Desis in the Media Response...

Just to clarify a few things regarding my last post... it's American Idol... I really don't believe that things that happen on American Idol will effectively change the world for better. Regardless of who wins, hunger is still there; there is still a war waging internally and on the other side of the world and Bush is still in office. For my statement regarding, "even one drop makes you South Asian, so you have my vote," applies only to such things (American Idol, Big Brother, etc...) And I actually do think that Sanjaya is okay, he's not the best, there are better, but I like him. For a 17-year old that has all this controversy around him regarding his popularity, is acting fairly cool, in my humble opinion.

I should have rephrased it and possibly not been so strong with the statement. Again, it's American Idol, it's not world politics. I wouldn't vote for an Indian to be in office just because that individual is of South Asian descent. And I don't think that other South Asians should do as such.

I'm writing this post as a clarification, not as a retraction. I stand by what I said, but only for things that are light and fluffy, such as American Idol. Thank you.

Desis in the Media

I'll admit, not a huge Idol fan. Simon Cowell's bashing of young talent is mean; Paula Abdul's "Oh, wow. You. Are. Awesome."-(tear)-hand-to-heart bit is eye-rollable and Randy... does he say anything of meaning aside from advocating gastric-bypass surgery? I do enjoy singing Kelly Clarkson songs at the top of my lungs at times (Since you've been gone!)... but that's where it ended. Till this year.

Hi. My name is BlueKrsna and I'm a fan of Sanjaya Malakar.

He's 1/2 Desi. To me, even one drop makes you a fellow South Asian, so you have my vote. And he's cute. If I was a 13-year-old, I'd be crushing on him. His singing is really raw but he has talent. Less show, more vocals, but workable. And isn't that what AI is all about? Finding that hidden talent somewhere in this country and putting it on stage for America to decide? And guess what judges? America is deciding. Now the reasons that they are voting for Sanjaya may not be because they actually like him (votefortheworst.com), but they are voting, they are voting for him, and he's winning. That's the whole premise of the show. Right?

So the whole reason for this blog piece today... on my g-mail g-talk status message I put, "Vote Sanjaya!" And the amount of response it elicited...

Comment 1: "Oh puleeze the man cannot sing and he's so f*ckin fem...You have to be kidding me Again he cannot sing and he is totally gay You want me to believe you would purchase his album or listen to him on the radio?!?! Poor fem kid don't set him up for failure."
-Um... okay, so no need to be that mean. He's 17... and I don't purchase albums (limewire.com), EVER, and I don't listen to the radio. And just cause he's fem, doesn't mean he can't sing.
Comment 2 (and my favorite): "what time does idol start? dude sanjaya's sister is sooo bangin"
-I proceeded to have a conversation with this individual about Sanjaya's sister's chest region and provided him with the following link: http://www.dlisted.com/node/8160 Yes, I'm a bit disturbed at myself. She's 17...
Comment 3: "seriously? you're a sanjaya fan?"
-Yes.
Comment 4: "helll no. .. sanjaya is a FLAMER"
-So he's a bit flamboyant. No one liked his hairdo from last night?

Now, I don't chat with too many folks through g-chat, so to get four, very adamant comments off of my little status message. Wow.

My take on the whole thing; he's a kid that's trying. Let's applaud him for it.

I'll leave you with some vocal stylings of Sanjaya:

Food... yum.

My dear friend Anuzi tagged me in regards to one of my loves in life, food. Food is GLORIOUS. Food evokes a rush of memories that can make my stomach turn; has brought and will bring my loved ones together and is just an all around comfort. Don't misread in that I USE food as a comfort and down a pint of Dreyer's (Edy's for you Midwesterners) in the dark. I just love food. Love it.

To the point of this blog; she, my dear friend (Anuzi), saw this interesting foodie blog about 5 Dishes to eat again before one dies. So, she tagged a few of us to "Making sure my love affair with food will continue," (ref - Arches). Here are my five:

1) Chaat - a jumble of flavor and texture: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, crunchy, soft, nutty, fried and flaky tidbits, doused with cool yogurt or cold Jaljeera; fresh cilantro and tangy tamarind and sprinkled with chaat masala. The contrasts are enticing and fast. At the Chaat stalls in Bombay (Mumbai) on Santa Cruz or at Chowpatty Beach, Chaat gets down and dirty and HELLA good. For pani puri, the masalas are bright and plentiful, the puris hot and oily, plump daals; potatoes and onions chopped and ready to go. Pani puri is known for the "work" involved; at the stall the Chaat wallah does everything for you, except for the Jaljeera pani; that, you hold the puri and he fills it up for you and then you put the whole thing in your mouth and eat. And this whole event lasts roughly 5-10 seconds, so in under a minute, you are CHOWING. The samosas are piping hot, split open, ready for you to delight and burn your taste buds; dhai is thick and just the right amount of sour to balance the masalas; and the bhel... don't look while they make it, not sure what they stir in... but it is an amalgam of flavors that keep your head and taste buds buzzing long after.
(I will add a counter point in saying - BE CAREFUL; give it three weeks in India, and then you can ingest local foods; and faces covered to protect the innocent)

