Pune – A Hot Spot For International Cuisine

Fusion Food – Affordable International Food

Pune has now become a hub for a multitude of cultures with foreign fare not surprising the regular restaurant-hopper. Eating out has become the norm rather than the odd meal out, but that’s not all. Today Pune boasts of uber cool international cuisines which are not only served from la-di-dah Michelin starred Restaurants & Bars across the city, but from Inns that dot the landscape right from Koregaon Park to Kondwa.

Pune has arrived!

International cuisine is not limited to just Chinese food with an Indian twist. From the predictable to exotic, these Inns are either run out of street cafes a La Paris or have popped up in dense neighborhoods and abound corners, streets and complexes ubiquitously. So the Marathi manoos can dress-to-kill-to-eat-in-style at the numerous exorbitant fancy eating houses or eat at reasonably priced and freshly baked & served Inns across the city. No plush interiors. No lavish spreads and no ambience maybe, but the food is lip-smacking fresh and completely affordable to any pocket – school going kids, to college teens to a hard pressed housewife and what-have-you’s! Continue reading “Pune – A Hot Spot For International Cuisine”

Freedom From Want

Thanksgiving is the start of a month’s worth of expectations. That family and friends should be gathering, that there should be an abundance of food and gifts. That everyone is supposed to be warm and loving to each other.

Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell

My family of origin lived up to those expectations for the first fifteen years of my life, until the patterns started to break down. And we had pretty high expectations. My great-uncle Jim McCabe is in the iconic Norman Rockwell painting.

My early memories are of grand holiday meals, although we lived overseas most of those years so sometimes we had goose instead of turkey. Continue reading “Freedom From Want”

Chinese Noodle Salad With Roast Beef and Fresh Vegetables

At the end of a busy day you want to kick off your shoes, relax, and enjoy a tasty meal. Hungry as you are, you don’t want to spend lots of time on cooking. Frozen meals may be the answer, but they tend to be loaded with fat, salt, and preservatives.

How can you get a quick and delicious meal on the table?

Pre-chopping vegetables one answer. If you are cutting the tips off fresh string beans, for example, and cutting them into pieces, you may as well fix extra. The same is true of carrots and mushrooms. Weekends are a good time to prepare vegetables for the days ahead.

Cooking extra is another answer. When I’m cooking spaghetti or any other kind of pasta, I cook double the quantity I need. I drizzle a little olive oil over the drained pasta to keep it from sticking together. Extra pasta is refrigerated or frozen in plastic zipper bags. Continue reading “Chinese Noodle Salad With Roast Beef and Fresh Vegetables”

The Spice Trail

I get comments about my calling out of specific types of spices and whether or not that’s required.

My stock answer is, “You may use whatever spice choices as you may desire. But if you want to enjoy and savor the subtle flavors in these recipes, I suggest you hunt down and use the specific spices I call out.”

I use spices from different regions strictly because of the nuances that the spice brings to the food.

For example, you can buy the generic “Oregano” in your local grocery store and for most meals that is more than sufficient.

However, there is a subtle difference between Mexican Oregano, Mediterranean Oregano, and store-bought generic “Oregano.” Continue reading “The Spice Trail”

Diet and Migraines: Migraine-Friendly Foods and Foods to Avoid

If you suffer from migraines, you may recognise a pattern of how the food and drink you consume affects your body, how you feel and the likelihood of getting a migraine. However, different food items affect different people in different ways. For instance, consuming salty foods may trigger a migraine in one sufferer, but not in another. There is a pattern and here I am going to share with you the potential threats and give you some idea of a diet that may be more suitable.

Food and Drink to Avoid

I always like to save the best for last, so I will start off here with food that you need to avoid to lessen the risk of an attack.

1. Citrus Fruits, Bananas, Apples, Peaches, Tomatoes – Believe it or not, even certain kinds of fruit are more likely to have an adverse affect. These include citrus fruits, but also include bananas, apples, peaches and tomatoes. It is the contents of the skins that cause the issues. Bananas, for one, include an amino acid called tyramine which reduces serotonin levels in the brain. Continue reading “Diet and Migraines: Migraine-Friendly Foods and Foods to Avoid”

Does Your Chinese Girlfriend Really Love You?

