Monday, June 29, 2020

Mad Men - An Appreciation Post

I love vintage everything. Shabby chic décor, vintage clothes, Victorian collars, polka dots, reclaimed wood furniture, vintage-y posters, old books. I just love it all. Of late I have also developed quite an interested toward history. I now try and sneak in books based back in time (or written during those times) to know more about how the world works. Sadly, this spark to learn was totally missing during my actual learning years. Ha. Anyhow – I mostly spend my free time on Pinterest or Instagram, feasting my eyes on these vintage thingies. And that is precisely how I came upon this gem called Mad Men on Netflix.


What I saw in the preview were some gorgeous looking men and women. Draped in some absolutely lust worthy ensembles and impeccably stylish hairdos. Very sixties and poufy. I was intrigued. I had just finished watching Money Heist and was looking for something less adventurous and easy on the mind. Mad Men just seemed perfect for this.


The build-up of the show was good. It held my attention but not in a way when you are left with no other option than to click on next episode. I was enjoying it leisurely and it provided a much need relief to the eyes. Beautiful visual and interesting storylines. Although the amount of sexual harassment at workplace unnerved me, but I had to keep reminding myself that in the 60s women had very little to do except for providing a glamour quotient and of course being the secretary. Being a secretary, learning shorthand and making a mean coffee were desired skills. Women holding important positions panicked men (waise isn’t that the truth even now?). There is a very important scene where the protagonist Mr Draper is seen leaving a meeting when a woman client is unsatisfied with his ideas. But not before declaring “I am not going to let a woman talk to me like that”.


But uprising of women from short skirts and high heels to pant suits is ideally what Mad Men is all about. Well, at least for me. I loved the character arc of Peggy Olsen. Mostly we are shown how women must be bitchy in order to attain top positions at work. Brash, rude and what not - to be taken seriously. But with Peggy, it was different and more realistic. She is considerate, focused, hardworking and yet humane. Not afraid to stand up for herself but mostly lets her work speak for itself. I absolutely adore the scenes between Peggy and Don Draper.


When I had read Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls, which was also set in the similar timeline and place (NYC). I was so not convinced about how women could just go about partying every night with different set of men, be drunk wake up with a different set of people and smoke like chimneys. But all my doubts of authenticity were drowned by Mad Men. It was as if the book has come into picture in a world of beautiful young women, married men having flings with the drop of a hat. Sugar daddy’s sponsoring your Louis Vuitton. Women smoking during pregnancy and after – breast feeding be damned. Also, oh I am not sure about now but back then alcohol in advertising office seemed to be a mandate. Gulping a drink or two before, after and during a meeting was not really frowned upon.


Another fascinating thing about Mad Men was that is covers all important events of American and world history that happened in the sixties. Marilyn Monroe’s Death. The assassination of Kennedy Brothers. Civil rights protests. Landing on the Moon. Mohammad Ali’s winning fight. The Vietnam wars. Some serial killing, which I forget. And many other titbits here and there. I find it really enthralling to experience these events up close and personal via these mediums. For precisely this reason The Marvellous Mrs Maisel is another personal favourite.


Taking of favourites, here are some of my favourite characters from the show.


Peggy Olsen – She is my absolute favourite. I love her. Everything including that weird fringe hairstyle they gave her in the first few seasons. The growth her character had in a sector entirely dominated by men was remarkable and most importantly – believable.

Joan Holloway – Oh Jonnie. While she may come across as a bit mean and vindictive. She is as strong a character as Peggy. Her journey from being a secretary to a partner and married to single mom is quite fascinating.

Don Draper – He just fits into the description of the term “love to hate”. His character almost sells the cheating part while married to Betty. Because let’s face it, Betty is something else. But when he repeats the same things with Megan was when his downfall started. Also, he was a pretty lousy Dad to his children, especially Sally. But Don being Don is charismatic and can literally pull off anything including stealing identities.

Trudy Campbell – Though not a central character per se but I really admired her for throwing out that scum of a husband. In an era where wives turned a close eye to their husband’s extracurricular activities, she really had some spine. And a very fashionable closet.


And on that fashionable note. My most favourite part. Narrowing down the top five best fashionable moments on the show. Trust me, selecting just these five outfits was more difficult that conceptualizing and writing down this post. So, after much deliberation, here goes.

Ms Trudy. In her signature elegant chic avatar. Don't miss that brooch and earrings. Also I love all her hats.


Joan had a lot of bodycon dresses in her wardrobe. Though her red one seems to be the most popular, I like this olive green one.

