Ghorar Dim

Dear Blog

I am writing this in Bengali because I want to. Sorry to people not understanding Bengali. 

['Ghorar Dim' means 'Horses Eggs'.]

Accha bhaabte paaro? Ekta restaurant-e shudhu dim pawa jaaya... aar shetaai khub popular ekta restaurant? Maane India-te rastaar dhaare tumi nischoy oi stall gulo dekhecho je gulo-te omelette, egg-maggi ityaadi pawa jeto. Je rokom amra kharagpur-e Anil Da'r dokaan-e khetaam.

Kintu eikhaane, ei MAARKIN JUKTORASHTRE-y, shetaakei era 'Diner' bole chalaay. Aaj raatrei ami je bhojon kore elaam, ekta besh upmarket dim bhojon / bhokkhon-er dokaan-e khelam.

Ki khelam? Accha shono - ekta double dim-er poach - opor aar neech du dik-i bhaaja - so 'runny' eggs byapaar-taa nei. Ekhane etaake bole 'over-hard' Taa hole bujhtei paarcho 'over-soft', 'over-medium' jodi keu bole, taa hole ki bojhaabe. Amaar moto bhyabachaka hote hobe naa.

Accha dim-er sathe chilo aalu bhaaja. Paatla kore kaata aalu, halka kore bhaja. Etaa-ke ekhane bole 'hash brown'.

Aar chilo duto bacon-er strip. Naa hoy eta bongodesh-e tumi naa-o dekhe thaakte paaro.

Accha ei shob gulo'r pore aar ekta jinish chilo. Pancakes. Etaar-o kono exact bharotiyo juri neii. 

Kintu jaai hok, pancakes to mishti jinish. Actual khabar taa ta hole ki daraalo? Dim aar alu bhaja. Eta khete tumi restaurant-e jaabe, kokhono bhabte paarcho? Maane kono chance aache? Nei, ami jaani. Kintu ei desh-taai e rokom. Alaada. 

To ekhane surprised hoyo naa, jodi kauke shey restaurant-e ki khelo jigesh korle, shey bole: "dim-er poach aar aalu bhaja".

Jaai boli, puro byapaar-ta kintu bhalo kore serve korey. Aar pancakes gulo ghyama banaay maairi ekhaane. Sheta pore aar-o bistrito bornon kore likhbo aar ek din.

Cholo bhalo theko.

Kriti

What's up Blog!

Hey Blog

How you doin'?

Well as you know I am now in SFO - spending a 3 month period of my life here. Well I did tell you a bit about all that in my last post to you, but this time - wanted to share some statistics with you. 

The following one, I looked up on Sept. 11 this year.

• About 3000 people died in the September 11 attacks on World Trade Center, New York ^
• About 40,000 people live in Blacksburg, USA (that's where Virginia Tech is located) ^
• About 230,000 people died in the Haiti earthquake, early 2010 ^

[Imagine 70 WTC towers collapsing simultaneously within 2 minutes. Or 6 towns like Blacksburg wiped out. That was the Haiti earthquake.]

OK, next one is not so grim. It is related to my love for Botanical Gardens. Loved it as a kid. Still love it. Found this one out after my visit to Golden Gate Park, SFO.

• About 250 acres: Area of Botanical Gardens, Kolkata ^
• About 1000 acres: Area of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco ^
  
  
• About 5 million: Population of Kolkata ^
• About 1 million: Population of San Francisco ^

[That means Kolkata has 5 times more people but it's biggest recreational area is 4 times smaller.]

Am curious to know if this post will reach you properly. Am sending it to you via email.

Take care. 

Kriti

Chapter 2

A lot of things going on recently. I traveled to Chicago to attend a truly international conference. Then came to California to do an internship. Experiencing new places, new people, new foods, new experiences. Office. Commute to office. California. Chicago. Long distance relationship. So many changes - so many things to write about. For a start, here some of my recent reflections/ observations/ experiences:

• Walking at night on the roads of USA, you see many cars passing by but no people.
  
• California food is good. Very good. Also Mexicans make curry very much like our mutton curry and rice pudding very much like our payesh.
  
• Some people (read 'I') unwind by talking/being with their loved ones. Not having them nearby can be tough. Different time zones can make this even more difficult. 
• Writing comes naturally in these times.
  
• In the real world (as compared to grad school), money is a big motivator. Commute-time to work is equally important.
  
• The engine of a BMW is very powerful.
  
• Driving a stick-shift is slightly more work but more fun.
  
• Some people do not like being given directions by the GPS.
  
• In Chicago, I had to search for places where I liked the food. In California, I have not yet found a place where I did not like the food.
  
• A Mexican burrito can be very different from the one we eat at Moe's.
  
• You might meet most of the first authors on the Reference list of your publication by going to an international conference.
  
• Blue Moon beer tastes good.
  
• It is great fun to sing along with someone playing the guitar to 'Hotel California' - even if you are reading the lyrics off the internet.
  
• If you get lost in USA but have a laptop, check available Wireless connections. You might get an unsecured Wireless connection.
  
• One night, in Chicago - I took a ferry ride on Lake Michigan to get a good view of the city lights. After a while, I realized that I was more attracted by a view directly opposite the city lights - the sight of the lake at night, and the dark wavy waters spreading out into a dark horizon.
  
• You got to stay at the beach if you want to enjoy the ocean. A few hours just does not cut.
  
• It is difficult to take good photographs on a rocking boat at night.
  
• Chicago (and lot of central USA) is flat. Really flat.
  
• Some people are not scared of looking down from the 110th floor of a building.
  
• Yesterday, I walked for 45 minutes along busy roads but did not get within 20ft of another individual (except for those who were in cars whizzing by).
  [Point made earlier but felt like noting it again.]
  
• The Macbook has a clamshell mode. Fortunately.
  
• TV has its attractions - after watching something on a large TV screen, difficult to go back to a small laptop screen.
• Some good TV shows  I found - Bourdain, Man vs. Food.

More later.