Christmas 2008

Something is just not right this year and I can't put a finger on it. We have a real Christmas tree that miraculously smells like pines (out last two trees did not), we have snow all over and really the makings of a perfect Christmas. But still, it just did not feel like Christmas. Something was missing and for the life of me I cannot figure out what.

Maybe it's the gloom and doom that is prevalent everywhere - I mean, how depressing is it to know that Woolworths is closing down after 100 years - or maybe it's more depressing to know that our stupid govt is going to spend more money we do not have to bail out an auto industry whose cars no one wants to buy - at the expense of my daughters future. Everywhere I go things are just not Christmassy. Christmas is a time of laughter and happiness, yet I feel burdened. I just don't see the spirit this year.

And it's not like we haven't tried. I mean, my dear friends came over on Christmas and we cooked up quite a feast with a goose and all the sides - the goose took far too long to cook, and it was way to tough (I realised I had bought a Mennonite Free Range one - apparently the ones cooped up in cages would have made better meals). But in spite of the trials and tribulations of one ex-chef (my friend Ed) and another ex-sous chef (me) and a support team of 2 ambitious home cooks (my friends Gab and Cat) - and a meal that after 6 hours gave us a proper meal and over which we did laugh - I still did not find the Christmas spirit.

It was probably me. I am way too tired these days. The burden of the path ahead looks even more heavy and under all this strain I find I have sadly totally lost my sense of humour. My friend Emy is correct when she says I need to learn to say "No "more often and stop trying to accommodate everyone. The toll of doing that is costing me the season's spirit.

Mumbai and the terrorists

As most of the world knows, Mumbai has been under a mindless terror attack for the past 4 days. All terrorist attacks are inhuman and cruel, most don't make any sense and the overall loss to all is far greater the attack itself. But this is not what this blog is all about - for an analysis on the Mumbai attack - watch CNN.

My blog is about the terrorists themselves. These young men and women who chose to do this very cowardly act and destroy thousands of lives in the bargain. Let it be very clear - ALL TERRORISTS ARE COWARDS- THEY HAVE NO RELIGION , NO FAITH AND NO GOD. To link any of these terror attacks to a particular religion is wrong, biased and unfair.

When the siege started in Mumbai, I thought that if we moderates do not do something about the extremists who have high jacked our religion then we have lost our collective conscience. I don't agree with that anymore. We have nothing in common with these guys. Yes they claim to follow "Islam" but their "Islam" and mine have nothing in common. Mine believes in peace, charity and justice. Theirs is war, bloodshed and murder. We do not follow the same set of beliefs and as far as I am concerned just because they want to take AK47s and say they are Muslim does not make them any part of it. I have as much in common with their ideology as I have with a Haitian voodoo priest.

Muslims around the world should not have to apologise every time some Islamic nut decided to commit a heinous act. It is unfair to the 1 billion people who follow the religion and the law of the land if they had to apologise for actions of few who in no way represent their thoughts. So linking this and other terror attacks to "Islam - a religion of terror", or to the "Muslim community"is a practice that hurts more than it helps. It marginalizes people and does not lead towards a more peaceful and cooperative world.

Muslims are like any other people. We work hard to bring home food and pay the rent, we wonder how to pay for university for our kids, we watch bad sitcoms on TV, shop at Walmart and eat at Tim Hortons. We also have other very similar traits with the rest of the population, some of us fight with our spouses, some cheat on them, some don't pay taxes, some sleep at work and some don't recycle. In effect we are no different from any other segment of population in the western world. Most of us are only "Muslim" because we were born into a Muslim family. A large portion of us cannot (or do not) read the Quran and an equally large portion of us have never been to a mosque. In this respect, we are probably more lax about our religion than our Christian counterparts. It does not mean we do not follow the religion - we do, but like the evolution of cultures, our way of religion has evolved as well.

However, among those who follow Islam, a very small population(probably less than 0.0o1%) follow an ideology that has nothing to do with foundlings of Islam - it is purely a political extension of someones own desires. These are the fundamentalists and their crazy "jihad".

While there is no doubt that the Muslim community needs to do more to put out the ever growing extremism in the religion - it should be noted that Muslims can do about as much as Catholics could do when the IRA was bombing London in the 70s, 80s and 90s. There is still a big gap between what is reasonable to achieve and what needs to be done.

For starters, most fundamentalist thought is brought about in isolated comm unites that live within other non-Islamic general populations - like the large Muslim community in the Brampton suburb of Toronto. It is not uncommon to see girls here wearing "hijabs" or men with beards (both visible signs of religion in Islam) - what is common is the communal lack of integration. They attend private Islamic schools, live, socialize and work mainly among themselves and for all general purposes are separated from mainstream society. It is within these communities that a very small line defines orthodoxy and fundamentalism. When you have not been given the right to individual thought and expression from cradle, you take the word of the "smartest" in the community - sadly in these cases, it is the Mullah.

I know there is a huge out cry for Muslims to cure the disease within the religion, bring back these rogue elements and end the fundamentalism that exists - but this is totally unreasonable. What can an average Muslim chap who works in an office do that would remove Uber-nut bin Laden from his path - not much! What can an average Muslim do to prevent others from joining his path - maybe a very little something- and this is help with integration. Integration dispels some of the prejudices and hatred. Integration brings about an understanding that is core to future peace.
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Japanese Inspired Barbeque Chicken

Serves 4 as a main course.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (5 lbs / 2 kgs)
2 tablespoons OKONOMI sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons mustard
freshly ground pepper
1 bulb of garlic
1/4 onion

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 380F
2. Wash the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a baking dish so that the chicken fits comfortably.
3. Cut the bulb of garlic in half and stuff both halves in the chicken cavity. Cut 1/4 onion and place that in the chicken cavity as well.
4. Mix together the Okonomi, Honey and Mustard. Spread evenly on top of the chicken.
5. Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on the top.
6. Cover loosely with aluminium foil and place in the middle of a heated oven for about 40- 45 minutes. Remove foil and allow to finish cooking for another 40 minutes. If it looks like the skin is burning - cover loosely with foil again.
7. It's done when the thermometer inserted in the thigh (don't let it touch the bone) measures 185F.
8. Remove from oven and let it rest -loosely covered for about 15- 20 minutes. Cut up and serve with the sauce from the bottom of the pan. Best served with mashed potatoes.

One more reason why I am happy to be a Canadian

Today, October 2, 2008 as the world and most of Canada watched the much hyped debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, a lot of Canadians tuned into the election debates in Canada.
For unlike our cousins down South - we are a true democracy - we elect governments to represent us and when they stop doing that we have a no-confidence vote and throw them out. In the past 4 years we have had 3 general elections. And as Canadians, we can easily continue on this path because no politician here in their right mind would think of spending close to 1bn dollars and 2 years running for a 4 year term. This time around, the politicians had about a month to prepare for general elections, and without much hype and expenses, here we are ready to vote next week. See, up here, we are just more efficient.

But this is not why I love being Canadian. I love belonging to the True North because here we can actually voice our opinions. No one in the debate shied from calling Mr. Harper a "liar", no one felt they had to talk about God and make false statements about how they supported something when really they didn't - no sir! Here in Canada, we call a spade a spade, and a liar like Harper is called a "liar". I wish CNN would broadcast the debates to the US - it would show them how really to talk about issues and allow themselves to get all pent up about things that matter. We had none of the Hollywood production, or the million dollar sets - our guys went to the TV station, sat around a round table and hacked it out with a referee. No audience, no million dollar suits - just a bunch of goofy politicians doing their job.

And in this bunch there was a pleasant surprise for me. Elizabeth May. Leader of Canada's Green Party I had pretty much written her off but she totally surprised me. Intelligent, articulate and not scared to voice her opinion, Elizabeth really showed the men what the issues that matter to the people were all about. Just seeing her on TV, wearing a suit which looked like it was straight from Zellers (our version of Walmart), unkempt hair, no makeup, and glasses which look like they belong on a school teacher in the 60s, showed me the prime difference between us and the US. In the US, Hillary and now Palin, spent hours getting their hair and makeup done, they wear designer clothes, they "dress for success", millions is spent on creating a product out of them. Still - they lack substance. Hillary with her wishy-washy stand on all things, and Palin who believes dinosaurs and my grand dad co-existed and hung out at the local Burger King. Elizabeth May showed us what Canada is all about - we are all about substance. The expensive paparazzi stuff we leave to those south of the 49th parallel. Here we focus on the mind.

