Food: Chai

Bundar aur hathi ornaments at tea with devrani.

Food: Mattar paneer

A belated post from our brunch on Sunday in Dehradun. Gita-taiji's homemade paneer was delish -- much fluffier than I've been able to manage in my own experimenting. Something new to aspire to!

We also had homemade parathas. I didn't try my hand at making them, but I did watch and take copious mental notes as Gita-taiji rolled, folded, added oil and rolled again before placing the dough on the tava, a great little pan for making Indian flatbreads.

With all of this learning, I'm starting to plot out a homemade "sari Sunday" brunch for when I'm back in San Francisco!

Homemade mattar paneer and parathas.

Food: B'fast in B'lore

I'm heading for my third cup of tea as I write this, after staying up late chatting with my dearest devrani and devarji -- the Devs. They insisted on coming to fetch me at the airport in Bangalore at 11:30 last night after my friend Kate's flight was delayed. (She's now due to arrive from Sydney, via a long overnight -- how frustrating! -- stopover in Kuala Lumpur, in about an hour.)

Check out that fresh watermelon! Yum -- what a treat.

Food: Channa bhatura

Possibly the best bhatura I've ever had. So soft! And the channa was flavorful but mild and smooth.

At The Pinewood in Barog, a mid-point between Shimla and Chandigarh.

Food: Sweet chai

We stopped for a cup of chai this morning at the mid-point to Dehradun. It was quite sweet, as Pops says is the local custom.

Food: Wedding snacks

Paneer tikka: Just couldn't resist. (From the wedding reception on Monday.)

Food: Breakfast in Chandigarh

Quite a spread, huh? The usual cereal and fruit, plus some mattar kachori made by Vinita-didi.

Food: Chocolate

Mrs. Pradhan, the same woman who made the delicious dessert cups, also made lots of other chocolates for us, including these little fish. (Thank you!) I ate this one on Monday.

Food: Donut Day

A belated donut for Fastnacht Day, had yesterday at Bombay domestic airport.

Breakfast: Upma and cold coffee

I've got to start posting these right away, or I'll never catch up. Another round-up on its way, but let's start with today's breakfast.

I'm really fond of upma -- and after I ordered it at Willingdon on Saturday, Ma asked bai (their cook) to make some here at home.

Upma -- a savory semolina dish, this one prepared with onions, peas, tomatoes and cilantro.

Since it's gotten a little warmer here -- 73 degrees Fahrenheit as I write, likely to get close to 90 today -- and I'd just finished my workout, I paired the upma with a cold coffee -- a favorite of Vivek's. His mom insisted on mixing it up for me, and it was perfection -- chilled with some ice, not too sweet, and just the right amount of coffee. (In fact, I kept sticking my nose in the glass to take in the coffee-house aroma.)

Cold coffee -- made with milk and instant coffee, blended in the mixer so it gets some froth.

Most breakfasts in India over my many visits have been cornflakes with fresh fruit, almonds and cold milk -- and I love that very much, as it's a nice normal meal each day, similar to what I'd have in San Francisco -- but this was a great treat.

A day in London

At long last, having located a new cord for my camera, I'm able to tell you a bit -- with illustrations -- about my day in London.

While booking my trip to India, I had the good fortune of finding a flight to Bombay that included a 10-hour layover in London. I like to break up the 20+ hours of traveling to India when possible, and this particular itinerary allowed me to have two overnight flights bookending a lovely day in the sunshine.

On suggestion of my friend Anna, whom I planned to meet later in the day, I started my day trip off in central London from the Westminster Tube station. It was a perfect place to start, as Big Ben greeted me as soon as I could see the outside world.

Big Ben looms large through the canopy at Westminster station.

I spent half an hour walking around Westminster, taking in the architecture, the sun, the crowds and, as I rounded the southern edge of the palace, the Thames. After a 10-hour flight from San Francisco, I was more than happy to have a breath of fresh air and a chance to stretch my legs.

I stayed at Westminster long enough to hear Big Ben chime 1:30 p.m. and then headed on, as I had only about 90 minutes left to sightsee. I headed north, first along the Thames for a block, stopping to get a solid snap of the London Eye.

The London Eye -- quite the Ferris wheel!

I headed up Whitehall then toward Trafalgar Square, buzzing through en route to Picadilly, which I was keen to get at least a glimpse of.

