Friday friend: Tofu From China

Here hails from China 'Tofu' to befriend your food today!!

Tofu (Bean curd), reduces cholesterol and thus reducing the risk of heart diseases, can replace 'ghee' and is easy to digest. 

image sources: google images
TOFU

Tofu stays in Delhi. You may find Tofu relaxing at :

Out of the Box, 9A, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi

Ardor, Connaught Place

Aqua - The Park, Parliament street, Janpath 

You may also find it in Sarojini Nagar at the vegetable market lane.

Food's Best Friend

Soul Feed Presents

image source: google images

A new friend for your food everyday. The blog will post one new ingredient or a tip or some surprise a day a week, which makes up for a healthy combo or anything fun to do!! 

Keeping your soul happy!!!

Happiness awaits food...give it!!

image source: google images

image source: google images

GELATO : FROM ITALY TO DELHI

While walking in the busy streets of Hauz Khas Village and being a voyeur to the fight amongst the car driver, the traffic man and the bike driver, we (me and my friends) spotted an ice cream van which somehow caught our attention. The employee (Lalit) who was there was saying that Ma’am please try these flavors and it is only after trying that you can buy if you want to. Owing to the slow processing of my brain,it was after a minute when he finished talking that I realized Lalit was talking to me. We tried Swiss chocolate and since chocolate is the only flavor I know or want to know in the world, I loved it. So we bought a cup of Swiss chocolate and the next time, Swiss chocolate plus chocolate chips.

‘Gelato Roma,’ which literally means ‘icecream’ in Italy is owned by three Italians. One of them, Michael (hope I spelt you right Michael or forgive me otherwise) stays here in Hauz Khas Village. Michael is in India since 10 years. The other partner who is in Italy is an actual Gelato Chef and it was him who came up with this idea. And since Michael is the one who knows better about India, he is the one who manages everything here. It was just an experiment they wanted to try (and in my eyes they are doing wonderfully!). And since it would be out on streets, they were pretty apprehensive that if it would attract much crowd (I lost the count of no. of people who were coming for the icecreams!). They have around 10-12 flavors and they keep each of them covered so that they don’t oxidate. All what they use are real ingrediants which they get from various markets in Delhi like INA. For vanilla they get their ingrediants from Kerela. They prepare everything fresh in the morning, everyday and for that they have imported machines from Italy.

Your Hygiene is their concern
The employees wear gloves while serving

Michael told me that in Italy every ice cream parlor is a brand in itself. If you have an ice cream parlor and a name for it, it’s a brand in itself. The best thing about Gelato Roma is that you can actually try every flavor before buying it. And you would be welcomed very warmly by the staff who is way too polite and Michael himself.

Its been one and a half months since they are here and Hauz Khas village is their first and only place. But they do have future plans of opening up different branches at various places. Already they get so many invitations from weddings and various festivals.

Michael was very keen on making us try the lemon flavor. We understood this enthusiasm when the taste of fresh lime melted into our mouths making us feel as if we are having fresh lemonade. It was a delight to our taste buds!! For the whiskey cream flavor, he told me that they don’t put whiskey into it actually, they just have raisins in it which are little dipped in whiskey. The amount is negligible,since it would be heavy on pockets.

Michael is from an IT background and when asked that why this completely different field, he said When you make things by your own hand and give it to people and when they feel happy, the happiness actually reflects on their faces and you feel so good about it. Well Michael, I did feel happy for the Swiss chocolate and lemon the most! 

Michael with his amazing creation: Gelato Roma

The thing which stole my heart: Swiss chocolate

Kunzum Cafe; too good to be true!!

Good coffee, yum cookies, free wifi, relaxed atmosphere and lots of travelogues to read on!!

Yeah indeed this sounds like a coffee café, but hold on untill your thoughts wander into the normal lines of what a café is all about.