When the election campaign in the US started last year, I remember thinking how lucky the US was to have a pick of such outstanding candidates. Fast forward to to, and I feel deep pity for a country that seems to not have any choice. No one really stands for anything there. McCain used to be anti-change and pro-experience, now Sarah Palin bashes Biden's age and she is now the agent of change (maybe she will now make my grand dad and the dinosaurs enjoy their meals at the local Thai restaurant now). Obama was "anti-off shore drilling"in the middle east, now he realizes he needs to win more votes so he is "pro-off shore drilling, McCain was the biggest de-regulator of all times and now he is saying that the reason the banks failed is because there was not enough regulation. What garbage is this? The sad part is the average American cares more about abortion than if his daughter will have a house to sleep in. America is slowly turning into a 3rd world and all the politicians can talk about is how they have to "win the war in Iraq"! It is a sad state of affairs there, and I am particularly happy that we are not in the same boat as them.

Let them have their fancy politicians, we'll take our dowdy ones who can actually discuss real issues.

Apple Wasabi Coleslaw

This is probably one of the best coleslaw's I have tasted.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cabbage finely chopped - about 5 cups
5 apples finely chopped
2 spring onions finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons wasabi
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
few pinches

Method

1. Mix together the cabbage, apples, onions and celery.
2. Mix together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, wasabi and mayonnaise. Mix well.
3. Incorporate the mayonnaise mixture with the cabbage mixture and spread evenly throughout the slaw.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Palin

I just saw Sarah Palin at her inauguration speech at the Republican National Convention. It brought an uneasy chill. Now, before I get accused yet again for not "standing up" and being "too tough" on women, I have to say, I welcomed the fact that McCain was smart enough to put a woman on the ticket - but for heaven sakes couldn't he have found one who is qualified.

She is tough - no doubt about it. Ruthless, and will likely give Obama a run in the next few months. An attractive lady who like Hillary, knows how to get a crowd ready - but what does this woman stand for and can you take someone like her seriously. She seems to stand for "American Values" but the more I hear that term, the more I ask "What is that?"

Her 17 year old daughter does not get sex-ed in school because Palin abolished it by cutting all funding for sex-ed in high school. So, she gets pregnant. At 17, she is expected to marry a boy who proudly calls himself a "redneck", and to start a family with no high school education or understanding of the world. Of course this is much easier for her because her mum will get her a bunch of nannies and Bristol will likely show up for occasional visits from university. As for the "Christian Values" thing about having a Down Syndrome child - for Christ sakes - I strongly question the judgment of a woman who gives birth to a special needs child and parades him in front of thousands of people for her own political mileage. Did Sarah Palin ever sit to wonder how women of far fewer means would be able at age 17 to take care of a baby, or for that matter a special needs child. All this in a country that shamefully does not have universal health care , and where one third of the population is losing their homes??? What message is she sending girls today? They won't even get decent paying jobs - because Palin doesn't believe in equal pay for women! Welcome to the dark ages!

What did Sarah say other than beat up on Obama? Did she say what her policies are on health care? Did she say where she stands on Iraq?Iran? What are her policies on anything except teenage pregnancies? Wait - she did explain her energy policies - let us not focus on green energy, let's start drilling up in the Arctic and destroy whatever pristine land there is left so that Americans can continue to drive their large cars and pollute the world even more.

What is wrong with the Americans? They have a 301 million people (150.5 million women) and the best they could find is a woman who ran a rural town of 5000 in Alaska and who thinks on the PTA prepared her for the White House! I don't care if she has had to make "executive decisions" - when you are dealing with a small, non-controversial town of 5000 - you can't really need a lot of serious executive decisions in that setting and it speaks to her "executive decision making" that she left the town with a big deficit.

This race started out with 10 excellent candidates - to think that the fate of 301 million people now rests in the hands of a woman who has never done anything significant on the world stage, and who thinks Americans should be walking around with guns and the bible.
Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

Hearty Country Style Gazpacho

This is by far the easiest soup I have ever made. The key to getting the soup right is to use ripe, fresh ingredients. This dish showcases mother nature's flavour.

Serves 3 as main course or 5 for a starter

Ingredients:
1 kilo fresh tomatoes - cherry tomatoes are better.
2 small cucumbers peeled and chopped
1 large red pepper chopped
5 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 onion chopped (for the soup)
1/4 onion chopped (for the garnish)
2-3 slices of bread (whatever you have at hand)
2-3 tablespoons chopped basil, parsley or other herbs you like
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Tobasco sauce
generous pinch of salt

Method:

1. Take all the ingredients except the herbs and the onions for garnish. Put it in a blender and blend until it is well blended.
2. For a more refined version, you can put the soup through a sieve and strain out all the seeds and skin - but for the hearty version enjoy as is.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until it is cold.
4. Serve cold, garnish with the chopped onions and herbs. For an extra kick add a dash of Tabasco.

Emie's Japanese Chicken and Egg Melody

Part of my friend Emie's usual dinner repertoire, this is the fastest, yummiest chicken I have had in a long time. The Mirin (Japanese Rice Wine) and the Memmi (Japanese Soup base) are imperative to use to get the flavoring right. In Toronto, I found these at the Japanese store "Sanko" on Niagara & Queen.

Serves 3 as a quick hearty meal

Ingredients:
1 onion chopped up
2 chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes.
1 cup veggies (use either mushrooms, beansprouts or red peppers) cut in bit size pieces.
1/2 cup Mirin
1/4 cup Memmi (for cooking the chicken)
3 tablespoon Memmi (for additional flavour on top)
3 eggs
2 tsp oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in the pan. Add the onions and cook on MEDIUM for about 4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the chicken pieces and saute until the chicken is slightly brown on one side. Turn and cook on the other side. Add the vegetables.
3. Add the Mirin and Memmi and continue cooking. Cover and lower flame to LOW and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Beat eggs slightly, add to the chicken and stir until eggs are almost cooked. Remove from the heat and allow the eggs to cook in the residual heat of the pan.
5. Serve immediately over hot rice. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Memmi on top of the chicken.

Things to do before I die

Of late a lot of people have been advising us to get our wills made. On top of it, everywhere I turn I see people making "life changing" decisions, and determined to "live it up" only once, and generally declaring what they want to see before they greet the wonderful old man who lives up in the heavens. This started me thinking about what I would like to accomplish. After much consideration, here is my list of what I would like to do before I die.

1) Learn to play the piano well enough to perform in a local repertoire.
2) Learn how to dance the Tango like they do on TV and dance it with my husband.
3) Help organise the menu at our daughters wedding.
4) Paint at least one painting that I am 100% happy with and where I would not change anything.

Lamb Kabas with Parsley and Dill

Makes about 12 patties

Ingredients:
500g Ground Lamb
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cup chopped dill
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Make fresh breadcrumbs by grinding bread slices in a food processor. You can use whatever kind of bread you like or have at home. Make crumbs until they are smooth, fine and consistent. Remove crumbs and place in large bowl.
2. In the food processor blend the onion until it is smooth. Do not add any water to it. There is enough liquid in the onion. Add the garlic cloves and continue blending.
3. Wash and chop up the herbs so that you have a total of 2 cups of herbs. Add to the breadcrumbs.
4. Add the onion mixture to the bread + herb mixture.
5. Add the ground lamb and mix everything together until it is evenly distributed.
6. Add the salt and the paprika and remix.
7. Add the egg and blend with the rest of the mixture.
8. Wet your hands and dive the mixture into 12 patties.
9. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the patties in 2 batches on MEDIUM HIGH heat for 2-3 minutes until brown on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until it is brown. When browning is complete. move the patties with a spatula from the pan to a baking dish. Repeat the steps with the remaining patties.
10. Cover Baking dish with aluminium foil and put in the oven at 300C for about 15 minutes to finish cooking.
11. Serve hot.

