idea exactly what form of nightmare they will take outside city
21
How To Pick A Travel E Buddy
from the tap. Everywhere. Suddenly, the idea of a scorching summer walk in the desert alone doesn’t seem so bad.
limits. I mean, you spend days together, studying, going to movies, dinners and parties and all is perfectly sane and reasonable. Then the bags are packed, you’re off for a week in Singapore and you discover that your friend is a gambler and a shopaholic, wants to spend every free moment at a mall, and, when not shopping, would rather spend hours cooking than pay for a meal, because “that money could be spent on cosmetics”. Oh, and the alcohol is too expensive, so we’re just drinking water…
specially if you find ways around the sticky points – like immediately walking away when she points her camera at that ‘muse’, because you know it’s going to be a while and, really, there are things to see at the museum, for God’s sake. And if you remind yourself that she does all the research (invaluable), packs light (leaving plenty of space for your books and outfits) and takes great photos (invaluable, if sometimes inconvenient). The truth is, once you’re lucky enough to have found The One, for every silly argument, you will have dozens of golden memories – of afternoons spent watching the sun set over the pyramids, sipping cocktails at Rick’s Café in Casablanca or sharing fish sandwiches at a floating restaurant along the Bosphorus. And if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit, you’re not the perfect travel buddy either. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
THINK YOU’VE FOUND THE ONE? START SMALL:
Go on a weekend trip first, or explore a local or inexpensive destination. That way, you’ll feel the breakup less keenly if it doesn’t work out.
DON’T THROW IN THE TOWEL TOO SOON: If
you have some good memories, and didn’t need a doctor, you can still make it work. Identify pain points and decide together how you will resolve them.
WRITE YOUR VOWS: Have clear ground rules about budgets, schedules and cost-sharing. This will ensure that one person does not spend the emergency fund on alcohol, leaving you with not enough money to get to the airport.
FRIENDS FOREVER
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS: Do not
ignore the warning signs. Is he/she tardy, messy, needy? Sort it out before you book your tickets. Remember, every tiny peeve is magnified on a holiday.
Movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara celebrate the joys of travel with buddies
Brunch travel tip: Sick of travelling with painful buddies? See our story on travelling solo in Switzerland MARCH 24, 2013
22
PERSONAL AGENDA
Designer
facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
Namrata Joshipura BIRTHDAY PLACE OF BIRTH HOMETOWN SCHOOL/COLLEGE January 9
Junagadh, Gujarat
LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFE
Life presents obstacles; none are insurmountable
New Delhi
DPS RK Puram, NIFT, Delhi
FIRST BREAK
I started working with Suneet Varma after I graduated from NIFT
If you weren’t a designer, you would have been... A professional trekker or special educator. What inspired you to become a fashion designer? An exploration of material and texture. Your favourite decade in fashion. Now. Fashion evolves and that is its intrinsic strength. As a child, what would you consider your first brush with design? My mom always made clothes for my fancy dress events at school – I won on many occasions! Your favourite international designers. Right now, I love Balenciaga and Givenchy. One fashion trend you want to do away with. Juicy Couture sweatpants! What would you make Lady Gaga wear? Her style is very costumey and it’s not my thing. The actress you would like to dress. Tilda Swinton – she takes chances that many people don’t. An Indian designer whose works you have always admired. Anamika Khanna. The best part about being a designer? Every new season is a blank slate to work on. One song that defines your current state of mind. Comfortably Numb. Little black dress or a black sari – which works better for you? I love both, depending on the occasion. Three skincare products you cannot do without? Facewash, under-eye cream and lip balm. Delhi or Mumbai – which city is more fashionable? Individuals are fashionable, not cities! What is your fondest memory? It’s always about being in the mountains. Who are you closest to? My daughter.
MARCH 24, 2013
HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE
Birth of my daughter, Ananya
CURRENTLY I AM...
Grand finale designer for Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013
THE MOST STYLISH PERSON IN SHOWBIZ.
Rihanna A rumour you’d like to start. The Lakme and Wills Fashion weeks unite. One lesson about fame you want to teach an aspiring designer. Fame is ephemeral. To design and sell great clothes should be the goal. Your last meal would be... Karim’s at Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The biggest risk you’ve ever taken? Starting my own label. If you were the editor of a magazine for a day, who would you put on the cover? Mary Kom. You have five minutes to pack, what do you take with you? My phone, my laptop, jeans, T-shirts, shorts and running shoes. One street food you can’t resist. Aloo chaat. Your dream destination. To witness the Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights. The last line of your autobiography would read… She kicked ass! — Interviewed by Veenu Singh
MY MUSIC
WHAT’S ON MY PLAYLIST? GYM: Electronica ON THE ROAD: Radiohead and old Hindi film music NIGHT: Thom
Yorke, Apparat
MUSIC AS A PICK-ME-UP?
Nicolas Jaar, Cyril Hahn THE MOST EMBARRASSING SONG I’VE HEARD?
Not embarrassed, but amused by Woofer tu meri main tera amplifier