Betty Draper the style chameleon. There was hardly any frame in the entire series where she looked anything less than gorgeous. Including the clothes she slept in. She was mostly seen in empire style dresses accentuating her tiny waist. But I like her in this black one she wore in Italy. That hairdo is everything!

Megan has some really epic fashion moments. This blue one was my favorite. very LA and very 60s



This was one of those statements via the clothes. Peggy in a pantsuit. Enough said.

Also, sadly the show has been taken off from Netflix. In the last few weeks before it was scheduled to go off, I was literally watching the show while cooking, cleaning, bathing, sleeping. I just had to finish it and thankfully succeeded in doing so.

Stay Stylish People
Don’t let the lock-down stop you from playing dress up and accessorizing.

Lots of love:
Sepo

Sunday, May 31, 2020

The City of Pearls and Biryani

Our dreams are more than just some random thoughts about the day we had or things we aspire. I feel they originate somewhere deep inside our sub-conscious. Sometimes bewildering us when we wake up. For the longest time after I graduated from school, I would dream about the pretty red brick building of my alma mater. The scenario would be totally different, sometimes centered around my college life and friends but the place would be the school always. The long corridors, the lovely swings, beautiful grounds, pretty church, the staircases and railings which we were never allowed to touch. I close my eyes and can still hear clearly “Hands off the railings”. Moving on, what I am trying to say is that we may move on in life but a little part of us; somewhere deep down, holds on to these tiny little details which at one point of time were an inseparable part. Off late whenever I dream about day to day stuff (these days it's mostly how I have spilled something and now need to clean-up) rather than it being my current place of stay - more often than not it’s the first home after marriage in the beautiful nawabi city of Hyderabad. 

I came to Hyderabad with a lot of preconceived notions and apprehensions. A lot of stereotypes that one usually associates with south Indian states. I knew absolutely no one in Hyderabad. And one always hears about how once you have lived in Mumbai you cannot like any other city. I had a lot of friends in Mumbai and over the years a lot of familiarity with surroundings and a lot of independence. All this change was obviously hard to digest. And to add to all the troubles, to quote Monica Geller, I now had to live with a boy.

I still remember my first drive from Hyderabad airport to our home. The airport area road in Shamshabad which leads to Outer ring road is one of the most beautiful and picturesque roads I have ever seen. Smooth as butter with pretty flowers on both sides and those lovely boulders high up balanced on each other in a queer manner. It was definitely not love at first sight but a very pleasant first encounter with the deccan city.

In fact, Hyderabad was a lot of firsts for me. Do you know, I had never ever had an authentic biryani before I came to Hyderabad? Guess my happiness at landing directly into the biryani bowl of India. And not just biryani, let me tell you – Hyderabad is any food lover's paradise. Everything from variety to portions is perfect. Portions are infact gigantic. Mountains of rice, neatly stacked noodles and them layers of meat. Plus, the city is a perfect blend of the old-world charm and the new Cosmo. In the old city towards and nearby the Charminar you will find the old joints which continue to pe popular and have thronging crowds, Shahdab being one of the best. The best time to go towards old city is after midnight, cut the traffic and the crowds. Enjoy the twinkling lights with a plate of fruit cream. The city is also home to a lot of beautiful café's each with their own USP. There's one which has swings instead of chairs. Another which has an entirely outside seating with trees, greenery and beautiful canopies. One with Bollywood inspired décor and menu. One with Game of thrones style – with Iron chair and Hound’s Chicken and all. Ufff. Major Missing. 

Just your usual plate for two!
Just your usual plate for two ;)


There are places of historic importance too. So many museums and palaces. Old markets. Lakes. Gardens. Hidden Lakes. Dams. Shilparamam (which is like Dilli Haat and my absolute favourite y
) and Ikea. Oh everyone wanted to visit Ikea. And I should know, because we visited all these places at least 4 to 5 times with different set of guests and visitors. Oh, and Ramoji Film City. Omg. That’s your desi Universal Studio but trust me much better. If you have any queries on the tour contact me, we know the ideal times, rides, unmissable shows, the best lunch place and everything else. Did you know I played Basanti from Sholey in one of the ongoing shows? Much to the embarrassment of the husband and the guests accompanying. Hubby and I would swear that who-so-ever comes next, we are not going back again. But then we would and somehow always have fun. Hyderabad doesn't have many quick weekend getaways. But it compensates for it by the resorts. There are numerous resorts scattered in all directions of the city. Towards Secundarabad and around. So, you check yourself or a group of friends into a resort and just unwind. They come equipped with private villas, pools, also water parks. Horse riding, games, fruit pickings – Oh juicy mangoes and chikoo. 

