The lunch scene at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a very lively one. This was my third time there today. And I wasn’t disappointed! The food is fresh and freshly-made-to-order in the huge cafeteria housed within the DIA itself. The Salad-Bar is spectacular, and the Soup-and-Bread Station is very aromatic, but today, I decided to stop at the Grill and ordered a Buffalo-Chicken Wrap and made a stop at the salad bar to get a few choice items.
The wrap came in a spinach-flavored tortilla with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and a ranch and hot-sauce dressing. It was such a large one, and cut into half, I polished off one-half of it, but knowing that I couldn’t finish the second-half, I decided to scoop out only the filling and finished that in no time.
My salad was awesome. I selected those things from the bar that I normally don’t get to eat too often: artichoke hearts, black olives, and red beets.
My friend got a grilled salmon that came on a bed of wilted spinach, a medley of blanched string-beans, and a side of mac-and-cheese.
Mmmmm! This picture below of the artichoke hearts is nothing short of a work of art, don’t you think?
Oh, and if you wish to check out the DIA, click here. And stop by for lunch, if you can. I highly recommend it!
Okay, first off: it probably will take you longer to read this entire post than it would to brew a cup of tea in the manner in which she recommends.
And the manner is all kosher, mind you, only there’s two things I do differently. 1. I pour my (warmed) milk into my cup and THEN pour the brewed tea into the cup. You’ll of course need to know just how much milk is good for the perfect color and taste, but if you do it often enough, you’ll get it right the first time itself so as to not need to go back and add more AFTER you pour the tea into cup.
2. If you let the tea-leaves steep for the right amount of time (depends how much you’re brewing in your teapot), you’ll find that they will descend to the bottom of the pot, and you don’t even need a strainer when you pour into cup.
Oh, and just FYI, I take my tea with milk, but no sugar, thank you!
This is an old post that was first published some six years ago that keeps surfacing every now and again. This time, it is the just deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich that brings it back to the fore!
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This post was first published in my private blog on Friday, September 26, 2008. I publish it here today because I heard this song on the radio this morning. And because it embodies the spirit of this blog: the show must go on! And also because I have had the pleasure of watching Coldplay perform this very song live in concert.Â
Oh, and also because I can’t help draw parallels to this and the current Egyptian crisis a la Hosni Mubarak. Original post follows:
This new Coldplay song is evidently one of the most popular ones on the radio these days, and just today I’ve heard it three times already. I’ve always been in the habit of listening to the lyrics, but today, I listened even more carefully. And for good measure, I looked them up as well. If the huge swell of the orchestral sounds of the brass and the strings don’t get your blood pumping, then at least Chris Martin’s lovely voice and cryptic lyrics should do something for you!Â
I don’t really know who the protagonist of these lines might be, but I’ll take a stab at it. Could it perhaps be Louis XVI, the last monarch of France, or perhaps it might be Aurangzeb, the last Mughal emperor of India, both looking out from their prison windows, reflecting on their days of glory and power. How harsh the winds of change can be! One day, you’re ruling the world, and the next day, you’re sweeping the streets. One day, you’re holding the keys, and the next day, the walls are closing in on you. Â
Such is life. Never the same. The ups and downs are what make it what it is. May it be that we find the courage to face each moment with elan and dignity, even if it is the end that we might be facing. Death, I am told, is not the worst of evils.Â
May it be that like these kings of yore, we too might make a name for ourselves in our life. And when death beckons, may it be that we bow out gracefully.
Here’s the song for you. As well as the lyrics.  Oh, and the lovely images of the two need no further identification, I’m sure.
We went on a binge / An appalam binge, that is / a.k.a., Papads!
Note on picture: This is one of the most common sights on our kitchen table at least three times a week just before dinner (with aperitifs), and the remainder if any, during dinner itself!
As I wandered the forest, The green leaves among, I heard a Wild Flower Singing a song.
“I slept in the earth In the silent night, I murmured my fears And I felt delight.
“In the morning I went As rosy as morn, To seek for new joy; But oh! met with scorn.”
Note on picture: An exquisite ceramic piece I found some years back in Treasure Mart, our local antiques-and-junk store. It is a certifiably gorgeous piece of art– for its composition and colors. Doesn’t he look like a proud Native American chieftain? In my mind’s eye, this is the kind of expression I think he might have had if we were to imagine him as the one being cited in the poem above!
