March 17, 2008 - The flight over & Brugge

The flight over was relaly good. We enjoyed excellent service and inspite of being in Economy we were made to feel like Royalty by the charming and extremely helpful inflight attendant called Rajat. We flew Jet Airways, a new airline from India, and I strongly recommend it to everyone. They outclass Lufthansa and the service even beats Emirates. Baby M was a natural traveller. We were worried the effect of air pressure on her, but she sucked her thumb and we were fine. She amused herself for a couple of hours, ate her food including parts of a paratha and then fell asleep for 5 hours.

Oh! JetAirways has those individual screens per seat with a selection of about 100 movies, plus games etc and took the opportunity to see "Elizabeth" something I have wanted to see for a long time. Then we each had our own personal menus and chose Chicken Tikka Masala, Daal, Rice, Paratha, Raita and Pickles. For dessert we had Rasmalai (Imagine getting a gourmet meal on Air Canada!).

We arrived safetly in Brussels and left our luggage at the lockers in the airport and headed by train to Brugge. This was Baby M's first train ride and after a couple of minutes our tired little explorer dozed off to sleep.

In brugge, we stayed at the Hotel OUD HUIS DE PEELART- it was lovely! Totally renovated, with 12ft ceilings, comfortable beds, Italian marble bathrooms and plenty of hot water. The breakfast was excellent as was the price for the property. (Tip: Call Hotels.ca and ask them for a further 10% off the room price - the operators can give it to you. )

We've been able to get a fair bit of sightseeing done in Brugge. Brugge is known for 3 things gastronimic: Mussels, Chips and Chocolates.

Mussels: Last night, we ate at a Brugge insitution called BREYDEL DE CONINC known for it's excellent seafood. We had large pots (yes, pots not plates) of mussels. I can honestly say that I am totally musseled out. At one sitting, I have eaten more mussels than in the last 10 years!

Chips: We found out here that French Fries originated in Belgium and not France. Now, we are certainly not chip gourmets but the chips here tasted pretty much the same as anywhere else.

Chocolates: Chocolate shops everywhere! Infact there is so much of chocolate in Brugge that my husband has for some strange reason lost his desire to eat it. (And this is a man who finishes one box of chocolates in 2 hours!). You cannot walk a corner without finding at least 2 chocolate shops. We visited the chocolate museum here. Very informative, but really, we were just looking for the different chocolates they give us to sample and were kind of dissapoined that we only got to eat 3 pieces in 30 minutes. However it was interesting to learn a bit about the cocoa bean. Did you know that 65% of all harvest comes from Africa? I didn't. We picked up some Cococa Powder with Matcha - an interesting taste for sure.

We've also taken Baby M on her first boat ride, a tour through the canals of Bruge. She was interested in the part where you got on the boat, but once we were all seated and the boat started to go, she kind of dozed off in the slight breeze. It appears that Brugge was not levelled in WWII so a lot of the buildings standing are in their original state - some are simply beautiful.

Eventhough we've been walking the whole day, we've only really touched the surface of what Brugge has to offer.

After the mussels and the Waterzooi (a stew made of seafood, wine and cream -yummy! ) we're inspired enough to wake up early and head to the fish market in the morning to check out the fresh catch of the day.

March 18, 2008 - Brugge & Brussels

I woke up early in the am to see the exciting fish market (strange things excite me - fish is one of them!). Now, this one is housed in a very old square and all the counters are covered with marble. Very pretty. Full of anticipation, and wishing we had rented an appartment in Brugge so that I cook cook this bounty from the seas, I crossed the medivial market square and made a turn for the fish market. Over the bridge and then I saw it! What dissapointment! My wonderful busy fish market that I had envisaged had all but one (yes ONE) fishmonger! He stood there lonely in this lovely square selling the freshest white shrimp, sole and snapper I have seen. There was no doubt his produce was wonderful, but it certainly wasn't worth waking up early for.

After breakfast we headed to see the medivial courtyard of the Bell Tower - it's at places like this that I think most of Hunu and Alex - both of whom would have taken about a 100 photos and documented every tiny aspect of it. On my part, I took a video span of the place and a photo of Baby M to document her visit here.