Summer Green Borscht

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 bunch (100-200g) fresh sorrel - washed and finely sliced
3 spring onions - only the green parts finely chopped
1/4 cup chives chopped finely
2 tbsp dill chopped finely
1 large Yukon gold potato -peeled and chopped in small cubes
1 large onion - chopped finely
2 carrots-peeled and finely sliced
4 eggs
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 litre water
2 tsp olive oil
4 tsp sour cream
salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan on MEDIUM. Add onions and carrots and fry till they are golden - about 4 minutes. Stir often.
2. In another pan place 4 eggs in water and bring to boil. When boiling switch off stove and allow eggs to stay in water.
3. Add potatoes -stir a couple of times. Add the chicken broth and water. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the sorrel, green stems of the spring onions and 1/2 the chives. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Wash the eggs under cold water. Peel the shell and chop egg into pieces.
7. Serve at room temperature. Place the eggs in the bowl, pour the soup on top. Add dill and remaining chives on top. Add a dollop of sour cream.

Yummy Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 clove of garlic peeled
2 spring onions cut small
1 tbsp butter
2 inch piece cheddar cheese grated

Method:

1. Cut the leaves off the cauliflower and cut off the stalk. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces.
2. Add cauliflower, onions and garlic to a pan. Boil in 1/2 cup if water until all the water is absorbed and the cauliflower is cooked. About 15 minutes on MEDIUM.
3. Mash the mixture or blend with a hand blender.
4. Add butter and mix.
5. Pour into the serving dish and immediately sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let's celebrate the Olympics

I really don't understand the folks at CNN and I don't understand my dear friend in Montreal.

The former, because during these days of the Olympics, the news guys seem more interested in reporting that John Edwards had an affair with a single, available and willing lady. Newsflash for CNN- A politician having an affair is not news anymore - but Phelps breaking another world record is! And seriously, who the hell cares if Mr. Edwards has a problem keeping his zipper up. The man has spent his entire life serving the country. He has probably done more for the poor and women in USA through his policies than any other of the contenders for the Presidency. So he decided to have an affair. BIG DEAL! I would only hope this man takes it upon himself to take care of the child his girlfriend had (if it is his) and be a role model for her - that's the kind of politics the US needs to see. Anyone who says he doesn't deserve to be Attorney General because of this is totally stupid and naive. Would they rather have an Attorney General like Alberto Gonzales who thinks torture is OK?

Referring to my friend in Montreal - now, she is part of that now pathetic group that is boycotting the Olympics because of China's sad Human Rights policy. A bunch of hypocrites as there can be. These people should have been out there creating mayhem when the IOC first awarded the games to China forcing the IOC to reverse it's decision. What is the point of waiting for 8 years and then on the eve of the game realizing "Oh that's bad - China should not have the Olympics!". Makes no sense. There has rightly been outrage over the condition of the Buddhists and Tibetans - but just what is this group doing to uplift these people? I do not hear any of these "pro Buddhist supporters" sending large parts of their salaries to Tibet to help the people maintain their culture. Or leaving their jobs in the comforts of the West to volunteer to provide skills to the Tibetans. Or even providing any constructive support towards the Tibetans that can be used to make them stronger against the Chinese. No - these "pro Buddhist supporters" only provide words - and as we all know - words are cheap especially when you are faced with the largest army in the world.

And concerning the Olympics. Another Newsflash for everyone now. THE OLYMPICS ARE ABOUT THE ATHLETES! These fine men and women have spent their entire lives working very hard for this day. For heaven sakes, keep the politics away from it. Celebrate their ability and will power to push sports to new heights. Support all athletes who are dope free and don't cheat and strengthen the belief that by playing sports together, we are increasing our ability to live together on this earth in harmony.

Crab Cakes

Makes 8 crab cakes

Ingredients:
250 grams of crab meat shredded
5 inch piece of a baguette or 4 slices of bread (white, whole wheat or whatever you like) broken up into pieces
1 dried chili or chili flakes
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 spring onion chopped finely
3-4 garlic greens chopped or 2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tsp chives
salt to taste
2 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. In a food processor grind the bread until you get smooth breadcrumbs.
2. Add to the bread crumbs all the rest of the ingredients except the crab and eggs and blend in the blender till the ingredients and breadcrumbs are nicely mixed up.
3. In a bowl add the bread crumb mixture along with the crab and mix so that the mixture is well mixed - do this by hand.
4. Add eggs and mix into the crab mixture so it starts to stick together.
5. Make 8 small same size patties out of the mixture.
6. Heat the oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the crab patties and fry on MEDIUM until one side is brown, flip and brown on the other side as well.
7. When both sides are brown, take the patties off the pan and place on paper towels for the extra oil to absorb.
8. Serve hot.

Those Bloody Pedophiles

I have never understood this growing fascination with people wanting to do sick things with children. It scares me that it is so much in the open and that these demented guys are as powerful as they are. Take the case of the little Madeleine who was taken from her holiday apartment by what now looks like an organised pedophile ring. Yes, her parents are stupid and should have been there to see if their kids are ok - but we are all saying this in retrospect. The problem is not that this little girl has parents who for one evening lost good judgement, but that every single child out there is at risk from any person who has sick tendencies and an organised network that allows them to take your child and do heinous things to them!

To what extent can you protect your child when people come into your home (remember the Cecilia Zhang case) and take your child from under your nose! Just how protective can you be of your child and still allow them to have a normal childhood? I remember when I was a child, I would spend the evening at my friends apartment - about 3 buildings away and walk home at dinner time. Today, kids are not allowed to play unsupervised in their own backyards in Toronto! How are they ever to getvindependence, street smarts and learn how to tackle the world.

I can tell you from our own experience that we no longer take our little one to crowded places. It's simply not worth it. She likes to run around, and forcing her to sit in her stroller only comes with strong protests, and since she is faster than us, the risk of loosing her is high. It is sad. My child should have every right to go and enjoy these fairs and events. She lives in the most multicultural city on earth, and yet cannot participate in most of it's activities because this small group of sick people have put the worst fear into her parents.

It's scary enough that there could be an odd pedophile out there, but the fact that there are organised rings that steal kids to order is simply too frightening to even understand.

Tomato Soup

For 3 as a main course or 6 for starters
Ingredients:
1/2 large onion coarsely chopped
5 large cloves garlic
5 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh ones)
5 large tomatoes cut in eights
2 carrots cut in small pieces
1 apple cored and cut in small pieces
1 large potato peeled and chopped
1 can low sodium chicken stock (I like the organic one).
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes on MEDIUM flame until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the carrots and continue to saute for about 1 -2 minutes making sure the onions do not brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir.
4. Add the potatoes and stir.
5. Add the apples and stir.
6. Add the chicken stock and the same amount of water and stir.
7. Add the bay leaves.
8. Allow to cook on MEDIUM until it boils and the carrots are soft, potatoes cooked and the tomatoes have melted in the broth. About 15-20 minutes.
9. Puree the soup in a blender. It makes sense to cool the soup before you blend it if you are using a conventional blender.
10. Strain the soup through a sieve so that the only thing that is left behind are the seeds of the tomato.
11. Serve hot and garnish with parsley. Salt and Pepper to taste.

My Purell Addiction

I am beginning to realize I have a Purell addiction. Other people are addicted to chocolate, the really stupid ones are addicted to alcohol and dope, and the really interesting ones are addicted to foreign language movies or knitting, I quite frankly have a rather eccentric addiction.

I blame my addiction on my doctor. Last winter I suffered from 6 bouts of flu. I didn't keep catching the flu virus - I was the flu virus. After my doctor refused to give me antibiotics yet again telling me that "It's a virus - let it wear it's course" (I HATE it when they say that - I am not a horse that I need to finish the lap and continue at a gallop even when I have a rather lousy jockey on board!) After my sixth visit to him in 3 months he finally told me after I have any contact with humanity, I need to wash my hands and /or Purell (note how "purell" has now become a verb as in "to purell" meaning "disinfect your hands") . The uncomfortable truth was that I was allergic to mankind.

So after this piece of advice from my lovely doctor, I started investing in Purell. I tried carrying the small one with me in my purse, and had a large one at home. First the smell of Purell was turn off - it was acidic, medicinal, and simply to chemical. But then a strange thing happened - I stopped being sick. Seriously! No more flu, colds, nothing- just a lot of Purell.

