Pics 2 and 3 are close ups of some of the contents in the freezer...
The freezer box
Close up #1
Close up #2
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Confused food?
Check out these 3 pictures, of the frozen foods section at the Spencers' outlet on CP Ramaswamy Road, Abhiramapuram, Chennai.
Pics 2 and 3 are close ups of some of the contents in the freezer...
Pics 2 and 3 are close ups of some of the contents in the freezer...
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
2000-2001: TCC & Dal Roti
TCC is Trivandrum Chicken Corner, a small, dingy eatery at the junction of Landons Road and Poonamallee High Road. Place is shut now. Used to go there for lunch twice or thrice a week, when I was on the audit of AHP India on Landons Road. Wonderful dry chicken (Trivandrum Chicken) and chapatis. In fact, they had only something like 5 items on the menu! Wish this place were still around...sigh...
Dal Roti was in Anna Nagar, near Blue Star bus stop. As with TCC, the place is closed now. Limited options, superb vegetarian thali for lunch. Best part about lunch was a HUGE glass (not less than 750 ml) of ultra-thick lassi. I've managed to go through that lassi in one go, ie without taking lips off the glass!!! Whew!!!
Dal Roti was in Anna Nagar, near Blue Star bus stop. As with TCC, the place is closed now. Limited options, superb vegetarian thali for lunch. Best part about lunch was a HUGE glass (not less than 750 ml) of ultra-thick lassi. I've managed to go through that lassi in one go, ie without taking lips off the glass!!! Whew!!!
1999: Madras Bhelpuri
Don't know if you've been to this shop in T Nagar, just off Pondy Bazaar - its a place called Madras Bhelpuri (don't know if it exists as of today). Rajeev Subramanian (a colleague at Andersen), introduced me to this place.
They have a relatively unique and awesome version of the popular chaat item, the Bhelpuri. This one is a mix of freshly cut vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, chopped onions), puffed rice, omapudi, and the usual (and some unusual) sauces to give it some binding.
The Bhelpuri is absolutely crisp and quite invigorating. Plus, doesn't leave a bad aftertaste. Must try!
They have a relatively unique and awesome version of the popular chaat item, the Bhelpuri. This one is a mix of freshly cut vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, chopped onions), puffed rice, omapudi, and the usual (and some unusual) sauces to give it some binding.
The Bhelpuri is absolutely crisp and quite invigorating. Plus, doesn't leave a bad aftertaste. Must try!
c.1995: Romus
What an eating joint! Mallu place, amazing food of a type you'll need to have a specific taste for.
In particular, I remember one outing of our college gang, all 7 of us, went to Dash-n-splash on the Bangalore highway before Sriperumbudur. DNS is/was a water park, and we thoroughly tired ourselves out during the day - if am right, we skipped lunch !!!
Later in the evening, we drove (in Hemanth's ubiquitous Maruti Gypsy) down to Santhome, to Romus. What parottas! Even more amazing boneless butter chicken...best part (!) of it was that the colour wouldn't go off the hands for at least 24 hours! Lip-smacking yummy!!!
In particular, I remember one outing of our college gang, all 7 of us, went to Dash-n-splash on the Bangalore highway before Sriperumbudur. DNS is/was a water park, and we thoroughly tired ourselves out during the day - if am right, we skipped lunch !!!
Later in the evening, we drove (in Hemanth's ubiquitous Maruti Gypsy) down to Santhome, to Romus. What parottas! Even more amazing boneless butter chicken...best part (!) of it was that the colour wouldn't go off the hands for at least 24 hours! Lip-smacking yummy!!!
1981-1990: Frequently visited places in T Nagar
Ponnappan stores - grocery - on North Usman Road, next to the post box
8 Rajachar Street - Hindi teacher's house and classes
Indian Bank - the other side of North Usman Road, very close to home...used to go here with TK Thatha
Sudarshan stores - used to run out of rubber balls to play cricket with, so buy one here (at the intersection of Thirumurthy St and Tilak St) - Re 1 if I remember correctly
Pillayar Koil - near the slums, on the way to school. Stop by every morning.
8 Rajachar Street - Hindi teacher's house and classes
Indian Bank - the other side of North Usman Road, very close to home...used to go here with TK Thatha
Sudarshan stores - used to run out of rubber balls to play cricket with, so buy one here (at the intersection of Thirumurthy St and Tilak St) - Re 1 if I remember correctly
Pillayar Koil - near the slums, on the way to school. Stop by every morning.
c.1996 - MAC stadium
Have always loved going to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Funnily, while I love the atmosphere there and all that, I've not liked watching matches there...the noise and lights always seem to give me a massive migraine.
We used to go from college (often, bunked), Hemanth & I. The others in our gang (Karthik, Clive, Pavan, Arun, Soundar) were never really enthusiastic about cricket. So H & I would go there, have a smoke or two in the open stands on the pavilion terrace. Sometimes, Munusamy the peanut vendor would come by, and we'd give him some custom [recently heard that he had 2 wives and also AIDS, and passed away a couple of years or so back, sad].
I think what I loved most about the place was the smell - funnily, it always seems to be a mix of heady sea breeze and the sea in general, club atmosphere, green grass, the Cooum river, and the EMU station (relatively recent introduction).
