I have all the time to stand & stare...

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

I have loved this poem 'Leisure' by Henry Davies because it always called out to the laziness in me. The one which wants to look out of my window at the cars on the road, look at people walking on the road as they go on with their daily chores, the branches of the trees swaying with the wind & eagles gliding high in the sky.

I was reminded of this composition as an anticlimax to the situation that i am in at present and this is what i am singing "I have all the time to stand and stare..."

Cadbury Dairy Milk

I have always been a fan of Cadburys Dairy Milk and the 9 varieties i found here in Mozambique has made me love these delicious eats even more. I would love to know how many other varieties are there but for now, lets just get right into it.

1. Cadbury Dairy Milk - The plain brown one that we are accustomed to seeing in India.
   
   
2. Fruit & Nut - This is another offering that's easily available. Its just wonderful.
   
   
3. White Chocolate - I somehow don't remember seeing a white chocolate bar of cadburys before i saw this one. Anyways, i found one here. Reminds me of the Nestle white chocolate bar.
   
   
4. Top Deck - This is a combo of the dark & the white chocolate. The white part is the top half of the bar thickness.
   
   
5. Turkish Delight - This is the rose flavoured one. There is a jelly like filling inside the chocolate bar.
   
   
6. Mint Crisp - In this one the mint in the form of small crystal dots are embedded into the chocolate bar.
   
   
7. Bournville - The dark stuff. The dark chocolate offering from the dairy milk stables. The actual chocolate.
   
   
8. Whole Nut - I will not really know the difference between this and the 'Fruit & Nut' variety till i taste this one.
   
   
9. With Biscuit - This is the next one i am going to buy at the supermarket along with the 'whole nut' one.

And now, i am going back to my mint crisp.

9 Chinese, 1 Indian & an authentic chinese dinner

This post was long overdue and after i penned the post about the eating joints in Pemba, i was tempted to write about the Chinese dinner i was invited to during my stay in Quelimane. I just hope i get invited to another such dinner when i make a second trip there (fingers crossed!!). This dinner happened 3 months ago and i was treated to some authentic Chinese cuisine, after years of tasting an 'Indianized' version of the same.

The venue was the residence of a Chinese friend i came in contact with during the course of my work in Quelimane. I was invited along with a Chinese colleague of mine and to my surprise i found 8 other Chinese who were invited by my host. Not for a minute during the entire duration of the 4 hour long dinner was it ever quiet. Boisterous would be the word to describe the crowd which was talking & laughing non-stop in their local lingo since they spoke no English. The solitary Indian was yours truly. (Just imagine what i was going through!!) My colleague took the trouble of translating some of the stuff from time to time. And then came the perfect solution to all this - the food. The Chinese were busy talking & i was busy eating.

The 10 of us were seated on 2 foot tall stools spread around a 2 foot tall table. At the center of the table was an electric hot plate on which the soup was continuously kept simmering. Crab and chicken pieces were in the soup. The remaining menu consisted of masala peanuts, chicken - both steamed & fried and coke. As the chicken and crab pieces were consumed from the soup more was added to it. After that some leafs from their local garden and some stuff (no clue what it was) they brought from china was added to the soup.

It was a 'help-yourself' dinner. Pick up a bowl, chopsticks and help yourself. Noticing that my skill at using chopsticks were like that of a novice, my host was kind enough to offer me a spoon. Words will fall short to explain the feeling that i experienced while enjoying my dinner, so i leave that to your imagination.

This is one dinner i will remember for everything that it is worth - the place, the people, my kind host and, but obviously, the food.

Mouth Watering Matters

This post is dedicated to Shail, Srey & Sunil - the 'Rice Bowl' gang. Boy!! I miss those trips. Spicy fish red chilly, butter prawns, dragon tail & the schzewan rice had become familiar words in our vocabulary. Anyways, i have carried this love for some good grub all the way to Mozambique. Quelimane was a bit of a dampener in terms of eating joints but Pemba turned out to be otherwise. A choice of eating places but yes most of them a tad expensive. Let me pen down some of these for my hungry memory.

Lets begin with 'CLUB NAVAL'. The best and most expensive among the lot. This joint is attached to the Pemba Beach Hotel, the best & costliest hotel in Pemba with the cheapest room costing only $250 per night. On placing the order they initially serve you bread, butter and a 'chutney' which tastes like its made from fish. This combination (bread+butter+chutney) is just awesome - simple but tasty. The chocolate milkshake here is the best i have ever tasted.The Sea food salad is something that i will always remember. This dish reminded me of those huge prawns i had on sticks at rice bowl. The difference here was that the stick were much longer and it addition to prawns it also had three varieties of fishes roasted in some sauce. The seafood pizza too is wonderful. The best thing about this place is that the tables at on the beach. The shore is just 10 feet away from where you sit and enjoy your meal. I never even dreamt of eating at such a place.

My next favourite is the 'DOLPHIN'. This place too is situated by the sea. The fish fillet they serve here is what i enjoyed the most. This fish delicacy is a dish of roasted boneless fish served with fries & salad.

'NAUTILUS' is another prominent lodging & boarding place in Pemba. It is the whites who are found here in more numbers compared to the locals. The service her is bad but the food is ok. The fish fillet with prawn sauce is what i tasted here. Hmmmm... The only reason this place gets some crowd may be the live music they play regularly and the fact that this is one of the few restaurants in Pemba!!

The South African owned '556' is another delightful place. I found a large number of families dining here and all of them were white. (Not sure if there exists some sort of a racial divide out here) Kids running round the place and having a ball. The official colours of quite a few football clubs were hung around the bar. The presence of a TV also suggested that this might be the place where people hang out to watch some popular matches. This country is soccer crazy for sure. The roasted chicken here is great.

'RUSSEL'S PALACE' is a Portuguese owned place and has a buffet system. You pay at the counter and then go to the table and help yourself. No coupon system and stuff to keep a track of what you do. You are supposed to be honest!! Mutton curry, rice & salads was what i had here. This place is locally known as a boarding house for the poor tourist. Tents are available for them to crash for the night.

Ravioli, pasta & the best pizza in town is served at the only 'ITALIAN RESTAURANT' here. The thin crusted pizza topped with fish and prawns is served steaming hot. I still remember this so clearly as if i have just eaten it. I discovered this place quite late all thanks to an Indian friend Niraj Joshi. There are some items on the menu that i definitely have to try before i get back to India.

'PASTELERIA' is a fast-food joint very close to home. Burgers, pizza, cake as well as a typical meal - you can have all of it here. An overpriced joint but closest to my place which i visit only if nothing else is available

The last option that i always have is the 'Chinese Restaurant' around the corner. Ok food at reasonable prices. The prawn curry with rice is amazing and so is the roasted chicken.

Right now its 6:10 pm and going out to eat. Which restaurant, you may ask. Well, i am going to none of the above mentioned places. I am off to a friends to to have some hot rotis made in ghee and khichidi with brinjal & potato - all made in the Indian style. Happy eating!!