I even started to use it on Baby M's hands when we were in the garden or playground. She hated it at first but now she sees the Purell bottle and comes running to disinfect her hands! I really don't know if this substance is good for kids, but she hasn't turned green and is chirpy as ever so I guess it's ok.

Generally, I was happy with the good health, me, Baby M, and my husband were enjoying and I attributed it largely to the wonderful folks at Purell. Today I was shopping at Walmart (sorry Jill - I actually LIKE Walmart) and at the checkout counter I noticed that I actually have 10 small Purell bottles and 3 large ones. By itself, it didn't seem like a lot, but when I went to put the bottles in places, I found I already had one there - in some cases like my purse I already had 2. I have 3 in the car - one in the glove compartment, next to the drivers seat, and one in the back seat pocket. I actually make everyone in the car but Purell on their hands before I switch the ignition on. It's my contribution to a germ free world.

So I guess if I had to be addicted to something, Purell is about as strange an addiction as you can get. Mind you, I do not snort it, or burn it or do anything with it that I was not meant to do. So in that way, I guess it's ok. But of all the addictions in the world to have - why oh why did I have to get such an eccentric one.

Chicken Piccata

We were watching the 1st episode of 'Top Chef Chicago" on Food Network a couple of days ago and one of the "expert" judges said something that really got the hair at the back of my neck to stand.

They were judging the chicken cooked by one of the contestant, a guy called Ryan who was asked to make Chicken Piccata. The poor guy made his own version of the piccata and in doing so, got himself in a deep "piccata". The "expert" judge, a guy called Tom Colicchio went on lambasting him about how he didn't know the basics and how chicken piccata was a classic that everyone should know.

He then went on the correct Ryan and say that Chicken Piccata is chicken dredged in flour and eggs - no breadcrumbs. What I thought was funny was Anthony Boudain (chef extraordinaire) was agreeing with him on TV. He successfully managed to tell every naive TV audience a totally wrong fact about classical cooking.

I am hence going to set the record right now:
1) There is NO "Classic Chicken Piccata" - there is only "Classic Veal Piccata" - the Chicken version is a North American version and cannot be considered "classic" at all. So Mr. Colicchio please stop calling corrupted North American versions of European dishes "classical".
2) Chicken Piccata has NO EGG. A piccata is simply pounded breast of chicken dredged in flour and cooked in butter. When you add egg to the dish, it becomes a "Chicken Fried Steak" that you find in America.
3) The part that Mr. Colicchio was correct about was that there is no breadcrumbs in the Piccata. When you add breadcrumbs, the dish becomes a Milanese or similar to a Schnitzel.

Hopefully that has set the Piccata record straight. Hopefully, millions of readers will read this blog and no longer be under the impression that Piccata has eggs!

Athenian Spinach

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter.

Ingredients:
1 large onion finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
2 bunches of spinach
50 grams feta cheese- chopped up
1/4 cup walnuts (or any nuts you like except peanuts)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
salt
pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. With the flame on MEDIUM HIGH, add the chopped onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add the spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes until the spinach has wilted and let out it's water.
4. Immediately plate the spinach. Using tongs, take 1/2 the spinach and onions from the pan (leaving as much water as you can in the pan) and put in the serving dish. Sprinkle on 1/2 the mint leaves, 1/2 feta and 1/2 nuts, salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with the other 1/2 of the spinach layering that on top.

The difference between men and women

For the longest time, I have always believed that women are far more sturdier than men. We manage to do a lot more - and are pros at multitasking. Among the women I know, 90% manage to run a household, have families, hobbies, work a whole day, cook for their families and still have time to catch up on the news and chat to their friends. Contrast this with humans of the other gender and you find that they are "oh so tired" because they did "so much and no one appreciates it". I am no longer surprised at how little men accomplish and how inflated they believe their achievements are.

I am married to a man who does a lot - but somehow every time he says he is tired - I do a quick mental check of all the things I have done since morning and the things he has done and I get totally upset when I realise he's done 10% of what I have done and still he's the one who is tired! This pattern goes across every male I know. The ones linked genetically to me are even worse!

My husband totally put me over the edge today when he said he's so tired because he went down 4 times. Now, that's the worst excuse in my book. "Going Down" (get your mind out of the gutter people) requires him to step outside my apartment door, walking exactly 6 steps to press the elevator button and voila you are there! How tiring can that be? I realise I am being a bit mean here, since the man doesn't sleep all night since Baby M has taken to sleeping only while she scratches him, but come up with a better excuse please!!!

I simply do not know of a single woman (well, I know one in Montreal) who would use something that silly as an excuse.

I like to compare us to a really good German made car -sexy, reliable, safe and you can do a lot of things with it.

Men are like one of those American made sports cars - they have all the tools and gadgets but very soon they break down and need way too much maintenance.

Danish Spring Salad with Asparagus and Peas

I got this recipe from the latest Eating Well magazine but have adapted it a bit.
For 2 as a main course or 4 for starters.

Ingredients:
Fresh lettuce leaves - get the kind you like to eat.
1 bunch fresh asparagus
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (do not defrost)
3-4 spring onions - white parts only
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Method:

1. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves.
2. Add the peas to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Cut the asparagus into very thin slices - chop of the end hard part.
4. If using tomatoes - cut them up into small pieces as well.
5. Put all the ingredients except the lettuce in a bowl and add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
6. To serve - put the lettuce at the bottom of the plate and add the vegetable mixture on top.

Fish in Lemon Sauce

For 2 servings as a main course.
Ingredients:
2 portions of fish of white fish of your choice
Lemon rind of 1/2 a lemon
Lemon juice of 1 whole lemon
1 clove garlic very finely chopped or grated
salt
pepper
1/2 cup fresh herbs: chives, basil, parsley, coriander, dill - whatever you have at hand.
2 tsp olive oil

Method:

1. Mix the garlic, lemon rind and salt together. Press it down with the side of the knife so the garlic starts to "melt".
2. Add to this the lemon juice and pepper. Mix so that the garlic dissolves. It may be easier to do this with a hand blender if you have one.
3. Chop the herbs very finely and keep to the side.
4. Add the olive oil to a pan and heat on MEDIUM HIGH flame. Add the fish and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until fish is cooked properly.
5. Add the lemon sauce and move the pan around to evenly distribute- do not move the fish or they may break up. Add water and move pan around again.
6. Immediately add the chopped herbs.
7. Cook until most of the water in the sauce disappears - you should be left with about 2-4 tablespoons of liquid.
8. Serve immediately.

Macaroni with a Spinach and Feta sauce

Ingredients:
300g raw macaroni or other tube like pasta (rigatoni, penne etc)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 large onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 bunch (500g) raw spinach - washed and stalks cut off
100g feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Boil pasta in hot water and cook according to instructions and taste.
2. In a pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes on MEDIUM until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the spinach. Stir and allow to cook until the spinach is cooked. Do not evaporate all the water.
4. Blend together the spinach mixture with the feta until it is smooth.
5. In a baking dish, put the cooked pasta at the bottom, cover with the spinach and feta mixture. Lightly dust the breadcrumbs on the top.
6. BROIL under a LOW flame for about 3-4 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Omar Khadr - Give me a break!

I had so much to write about after the trip to Alberta - but all that will have to be saved for later. My rant today is about Omar Khadr.

Now, for some bizarre reason, people in Canada seem to be supporting Omar Khadr's return to Canada and his rehabilitation. What nonsense!!! For those who are not familiar with his case - here is the wikipedia version of it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr

Here is a child who was caught in illegal activities in Afghanistan. Shipped off to the Guantanamo Prison and presumably tortured under Bush's crazy henchmen there. I am sorry for that - very sorry. No child should have to go through that. But this is not an ordinary child - this kid was blowing up innocent people! His family openly supports Al Qaeda and who are close enough to the nut Mr. Bin Laden that he attended his sister's wedding. The only reason his family is back in Canada (a country they openly hate and want to destroy) is because they need the medical benefits for one son who was paralysed following a battle in which his father was killed and because the Canadian govt is providing extensive security for them. We are already spending millions trying to keep this single family alive- too much in my opinion.

