When Indians settled down in the UK in the late 50s, they unknowingly ended up planting something in their adopted land that was far stronger than their rich culture – a taste for richer spices. For a long time Indian ...Read More
There is a reason behind the whole process of life and birth. Darwinism aside, it was basically designed with one main idea in mind: we should never be able to choose our parents. This is mostly so that you may ...Read More
The new corporate conglomerate is a very scared body. So traumatised are they by the very people that they try to serve and save that they don’t know anymore how to get up in the morning and breathe without pissing ...Read More
Doing business is easy, but not in India. On the degree of being a difficult thing to do, business in India ranks right behind removing your own appendix without enough anaesthetic. Sure there may be government subsidies but that means ...Read More
[caption id="attachment_169" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Sweet Sweet Yummy Yummy Toddy!"][/caption] A clear light white drink; harvested early morning by slashing the bark of palm trees and collecting the sap overnight. The aromas are intriguing yet inviting. Soft and a bit reminiscent of ...Read More
[caption id="attachment_137" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="L'Essential in Saint-Emilion"][/caption] It is very deplorable the way our liquor vends are so ineffectively called “wine shops”. You would sooner call my hair style an afro rather than refer to these caged holes-in-the-wall establishments, wine shops. ...Read More
Blauer Wildbacher (BW) (blo-er wield-baa-kher) is a very peculiar grape that is found only in the southern part of Austria called Styria. This happens to be the smallest wine region of Austria with 550Ha of vines. That is even lesser ...Read More
I had heard a lot about this marvellous clinically clean city around the continental corner and, as a good traveller looking for value-for-his-and-his-neighbours’-money, I logged on to a million sites to gather all I could about thing to do while ...Read More
Spain was a beautiful visit...so much to learn, more to unlearn, and so much forgotten already! I would love to put the blame on that lovely ham, that ode of culinary class - the famed Pata Negra (black footed or ...Read More
I have just come back from Spain, perhaps the most homophobic country in the world. Either that or they are all closet homosexuals with a deep-rooted insecurity and some sort of need to "fit in”. Sounds rude right? Well it was ...Read More
Like a mild rash in the nether regions, we have all got it at one point or another. At all odd hours, odd situations – “Hello, Good evening sir/ma’am, would you like a credit card/loan/phone connection…they are like spam in ...Read More
The human species is possibly the best standing example of that eternal cycle of life and death. Nothing else showcases this chronological phenomenon better; well, nothing except nightclubs. They have a similar cycle but it moves much faster – like ...Read More
When I was in school, martial art films were the only thing Chinese on the market. Albeit dubbed, they also formed a clear majority of ‘English films’ that made it to the city in VHS format. Many in my age group ...Read More
I have never had an ugly dream where I got up in the middle of the night sweating and palpitating. I would like to though, would make me feel like that guy in the “November Rain” video. Statistics have shown ...Read More
There are very few things that can get me worked up to the point where I can break anything I strike, including my hand, and with each passing festival, I am finding it more and more difficult to buy health ...Read More
Starting from the era of Adam & Eve right up till Armageddon cometh, we mortals pay for all we consume. I remember a time from a previous life when people were happy drinking whatever was classified as intoxicant; and if ...Read More
Recently, I was fortunate enough to spend some quality time in South Africa where we got plenty of time to get to know each other better. There was chemistry, attraction, serendipity even controversy...all the makings of a successful relationship. Overall, ...Read More
Being a Sommelier This is perhaps the most frequent query I receive through all medium of communication – even in naughty SMSs! So I am re-stating the often-stated, yet once again, encore! Geez, talk about redundancies... Let me also emphasize that this ...Read More
The world is full of places and institutions that we collectively refer to as the hospitality industry – bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels, motels – all are a dot on the hospitality map. Hospitality itself can be defined as the combination ...Read More
You know you have become a wine sissy when you refer to a series of tastings as an adventure. You then sadly realise that you will never be able to brave the outback alone or accompanied and a vineyard will ...Read More
An Austrian Adventure