As students of journalism we need to make a documentary on a topic of choice. So to find a place where we can have our long hours of script writing sessions, we spotted this café, KUNZUM CAFÉ  in the posh locality of Hauz Khas Village. I have been to this place once before and it was my second visit and this time with two of my friends. I was looking for my favorite place near the French window, to steal glimpses of what is happening outside as well (this is the reason why I always pray for a window seat in a bus). But anyways somebody was already enjoying that corner of the café so we found another cozy place to sit. We ordered for 3 cups of coffee and then I started looking around at the place. One thing you would notice at the very first sight would be magnificent and beautiful paintings hanging on the walls. At once it would look like an art museum and indeed a striking one. The paintings are by Mr. Ajay Jain. Mr. Ajay Jain is the brain behind ‘Kunzum Café.’ He started this place over 2 years back.

Painting by Mr Ajay Jain

Painting by Mr Ajay Jain

Painting by Mr Ajay Jain

 The brilliant concept running behind this café is that, anybody can come and sit for as long as they want without the compulsion of buying anything. You do get coffee and tea along with yum cookies and though it is not free but you can give the price whatever you feel like! And you don’t have to give it to anybody; there is a small collection box near the entrance where you can drop any amount as you please to. And free Wi-Fi is like a bonus offer.

The soothing coffee

 

The box to put money

 While I was having a look around at the café, I spotted a place where there were stacks of books kept over a wide spread wooden shelf. Travel books dominate the collection. No wonder they have a whole book called, ‘Kunzum Travel Guide’ where they have mentioned about the most interesting and unusual places around the country. And as I was roaming around and clicking the pictures, the General manager, Mr Apurbo, spotted me and called me. I got a little apprehensive (though I had taken a prior permission to click there) and was hell bent on assuring him that sir you can check my notes, there is nothing I am writing that you would not want me to. All my worries were put to complete rest when he politely started conversing with me and telling me more about Kunzum café. He told me that they will be starting a proper 6-months course on travel writing. They would set up criteria of selecting students for their course, like an entrance exam or something.

Arun Paule Verma, a well known lens man conducted a photography workshop here which was covered by ‘Travel Secrets; magazine. This is just one of the many achievements which I am mentioning. Hindustan Times, Forbes etc have all covered stories on Kunzum Café.

Talking about its relaxed atmosphere, the café has a very friendly set up, with Bob Marley singing in the background (through a music system) and wide variety of tea to offer which includes, chai masala, Darjeeling tea, green tea, lemon flavored tea, green tea and mint, elaichi tea, jasmine green tea and classic Assam tea. All the tea lovers, you get the hint, right?

 

It’s not just a peaceful environment which develops your love for the place but also a unique way of maintaining contacts with the customers. They have a pile of beautiful diaries and scrapbooks, each for a different purpose. On one you can leave your name and e-mail id. One is for exclusively writing messages and feedbacks to Kunzum Café. There is also a diary where you can write your personal anecdotes, like somebody wrote about a trip to Mumbai. You will also find a kind of a photo essay book, where you can paste pictures or self made sketches and describe something about it. There is also something for the book lovers, it’s a diary named ‘Book wag,’ a kind of a Book club where people can recommend various books like they have recommended ‘Tipping Point,’ ;Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,’ ‘River Dog’ by Mark Shand etc. There is also a proud bulletin board placed upon the wall where people have pinned there sweet messages on small papers, small kites and spoons made of light wood.

 

People come here for various purposes, but one thing for sure about it is; it’s a soul feeding and filling place!

When are you going to Kunzum Café? 

Your way to a peaceful time

The bulletin board on the wall, blessed with sweet messages

Beautiful paintings by Mr Ajay Jain

Mr Ajay Jain, owner of Kunzum Cafe

P.S. : A big thank you to my friend Jayashree's camera because of which I was able to click the pictures!!

Four Countries On Your Breakfast Plate!

When we talk about cuisines, breakfasts are generally the most neglected part of the meals.Around the world not only there are different dishes which befriends the taste buds but also there is a different mood and style with which they eat.
Here are four countries (Turkey, Italy, China, Korea) and their breakfast choice. Four countries on your breakfast plate!!
P.S. : I didn't include India because that would require a whole blog post which I would be doing very soon.