And now- they want to spend MILLIONS more on rehabilitating Omar Khadr into Canadian Society. What BULLOCKS is this!!!! This family owes us millions of dollars - they have totally mooched off the system, openly professed hatred towards this country, are hands in hands with people who want to blow the rest of us (including a fair number of Muslims who live here) to death and now WE have to pay to bring him and rehabilitate him on OUR LAND!!! How is this even remotely sensible???

Of course as a child he shouldn't have been put in Guantanamo - no one should have been put there. But the US did and it's a US problem now. Why do we want to bring people like that back to stay in our country - let them remain on US soil and let the US deal with them! More importantly why are we wasting valuable tax payer money on a kid who will eventually go back to fundamentalist Islam anyway. It's even more absurd how they want to rehabilitate him - they want him to live in a mental health facility in Toronto (taxpayer dollars and a valuable space in the facility gone), then have his religious views re-conditioned by keeping a full time imam for him (cha-ching - more taxpayer dollars and as a Muslim I do not think there exists anything like a non-religious Imam - he needs to be totally removed from religion - not immersed more in it) - they don't want to allow him to live with his family - but they want him to live with his maternal grandparents. What is the difference????

I feel bad for this kid - he is a product of his environment - but this is something that the US created and I don't see why Canadian taxpayers should be paying to keep terrorists on our soil!

There are so many better ways to spend all the millions we have already spent on this ungrateful family:
- Millions could have been spent to fight the gangs that are showing up everywhere and get those kids on the right track.
- Millions could have been spent on hiring new police forces and training the existing ones so we are better at fighting gangs and destroying them.
- Millions can be spent in after school programs to prevent kids from joining gangs.
- Millions can be spent to increase "Canadian" influence in mosques and madrassas so that no more Omar Khadrs take place.
- Millions can be spent on providing immigrant women with easy access to education so that they break the religious fundamentalist cycles they seem to come to this country with.
- Millions can be spent to ensure that every kid in Toronto has access to summer camps.
- Millions can be spent on creating better medical facilities at Sick Kids Hospital.

Instead, we are wasting our tax payer money by throwing it on the Khadrs. Shame on us!

Double Standards

I almost burst out laughing when I read the first thing Mr. Obama did today after he won the nomination was "reach out to Israel"!!! Mr. Obama - you should be reaching out to the millions of Americans who did not vote for you - not sucking up to the brutal regime that routinely tortures innocent Palestinians. Here is something that both Hillary (I mention her only because her speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) today) and Obama may not know - Israeli's are NOT voting in the US elections - it's the Americans and you need to focus on them! No one cares what is happening in Israel when they can't afford to pay the mortgage on their house, are loosing jobs to China and can't afford to buy a loaf of bread for their family!

Yes of course Israel has the right to exist - the UN created it. But the UN also created a whole bunch of rules on how to treat people in (illegally) occupied lands - the Israelis seem to pick and choose which rules to follow and the US who have so far shown zero commonsense in their Middle East policy allows them to get away with plain murder. What they do in the occupied territories is worse than apartheid and any leader with a conscience should be trying to put a stop to that instead of perpetuating the hatred and bloodshed that is so prevalent in the region.

Hillary - who I am now calling Looseary - went on to talk about how Israel has a right to self defense. Of course it does! EVERY COUNTRY has a right to self defense and an obligation to protect it's citizens - INCLUDING THE PALESTINIANS!!! The problem is when self defense becomes mindless violence as is the case now and when the medieval system of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth becomes one Israeli life for 10 Palestinian ones! Innocent children on both sides are dying and everyone should be putting a stop to that.

She talked about her commitment to getting the kidnapped soldiers back - and I agree - they should be returned - but so should the hundreds and thousands of innocent Palestinians locked up without trial in Israeli prisons. They talk of violence at the hands of the Palestinians - but what about all those kids who were killed because of Israeli's trigger happy IDF and the sufferring of millions of people under Israel's draconian self existence rules. A leader is NOT one that perpetuates stereotypes and violence - but one that reaches out beyond all that to create peace and fraternity where none existed. Mrs. Clinton, your speech today shows you are neither a leader nor a humanist - there is no place for you in a modern international world- please take your dirty game of politics and leave with whatever integrity you still have intact.

And Mr. Obama - get your act together on Iran - you talk about doing "everything" to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons - but shouldn't you also be stopping the illegal nuclear weapons of Israel? The double standard is sickening! I do not think ANY country should have any weapons that can wipe out civilizations. And what exactly does "everything" mean - are you now going to bomb out 65 million Iranis because of claims of "weapons of mass destruction"? Get real Mr. Obama. Have a policy that is sensible. Iran has the right to protect itself as well. Look what happened to Lebanon when the Israeli's decided to bomb out Beirut - you tell me if they were better prepared Israel would not have thought twice about it. Focus on a policy of zero nuclear weapons and force all countries to destroy all their weapons - that is the vision the world needs today!

The Hillary Woes

Over the last 48 hours about 4 women have accused me of being unfair to Hillary Clinton. One of them even went so far as to say I was perpetuating female stereotypes! I assume this out pour is somehow linked to Hillary finally beginning to realize that she mathematically cannot win the nomination. While I am terribly flattered that people think my blog could have had anything to do with changing the course of history and could somehow have caused millions of somewhat intelligent Americans to vote away from Hillary, the truth is I don't have quite that large a following yet.

I did provide fashion advice to Hillary on her website telling her to please never wear those granny puff sleeve jackets she wore on one event. Maybe that was the wrong advice? Maybe Americans could simply not see a tough woman in a pant suit. (I still haven't figured out what the big hulahoo was about the pant suit - it's comfy, you don't have to worry how you sit, you don't have to worry about a run in your stocking, and no one can see your panties - perfect if you are running all day long).

And while there are people who believed that Hillary has done the right thing by staying in the race for this long. I have this to say.

1. If anyone thinks they should go the extra mile to prove their point - do it! I am the last one for holding back people and Hillary staying in the race this long has opened up a more realistic view of Obama and kind of put him on the spot more. Something I am grateful for. (I will discuss Obama at a later date - today is reserved for Hillary). However, staying in the race, also brought to light the several inflated and false entries on Hillary's resume which may have turned more voters off her.
2. Money - For the love of God - if this woman or any of the men standing for elections really had the goodwill of the Americans at heart - they would have spent money that they raised on school programs, medical benefits, arts programs etc - which is a far better way to spend the funds than having their plasticky smiles pasted all over the country.
3. Florida and Michigan. Rules are rules. It was TOTALLY WRONG of the Democratic Party to even consider changing the rules during the game. It is irrelevant whether this helped Hillary or not. What is relevant is that this is another example about a woman who is a sore looser but who is powerful enough to get the rules changed even when she is on the downside.
   

Do I think this is a woman who can make the world better? NO - not after she said she wanted to obliterate Iran from the earth! A land that has 64 million people living on it! While I think both she, Obama and McCain are going to continue to kow-tow to the terrorist state of Israel who routinely brutalizes and tortures innocent Palestinians, I am inclined to believe that of the 3, Obama is the least likely to press the nuclear button and destroy more of our civilization.

Do I think a woman should be President of USA? ABSOLUTELY! But just because a woman stands for the White House, it doesn't mean I have to support her. Women in power is not a new thing for most of the world. Only in close minded America is it still such an oxymoron. The President of USA has unfortunately too much power, and what I would like is someone with common sense, integrity and passion to have a shot at that seat. I did not find this in Hillary.

Hillary has fought a good fight. She has fought hard and when the time comes, I only hope, that she will find it in her to provide support to Obama. Do I see her as a good Vice President? NO. The most powerful woman in North America would never be satisfied in second place.

Diaper rashes - the scary side of motherhood

The scariest thing I have experienced in the 13.5 months of motherhood is diaper rashes. We are in the throes of another one now. These horrible things come out in the bum area and they spread so darn quickly that before you know if you have a baby that resembles one of those monkeys with the red bottoms you see in the zoo. I have to tell you, of all the things about motherhood - this is the scariest.

Baby M seems to be inclined towards getting diaper rashes. She got her first one at a few weeks old, and since then we've been pretty good at observing and checking her out. As anyone with a "rashy" baby will tell you, Canesten and Zinc Oxide are always with us. This time, the rash was so bad, that our pediatrician started us on 1% Hydrocortizone. I found this particularly unnerving. I mean, here we are with a child whose skin and body is fragile and absorbent and now we have to put steroids on her to cure this redness!