Film City


Golconda Fort

Hussain Sagar Lake


Hyderabad was also a lot of cooking experiments. Some successful and many disasters. A lot of learnings. So many house parties. I just loved cooking in my pretty little kitchen. You must understand, I was just out from a place which I shared with 6 other girls. The kitchen was untidy most of the days to put it mildly. I had to sit for long hours in café to bring my thoughts together, in case I wanted to write or read peacefully. Or just get away from boyfriend fights. So, a whole house all to myself was a kind of happiness I just can't explain. Of course, there was a husband, but he just occupied a tiny place in front of his Xbox. So, all in all Hyderabad kind of started to grow on me. I missed Mumbai obviously, but my work trips keep them pangs in check. 

Cooking up a storm


I loved the way everyone in Hyderabad calls you “Amma” irrespective of your age. Or how people are so disciplined and follow rules. How in temples the priests do a nice little pooja for you. The small stalls of flowers and coconuts just about everywhere. And the fresh smell of sambhar brewing while you are on your morning walk. The strong cup of filter Kappi. The irani chai and biscuit. Ladies in crisp cotton sarees in summers. And the general cacophony of an unknown language in the background. By the way do you know Hyderabad has its own typical dialect. An endearing mixture of Hindi, Urdu and some tapori kinda slang. You can listen to two people conversing in this language for hours and not get bored. It is so so beautiful and funny at the same time.


We also got in touch with the Kashmiri people of Hyderabad and I must say it was the best decision ever! Because after we did it there was no boring weekend like ever. Firstly, so many Kashmiri peeps outside of Jammu always gives feels of a different kind. Plus, we celebrated all festivals, some of which we hadn't even heard of before. So, our social calendar was suddenly booked with Navrey, Ashtami, Kaw Punim, Ganesh Chaturthi and if nothing else then Potluck lunches and dinners. And if not food then kashmiri musical nights. And if not that then game nights playing and fighting over Mafia and Dumb charades. And there was sports every weekend – football, badminton, cricket followed by coconut water and breakfast (not me though, I would be sleeping peacefully at home). But what I did not sleep on was making friends with these cool Kashmiri kids. The common love for Kashmiri food and gossip played cupid and slowly we fell in love with each other's company. What followed was a beautiful time filled with many outings, vacations, house parties, sleepovers, scandalous girl's night outs and a lot of fun! And all that went by a little too quickly and soon it was time to leave. 







Leaving anywhere after a long time is emotional. But a place you had this much fun is more of a challenge. Plus, I sorely missed leaving the home we set up with so much love and a lot of DIYs, host to so many people and such lovely memories. I also miss the crazy girls and the fun times we had. Truth be told, I also miss the Biryani. 

Crazy Ones

 Dates with this one!

And just to re-iterate, Hyderabad is an experience which most definitely should not be missed. It is a very livable city with beautiful weather. No, it's not too hot. Only April, May and little bit of June. After that lovely monsoons all the way down to October. Plus, its safe. In the widest sense of the word. No eve teasing, no staring, no passes. People just let you be. Even aunties won't give you a look down. Never had to think twice before booking a cab at 10 in the night. Of course, they will cancel or disagree to go to your destination but that’s it. A very nice place to visit or stay or shop. So much to buy really. Ikat. Ponchampally. Pearls. Spices. Pickles. Bangles. Ikea Stuff....... And much more.

Pretty Things


Until next time.
Au revoir.

Love: 
Sepo

Friday, April 17, 2020

Quarantine Cooking – Chicken Momos

Momos hold a very special place in every street food lover’s heart. So, it came has no surprise when entire social media was filled with pictures from experiments with the momos during lock-down. Being a big momo fan myself, I decided to dive in and try a dozen. Luckily my insomnia helped me to get hold of a slot for minced chicken online. It was decided, chicken momos were happening in my kitchen. After a mildly successful experiment when a lot of people wanted first-hand experience, I decided to take my time and write about it in detail. At the start of the year, I had taken a resolution to write atleast one post per month, so when the opportunity presented itself with an easy update to the blog – I grabbed it with both hands. Yea, I am cheap like that. 

Anyhow, if you are here just for the recipe, do scroll directly down because I will probably ramble about for a paragraph or two before coming to the point. However, if you are as bored as a panda without a bamboo, then feel free to continue reading my momo timeline. 

I clearly remember when I ate momos for the first time. It was in Delhi roughly around 2006. I had never even heard about them but my sister sweared by them and how good they were. I hated them at the first bite. I was bewildered why someone would eat this raw-ish ball of flour and that burning-my-mouth-chutney. Fast forward few years with the influx of students from Ladakh, momos made their way into every corner of Jammu and my heart (and stomach). Back in college we had momos every day. Yep. I am not exaggerating; our canteen had in-house soya-filled dumplings and spicy watery chutney. They were fabulously drowned with bottles of cold drinks. And if some day we missed out on eating them in college, we had this epic joint called Momo Hut. It was a very shady place, always dark inside but they served the best-est mutton momos. I have never had amazing melt in the mouth momos ever after that. Sadly, the joint is closed now.