TURKEY

image courtesy:  http://oddstuffmagazine.com/top-50-of-the-best-breakfasts-of-the-world.html 

A proper Turkish breakfast is like any other full course meal. It can take a lot of your time to prepare a proper Turkish Breakfast. That's the reason why usually most Turks prefer to have it on weekends, like a brunch. A Turkish breakfast plate 'Kahvalti' (breakfast in Turkey is called Kahvalti, which means 'before coffee') usually includes cheese, butter, tomatoes, cucumber and olives. Its eaten with plenty of bread and jam. Turks consume lots of tea with breakfast and coffee after that. In weekdays, working people eat pastries called pogaca, similar to croissant. 

Breakfast in Turkey is not only about food but about family time and gathering. Its all about sitting together with your family and stealing all the good breakfast moments. 

ITALY

image courtesy:  http://oddstuffmagazine.com/top-50-of-the-best-breakfasts-of-the-world.html  

Italians consume a very simple breakfast as breakfast is the least important meal of the day to them. It includes coffee (espresso, cappuccino or caffelatte) , hot chocolate or tea with bread, butter and jam. They also like to eat Cornetti (similar to croissants but slightly sweet), pastries and cookies. 

Nowadays cereals like oatmeals are becoming popular in Italy for breakfast. People often eat their breakfast at bars to socialize with others. 

CHINA

image courtesy:  http://oddstuffmagazine.com/top-50-of-the-best-breakfasts-of-the-world.html  

Since China has a huge population like India, its food is like Indian food, its divided by regions. But as we are talking about breakfast here, they like to have plain porridge with salted eggs, preserved raddish, soy bean milk, fried noodles. They consume ;Baozi' which is a bread with meat and/or vegetables in middle, ;Jianbing' which is an egg pancake wrapped up and eaten by itself or with a crunchy middle.

What we get in India as Chinese food is actually Sino-Ludhianvi. As pointed out by Vir Sanghvi in 'Rude Food' column in Brunch under the article 'What Happened To My Chinese?,' "Sino- Ludhianvi is cooked by Nepali or Pahadi chefs who slave away in restaurants that are usually owned by punjabis who have told them what to cook and how." " Till the early 1980s,  Sino- Ludhianvi cuisine did not really exist. It was invented after the Taj famously opened the house of Ming in Delhi and told North Indians that Chinese food could be 'teekha' . Once that message had sunk in, every 'thelawallah' , worked out that if you mixed ketchup and chilli sauce, you could create your own kind of chinese menu."

KOREA

image courtesy:  http://oddstuffmagazine.com/top-50-of-the-best-breakfasts-of-the-world.html  

Their breakfast contains rice, soup, several kinds of Namul or seasoned vegetables. The most important thing which Koreans can't do without in their breakfast is 'Kimchi' (fermented, pickled vegetables). They eat it with grilled meat or fish. Koreans give a lot of preference to side dishes in their morning meals. Their meals are kind of similar throughout the day, be it lunch, dinner or breakfast.

Most people are now eating western style type breakfast. Gaeran tost-u is basically a toasted egg sandwich which has onions, eggs, carrots, brown sugar and cabbage inside it.

Koreans are health conscious and therefore their meals are nutritious and healthy. So if you are on a diet or aiming for a healthy meal, Korean breakfast should be on your diet list!

So which one is your choice for breakfast?

A Unique Competition For Your Creativity!!

Hi Guys, 
Get ready to show your creative skills. And yes you do get rewarded!!! :D
Steps for the competition:
1. Think of a creative Do It Yourself (DIY) idea. Write down the steps to do it and attach a picture of how you went about makin

g it or just the final look.
2. Send us your entry at vaasash@gmail.com.
3. We will upload your entry in the “Contest Entries” folder.
4. Get your friends to like, share or tag your entry. Each friend that likes, shares or tags the picture needs to like the page as well. Or else that like, tag or share would not be counted.
So make sure each friend LIKES THE PAGE AS WELL.
Here’s the page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vaasash-Apparel-and-Art-Pvt-Ltd/203280286382427
5. The winner gets a hot orange sling bag and a collection of arm party bracelets.