We then headed down the little streets and had lunch at a tea room (there are 100s here). My crab sandwich was superb, my husband's cherry tart not quite up to the mark. It was now time to indulge in the very Belge tradition of fine chocolates and off we went to sample them. Superb! We tried one which was a Ganache of Chocolate with Lychee Tea - very interesting and different. Strolling down the narrow streets we eventually arrived at the "Beguinage: - the local convent and one of the top tourist attractions here. It was a very pldeasant spot - old buildings surronded by a little field full of daffodils in bloom. Very picturesque.

Baby M got a rattle with jingle bells on it as a souvenir of our time in Brugge. We've left the museums with the Flemish painters and the lace museum for whenever we return next to Brugge.

Arrived well in Brussels and checked in at the totally overpriced Sheraton Airport Hilton, but with a morning flight to catch you simply cannot beat the location. We realized that we could have saved EUR 45 by leaving our luggage here instead of the airport for 3 days (yes that's how much the lockers cost) - but no point pondering it too much. What's done is done.

Flying to Mumbai tomorrow am. Until then...

Packing, Packing and more packing

There was a time about 15 years ago when I would go to the train station in Geneva with a small backpack. I'd go get a sandwich and then go look at the departure board. Which ever destination caught my fancy - that's where I would head out for a few days. No pre-planning, no preparation, no guidebook, only a small backpack and a sandwich. How fondly I look back at those days today!

Here I am packing for our trip to India with my husband and Baby M - my living room looks like every closet and cupboard has been emptied on it. On top of it, my husband has bought an industrial size box of diapers and I have no idea how to pack it all in the suitcases. We are taking pretty much all of Baby M's clothes since she goes through her entire wardrobe in a week. My husband has decided that "when in India do as the Indians do" so he's told me to pack "4 T-shirts" - the plan is for him to wear the Indian Kurta Pyjamas and wander the streets of Mumbai living out his Arabian Nights dreams. I am truly looking forward to this. On my part, I was packing all my lovely Indian clothes until by friend Sweetie Pie (she owns a sweet business) told me that they are all outdated and I should buy trousers and wear them here. How truly disappointing! I have a closet full of wonderful clothes I enjoy and they are all not in vogue and I am told to wear trousers which I detest! Well, I was never a fashion slave so I'm not going to worry about it. If my husband can look like Gandhi on the streets of India, I can surely look like a fashion diva wearing the best of 1994!

On top of that we have bug spray against the mosquitoes, citronella for the baby, sun screen for Baby M and even more for my husband- a total of 4 bottles. I have no idea what they are going to do in this much sunscreen but I expect they will be lathering themselves in it. Then we have Imodium and Tums - I have still to figure out which one is for Diarrhea and which one is for constipation. Add to that all the Tempra and Diaper Rash creams.

To ensure Baby M's tummy stays ok, we have 2 large cans of formula and will be adding her oatmeal and rice shortly. Ever since we started Baby M on her first trip, I also carry some dish detergent and this has often been one of the most practical things in my bag.

And let me not forget the Toilet Paper - the last time when I was in India toilet paper was not everywhere - you had to wash your bum clean with water (seems far more hygienic to me), and my husband is so disturbed by the details of this practice that he is taking toilet paper with him. Of course we could buy some there, but this is someone who grumbled for a week because I bought 1ply instead of 2ply toilet paper. Rather than hearing about toilet paper when I set my eyes on the Taj Mahal, I'll let him pamper his bum!!

Purel! Purel! And hand wipes for the baby since I've been told people in India take offense when you tell a guest to wash their hands. I still haven't understood why it is offensive, but I'm taking enough wet wipes and Purel so I can keep Baby M clean and somewhat germ free.

Did I mention we have 2 (yes TWO) different guide books of India. I had marked places I wanted to see in one of them but Baby M was playing with it and I haven't been able to see it since and so now I am re-marking in the second one.

On top of that I had the brilliant (but in retrospect clearly dumb) idea of sewing large pouches to put different things in - I was up till 2 am doing it and only got through half of them. Of course, now that I have started the job, I feel compelled under extreme stress to complete it.

I also have to cancel my newspaper subscription, hold my post, clean out my refrigerator, and clean out the car since Emie has agreed to take us to the airport and my car looks just atrocious!


Man oh man! I am so ready to go on holiday!

