Potpourri - May edition

எங்கள் அலுவலகத்தின் இந்த மாத இதழில் வெளி வந்தது.

While in France
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“You are not supposed to eat rice with spoon”. I literally choked when he said this, on my first ever flight, and in my first ever trip abroad. I did not know the ‘western eating etiquettes’ until this man, seated next to me, an Indian but settled in Paris for about 17 years, objected. “You will represent India and you should know how to eat”…he continued making me conscious along his boozy sips. “Rice with a Fork and the Fork in left hand… mind you”. Luckily during my next meal, he wasn't’ awake.

Food is close to anyones heart. When you are away from home for a while, anything that was slightly Indian would do wonders to your taste buds. In the most happening street of the most romantic city, the Champs Elysees (say it like Champsaleezey; not as tough as ‘Khan from the epiglottis’), I have once for ever eaten the national dish of France - ‘Crepe’ which looks like our dear ‘Dosa’.

Having craved for home food for a while, I jumped on it, to know that it’s just wheat flour without salt spread on hot pan; and with choices of veg. toppings like cheese, spinach, and mushroom and yes, even CHOCOLATE... The rest is for your imagination about someone who ate a wheat dosa minus salt with a chocolate topping.

I happened to dine at one of my colleagues’ house and the chicken served was way too soft and delicious. I could not resist asking for the recipe from his wife. To which, she said, ‘it's a duck brought from the north of France and cooked with the traditional French spices after marinating it in white wine for three days’. Now take that!!