We have successfully Indianized momos - tandoor momos, fried momos, kurkure paneer momos etc etc. While all of them taste good, for me – those mutton momos hold the highest place. Closely followed by these chicken momos I had in Mcleodganj. Third place is for kurkure paneer momos. So, with the decision of making momos at home came a big responsibility of atleast matching up to the big guns and the big expectations from ahem the husband. Thankfully it was not that bad. 

Now I did a lot of improvisations to my recipe. You can choose to follow the same or like me watch atleast 5 videos of the recipe and then follow little bit of everything.

Chutney
This is the most important step. Because what are momos really without that fiery chutney. You will need :
10 Red Dry Chillies (soaked in water for atleast 2 hours)
4-5 Garlic Pods
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Oil
2 Blanched Skinless Tomatoes

First take the red chillies & garlic and grind them till the chillies are finely done. Next add the sugar and oil. Lastly add the tomatoes and grind everything to a smooth paste. The consistency of this chutney will be a little watery, you can choose to cook it a little. Just a simple saute saute till the consistency becomes of your liking.
I kept the chutney as-is though, as it reminded me of the canteen-ki-chutney. You can also skip the tomatoes for that schezwan chutney like flavor. 


Stuffing
Chicken Mince (Cup full)
Pepper (2 Teaspoon)
Spring Onions ( 1 Cup including the greens)
Finely chopped garlic (1 teaspoon)
Salt (swad anusar)
Mix everything up and done. As easy as that.

Dough
All purpose Flour (1 cup)
Ragi flour (1 Tablespoon)
Baking powder ( 1 pinch)
Salt (1 pinch)
Water (well, obviously)

I know what you must be thinking, what is the ragi doing in there? That’s a futile attempt for my conscious to make it a little healthy. Knead the dough until it is soft and spongy. Let it be for 15-20 minutes before using.

Now that all ingredients are ready, let's start.

1. Make really tiny balls with the floor and bhelo it into small sized rotis. Make sure to keep the edges thin. 

The balls, momo base and raw momo chilling side by side. For some reason gas lighter is also in the picture.

2. Now add the chicken mince and seal like you would close a Gujiya. 

The Chicken Mince
3. Once all momos are stuffed, you will need a steamer. Here’s an interesting bit of information - I don’t have a streamer. But that wasn’t going to stop me. 
4. So I made a jugaad of sorts with a patila of boiling water and a colander. 

The jugaadu steamer
5. If you too don’t have a steamer, don’t forget to brush a little oil on the colander (I forgot, and it broke 5 out of 12 momos).
6. Keep the setup covered for like 10 mins. Keep checking. Turn the momos to other side. Keep for 5 mins. Switch of the gas. Let it rest. 

And Voila, you are done.

I was a little skeptical about adding the raw chicken, but it was cooked splendidly. 
Do try and let me know. 

Love:
Sepo

P.S Apologies for the abysmal quality of pictures. In my defense, while cooking, I wasn't aware I would write and post about it.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Adulting with Adult Acne


I try and think back to a time when I had clear baby skin. Smooth and supple. Without the cruel mark-ations left by years of Acne’s war against my skin. Since I grew up in a pre-smart phone generation, I don’t have many pictures to ponder and admire my pre-pimple life. Life. Yes. Having acne changes you as a person. It affects every aspect of your being. Your personal and professional life. You become more self-conscious and your confidence will hit an all-time low. You will get tired of people asking questions about why you have pimples. Ha, as if you the answer to that question. And you will get more tired of people offering unsolicited advices especially the garelu nuske.

After 16 years of continuous struggle with acne, I can proudly say that I have tried everything under the sun. So, I will start chronologically because aap chronology samajeye. Pimples are natural at the time of puberty and its very natural to treat them as naturally as possible at this stage. So, that’s where the first mistake was made. Every skin issue is different and can arise from various reasons. It is very important to take a dermatological opinion before irritating the hell out of your skin with neem ke patte. I had a lot of Safi and way lot of fullers' earth (multani mitti), masoor daal, neem (of course) face packs. The result of all this you ask? Well, let me just say that people who did not know my name in college conveniently addressed me as the-thin-girl-with-a-lot-of-pimples-on-her-face.