Style it your way, Do it yourself!

This is a competition by VAASASH APPAREL. VAASASH APPAREL brings designers and labels from all across the globe under one roof and also keeps you updated on latest trend news and updates.

Celebrating the Might of Meena Kumari…

image courtesy: google images

Born to Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum, Mahjabeen Bano (fondly known as Meena Kumari), was dropped at a Muslim orphanage by her father, but was picked up a few hours later. Owing to the kind of roles she played and given her real life experiences, she used to be called as the ‘Tragedy Queen’ by the media.

    

image courtesy: google images

For the film, ‘Leather Face’ (Farzande Watan), with Mehtab and Jairaj as the actress and actor, at Prakash Studios, Meena Kumari was given the role of Jairaj’s  daughter, when she was very small of her age. She was neither scared nor excited by the surroundings of a studio, which made Vijay Bhatt to cast her.

One of her best roles, in ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam,’ produced by Guru Dutt, she played the role of ‘choti bahu,’ an alcoholic wife. It is believed that once during a scene where she was supposed to cry, she cried so hard that it continued even when the shot was called over. No amount of consoling helped to stop her from crying. She started to live the character, and put her heart and soul into it.

Her longing ness for a soul mate, so much so that she was even ready to destroy herself for that, a failed marriage, pushed her towards alcohol. She became a heavy drinker, which led to liver cirrhosis, and she died on 31^st march 1972. She used to hide drinks in dettol bottles. It was when her husband Kamal Amrohi, took some ‘dettol’ to apply on his wound, he smelled whiskey and then he realized that Meena has been hiding alcohols in dettol bottles.

It is said that her husband’s ill treatment towards her further added to her agony. It was also rumored that Kamal Amrohi would not let Meena Kumari to bear children with him  But according to Tajdar Amrohi, Kamal Amrohi’s son with his first wife, Kumari had three miscarriages, of which two were abortions.

Sawan Kumar Tak (a film maker and Meena Kumari’s ex-lover), revealed in an interview that once Kumari looked closely into his eyes and said, “You are the first person in whom I have seen God. You collect the blood that I vomit in your hands. Not once do you show displeasure. Nobody has ever done this for me- neither my sisters, nor my friends nor those who loved me. My bedsheet would get stained; I would change it myself.”

Meena Kumari was very much concerned about her image even when she was at the worst of her health. According to Shammi ( Kumari’s friend and co-actor) in one of her interviews, she said that Kumari didn’t want anyone to see her without make-up. She was given an injection and put off to sleep. When she woke up, Shammi was surprised to see her with full make-up, her hair well combed and ready to leave.

Meena Kumari started to actually live the tragedy or grief stricken characters she played. Her sorrows and pain used to come out in the form of poetries she used to write. She had an immense interest in poetry. In a book named, ‘Meena Kumari’ by Vinod Mehta, in 1972, he says, “my heroine (throughout the book, the author calls her ‘my heroine’) was not an outstanding poet, nor a detached poet, nor a penetrating poet, nor a classical poet. She was a learning poet who translated her life into verse.” 

Meena Kumari with the director Gyan Mukherji on the sets of the incomplete movie “Birhan”
source:  http://cinegems.in/meena-kumari-on-locations-off-screen-pics/

Meena Kumari and the Director Kamal Amrohi on the sets of “Pakeezah” (1972) during the picturisation of the song “Chalte Chalte..”
source:  http://cinegems.in/meena-kumari-on-locations-off-screen-pics/

Meena Kumari and Kishore Kumar on the sets of “Shararat” (1959)
source:  http://cinegems.in/meena-kumari-on-locations-off-screen-pics/

Sexual Harassment, Starts At Home?

