Striving

bungling, that jump inelastic;
A shiver 'mongst the cherry branches,
grasping, those two furry fingers;
A tiny cloud of disturbed snow on the ground,
swooping, the graceless arc of that striped tail;
The shrunken cherry being reached trembles,
holding on, its grasp of the twig steadfast;
The shaken squirrel peeps up at its quarry,
Unfulfilled longings in desolate winters,
why all this
Striving?

On Hanging Out at Starbucks

The singular importance of Starbucks in US is that is often treated as an American equivalent of the desi campus kutta; the place where you can drop into and be sure to meet some regulars and some old friends. It negates all those other gaffes, the blatant corporatism, the lack of free internet, the marginalization of local coffee shops and the stubborn refusal to advertise their “short” size ( which has a interesting history : check out this Slate Article.)

In Pursuit of Chapati

When I was a kid, there was a flurry of programs on TV in which smiling chefs daintily concocted exotic dishes like Salmon en croute with sauteed spinach and dill and mustard cream sauce or Chicken Fricasse and peppered roast pork fillet with apple rissole, coriander carrots and Madeira sauce. Then there was the witty show 'Yan Can Cook' with the tagline "If Yan can cook, so can you!". I was smitten by the exotic dishes on display but one thing nagged at me, What do these people eat these dishes with? How can one have a proper meal without a trace of any variety of bread? It took me many years to realize that only Indian cuisine demands that the main dish be eaten with a side bread. And what a cornucopia of bread varieties! We have rotis, parathas, naans, kulchas, puris, bhakris, bhaturas and the queen of them all, the chapati.

The chapati is made from “kaNeeka” which a moistened unleavened wheat dough. And as anyone who has tried to make a chapati will gloomily attest, it is a road full of pitfalls. First of all, you need to mix exactly the right amount of water to get the required consistency of the dough, then you have to roll the chapatis into something resembling a circle using a “poLapaaTa laaTaNa”, while maintaining a uniform thickness, and as if this was not enough to occupy a normal mind, you have to fold the chapati over itself to create a two layered creature. This is called the “padara”. Assuming you have reached this stage without any major disaster, next you will fry the chapati with the right amount of oil to get a golden brown chapati with a few black crispy speckled patches and a soft aromatic core.

But, to my regret, in the world of graduate students, the chapati is an endangered species. No one has the skills and the time necessary to make an attempt at chapatis. So what do you do to get your quota of Indian bread? You do some import substitution, yes, its that same enlightened philosophy of the Golden Socialist era which led the Indian government to introduce aluminum electrical wires as copper ore is a rarity in India. When I first landed in United States, I was a part of the crack team of roving Indian eyes sent to the local supermarket on a mission to get Chapati lookalikes. Over the past year and a half, many discoveries have been made, all of which can be summed up in one line, “ No Chapati No Cry “. But, in this fight for survival of the species of Indian Grad Students, the following items deserve a vote of thanks.

Bread: It comes in multitudinous variations. White, dark, rye, fruit etc etc. It can be had toasted, or fried in butter in a flat frying pan or untreated.

Tortilla: Pronounced as torteeyaa, this is a gift from the braves of Mexico. It is made from maize or wheat but often has corn in it which lends it an unpleasant sour aftertaste. If you are crazy enough to mix rice, curds, beans and your chapati/tortilla, I will not stop you, but do not expect my enthusiastic approval.

Pita: After that round of applause to the Mexicans, its the turn of the Hellenii. Pita is the closest to the North Indian Roti. It is a Greek bread and has a kangaroo like pouch inside it where you can conveniently stuff all that awkward ugly looking stuff you want to eat. When had as a Gyro with some Teriyaki chicken inside, its yummy, but when had with Paneer Saagwala, I will reserve my judgment.

Pancakes, Waffles and the Like: Decent. But don't gel with Indian cuisine.

English Muffin: Stop right there! Don't you dare have it with anything except as a part of Eggs Benedict. Molten Provolone encrusting a pair of poached eggs sitting pretty on a slice of ham atop a English Muffin. Picture perfect.

Parathas, Rotis, Naans: These imports from India are available in the freezers of Ethnic Indian Groceries. Often they are a bit stale, but, hey, not a big problem.

Chapatis: ....... :) :) :). I will let you in on a lil secret. There is a contingent of Gujurati housewives in USA, whose gift to mankind is the uncooked chapatis they sell for around 20-30c a piece. Store them in the freezer and voila!