After college I shifted to Mumbai and my skin just couldn’t behave itself. I had a really bad spout of not just pimples now but open pores, blackheads, shiny oily skin and oh nasty painful oozing pustules. And not only on my face but back (bye-bye deep necks) and chest too. I had trouble sleeping because ouch these shitty things hurt like hell. I had trouble looking in the mirror. I had trouble clicking pictures (and I love taking pictures). I had trouble meeting new people. I had trouble taking baths because no matter how careful I was, one or two pimples always got burst. Meanwhile I went a little cray cray doing all sorts of self-medications like baking soda, toothpaste etc etc. Since my skin was oily, I though keeping it dry would simply just cure everything. It was only recently I came to know that over drying leads to more oil production and hence more pimply babies. Shucks. I generally slept in these concoctions and would naively believe I will wake up with clean and clear skin.

Me. Every-night back then



At this point of time I also took all advices given to me very seriously. So, when someone suggested to apply my saliva just after waking up till it dries, I did it. When an aunty randomly stopped me in a supermarket and told me to wash my face with a mixture of dried orange peel and nigella seeds – I quickly called up with parents and told them to do the needful. They kept this concoction ready in bottles for me to take back (Just remembered, I still have a few left :D). 

When situation became out of control – and by this, I mean less face and more pimples, I finally decided to see a doctor. Why the delay you ask? Because somehow with everyone around me saying “it gets better with age” - I started to believe this blatant lie too. May I add - I was well around my mid-twenties by this time. The doctor immediately put me on oral retinoid treatment. I was skeptical considering the side-effects but decided to go for it, nevertheless. Apart from the obvious side-effects (duly informed by the doctor) the medications made my skin super-duper sensitive. I was supposed to cover myself completely in the sun or else I would look like a tomato. Plus, my skin would literally peel so no waxing for like 6 months or so. Which when I think back was good only – try going to a parlor with pimples on your face and you will understand what I mean. Aap yeh karva lo clear ho jayega, aap wo khareed lo sab sahi ho jayega. Anyways, the medication did work, my skin cleared up and bought a smile to my face. Now people were all like “Wow, where are the pimples?” 

The in-progress picture
Oops celebrated too soon. Acne was back and with vengeance. It was also around the same time I noticed a lot of hair growth on my face. Now whether a side-effect of medicines or hormonal issues who knows. Just what I needed - as if pimples were not enough. Phew. This time I took the approach of internal healing. After-all what goes inside your body will reflect outside. So stopped salty, oily food. Cut-out dairy. Lots of water, salads, detox waters and the face packs were back too. Thankfully this time, there were a lot of editing tools available to hide the imperfections. My darling friend, the cool gal S (previously mentioned here) helped and still helps me choose the best pictures for uploading. All I have to do is send a bunch of pictures and she replies with the best one – editing at proper places. Not just removing marks and blemishes but if required she adds up a dash of lipstick or blush as well (attaching exhibits of her talent below). 


Uneven skin tone? No Problem
Pimple se No-Pimple


The dietary restrictions failed to show up any results, and with my shaadi less than a year ahead - it was time for a new doctor. This one was more into cosmetic procedures. No eating medicines but a lot of expensive Micellar waters, Antirougeurs cremes and so on. She also suggested laser treatment and chemical peels and I (desperate for results) and with my never-say-never attitude went for it. So, I undertook these laser treatment sittings which pricked my skin and pinched my pockets. Laser was still better but Chemical peel was extremely painful, and I could only tolerate one. Result as expected was good and I was pimple free on my D-Day. Although on my reception day, the makeup girl did remark “aap toh bahut hairy ho” while applying base-crème to my face, with my sister-in-law sitting right next to me.

But like all good things, my clear skin days did come to an end.

Next bout of acne was all over my jawline and chin which indicated hormonal issues. This time it was gynecologist visits which opened another can of worms. Cut to this day – the struggle continues. Now pimples don’t surprise or disappoint me. I have accepted them as a part of my life and face. I also don’t give much though before uploading pictures now. Ain’t no pimple gonna hurt anyone. Though over the years I now have some knowledge about what works for my skin and what doesn’t. I do basic cleansing, cleaning and hope for the best. My bouts somehow also match timings with important events like marriages, vacations, people visiting etc. Thankfully we now have makeup products specifically for sensitive acne prone skin, so that helps. People however continue to ask why I have pimples and even after 16 years I have no answers.

Le Sigh. 

Love:
Sepo

Saturday, February 29, 2020

The Help

A distant acquaintance once remarked how women have nothing better to discuss other than the status of their respective maids. This was in response to a question asked about whether they have hired a new help after the previous once took off. At the time, the comment really pinched me. I thought it to be very sexist and condescending. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it is indeed a very important and frequent point of discussion amongst us womenfolk. My society whatsapp group is full of messages on the status of various maids. And someone or the other is always on the look-out for that perfect maid. After all why wouldn't they be? Our helps undertake a very important aspect from the very long list of responsibilities that we women have under our belts. Their absence even for a day creates havoc in our lives and homes.