$4000/hr for what?

I've had a very busy day with Baby M who seems to have some kind of rash even though my husband thinks she's just scratching herself, cleaning my office (again!) and sorting through all the stuff in our storage (again!). It wasn't until 9.30pm that I was able to catch up on the news and Mr. Spitzer's rendezvous with the prostitutes was flashing across the screen. Now, I had no idea who he was and why this was so relevant, but I figured it had something to do with the elections.

The part of the story that caught my attention was the BBC news reporter saying that he allegedly paid $4000 to the prostitute. I was quite impressed at that number, I mean, I have no clue what the going rate for these kind of services are but $4000 did seem like a lot. It's only after logging on to BBC News website, that I realised this was the price PER HOUR!!

BLOODY HELL! What in the world does a prostitute do for you for $4000 per hour!!! ??? I didn't even know prostitutes could cost that much. (Tells you how much I know about what goes on in this world!) But I simply cannot understand what a man can expect from one woman that requires him to pay $4000 per hour and that he couldn't get from another of the same profession for say, $400 /hr.

Being Canadian, where we watch a large part of our salary being "shared" by the govt, I couldn't help but wonder why the govt is so silly as to not legalize prostitution. I mean, forget about the moral stand of it all, (I no longer think prostitutes are victimized when they charge this kind of money and shag Governors) - I'm talking pure economics.

Assuming the lady in question works 4 hours a day at a rate of $4000/hr = $16,000/day. Now, I'm sure she would be working out of a corporation and of course she has to pay her manager, pay for herself to look good etc. Let's assume that is $2000/hr. It still gives you a tax bill of about $3600/day at a conservative estimate. Assume she works about 200 days a year , our Treasury could be getting potentially $720,000 a year from only this lovely lady!!!

I really don't understand why we are not taxing this profession. It's completely mad! They earn more than doctors, project managers, IT consultants and little tea merchants - and yet, they get away scott free because the moral police says what they do it wrong. But, isn't that all the more reason to tax them??

But more than anything, I'm really utterly curious to know what services Mr. Spitzer purchased for $4000/hr .

The Pant Problem

Now, before I start let me clarify that by "pants" I mean trousers - not "pants" as the Brits use the word which refers to panties.

So I finally decided I need to go shopping. I have one pair of jeans that fit me and even those are low waisted so every time I sit you can see the unattractive part of my bum. I knew it was time when my husband asked me "Are these jeans meant to cover only your legs?" . On top of it I had a $150 gift voucher to the Bay and with our trip to India next week - I desperately needed something to cover up the body.

I really HATE shopping for clothes. I do not understand how people have the energy to shop for them. I mean, you walk around the store looking at stuff that looks great on the hanger, then you carry a pile of them to the dressing room, where you have to undress all your layers and try each one of these items individually. After all this pain, more than 99% of the stuff I try on looks horrible or fits not quite right or is just uncomfortable. You then deal with the disappointment, wear all those layers again and have to carry the pile out to the customer service desk where the attendant looks at you with a look that says "I could have told you this wouldn't look good - look at all the work I have now".

I really admire people like Gaby who seem to get energized by shopping. This woman can spend the whole day (8 hours literally) in the mall trying on about 300 outfits only to buy a T-shirt at the end, and still be happy. Or even Sexy T in London, who just goes to a store, picks a couple of things off the rack and they both look amazing. I've got some of my best purchases with her.

Not all forms of shopping are bad. I love to buy shoes. Anything for the kitchen I thoroughly enjoy (I once spent 4 hours looking at different kinds of Tupperware). I can even manage to buy jackets and things for the top half of my body with some ease. What I dread shopping for are
a) Pants
b) Bras
These are probably the most challenging things in the world to find. I simply do not have a body like a mannequin. I'm blessed with a petite build, chests the size of a 12 year old, a bum that is wide but not sticking out like J-Lo, and a tummy that is left over from the pregnancy. On the top half of my body I can wear kids clothes (I don't know if that is a compliment but it's cheaper and they have nicer colors) , it's on the bottom that the task gets complicated.

