May 19 2012

Where I want to be right now

Sidin Vadukut has a lovely piece on Much Wenlock in today’s Mint Lounge.

Much Wenlock is quite possibly the most becoming little town in all of Great Britain. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been to a more charming place in the whole world. It is the kind of instantly likeable little place—like Amsterdam, Aix-en-Provence, St Andrews or Braemar up in the Scottish Highlands—where, by the end of your first walk about town, you’re already wondering, whimsically, how much a two-bedroom, semi-detached by the canal or the river or the ruined abbey is going to cost.

I know exactly what he means – ten minutes into Bruges, I was dreaming of a home there and by the end of the hour, the husband and I had decided exactly which house we were going to buy (right by the canal, a three minute walk from the Church of Our Lady, if you are interested. That way I figured I could drop by the church daily to look at the beautiful Michelangelo Madonna and Child statue. And oh, five minutes to the chocolate shops). And then we looked at each other and burst out laughing. A house in Europe, yes, right. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Anyway. Bruges is what I have been thinking of these last few days when I have been somewhat down and out. That is where I’d rather be right now…

Apr 24 2012

Street art in Melbourne

Melbourne is a lovely, lovely city – very European in feel with all those cozy outdoor cafes and little lanes and shops to explore all day. I took a walking tour in the center of the city and one of the most interesting things there was the graffiti all over the place. My guide explained that this was all state approved – Melbourne once actually had a problem with vandals painting on the walls. And then the government decided to do the best thing to stop that – make it legal and therefore, take the fun out of it (for the vandals, not the good citizens!). And now Melbourne is considered one of the best cities in the world for street art. This BBC story says, “The city has emerged as an unlikely leader in urban art, being compared with Berlin, New York and Sao Paolo, and attracting urban art A-listers like Blek le Rat (the Parisian “godfather of the stencil”) and Banksy.” And there is even a specialized graffiti-spotting Melbourne Street Tour.

There are forms to fill and processes to follow before your street art can be allowed to stay – or even be called art. And the state of Victoria takes its street graffiti very seriously – so there is a graffiti management plan, a graffiti mentoring program in schools and strict and heavy fines for unauthorized graffiti, including name tagging (just spraying your name on the walls). But this means that the back lanes and alleys of Melbourne are now clean and interesting to walk through.

[Notice the art on the garbage cans?]

Apr 8 2012

Breakfast in Bangalore – 4

Remember my Breakfast in Bangalore series? 1, 2, 3. So this time, another Bangalore institution – Koshy’s (and not least because it has its own Wikipedia entry).

Bangalore Burrp gives it four stars, various assorted websites call it the ‘pride of Bangalore’, youtube videos sing its praises and Wikipedia claims that dignitaries like Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Nikita Khrushchev and Queen Elizabeth II have dined there. (Well, it also claims that Koshy’s won MTV’s award for the Most Stylish Place in Bangalore. Um, really?). However, Wikipedia does get this bit right – Koshy’s is a very popular restaurant and hangout on St Mark’s Road, Bangalore, which is a meeting point for journalists, artists, theatre persons, students and foreigners. Founded in 1940, it retains an old-world charm with huge pillars and large fans.

Inside Koshy’s, there is a non-smoking, ‘family’ area and the smoking (friends?) area. It is where visitors are taken when they want to be shown the real Bangalore, it is also where locals head when they want to catch up over a cuppa and appams with stew. Koshy’s has all that is typical of these Bangalore hangouts: old building in the heart of the city, rude waiters who will spot you only when they are ready and willing, mostly average food, lots of eager and cheerful crowds – but then you don’t go there for the food. You go there to discuss or overhear discussions about the state of the city, the world, politics, arts, literature and most other things under the sun. For, Koshy’s is in equal parts cafe, soapbox, theatre and adda.

So head there one Saturday evening or Sunday morning with loads of time on your hands to experience this slice of Bangalore life.

[Cellphone images all - better ones may follow but don't hold your breath on that one].

Also check out this fantastic sketch by Jai Iyer.

Apr 4 2012

A taste of Twinings

My first taste of Twinings was when I moved to London (oh, a lifetime ago) to study – and I was introduced to Earl Grey. It was love at first sip. All my life I had drunk only milky chai – oh, I have nothing against it, I love it – and tea bags were still in the realm of fancy-but-why. The only redeeming thing about them was the catch ditty – dip, dip, dip… add some sugar… and milk… and you’re ready to sip. Do you want it stronger? Dip a little longer… And if you remember this and hummed as you read it, then welcome to the old people’s club. Anyway, so. Maybe I was just used to strong, brewed tea or that tea bag and milk don’t go together, but for whatever reason, they were not my thing till the Earl Grey experience. And now of course, I have a colourful collection of familiar and exotic teas from mint to orange blossom via apple and peppermint – something for all moods and occasions.

So when I got invited for the Twinings event in Bangalore, I was quite happy to go – I could think of nothing better to do on s Friday afternoon than taste teas accompanied by the right munchies. Oh yes, it is possible to pair teas with food, much like wine! Twinings has targeted India as one of its growth market in the next five years and Stephen Twining from the tenth generation of the family spoke with much passion about tea. Guided by their tea taster Georgina Durnford (who has spent years training her nose and palate to analyze and grade tea), we went through Earl Grey, English Breakfast and if I remember right, Peppermint (one of my all time favourites). And quite an elaborate ceremony it was – inhale the aroma, sip and swirl – all the drama of wine tasting.

[photographs by my super-talented photographer friend Madhu Reddy]

It’s interesting times ahead – I believe that India is inherently a chai country, the ever-expanding Cafe Coffee Days and the imminent entry of Starbucks notwithstanding. There are a lot of tea cafes that have opened across the country, and now with a brand like Twinings set to push their brand and various new flavours in the market, will coffee drinking Indians move back to tea? Or will the chai drinkers develop a taste for tea?

Also read: ‘Tis time for tea…

Apr 3 2012

Turning towels into works of art

A remarkably quirky article from Gadling on how Hospitality Employees Waste 1.7 Million Hours Annually Creating Towel Origami

From the story – Employees at hotels, aboard cruise ships and at spas spend entire shifts at their places of business folding, rolling and tucking towels to resemble local and exotic wildlife. The study suggests that employee time would be better spent servicing customer needs.


[image courtesy: Gadling.com]

Why all this angst? It is not as if these hospitality industry guys forget to, um, be hospitable or cater to customer needs in the process of folding terry towels. And if it makes you smile as you enter your room after a hard day’s work or a hot day of sightseeing, then why not?

Actually, I have never paid these towel origami items much notice before. And then, one night on my recent Nile cruise, I walked into my room to find the living daylights startled out of me by this (don’t miss the sun glasses):

Needless to say, I will never look at towel origami in the same way again!

Feb 29 2012

Posters from the golden age of travel

A bunch of lovely travel posters from the days when travel was still an adventure, a journey into the unknown.

From this flickr set:

The Boston Public Library’s Print Department is home to more than 350 vintage travel posters, most dating from the 1920s-1940s, the “Golden Age of Travel.”

Railways opened up America and Europe, luxe ocean liners introduced elegance into
overseas voyages, and drivers took to the road in record numbers in their new automobiles. By the mid-1940s, new airlines crisscrossed the globe, winging adventure-seekers to far-flung destinations.

Travel agents and ticket offices during this period were festooned with vivid, eye-catching posters, all designed to capture the beauty, excitement and adventure of travel and to promote a world of enticing destinations and new modes of transportation. Individual artists gained fame for their distinctive graphic styles and iconic imagery, and many posters from this era still remain important works of art long after their original advertising purposes have faded.

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