I myself never gave much thought or appreciation to the work or dependency we have on our maids. Some years back I saw this movie called The Help. Ever since I read Gone with the wind, I have been obsessed with Southern American culture. Cotton picking, ice-teas, fried chicken, deviled eggs, pretty bonnets y’all. So I am always looking out for movies or books based in and around the Southern area. Over the years I have read a lot of The Color purple, Beloved etc. One of the days I stumbled upon this movie called The Help - it had me hooked on from the first scene. It had all the ingredients I desired. I loved the movie so much that I quickly bought the book it was based on. We all know no movie can ever do justice to the book and boy was I right. The book was a revelation for me.

Of Course I loved the story, the semi fictional account of the vast social difference between the blacks and whites, the bridge parties and Minnie’s world famous chocolate pie. It was all good but the book resonated something much more deep than all this. It basically showed the world from the perspective of the help. Now this help did not necessarily have to be a black woman in Mississippi for the effect or the message to get delivered. It could just as easily have been someone in India or for that matter any other part of the world.

Like I said before, I never gave much thought to helpers, their chores, unplanned leaves or different issues they come with. But the time I started reading the book coincided with the time when I was responsible for employing a help of my own. I was responsible for her salary, taking counts of her leaves, guiding her on what to be done and verifying whether it was done properly. Every time I read a passage from the book, I could relate it with my maid. How she would feel working for so many people, cleaning their homes from morning to dusk while her own home at times stayed neglected. Taking care of other children while her own awaited her arrival. Cooking stuff in quality and quantity that she can hardly afford to cook for her family. It is definitely not an easy feat. Both physically and emotionally. Our respective helps not only deserve our respect but also a lot of empathy. A bit of guidance sometimes and also a firm voice whenever the situation demands.

I get super panicky whenever my maid is late even by 5 mins from her scheduled time. I leave for office exactly one hour after her arrival, so her delay directly impacts my timings. I remember on one occasion (after a night of party) our home was particularly messy and I had to rush out early in the morning.The beds were messy, unwashed utensils occupied the basin, side tables were hither and thither, there was spilled water and hence muddy footprints all over the floor. I was just minutes away from leaving and my maids phone was unreachable. I was literally getting panic attacks from the state my home was in, moreover I knew even if I left, the images would keep me restless for the entire day. So you can very well imagine the joy when I saw her enter. I quickly left for work leaving the entire cleaning responsibility and home under her reign. While away I did question my hastily taken decision of keeping her alone in the house, but all my apprehensions were quickly dissolved when I came back to a spick and span home.Cleanliness is definitely a very underrated pleasure. A clean kitchen and a nicely made bed give me an ultimate high and peace at the same time.

This another time at the wild 30th birthday bash, apart from a lot of fun there was also a lot of mayhem. Glasses were broken, biryani was dropped, thumbs up was spilled like champagne. Nonetheless the party poppers went to sleep after a half-heartily attempt at cleaning. Only to be woken up at 6 in the morning by a call from the maid informing on how she wouldn't be able to make it today. Jeepers Creepers. I almost had a nervous breakdown thinking about the unwashed plates I had neatly stacked up to be washed, the not-so-efficient way the biryani was cleaned up with little specs and stains still on the floor or the haste with which the broken glass was just swooshed in a corner near the dustbin. I could hardly go back to sleep after this major major debacle. So I woke up and started cleaning the utensils one by one. Luckily I managed to get neighbors' helper to help me clean up rest of the mess and restore my sanity. I totally feel for all those amazing women/men who live out of the country where it may not always be possible to get help. I have unrelenting respect for all these people.


Everything said and done, like all relationships there has to be a lot of trust, honesty and mutual respect. A good maid is hard to get. But once you manage to get one and train her, your life will be a little bit sorted. Well, until she goes on leave :P
 

Lots of Love:
Sepo

Friday, January 3, 2020

Dieting or Die (eating)

Sometimes I think about all the times I mindlessly ate Pizzas bursting with cheese, sandwiches drowned in mayonnaise, bread with a thick layer of butter, unlimited momos, desi chowmein suitably sprinkled with harmful MSGs and ajinomoto, pakoras fried in oil of a very questionable color. Ahh the reckless days of youth.No one to guide you to say - A moment of the lips, forever on the hips.