I've done so much research about these rashes now, here's a run down on all our attempts.
Washing: We tried to wash her after every poo, and with Baby M holding the official title of "poo master", this means she gets washed about 7 times a day. I can't say this has helped with the rash, but it has given her a cold. I figured the reason it hasn't helped with the rash is because in our technologically advanced diapers, we really can't tell easily if she has pee-ed a bit, you can only tell if it's a full "pee diaper". So she just kind of sits in the pee and so one really knows.

Changing diapers regularly: This is the one mistake we made in India. She probably had a little pee diaper and since we couldn't tell, we let her stay in it for a hour or two much too long. Add the side effects of tropical summer heat and you've got a perfect recipe for a rash. As soon as we realized this, we have been changing her diapers regularly - at least 10 times a day, but it just doesn't seem to get any better. We've even figure out how to change them in her sleep so she doesn't wake up.

Soap: Of the one thing that has totally confused me about baby products, it is soap. Now, I live under the belief that if a product is used on 100 million babies, as in the case of Baby Johnson baby soap, then it's ok to use on my precious little angel. Well, it turns out that it's not quite so simple. My cousin suggested moving from Baby Johnson to Dove (not the infant soap, the regular one) because it's milder. I did that and for 1 day it seemed to be better, but now, it's the same as before. Today, my cleaning lady, who in my opinion should have her own Health Talk Show on TV instead of cleaning my apartment, because of the incredible knowledge she has (a talent totally wasted because of sad circumstances- but more of that on another blog), told me I should fore go soap all together and use only water. If I really want to use something, use cornstarch mixed with water. I have to admit, this also makes sense. But, am I just giving up one set of chemicals in soap to move to another set in cornstarch.

Au Naturel: We know that the best way to get rid of a rash is to leave her au-naturel. But Baby M loves water (she hasn't been introduced to juice yet) and so along with being a poo-master, she also is a pee-master. While we could leave her open for an hour or so, leaving her open the whole day is simply not a hygienic possibility. I really wonder how people who have small untrained puppies deal with their bowel movements since I've never really seen a puppy with a diaper. There are some valid points to learn from them.

Cloth diapers: Our last hope. Luckily, I no longer have to wash and clean and iron (Thank heavens for this!) - they have perfectly respectable diaper services that do this for you. However, it's no longer as simple as just getting a piece of cloth and tying two pins on it. You now have to get a diaper cover. The reason for dealing with cloth diapers is the breathability of cotton, however, with the covers made of plastic or nylon, it kind of limits the breathability of it all. To make it even more complicated, my pediatrician has recommended AGAINST cloth diapers.

Which leaves me to wonder - What in world am I supposed to do?

Fish cooked in a delicate Vegetable Broth

Ingredients:
2 filets of fresh fish with skin
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 large clove garlic
1/2 inch piece of ginger
2 carrots finely chopped
2 leeks finely chopped
100g celery root finely chopped
4-5 stalks asparagus
bunch of fresh spinach

Method:

1. Take 500ml of water in a pan. Add ginger and garlic. Bring to boil for 10 minutes on Medium High flame. Keep covered.
2. Remove ginger and garlic. Add soy sauce. Add vegetables except asparagus and spinach. Cover and cook on Medium until the vegetables are cooked. Remove 1/2 of the vegetables from the pan.
3. Add the spinach and asparagus. Add the fish skin side up. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Serve hot over steamed rice and make sure to pour the broth sauce on top as well.

Rappini with Sesame Seeds

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
1 large bunch Rappini
2 teaspoons light brown sesame seeds
1/2 lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste.

Method:

1. Cut the stalks off the greens and wash thoroughly.
2. Heat the frying pan. All the olive oil to it. When oil is hot add the Rappini. Be careful as oil will splatter - it's best to use tongs to add the greens to the oil.
3. Stir the greens. Cover and cook on Medium High for 4-5 minutes.
4. Remove in a dish. Add salt, lemon juice and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
5. Serve right away.

Poverty in India

Throughout my life, people have asked me how I deal with poverty in India and still enjoy my time there. Unlike poverty in the West, poverty in India takes on a whole new face altogether.

Here, the guy who begs on the street corner but still looks sufficiently clean and totally able bodies is pitied and people throw money encouraging him. I have always maintained that people who give money to them are doing society a great wrong. Granted that this man who is totally capable of working could have seen better days, could just be at a moment in life where he is down and out, or could be a drug addict and it's necessarry for our society to reach out to them. Total Bullocks! I am sorry if the guy has seen better days - bad luck is something none of us can plan against. I am sorry if the guy has come upon drugs - but I see no reason to fund him using more illegal substances. There are plenty of ways our very generous government goes out of their way to make life livable and even help these people. It's up to them to not accept it and to choose to live the life they live. If they are capable of work, surely they can get a job at McDonalds or any other job that is easily available. But they choose to hang around the streets and beg and this I have a problem with.

Now, before I get a platitude of emails about how I do not understand poverty, how I have a priveledged life etc - I want to clearly state - I do understand povery. I may not have experienced it, but Ihave seen real poverty and that is the kind of poverty that motivates even the hardest ones of us to search in our conscience to justify how we are contributing to this world.

The poverty that I speak is what is found in India. As everywhere, poverty exists on different levels. You have the inhabitants of shanty towns in big cities who live in their huts, both parents have jobs and work day and night and still, because they have so many children the possibility of a better life for the next generation is remote. These are the people who spend their days cleaning and cooking for others so that their kids can have a glimpse of a better future. They do this without grumbling. They are about as hardworking as I have ever seen, waking up at 5.30am to cook for their families and then spending the day cooking and cleaning for as many as 4-5 homes in a day. It is these people I have deep respect for.

There is also another group of poverty stricken people for whom my heart totally bleeds. It is the children and aged who have been abandoned not only by their families, but by the Indian government and society. Nothing you have seen will bother you as much as the absolute poverty these two groups experience. Children in rural india are often seen rummaging through garbage, when we were in Madhya Pradesh we saw such extreme poverty among these kids that it just made you wonder what is the purpose of life. It is an open fact that these kids are easy prey for the vile pedophile industry. Nowhere is this more apparant but in Mumbai where you see little girls and boys beg for food every day and then one fine day, you see them all dressed up in pretty clothes with lipstick and makeup on their faces, their stomachs obviously fed, oblivious to the evils that society has forced them to endure to get a meal.

As for the aged, the sad thruth is that even the sex agencies don't want them so they are just left on street corners to die our of starvation, disease or even beaten up.

What I find totally appaling is how foreign tourists to India choose to look at poverty. One of the "in" things to do on the travel circut is to pay touts $100 to get a tour of the shantytowns and slums. Somehow, these pitiful western tourists feel they are bonding with the poor by going on this voyage. How utterly stupid of them. Surely within 10 seconds of arriving in India they must have figured out that poverty is pretty acceible - you don't need to shell out a lot of money, you need to have good intentions if you want to really experience it. The $100 they give goes to the local goon, who in turn runs the local prostitution-pedophile-drug racket with his henchmen. It would be far more sensible for them to just give the money to a reputable charity and allow them to continue their work.

And as to how I deal with poverty in India, every time I come accross a hard working poor person, I made sure I tip him handsomely - if nothing else, atleast this will keep him trying to get out of the trap of poverty.

Green Beans in Mustard Seeds

This recipe was given to me by chef extra-ordinaire Ramu in India during our visit there. It's really super easy.
Ingredients:
3 cups green beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and trim the ends of the green beans.
2. Heat a pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is warm (about 30 seconds) add the mustard seeds. Cook the mustard seeds until they start to "jump".
3. Add the beans and stir so beans are coated in the seeds. Cook at Medium High for 2-3 minutes.
4. Cover and cook at low for 5 -6 minutes.
5. Can be served hot or cold.