If I want a good fit, I need to go with Petite (which limits the selection in the store to 30%) but since they think that all petites are skinny with no bum or tummy, things start to get complicated. If I want a good fit on my bum I am a size 10. If I want it to zip up and put my tummy in there as well - I'm a size 12 but with the latter size, there is that bunching of cloth at the crotch. And now that I don't want anything low waisted, I'm finding I am totally out of luck!

I dragged my husband and Baby M to the mall yesterday to assist me. On my first walk around the Petite section I found 1 pair of pants. I tried it on and it looked pretty miserable, which was only confirmed by the way my husband immediately shook his head when I came out to show him. By this time Baby M had sensed the tension inside me and started to cry. So here I was looking for a pair of pants with a reluctant husband and a crying baby! Luckily, the saleslady took pity on me and gathered up all the pants that would somehow fit me.

After trying on a couple - I bought a pair of bell-bottoms (yes!). I look about 5 inches shorter and 10 pounds heavier but they were comfortable. I will try them on tonight and most likely go back and return them and go through the whole hoopla of finding another pair of pants all over again.

Some things in life are just incredibly complicated.

Afghanistan and the War on Terror

Up here in Canada, where we are braving what seems like our 100th snow storm of the season, there is a steadily growing movement that wants Canadian troops out of Afghanistan. For those of you not familiar with what Canada is doing in Afghanistan - we are there on a peacekeeping mission to assist Karzai's govt keep the Taliban out. And we are doing it under the NATO flag. Please do not compare this to Bush and his incredibly stupid war in Iraq, we are in Afghanistan by invitation and are actively trying to root the Taliban out.

Now, it would appear to me that if bombs and guns could have defeated Radical Islamists it would have done so by now. And this is something the West doesn't seem to be realising. As a Muslim, married to a Jew (who is intermittently following some Yoga thingy) , I am only too aware of the craziness prevalent among Radical Islamists and go out of my way to keep a very far distance from them.

However, they are still a very real threat - not only to the Western countries but also to Moderate Islam. I used to think that this is a Muslim problem and it is time for Muslims to stand up and reign in those crazy fanatics who have twisted and turned what is a peace loving religion into a lethal doctrine of suicide and revenge. But while I might have been more inclined to rationalize with one of them before I got married, I certainly value my family a lot more now and will likely never enter such a discourse. There is no doubt that the few religious nuts have taken over the agenda of close to a billion people and with their brutality have all but made the rest of us shut up.

What is surprising to me however, is how this illiterate rag tag bunch came to such power. And here the West and particularly US is to blame. It is well known that in the Afghanistan war, the US funded and equipped the mujaheddin to fight the Russians. Pakistan was paid to train another group of elite mujaheddin. The US militarily themselves marvelled at how well this uncouth bunch of men fought the Russians. The problem is the US basically showed these guys how to combine western technology and guerrilla warfare - making for a particularly lethal combination. When the Russians fled, the groups turned on each other and the one that prevailed was the Taliban. With no other agenda on hand, the Taliban turned against the West.

Now, fundamental Islam is not something that the West can fix overnight. A relatively normal person's path towards fundamentalism happens over a period. This is the concept the West seems to be missing. The war on fundamental Islam (and actually fundamental religion of all denominations) must be won. But to fight it, you need to have a strategy that works. Guns and bombs do not. Every time you throw a bomb and kill someone's father, you are only more likely to make it easier for the family to be "recruited" by some despicable fundamentalist movement.

I always wondered why the West (and Moderate Islamic states) do not make it inconvenient for people to join the fundamentalist movement. Here is my reasoning: A person in these countries has basic needs - food, shelter, clothing and safety. I wonder if we would not have been further down on our war against fundamentalism if we had spent the money we use for guns and bombs to build small local industries and provide incentives for people to give up their guns and run stores or mills or something. Surely it would make much more sense to be financially secure than to give up security for an unknown future where your wife and kids could likely end up without any support whatsoever.

If you really want to make a difference in these parts of the world, you have to go with a long term strategy that focuses on bettering the lives of the locals. And the best way to win someone over is to educate their children, provide good medical care and give them a legal and reasonable way to earn their livelihood. Surely one of Mr. Harper and Mr. Bush's advisers would have told them that. You need to start teaching a secular curriculum to students from a very young age that teaches them to think independently. You need to provide the youth with real skills like medicine, engineering or even how to fix cars, that they will not learn through the religious instruction in a madrassa. The war on fundamentalist Islam is not something that can be won overnight, it's a long painful process that requires foresight and patience.