Just making physical advances or forcing one’s sexual desires over the other does not constitutes the whole of sexual harassment. The way the culprit looks at the person, certain actions he does, also forms a part of this. It is generally believed that the children need to be protected from these ridiculers outside the boundaries of the four walls they live in. That is the reason why usually parents caution their kids about the harassers roaming free outside. But normally they fail to acknowledge the prospective danger inside their homes as well. The harasser takes this to his advantage because he knows that in the disguise of the relationship he shares with the child, he can do anything to her/him. Also, according to a report of Ministry of Women and Child Development, at least 21% children are sexually harassed by being kissed by their relatives or loved ones against their will in the country. The child is unable to speak about it to anybody, because she/he fears that nobody would believe her/him. Also the kid would be so small of her/his age that she/he might not actually understand what is being done to them.  

Image courtesy: Google images

   In the book ‘One child,’ by Torey Hayden, a six year old character Sheila, who was abandoned by her mother (her mother dropped her at a highway) when she was four, suffers from severe mental torture. She is been taken care of by a teacher in a special school for psychologically disturbed children. There comes one point in the story when Sheila is making frequent visits to washroom. Her teacher wonders as to what could be the possible reason, unless she notices the bleeding on her pants. She takes Sheila to washroom and fearfully unbuttons her pants and what she notices is devastating. The little kid is trying to hide the bleeding by placing multiple layers of tissues under her panty, which was caused by somebody who stabbed a knife into her vagina. She tells her teacher that her uncle Jerry (who used to often visit their house) did this. Uncle Jerry told Sheila that he wants to love her and forced his penis into the poor little kid’s vagina, when obviously she resisted and said that it is paining he stabbed a knife into it. According to wikipedia, in a sequel to the book, ‘The Tiger's Child,’ it is revealed that this incident makes Sheila infertile. The amount of mental and physical torture that the child went through, one can hardly imagine.  

   The role of any elderly or parents is very much crucial in this case. The child could be explained that what kind of touch is meant to harm them, which kind of approach is friendly or caring and which one is potentially harmful for them. 

Image courtesy: Google images

There have been cases in India as well relating to sexual abuse or harassment within the homes by a relative or a family member.

There was a little girl in the age of nine and something who could not make out what her uncle were up to when he constantly used to touch her ass in the name of loving the child. When she grew up she understood all of those gestures and movements but still could not talk to anybody about it.

Another girl who went through a kind of mental harassment was the time when she was in her teens. Her uncle (her father’s sister’s husband) used to pay visit to their house and numerous times she has caught the sight of him taking out his penis and playing with it. She explains it as a very ugly sight also whenever he used to come home drunk, and used to look at her in a lewd manner. It always used to make her uncomfortable also when she used to sleep and the man consciously used to try to touch her breasts. She once shouted because of this at night but could not explain the reason why. But one fine day she spoke to her mother about this. Her mother was shocked but said they could not do anything about it since they share relations with them. She still cannot understand why was she subjected to this hideous sight and why her?  

Ignoring the initial actions undertaken by the harasser can prove to be quite dangerous. He might get this feeling that whatever he might do, nobody would catch hold of him. And he would be constantly hunting for an opportunity to do more damage. In that case if he is brought into the notice of the family much before, many gruesome situations could be avoided. 

   Indian government laws relating to sexual harassment exist even though not applied, either by the victim herself/himself or by the authorities concerned. According to section 209 of Indian Penal code, if anyone sings or utters obscene words or songs at public place, then he can be imprisoned for a term of up to three months or can be fined or both. Uttering any word or making any gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman can lead to imprisonment for one year or fine or both. Indian Penal Code does not distinguish between women and child victims. Henceforth, protection of children from sexual offences act, 2012, has been passed by Lok sabha on 22^nd may 2012. More information relating to the law could be obtained from this link, http://equalityindia.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/the-protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-passed-children-in-india-get-a-new-law/

    

   Kids need to be explained and should be made that much comfortable that they talk their heart out without any inhibitions or fear. They need to have the feeling that they are nowhere at fault and would always be listened to and understood, no matter what comes into the way. This fact should be emphasized by the parents again and again that they would be loved, no matter what and should not feel embarrassed or guilty about anything.