Beet and Orange Salad

Ingredients:
6 small beets
1 large orange
3 spring onions or 1 small regular onion
juice from 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Cover beets and roast in an oven at 350C until tender (about 3 hours).
2. Cool the beets slightly then wash under cold water. Peel off the skin and slice into small cubes. Place the cubes in a bowl.
3. Slice the onions finely and add to the beets.
4. Cut the skin off the orange with a knife. Take out all the seeds and the white parts. Cut into pieces and add to the beets.
5. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon on the beets and add the olive oil and salt. Stir and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Reflections of India

We've just returned from our 5 1/2 weeks annual holiday. This time, the destination was India. I can honestly tell you that it was the most fun trip of my life! Travelling through India is so easy and uncomplicated as compared to travelling in Europe or North America. I realized from day 1 that the trick to making things work efficiently in India is to outsource them - I'm serious! Pay someone to find someone else to do the job efficiently and you will be happier and it will cost you less than you doing it yourself. We rented a car with a driver, got an Indian travel agent and gave them enough leeway so that they could negotiate and provide us with the best of things in our budget. I am pleased to say that we were not at all disappointed.

I have travelled a fair bit around the world and my favorite place of travel has always been Canada (part of the reason why I moved here) - nowhere do you really find the beautiful vistas, good service, decent hospitality and value for money as you do in the Great North. However, I have to say, that travelling around India showed us that it is a pretty amazing country and the level of hospitality and quality of service you find for the dollar is unsurpassed. You expect to be pampered and they do not let you down.

We have seen the most amazing sights. Our breath was literally taken away when we first saw the Taj Mahal - all we could say was "Oh Wow"- you really cannot imagine how completely beautiful it is. We admired centuries old monuments and buildings built by the Mughals and Rajputs - The Agra Fort where "Akbar the Great" used to rule, Fatehpur Sikri -the beautiful city he built, Sikandara- where he was put to rest - all built in the 15th century and testament to the powerful force Akbar had made himself into. Continuing onwards to Delhi we saw Humayun's Tomb (built in late 14th century), the totally inspiring Qutub Minar which was built even before that with Quranic inscriptions all the way to the top of this 10 story tower, the Red Fort where Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan (the guy who built the Taj) created more amazing rooms and where the famous peacock throne (a throne built like a peacock full of emeralds and pervious stones) was placed. We saw the point at which Indian independence from British rule was declared. Onwards to the Himalyas and the Punjab where we visited the new city of Chandigarh with Asia's largest rose garden and the most interesting Nek Chand's Rock garden - at all these places we saw and appreciated the power of imagination and the beauty that can be created by all who really want to. Our tour continued to Amritsar and the Golden Temple. If there was a place where we felt at peace it was here, sitting by the pond looking at the magnificent temple that was built as a testament to faith. We even visited the India-Pakistan border at Wagah and joined the crowds there! History of several centuries surrounded us wherever we went and as India modernizes, we realized that Indians have developed a wonderful way to mix the old and the new to create their own unique blend of modernism in India.

Travelling with Baby M her safety and well being were our prime concern. Apart from a bad case of diaper rash because of the heat, she was fine. Food wise, Indians seemed to bend over back ways when they found out we had a baby. We were given the freshest stuff and when we visited the roadside stalls (dhabas) they would actually make things fresh for us so we wouldn't fall ill. At Delhi, we discovered the Indian Infant cereal called Cerelac - imagine our surprise when Baby M gulped down bowls of it. It tasted so much better than the cereal in Canada. At times I felt guilty about pre-judging India. We had automatically assumed that it would be difficult to find diapers etc there - somehow taking it for granted that the country had not modernized. Diapers were available at every street corner! My Indian friend in Delhi had told me that the Indian one were no good - I found they performed just the same as the imported ones. With Baby M - leaks always happen! I felt totally stupid when it dawned on me how naive I had been on India - here is a country of 1 billion people, from whom at least 25 million are infants under the age of 1 - how presumptuous for me to assume that there would be no facilities for 25 million citizens!

There is no doubt that we stayed in the best of hotels and lived a very luxurious life. But such luxuries are not that steep in India. In Delhi, our wonderful travel agent, got us a room at The Oberoi (one of India's best hotels) where we had our own personal butler. I would press a button and my smiling genie in a white uniform would appear and everything I needed would suddenly appear. When we ordered room service, instead of coming on a tray- they brought in a whole table totally laid out with silver settings. It was service fit for royalty. The price tag for this indulgence was $250/night. While that seems like a lot, we paid the same amount when we stayed at Blue Mountain in Ontario in January and certainly did not get a butler! That's also the same as 160 Euros and anyone who has recently been travelling to Europe will tell you how pathetically expensive Europe has become and how even if you pay 160 Euros you can just about get an IBIS in a major city. Top end service in India is unsurpassed!

The ONLY sensible way to go around India with a child is by renting a car. You would need to be totally suicidal to drive on these roads yourselves. You need specialist drivers who have developed nerves of steel through years of driving and who know where to take you and how to negotiate the various road blocks. Renting a car in India also means you no longer have to worry about the petrol, or tolls, or parking charges or directions (Indians are totally challenged when it comes to maps. I was proud to get a map in Delhi only to realize that it's utterly useless as the roads are not marked!) Having a driver is the way to do it. You wake up and your car is cleaned, ready and has a full tank of petrol. The chauffer knows exactly where to take you and how to get there and provides all sorts of interesting information on Indian life that you would not normally get. Our driver Mahavir, went out of his way to make sure we had a good trip. Apart from the excellent driving, he also got our clothes ironed at the street laundries (Indians DO NOT wear un-ironed clothes and I DO NOT iron on holiday), went into the "dhabas" and checked out their kitchens and terrorized the cooks so we could get fresh food, and would spend 2 hours in every town finding a good dairy to get fresh yoghurt for Baby M. Such service you could never find in the West!

In ending this blog, I have to say that at every step of our trip we were shown respect, friendship and kindness. Whether we were at my friend's place where Raju, Nitin, Kishore and Gita took care of us, or at my Mum's where Majid cooked us amazing biryani and samosas while Rekha and Farid took care of Baby M, or at a hotel - we were always welcomes and the red carpet was laid out for us in every way. I often wondered what happened to the stereotypical uncouth Indians who used to steal from foreigners and who would generally try to make your life difficult. I then realized, like anywhere else, we tried to fit in. My husband wore the Indian "Kurta Pajama" for most of our trip - a sight that won us immediate approval. Most of the time they just assumed he was from Kashmir and nodded to us. Unlike some of the foreigners or Indians returning from overseas, I never showed any skin (mind you, I don't really show much skin in Toronto as well). My Hindi is still fluent though it's now probably easy to see that I am not a local but I did use it as much as I could.

To really enjoy India, you need to go there not only with your body, but also open up your mind to explore and understand the various things that make this country such an incredible nation.
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Excellent Indian Travel Agent: Rupali Desai (+91-98210-79311) poly71@hotmail.com

Travels through India: Rajasthan

We left Mumbai on the Kingfisher flight - the first thing that strikes you is how sunning all the inflight attendants are. The owner of the airline, Mr. Vijay Mallya - India's answer to Mr. Branson is well known for his playboy antics and this is probably why the woman and service is so stunning.
We're staying in Udaipur at the Trident Hilton set among 22 acres of greenery - it's a lovely property and overall the service has been good. On arriving, we saw the Fateh Sagar lake - how lovely! We saw the Sahelion ki Bari which is a garden and fountain complex built by the Raja for his harem. Very beautiful! He built fountains all over - all of which are intricately carved. The water for the fountains comes from the lake and the hydrolics used are still being . How the Raja managed to get water 5 kms away from the manmade lake and have the fountains working is pretty incredible considering it was built in 1700s!
We then saw Pichola Lake and the Lake Palace Hotel. I was hoping to go there for lunch, but it is now closed to non-residents so it's a bit of a dissapointment. We decided to go for dinner at the Fateh Prakash - the royal residence of the existing Maharaja. The view was stunning - we could see the Lake Palace and the Jagmandir lit up like jewels on the Pichola lake - but the food was much too spicy for us and we got completely bitten up by mosquitoes! However, the view remains totalls beautiful. Totally inspiring. Totally awesome.
My husband has been calling Baby M "Chickoo" after a delicious fruit that is eaten in India. It's brown, sweet and has a texture like apples. He says " She's sweet like a chickoo. She's small like a chickoo and she's brown like a chickoo". Baby M seems to like this name!