Specifically remember this one match (Duleep or Ranji trophy) we'd gone to see...our classmate RC Vasanth Kumar (he was C Vasanthkumar then) was playing. RCVK was fielding at short leg, and Atul Bedade whacked one into our man's "tyre" (love handles, for the uninitiated). What a sight!
We used to go from college (often, bunked), Hemanth & I. The others in our gang (Karthik, Clive, Pavan, Arun, Soundar) were never really enthusiastic about cricket. So H & I would go there, have a smoke or two in the open stands on the pavilion terrace. Sometimes, Munusamy the peanut vendor would come by, and we'd give him some custom [recently heard that he had 2 wives and also AIDS, and passed away a couple of years or so back, sad].
I think what I loved most about the place was the smell - funnily, it always seems to be a mix of heady sea breeze and the sea in general, club atmosphere, green grass, the Cooum river, and the EMU station (relatively recent introduction).
Specifically remember this one match (Duleep or Ranji trophy) we'd gone to see...our classmate RC Vasanth Kumar (he was C Vasanthkumar then) was playing. RCVK was fielding at short leg, and Atul Bedade whacked one into our man's "tyre" (love handles, for the uninitiated). What a sight!
October 1985: When I lost Rs 10
There was this exhibition-cum-sale of stamps at VSR. Dad & Mom gave me Rs 10 to buy a stamp album. I don't remember what you could get for Rs 10 then, but I can tell you it was a LOT! Just for comparison, a pack of Maggi noodles then (100g) was Rs 2, and this was in 1987/88 (2-3 years after the date of this story).
Somehow, I managed to lose the cash during one of the breaks. Terrified, I remember going back home and admitting to the loss. Though I must note, I insisted that I'd kept the cash inside my sock (tight fit, can't lose it, I thought). Maybe it fell out during one of the breaks when we used to play cricket.
Don't think my folks believed a word of it, though! Nevertheless, and for the record, I did get another Rs 10 note, and I DID buy a stamp album, that exists as of this date (can't remember where, though...must search!)
Somehow, I managed to lose the cash during one of the breaks. Terrified, I remember going back home and admitting to the loss. Though I must note, I insisted that I'd kept the cash inside my sock (tight fit, can't lose it, I thought). Maybe it fell out during one of the breaks when we used to play cricket.
Don't think my folks believed a word of it, though! Nevertheless, and for the record, I did get another Rs 10 note, and I DID buy a stamp album, that exists as of this date (can't remember where, though...must search!)
1981-1986 (every year!): New school books
Studied in Sir M Venkata Subba Rao Boys Matriculation Higher Secondary School (SMVSRBMHSS) - yes, a mouthful. VSR (Venkata Subba Rao) for short. It's official address is now on Thirumalai (Pillai) Road, but in those days, entry was from Habibullah Road.
Dad would take my on his scooter to the school, about 1-1.5 kms from home. Almost invariably, some book(s) or the other(s) won't be available, and I'll have to pick it up later...the smell of new books, particularly our school diary, pink front and back pages, in a plastic lamination cover.
Best part about school books day was that dad would then take me to Chit Chat, a restaurant on Mount Road that still exists as of this date. In those days, it was also a famous ice-cream parlour (about as famous as Jaffer's, near LIC on Mount Road). Chit Chat's USP was a three-in-one ice cream, and usually, that meant something pink, something green and something white (read strawberry, pista and vanilla). What a treat! I can't recall a single year that this routine did not happen, when I studied in that school...
Dad would take my on his scooter to the school, about 1-1.5 kms from home. Almost invariably, some book(s) or the other(s) won't be available, and I'll have to pick it up later...the smell of new books, particularly our school diary, pink front and back pages, in a plastic lamination cover.
Best part about school books day was that dad would then take me to Chit Chat, a restaurant on Mount Road that still exists as of this date. In those days, it was also a famous ice-cream parlour (about as famous as Jaffer's, near LIC on Mount Road). Chit Chat's USP was a three-in-one ice cream, and usually, that meant something pink, something green and something white (read strawberry, pista and vanilla). What a treat! I can't recall a single year that this routine did not happen, when I studied in that school...
c.1985: Snacking around
Does anyone remember a lime-n-lemon drink called "Kickapoo"? I've asked dozens of people around, but not a single person seems to recall this one. I have vivid recollections of this drink, as I do of a fizzy orange drink called "Quench". The shape of the bottle was unique, as far as Quench was concerned.
This was in the 1980s...I clearly remember going to my Dad's office on Saturday mornings, sort of a weekly ritual. There was this tea/snack stall on the ground floor, that used to serve the yummiest bun-butter-jam. Gawd!!!! That was heavenly. I think the white butter (cooking butter?) they used, instead of the yellow one (table butter), probably made the difference! [See another post that deals with bun-butter-jam.]
If anyone can send me pictures of Kickapoo and/or Quench bottles, I'll buy you a drink...need it for posterity.
This was in the 1980s...I clearly remember going to my Dad's office on Saturday mornings, sort of a weekly ritual. There was this tea/snack stall on the ground floor, that used to serve the yummiest bun-butter-jam. Gawd!!!! That was heavenly. I think the white butter (cooking butter?) they used, instead of the yellow one (table butter), probably made the difference! [See another post that deals with bun-butter-jam.]
If anyone can send me pictures of Kickapoo and/or Quench bottles, I'll buy you a drink...need it for posterity.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
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