Although in the prime of youth one can afford the luxury of eating all the junk but the issue is that it forms a habit and you start to develop the taste. And man! Nothing tastes as good as unhealthy food. Nothing is as addictive as the taste of fat. Don't get me started on the withdrawal symptoms of unhealthy food - the sudden urge to eat an entire box of caramel salted ice cream at midnight is real.

Now sometime back, I undertook a challenge to eat healthy at least during the weekdays. Little did I know that it would lead to a road full of contradictions and confusions. Just like in any department, marketing plays a huge role in the health industry (if I may call it so). Ever since I started to Ahem increase in size, I observed a very peculiar scenario - every other month, one or the other food item is promoted as a healthy super-food. You just have to have it in order to stay fit and lose weight or you must be stuck in a rut of trying-to-lose forever. Now you may not pay heed - but you will spot this super-food everywhere - Newspapers, Instagram, Hoardings or some actress with enviable abs will be seen promoting and swearing by it.

At one point of time it was the egg whites. Yellow was the enemy. Chuck the yolk, everyone said. Unhealthy fats, heart diseases, diabetes - the list of bads was endless. I remember reading about how whipping up an omelette of 6 egg whites (with veggies, of course) was the ideal breakfast and whites of boiled eggs was the ideal pre-workout meal. Then some years back there was another theory about how the yolk is super loaded with essential nutrients. People with Vitamin D deficiency (which is like every other person) should definitely have an egg a day (with the yolk intact!). For a person like me who loves the yoke, no amount of egg whites satisfied me or my appetite.

Next boom was about Blueberries. Apparently packed with antioxidants - which fight everything from aging to acidity, it was the ultimate breakfast food. Whether or not its local to where you stay was not taken into consideration. It just had to be had as-is or in a smoothie. And that reminds me of the smoothie trend. Nutri bullet sales skyrocketed like nobody’s business because of this. Smoothie bowls of distinct colors garnished with fruits and myriad of seeds was the ultimate Instagram-able breakfast food. Although why no one stops to ponder on how these non-native fruits and ingredients are burning a very gaping hole in our pockets is beyond me! My tryst with blueberries ended quickly when I spotted them in a supermarket priced at some Rs 550 for 250 grams.

The liquid diet cleanse was really big at one point of time (or maybe still it) . Everyone from Beyonce to Jacqueline were seen endorsing it. RAW came up with 5 to 6 liquid meal packs which took care of all the necessary nutrients. Mornings with citric, mid morning and lunch with cold soups, afternoons and dinner with light on the stomach concoctions. For one tiny bottle at a time, the prices sure were exuberant. Flavor infused waters were another rage. But many people counter argued that apart from flushing out toxins the liquid diet can hamper the body by making it loose essential vitamins etc.

Then came avocado. And everything else took a back stage. Suddenly everyone’s favorite snack was avocado toast. Yours truly inspired by all the coverage this vegetable fruit got, shopped for my very own first Avo. No prior experience ensured that I pick up the wrong (unripe) one. I was expecting buttery creamy taste but could hardly swallow my bitter toast. I wondered why the world was going ga ga over this shit which was probably just a distinct cousin of the karela. But soon I made amends by learning the right way avocado from a dear friend. And now avo toast topped with fried egg is my favorite breakfast.

To make matters more complicated than ever there is this new section of people who only eat gluten free and vegan. The list of foods they can eat is minuscule as compared to the ocean of food they cannot (or choose not to). I am sure what they eat is healthy and beneficial. But how do you suddenly make a drastic change from what you have grown up eating to something totally different. And how can you be suddenly lactose intolerant after years of gulping bottles of milk. My kashmiri brain took a somersault when I read you are not allowed to have dairy. Everything else is fine but no dahi? For a kashmiri a person who does have curd is a freak. After paracetamol, good old zamdodh (curd) is the ultimate cure for all ailments.

Amid all the madness, I find dietitian Rituja’s voice pretty sane. She insists on eating local and seasonal. Backed with scientific significance (and Kareena Kapoor’s body), I really like how she encourages good eating habits by not making them scary and complicated. I feel half the battle is lost right when you complicate a diet with ingredients that either cost a bomb or need to be specially sourced. Then prep time also matters. When I come home tired from office and have a Martha Steward kinda recipe to attend to, I would rather just Swiggy or Zomato thinking just this one time. But soon enough it forms a habit and leads to a post like this one :)

So for now I am taking heed from Rituja and taking baby steps towards eating better. No fads, no super-foods only ghar ka fresh khana. And some avo toast once in a while :)

Stay healthy people!