March 27
We saw the City Palace in Udaipur - totally lovely! The passion with which the Maharaja has built this palace is totally evident. Nowhere have I seen such beautiful rooms. We saw the Peacock Court where the king sat on the throne made to resemble a peacock full of gems - it was really beautiful! We also saw "Moti Mahal" or the the Pearl room, where everything from the ceiling to the floor was covered in Mother of Pearl, the "Sheesh Mahal" or Crystal Palace where the king had imported crystal from Belgium and created a whole room of it, the Ruby Dining room where the walls were at one point covered in rubies and emeralds and courtyards which were truly spectacular. Architecturally, it is built in white marble which keeps the palace cool in summers. Baby M was also pretty impressed with it, she kept herself busy looking at these things.

After this we headed to Devigarh for lunch - it's the much heralded resort built into a castle. I had heard so much about Devigargh that I was really expecting spectacular - this is was not. It's very beautiful but not really worth the price tag. We paid Rs. 7800 for lunch for the three of us and it is by far one of the most expensive meals I have had in India. I cannot say it was truly exciting - but my mum, husband, Baby M and I got to relax and that was a good thing. We spent the rest of the day shopping where my mum bought Baby M her second Ghagra.

March 28
We visited the Monsoon Palace in the morning - you have to go up this steep hill from which you get amazing views of Udaipur. It's interesting to think how in the 18th century the Maharaja must have built a palace on the very top of a hilly mountain where it today takes us 25 minutes to drive up. Trying to imagine the logistics of moving all the tons of marble up to the palace is really mind boggling. The Lake Pichola looked lovely from the top. The climb to the top was steep, so my mum rested in the cafe, where she put on her shades, took up a bollywood pose and relaxed!
After this, we drove 2 hours (but only 65 kms) t0 Kumbalgarh. The scenery en-route was sectacular - I could not have imagined such lovely scenery in Rajasthan. We drove through the Aravalli Hills which are more mountains than hills. The vistas were amazing. We drove through dry arid land which had nothing but these large trees with big bright orange flowers - no leaves, only flowers - I've never seen anythign like it. We drove through sugarcane fields, wheat fields. saw men in turbans moving bullocks around a large wheel that in turn pulled water out of the well for irrigation - It's the first time even I have seen such typical countryside in India. We even ssaw a Jacaranda tree - one of the most beautiful trees in teh world which lovely blue flowers - I ahven't seen one since I was in Pretoria. It was wonderful to drive through the countryside because we got a sense of what the real Rajasthan was all about. Everyone was friendly, the ladies wore these extremely bright sarees and ghagraswhich contrasted beautifully with the bleak landscape. I personally fround the scenery to Kumbalgargh very inspiring.
The fort itself is astounding. It has one of the largest walls after Great Wall of China. None of us had seen such a large fort. It seemed to go on for ever and ever. It's even more interesting to learn that it was built in 1450! How in the world did they move all this stone to this place in the middle of nowhere and build a fort here?! The views from the fort are even more astounding. We are certainly spoilt for views here.
A note on how nice people are to us: We had lunch at Aodhi hotel - part of the royal retreats here and the manager opened up a new cleaned room for us to change Baby M's diaper and for us to freshen up - imagine that happening in Canada or Europe!

March 29
We spent the day visiting the holy shrine of Hussein Tekri - known for it's blessing those who are really in need. We were certainly not prepared for what we saw here. You had the poorest of the poorest and the weakest of the weakest begging for help here. It's taken us 6 hours on totally atrocious roads to get here but it has certainly been an eye opener for all of us. Never have we seen this kind of poverty - you had little children begging and totally destitute people waiting for mercy. I was surprised that all these kids were begging when they shoudl really have been in school. Of what use is the economic success in India when a large part of it's youth is left out?
We went there to weigh Baby M on the holy scales and distributed an equal amount of jaggery to the poor. It was in some ways a rather shocking and eye opening experience.
Hussein Tekri is in the state of Madhya Pradesh and I was somewhat surprised at how bad the roads still are there. India has a long way to go when it comes to progress. Success in the stock market in Mumbai has certainly not showed up here.

We were sharing our road with camels. donkeys, dogs, cows stolling down the highway, bullock carts, trucks and all sorts of people. It took us 6 hours to complete a journey of 130kms.

We arrived in Chittorgarh only to be told that there was a curfew in place because of the Hindu-Muslim tension!

March 30

We spent the morning looking at the Chittorgarh fort - legendary in teh Indian psyche for he practice of "jawhar" or mass suicide to save one's honor. At one point 22000 (yes Twenty two THOUSAND) women committed suicide to save themselves from being taken prisoner by the Mughals. While I think of it as a rather waste, in Indian folklore this is much respected. I found it even more scary that they burnt themselves alive on a pyre made of twigs and ghee!

We then proceeded to Ajmer Sharif. This is considered to be the 2nd most holy place for Indian Muslims after Mecca. There is a belief that if you ask for something here it will come true. Again, religion adn faith are all about belief. If you believe in something then it helps you and takes on a power of it's own. In India, religion is everywhere. You cannot remove it from the national fabric just as you cannot remove the church from Europe's history.

Ajmer has unfortunately come under the mafia of the Khadims (custodians of the shrine) and they have turned it into a money making, corrupt place. While I enjoy going to the Ajmer the problems with the khadims can be an issue. Our trip there cost us Rs. 2000 (about $50) which could easily have been put to use to so much better use. I am disspointed with how they are converting such a lovely place into a money making business.

Baby M has been a total star through all of this. A wonderful sport- she is really the ideal treavel companion. My husband carried her in the Baby Bjorn infant carrier and since he is much taller than most poeple here no once came close to them. My husband was also dressed in Indian clothes and the khadims just automaticlaly assumed he was from Kashmir since they have lighter skin there and kept talking to him in Hindi. He politely nodded his head and smiled.

March 31- April 3 JAIPUR

We'rte staying at the Taj Jai Mahal Palace which has been completely renovated since I stayed there 4 years ago. The rooms are very spiffy - and they even have a window that looks into the bathroom just incase I want to continue conversation with my husband while he pees!

Overall, our stay in Jaipur has been good. On Day 1 we saw the City Palace. I had such high expectations of it but the part which was open to the public is not half as interesting as the City Palace in Udaipur. We saw the wonderful collection of royal carpets, buggies (charriots pulled by horses) , two silver jugs which are the largest in the world and which hold 50 gallons of water each - these were used to transport holy water from the Ganges to London so the Maharaja could bathe in the holy water while he attended the coronation of Kind George. The City Palace came alive for us because we both read the book by Maharani Gayatri - the 3rd wife of the king of jaipur and her descriptions of the palace bring the place alive for us.

The next day we went to see the Royal Cenotaphs. There si one thing that has always truck me about India - we don't necessarily take very good care of people when they are alive but the moment they die they become eternal in memory and in very grand structures made of stone.

On Day 3 we took Baby M and my husband on an elephant ride up to Amber fort. Whiel Baby M and I found the ride to be relaxing, my husband looked very nervous on an elephant! Amber Fort has historical significance because it is here that the Mughal Emperor Akbar married the Hindu Princess Jodha and that put an end to the wars between the Mughals and the Rajputs. We had a guide here who has given my husband some very romantic lines to use on me. One of them is " You are the moon and above all beauty" - now say that in a Russian accent and try not to laugh!

After this, there was a visit to Jantar Mantar - the ancient Royal Observatory built in the 16th century - this is something I have wanted to see for a long long time. It uses a sun dial to accurately tell you the time - when we visited it was spot on!

My husband has pretty much been wearing only Indian clothes since we arrived in India. He now has about 9 indian outfits.

He looks very royal in these and everytime we go anywhere, people jump up to attention and salute him - a sign of great respect here. In return, he nods his head and smiles back. I am also surprised with how friendly people are towards Baby M. It takes us 10 minutes every time we enter a restaurant for the entire staff including the chefs to come and say Hello to her and another 10 minutes for all the staff to say Bye when we are leaving. We are also totally taken aback by strangers wanting to take their photos with her or old ladies coming up to talk to her. We've likely offended quite a few people when we said hey couldn't carry her, but overall, we seems to be managing the situation well.

More on Agra and Delhi in my next post ... until then ..Namaste!