Because many men have a fear that if they marry a Chinese woman she may be just doing so to improve her financial status and because it’s often a question guys email me about, I’m writing this article. Not everyone has visited or lived in mainland China, not to mention having dated a cross-section of Chinese woman, so there is certainly some kinds of information you should be aware of, no matter in the beginning stages, or even at the marriage stage.

Even though I had been involved in the Chinese community in my own country for many years, and also dated Chinese girls in my own country, it didn’t prepare me at all for mainland Chinese women! Continue reading “Does Your Chinese Girlfriend Really Love You?”

Rediscovering Brown Rice

Rice is a staple food for more than one and a half billion people. For many, a meal would not be complete without rice. There are over 120,000 known varieties of rice. Though white rice is the most common and preferred, there is a lot to be said about brown rice. This healthy grain has been available it seems since day one, it really became popular during 1960s and 1970s when organic and more health conscious diet started to take root.

I was always told that brown rice is better for you because of the vitamins in the hull. I tried this wholesome healthy grain in my early 20s (around late 70s, early 80s). I did not like the texture or the taste, I found, for me, it was an acquired taste (like whole wheat bread).

But now, brown rice is making a come back. Japan, a huge consumer of white rice, is creating some exciting recipes using brown rice. Since writing about dishes served over rice, and learning about its come back, I decided to re-explore this healthy grain. Continue reading “Rediscovering Brown Rice”

What Food Does a Cruise Ship Crew Eat?

Food keeps crew members from fully integrating, perhaps more than any other single thing on the big ships. Access to ‘food from home’ at sea varies dramatically because ‘home’ varies dramatically. Some cruise lines have more Indian dishes, or eastern European, or Caribbean, depending on the make-up of the crew. Happily, cruise lines take food for the crew very seriously. It’s the real deal-unlike, say, the food court at ye olde shopping mall. Sure, it has Mexican, Italian, and Chinese, but only via Taco Bell, Sbaro’s, and Panda, respectively. And those, of course, are hopelessly Americanized. Prior to international corporations, I doubt native Mexicans, Italians, or Chinese would have even recognized such foods as being ‘theirs’ – especially after eating it. But I digress.

Strangely, ships cater to American tastes below the waterline, despite a dearth of them aboard. The irony is complete when you realize that nearly 100% of said Americans are entertainers who won’t eat anything provided. Why? Because hot dogs and hamburgers do not lend themselves to attractive bodies. So why, then, do ships bother? Because hot dogs and hamburgers are cheap. Even better, both can sit under a heat lamp for hours and you’d never know it. Or at least a lad from Indonesia wouldn’t. Mystery solved. Continue reading “What Food Does a Cruise Ship Crew Eat?”

Tips for Getting Rid of Carpenter Ants Naturally

Is it possible to live without ants in our house? I think the answer is Impossible and most of the people of this universe will agree with me. Because, ants are everywhere in this world. But, no one like to live with ants. Because, sometimes they become aggressive, they destroy our property, food, and also bite us. We can not keep them away from our house forever. But, proper steps and effective techniques can keep them away from our house for the maximum time. Carpenter ant is one of the dangerous species of ant. They destroy our valuable wooden property. Now, I am describing how to get rid of carpenter ants naturally.

For getting rid of carpenter ants naturally, we have to know them and know their characteristic.

This types of ants are one of the largest member of ant species. They are black in color and sometimes reddish brown. Their length varies from ¾” to ½”. They have round thorax and one node on their back. They have a pair of elbow angle antenna. Which make difference between termites and carpenter ants. Continue reading “Tips for Getting Rid of Carpenter Ants Naturally”

Special Plates

Notice how each particle moves.
Notice how everyone has just arrived here
From a journey.
Notice how each wants a different food.
Notice how the stars vanish as the sun comes up,
And how all streams stream toward the ocean.

Look at the chefs preparing special plates
For everyone, according to what they need.
Look at this cup that can hold the ocean.
Look at those who see the face.
Look through friends’ eyes
Into the water that is
Entirely jewels. Continue reading “Special Plates”