2) Sushi - the only restaurant recommendation I can make is that whatever city you are in, definitely go to a good restaurant. There is nothing worse than having dry rice and sticky fish in your sushi. Once you get to the good restaurant start with the edamame and miso soup. Edamame is fantastic, like potato chips, salty and you can't eat just one; but much healthier. Miso soup is a light soup that keeps your tummy warm and a good precursor to sushi. For sushi types, I personally enjoy a crunchy spider roll (fried soft shell crab); salty/sweet Unagi (eel); or a simple tuna roll. I've tried some new things, such as salmon roe on top - delightful little silky beads that have so much flavor; tempura shrimp (fried shrimp); and raw fish on top of the sushi (fish galore). I don't go for the California roll, or anything with cream cheese in it - it's too Americanized... and if you get a chance, watch the chef roll your sushi, it's damn cool.




3)Noodles - some people eat mashed potatoes or ice cream for comfort, noodles are mine. Especially Asian noodles such as jab chae; udon; or soba... slurping up noodles is a good past time. An easy and fairly healthy dish:
Soba Noodles:

-One pound of Soba Noodles - cook till al dente or a bit softer then plunge in ice cold water
-Soba sauce - can get it in a bottle at local Asian store or in the Asian foods aisle; or mix one part soya sauce with one part mirin (sweet rice wine) till it appeases your taste - it should be a little sweet.
-Minced green onions
Drain noodles, toss noodles with sauce and minced green onions. Garnish with lots of cilantro. Yum.

4)Fried fish - Indian style. My favorites are pomfret and catfish. My family makes the batter very spicy; fries the fish, and then puts it in the oven for a bit so the outer layer gets very crispy. That and a bowl of hot white rice with some daal is heaven in thaali.

5)Anything my mom makes. Thinking about her food is making my mouth water. Masala dosa; chicken biryani; butter chicken; masoor daal... she puts so much love an ease into her food, each bite is excruciatingly good.

Since I love food so much, I won't just stop at five, but I'll list a few other favorites:

Chicken and dumplings, Meen Moile, Turkey Chili, Salmon, Tuna, Tuna Tartare, Pakoras, Manchurian, Tofu Lo Mein, Crab Masla Randey (Konkani dish)... and the list goes on.

I won't be tagging anyone, but if you choose to comment, tell me, what are your favorites?

New Year's Day

Happy (belated) Ugadi to my fellow Southies!

Family Reunion Recap

Spent last weekend in Chicago with a few (I mean like 20+) friends to do our usual thing.

I would like to thank the city of Chicago for having such wonderful weather for our visit. I've been in the Bay for little over a month and have already become weak to cold weather. So I was fretting right up until the moment I walked outside of Midway Airport. The way I was going on, one would have thought I was going to Antarctica with only a sweater. To my utter joy: breezes, mild cold, and very sunny, fantastic.

And I must rephrase my first statement: "I went to Chicago last weekend with a few (I mean like 20+) family members to do our usual thing." If one ever needed a visual definition of friendship, watch us. I'm so ridiculously happy after spending time with these individuals. I've known most of them for roughly a year or so... but it feels like I've known them forever. The openess with words, hugs, and gratuitous food and drink is something I didn't understand or even know I needed till it all happened.

My only gripe for the weekend - the smoking... ugh. In the words of my friend, "It's so naaaast..." Chicago, please do all of us a favor and get rid of the smoking in public places. Aside from the unhealthiness, etc... it smells so bad. Ugh.

So, in summation - lots of laughs, fair amounts of alcohol, money on cabs, FOOD, Nintendo Wii, and QT with my BFFs.

Good times ya'll, we should do it again soon.

Healing

So after a few sad posts and introspection, I feel that it is time to feel light and happy again; well, for the most part. Life goes on, and she'd want me to be happy; that's what I need to keep thinking.

I'm going to use this post to thank all my friends, family and especially, UGS, for being there for me. February was a rough month, luckily, it was only 28 days and it's over now. Without all that love and support, it wouldn't have been as "easy" to get through.

Nothing much else for now, just working and getting used to "big city" life... it's all good in the Bay.

Till next time-