I just finished reading a very insightful book, Three Cups of Tea - the story of how an American called Greg Mortenson builds schools in the remotest regions of Pakistan. I very highly recommend that everyone who is wondering what Canada is doing in Afghanistan read this book.

We cannot walk away from Afghanistan. That would mean millions of innocent Afghans are again brutalised by the Taliban. This is not the Canadian way. We cannot go on fighting the way we have been because if you fight ideology with guns, the ideology only gets stronger and more resilient. We have to fight it at the grassroots, by making it extremely unprofitable for the locals to join these fundamentalist groups. But to do that we have to gain their trust, teach their children, take care of them and essentially provide all the services that they believe they would get from the Taliban. Only then can we even expect to have some inroads in this game.

Hillary and the kitchen sink

Now, Hillary may have slowed the tide of voters against Obama but she did that by playing on the voters fears and insecurities rather than showing them what she can do. Her campaign over the past few weeks has been more about "let's throw all the dirt we can find about Obama out in the open" vs "let's try and tell the voters what we can do". In small minded America where voters do not ask tough questions such tactics seem to be working out. I deeply respect Obama's stance of not throwing the dirt back at Hillary - this is definitely the politics we should be following. But, how much longer can he maintain the gentlemanly behaviour? Billary have already said "Politics is a contact sport" - I actually used to see it more as an exchange of ideas, but I guess in America where the violent killing of innocent Iraqi's is just "collateral damage", positive exchange of ideas have led way to dirt being thrown- all we wait for now is Hillary and Obama to get into the ring and box each other out.

And while Hillary may have thrown all the dirt she found about Obama out in the open - the worst she could come up with was
a) His naive ideas about NAFTA
b) Deals with some bad guy that he already acknowledged and apologised for.
I mean- after spending more than 120 million dollars, you are telling me that is all she could find on this guy? If this guy is so squeaky clean then he quite rightly deserves the White House.

Without spending any money on Hillary and doing no research - not even a Google search - here is the list of skeletons in Hillary's closet that I remember:
a) Whitewater
b) Mr. Foster's suicide and the missing files that Hillary moved from his office the day after the event.
c)Missing records on the Cattle Grade deal that mysteriously showed up once the investigation had completed.
d) During Bill's time, the presidential helicopter was used to take Hillary's friends to golfing trips - wonder what those folks in Ohio would think about that. (I remember that because some politician in India tried to do the same with the Presidential helicopter in India only to get into trouble)
e) Taking money from Lobbyists over and over and over again! This woman has probably sold her conscience to the lobbyists by now!

I mean - and this is only what i remember. Think about all the stuff you could find out about her with 120 million dollars to spare.

The problem on playing a "contact sport" is that it might feel pretty good when you are on the top punching the little guy down, but you run the risk that the little guy might come back at you with an even harder punch - one you might not really recover from.

Green Beans in Roasted Pepper sauce

For 2 as a main course (4 for appetizer)


250g Green Beans

3 Red Peppers

4 large cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste


To make the Roasted Pepper sauce:

1. Cut the heads off the peppers and remove the seeds.


2. Cut peppers in 1/2


3. Place on a baking tray with cut side down.


4. Set oven to HIGH Broil. Put the peppers in the oven for 8-12 minutes until the top is black.


5. Remove from the oven and immediately put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This allows the peppers to steam and makes it easy to remove the skin.


6. Remove skin from the peppers - it should just peel off.


7. Blend peppers and garlic for about 2 minutes until it is pureed. You do not need to add any oil or water the moisture in the peppers should be enough.