Love:
Sepo

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Aham Brahmasmi

So as you might have already guessed, I have completed the second season of the much awaited Sacred Games on Netflix. Few months back, I had picked up the book as well and completed it hurriedly before the second season. Now I was pretty much aware of how the series would end but the makers did change and included quite a bit of new stuff. So all in all I enjoyed watching the season 2. But a few things got me to thinking about how it has become like really a habit and somewhat fashionable to make movies/series/books/articles where the central idea is Hindu bashing.

Now I am no sympathizer or a Bhakt (as the pro government people are popularly referred to as). I am a common observer who stays as far as possible from the very disturbing political debates. I zone myself out whenever I have to witness those so called debates on TV news channels. But the recent turn of events and my observations on them have forced me to speak up or in my case write up.

Everything said and done I do agree that a healthy criticism is good and very much needed for a good functioning democracy. Also no one really has to be a fan of a particular working government party. But how do you justify the disrespect? The disregard of people. Whatever you may say or do, the truth is that India is a Hindu majority country. I don't understand why this fact has to be all hush-hush affair. Do we not call Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Oman, Iran and so many other countries as Islamic nations? Why is there no hushing up there so as not to hurt the minority sentiments. While take care of minorities is obviously something that should be unsaid and natural, treating others like second class citizen is not cool.

It started with when I found couple on scenes in Sacred Games subtly pushed in to supposedly highlight the miseries inflicted on members of a particular community. The real issue is that these scenes had nothing to do or add into the story-line. These details were also missing from the book, but we all know how the book story is butchered for the big screen. If I made you curious, it was the lynching scene wherein Katekar's boy was seen enjoying all the violence. Not long back there was another Netflix series Leila - A dystopian drama eerily similar to Margret Atwood's The Handmaid's tale. Here the central theme was how India is all "Hindu Rashtra" and everyone's in misery (except Hindus of higher caste ofcourse). Taj Mahal is burned and many other blasphemous story lines form the central idea of this series.

And then we have the Goddess of Sedition - a certain Ms Roy who had my heart at one point of time but things have soured since then. While her speeches and articles are well known for being Anti-national, it is now reflecting in her books too. Her last one, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness has many references about Mr Modi - his chest size, the magnanimous winning in 2014, the Gujarat riots etc etc. Although she has denied the resemblance but hey, who are we kidding here. There is also a considerable compassion in the book for Kashmiri Muslims and their apparent fight for freedom. There is a very elaborate love angle between one of the man protagonist of the story and a Kashmiri student turned militant Musa Yeswi. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the tables were turned, would people even dare to write and openly make jokes or comments about the minority. We all know what happened with Mr Rushdie and his Satanic verses.

Also what irks me is the fact that right after Article 370 was revoked, there were many hashtags like 'KashmirBurning', 'Redforkashmir', 'KashmirBurns' trending on social media. Mind boggingly many Instagram influencers were sharing these stories and status about how Kashmir (or Indian Occupied Kashmir, as they like to call it) was under siege and how the actions of Indian government were un-democratic. Well, why would someone blindly share something on social media without having any prior or proper knowledge is beyond me. Just because the topic is trending doesn't mean you have to jump into the bandwagon. Now don't ask me how I know about the knowledge gap - I just do. The decision of revoking article 370 was for the entire (erstwhile) state of Jammu and Kashmir, which comprises of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. But somehow Jammu and Ladakh are always removed from the radar - whether for news or any sort of development.

People suddenly complaining about undemocratic actions should check the 2019 voting statistics. Did the people of Kashmir not openly defy elections by refusing to vote? Some Democracy that is! Curfew was and has to be imposed for maintaining law and order. Army was deployed as a precautionary measure considering the history of Kashmir. Have people forgotten what happened on the streets of Kashmir when Burhan Wani was gunned down? And in the past the Separatist leaders have called for Bandhs with the drop of a hat, yet no one complained about education, medical emergencies and fresh vegetables. Jammu was continuously under curfew and agitation for 60 days back in 2008 and might I add due to a fire there was no electricity as well. In sweltering heat of August. Yet no one complained for felt bad, because its Jammu right, who cares? But the moment its Kashmir everyone is suddenly brought to attention right from Pakistan to UN to China to USA - everybody must somehow be involved.

I understand no internet in this age is crazy and difficult. Even my parents are facing the brunt of it but before criticizing the decision one needs to be well-versed with the history. Internet, text communication has been misused in the past in Kashmir for well orchestrated protests, stone pelting, distracting and helping in evacuating terrorists. I present the recent piece of news from Kashmir and let you decide whether stringent measures are needed or not. Also expect people to be more responsible about what they choose to share online (especially the ones with considerable social media standing!).




I think I have more more to say, maybe in another post.
Till then lets use social media responsibly.






Love:
Sepo