At Picadilly, I judged that I was in desperate need of some sustenance -- so I hailed a cab toward Covent Garden, in search of a noted chippy. (You can't head to London and miss a chance to have real fish and chips, can you? Thanks for the suggestion, Carl!) You can see the results here. Overall: Highly impressed.

Finally, refueled and in need of some caffeine, I headed back toward Trafalgar Square for tea. After an amusing stop at the post office (they have a take-a-number system, like a deli -- how efficient!), I finally found my long-lost friend, Anna, outside the National Portrait Gallery. We settled in upstairs for the aforementioned afternoon tea (see here), catching up about traveling, studying, writing and the old gang for nearly three hours. Afterward, Anna walked me through Leicester Square and dropped a very jet-lagged version of me at the Tube to head back to Heathrow. I had just enough sense left to pick up some postcards from the shop inside the station.

Postcards, written on my Tube journey back to Heathrow.

While my day there was too short to begin to see all of the sights I've dreamed of, I thoroughly enjoyed London. Next trip: Looking up where Dickens walked and wrote, a tour through rock 'n roll history and, if possible, a look inside the Royal Opera House, where the Nutcracker I watch every Christmas was filmed (yes, I know I was right there in Covent Garden this time -- but I was tired).

For now, off to lunch in Bombay at Royal Willingdon Sports Club, a great reminder of the British presence and influence here in India. For full photos of London, see here.

Meals: A round-up

I woke up all ready to post a bit about my stop to see Big Ben, Picadilly and the Thames -- but it seems I've forgotten the cable to my DSLR, where the loveliest of my London photos are lodged. So you'll have to content yourselves for now with a round-up of my food photos, most of which I've taken with my phone.

Up first: The first plane meal I had, following that delicious (and greedy) pizza at SFO. Virgin Atlantic -- lovely all around as an airline -- served up chicken korma as an option for Monday evening's meal, and I thought it was delicious.

Chicken korma with rice, daal and a bit of fried onion, flanked by the hip, purple Virgin Atlantic plastic cutlery.

Next, in London, I sought out the obligatory meal of fish and chips (and pint). I'd 'borrowed' a Frommers ebook on London from the San Francisco library, and the closest fish joint to Westminster, where I was spending much of my day, was Rock and Sole Plaice on Endell Street. I'm typically a Lonely Planet devotee, so this was my first experience with Frommers -- and it did well. Battered cod, recommended by one of the fry guys, arrived in a huge portion with an equally massive mountain of fries, all of which seemed to dwarf my cold pint.

Battered cod with delicious tartar sauce, fries with vinegar and salt and an Efes pilsner.

I could eat only half of the fish -- and even then, I blame it for the necessity of parcels at afternoon tea. I met my old friend Anna at the National Portrait Gallery's restaurant, where we mulled over all that's happened in the nearly five years since we'd seen each other while also taking in 180-degree views out over the city. It was lovely, but you'll have to take my word for it, as I was too jet-lagged by then to remember to take a photo.

The parcel, however, I remembered to photograph in the midst of my flight to Bombay. I'd finally regained my appetite -- and after devouring the chicken with coriander and dahi, I also ate the orange spice cake, which had been so beautifully wrapped as a foil handbag, as I sipped my chai.

Empty food containers, including one that contained chicken with coriander and rice, one of dahi from Sussex, and one of kulfi. 

The lovely tinfoil parcel, before I destroyed it to get to the orange spice cake.

Finally, last evening, I got to dig in after dinner to a treat dropped off by a neighbor: handmade chocolate dessert cups, filled with strawberry-flavored whipped cream and topped with a fresh strawberry. This dish had the potential to be overly sweet, with all that strawberry syrup, but the chef had done it just right.

Homemade chocolate fruit cups.

And with all of that food posting behind me now, I absolutely must go and have my morning tea. I'm feeling famished all of a sudden!

Hello from Bombay

Just a quick post to say I've arrived in India (before I nod off for the night).

I had a lovely day in London yesterday and a nice, relaxing day of napping and eating here in Bombay today. Photos and stories to come -- stay tuned!

For now, a food posting: Dinner tonight at home, with lots of veggies and homemade chapati. Perfect after traveling so many days. As Anna would say: nourishing vegetables.

Veggies -- okra, cauliflower and bottle gourd -- with chapati and raita.

That's it for now. G'night!

First meal on the road

OK, so it's not Indian food, but it is delicious: A margherita pizza from Firewood Cafe.

I used to get these all the time when Virgin America flew from the international terminal at SFO. A nice treat before I leave.