To make the Green Beans:

1. Heat the pan on a high flame. Add the olive oil.


2. Add beans and stir - cook beans until they are slightly brown (about 3 minutes).


3. Add Roasted Pepper sauce and stir. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Chickpeas in Cilantro Sauce

For 3 servings

1 large can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 cups fresh cilantro or coriander
1 large onion finely chopped
1 red pepper finely chopped (remove head and seeds)
salt to taste
3 slices of fresh lemon
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame until the onions are translucent.
2. Put most of the onion and pepper mixture in a blender (leave about 2-3 tablespoons in the pan).
3. Blend the mixture for about a minute.
4. Wash the cilantro thoroughly. Add it to the blender with the onion and pepper mixture. Add water. Blend for about 2 minutes until there are no more whole cilantro leaves.
5. Drain the can of chickpeas and rinse with water. Add it to the pan with the little bit on ion and red pepper mixture left in it.
6. Add the cilantro mixture and put the stove on medium.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Allow to cook for 5-8 minutes until it is gently boiling.
9. Remove and serve with the lemon slices.

Grilled Scallops on a bed of Pineapples with Chipolte Mayonaise and Cilantro sauce

For 4 as an appetiser:

8 large fresh Dry Scallops
1/2 fresh pineapple cut into thin rings.
8 tablespoons Chipolte Mayonnaise
1 cup fresh cilantro or coriander leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 fresh chili
salt to taste.


For the Cilantro sauce:

1. Wash the Cilantro until it is clean.
2. Remove all the leaves from the stalks and put in a blender.
3. Add olive oil and chili and salt.
4. Blend until it is a smooth sauce.
5. Set aside.

For the Scallops:

1. Heat a frying pan until it is very hot.
2. Put the scallops in it and leave for 2 minutes until one side is browned, flip and cook on the other side. You should not have to cook them for more than 3-4 minutes in total.

To assemble the plates:

1. Divide the pineapple rings evenly between all the plates.
2. Place the freshly grilled scallops on top of the pineapples.
3. Put a spoon of chipolte mayonnaise on the side.
4. Drizzle the cilantro sauce on top.
5. Serve immediately.

Collateral Damage

My fellow blogger, Jill, in her wonderful blog http://www.divaplatform.com/ wants to pull me back into discussion of Obama vs. McCain vs. Weepy Clinton vs. the Baptist minister- but today I want to talk of something more important. Something military powers around the world called "collateral damage" - the death and destruction of the innocent people left behind once all the bombs have fallen.

As expected, the term was coined by the trigger and bomb happy US Military during their disastrous campaign in Vietnam. As I write this blog, I am outraged not only at the actions done by the US in Iraq (there are SO many better ways to install democracy!), but also by the actions of the Indian military in Kashmir who try to solidify their position by using illegal means, the abhorable acts of the brutal IDF in the occupied territories, and the truly despicable acts of the Islamic fanatics.

What happens after all the bombs fall? While all militaries would have us believe that they are targeting only "terrorists", why is it that so many women, children and innocent men are killed as well? We are used to shrugging our shoulders and saying "pity- it was a mistake". But these are very heavy mistakes and should we not start asking for some accountability for these mistakes? Do we all become party to this incompetence that kills innocent lives because it is inconvenient to ask for accountability?

And did we ever think about what happens to a family once this destruction strikes them? Take into consideration this fictional scenario which could easily be very true. A man takes care of his family of 4 children, his wife already dead from the substandard medical care they have in Afghanistan, Palestine or Iraq today. He goes about earning his money by selling bread, or eggs or something that costs little to buy, but that can be sold easily in a day. These earnings go to support his children and where possible send them to school. Now, one day he is going about his own business when someone decides to strikes a target. He just "happens" to be in the road and in a second he becomes a victim of this deadly but badly planned and implemented military action. In one second, his 4 kids loose all the support they have had.

Now, under Islamic law the person who fired that missile would have to take care and educate these orphans, of course even the most fundamentalist of Islamic powers decides which law to follow and which one not to, and this is one they don't. You can't expect the US military to do anything about it, because they conveniently call this man "collateral damage", and this term is only repeated in the Israeli and Indian militaries along with those everywhere else.

So news of the death of their father goes to the kids. The oldest is 12 she has not acquired any skills to do anything, no way of getting a regular job, no one will hire her to work as a maid because she is too young - and at the same time, she has 4 mouths to feed, clothe and keep sheltered. And in these parts of the world, there is really very little if no help available. What is she to do and how is she to take care of the family? It's only a matter of days before she realises that the only think she has to sell is herself - and for this there are plenty buyers.

Think about this every time you hear the word "collateral damage" and ask yourself if that child is not paying too high a price for our inability to question unnecessary deaths.