docsconz

Congratulations! This is such a wonderful place. The cocktails are incredible. many, many more! BTW, the summer menu looks great, too.

Friends Lake Inn is probably still pretty good, though I have only been back once since the Taylors sold it. It just hasn't been the same for me.

I didn't really notice anything like that when I was in Lima over a year ago, but things can change quickly. I loved Huaca Pucllana - it really spoke of its place. The food was impeccably prepared, beautiful and delicious. We missed A&G in Lima, but I ate at the Madrid outpost in January. That was also excellent, though more international in style. Though I didn't get to La Mar, I did have great ceviche in Cuzco that was as good as anywhere that I have ever had ceviche. Thanks for the report! Did you happen to have any cocktails?

Well, sure, any action we take in life, whether adopting a new technology, a new wife, a new president, a walk down the street, or posting on eGullet, is going to have unanticipated results and unintended consequences. So that leaves us with a choice of inaction or taking what seems to be the best action given our limited knowledge in the full realization that some unintended consequences will ensue. So I'd be hesitant about using this as an argument against GM though it seems to have wide currency. Rachel ← It depends on what the potential may be for the unintended consequences and the likelihood of them happening. It also depends on the potential benefits and the likelihood of them happening. I have yet to see anything to indicate that GM of plants is beneficial to anything other than the companies doing the GM. Meanwhile, the potential negative consequences are disastrous. I think encouraging biodiversity makes more sense on many levels.

I'm sure that it will be an intense, incredible and unique experience. Will you be going to any of the same areas? Is the trip food oriented? The slogan that they use for tourism is Incredible India, which is quite true. ← If you have a choice of airlines flying over there, I would suggest Jet Airways if the price differential isn't too great. The food and the service are amazing.

I'm sure that it will be an intense, incredible and unique experience. Will you be going to any of the same areas? Is the trip food oriented? The slogan that they use for tourism is Incredible India, which is quite true.

Thanks for reading!

My report on my experiences in India is now concluded, For those who may be interested, I have put together my favorite photos from the trip in an album located here.. Though a number of the photos posted here are also there, there are many there (non-food related) that are not posted here. Namaste!

DAY 15: Sunday March 16 Our flight arrived on time at 4:55 AM, happy for the recent time change pushing the hour back. Coming off first class, I made it through immigration quickly, collected my bags and breezed through customs, re-depositing my bags for my connecting flight to Albany. Since I had plenty of time before that flight, I waited awhile before calling my sister, who kindly came to rescue me from the airport. We went back to her apartment where I was able to shower, have some laundry done and enjoy some bacon and eggs before heading back to Newark for my flight. I arrived back at Newark in plenty of time, made my way through security and set up at Continental's President's Club to await my flight, which was listed as "on-time." As the time inched closer, I rechecked the board to see a 25 minute delay. A bit later, it changed to a two hour delay. While I continued to wait, the time approached. I looked back at the monitor to now discover that my flight was no longer delayed. It was canceled! I was in shock, but quickly made my way to the Club desk to check on my alternatives. The choices were few. Initially, they would have me leave that night, but I managed to get a seat on the 4:30PM flight, although that would be delayed as well. One possibility would be to drive back in a rental car, but I was exhausted. I decided to wait for the flight, delay and all. Ultimately, Continental found another plane, so the 4:30 flight would leave on-time after all! By the time I discovered this and made my way to the plane it was boarding. When I gave the attendant my boarding pass, she said that she could not find my name on the manifest. It had been entered then removed! I was about to scream, but I held my cool and she was able to put me into the last seat on the plane. I finally made it back to Albany where I so, so gladly saw my wife, who met me shortly after my arrival. Though I arrived, I had no doubt that my bags would not. Once I realized that somehow they screwed up my booking, there would be no way that my baggage would have been on that plane. I wasn't wrong. I made my claim and we departed the airport for home. It was truly wonderful to be back. I am happy to say that my baggage was delivered mostly intact the following day. I went to bed early, ready to take my first call the next day.

There is a reason that older varieties are called "heirloom" varieties - because they spread and survive by being selected and handed down from one generation of farmers to another. One of the problems with your suggestion is that the companies like Monsanto don't simply give their GM plants away. They control them, such that farmers become dependent on them and ultimately lose the crops upon which they have depended on and handed down to each other over the years. This is becoming a major problem with corn in Mexico for example. The result is a developing homogeneity of the crop and farmers who must rely on the availability of that crop, which may or may not be superior to the native crops. A further difficulty is natural spreading of the GM crops, outcompeting the native species for a while because of their modifications thereby potentially snuffing out much of the genetic diversity that you mention.

DAY FOURTEEN: Saturday March 15 I should be home now, but instead I am sitting in the lounge of the hotel sipping Assam tea and updating this journal while awaiting my return to the airport and the trials to be had there. The morning was uneventful, as I had a decent breakfast and was able to hold the room until 2PM. We are scheduled to return to the airport around 5:30PM for our 10:55PM flight. That should be plenty of time (I hope). Our good karma has certainly been tested. In the meantime, one of my friends was able to purchase an upgrade of her ticket to first class confirming her seat, while the other purchased a new ticket to assure his place. We arrived at the airport early, so early that they wouldn't let us in! We waited outside for about an hour before they let us through the initial security. From there we had to check-in at the Continental counter and go through immigration before we were able to wait in the business class lounge for our departure. We were able to relax with one last Kingfisher on Indian soil. The time finally arrived for us to go through security, which occurred without incident, but once we started to board the plane, we discovered another layer of more intense security. Fortunately, this, too, occurred without incident and I finally made it on the plane. What a sense of relief! One friend was in a seat in the row to the right of me, while the other was well behind us in the boarding process. We explained our plight to the flight attendant and described him to her. To all of our delight, just before take-off, she managed to up-grade him as well! The remainder of the flight, though long, was unremarkable. The food was nothing better than edible. I did manage to sleep a little though.

In theory, GM of plant foods can be a wonderful thing, but when has technology ever delivered on its promise without unexpected results?

Wow, I am hungry and stuffed at the same time reading this! Wonderful.

Who is behind it?

DAY THIRTEEN: Friday March 14 I felt much better the following morning and woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Since the light was so beautiful, I roamed the grounds of the hotel taking photos. The day would be on our own. I spent the bulk of the morning packing before we had to check out of the room. Our flight would not be until the evening. A few of us went into town where I wound up buying some shoes and having two silk shirts made. Afterwards, I got up the courage to wander into the Pink City on my own. Though I had my camera with me, I did not take a single photo. It was not for lack of compelling subjects. It was more a case of feeling intimidated by how much I already stood out in this forbidding culture. I felt somewhat exhilarated by the experience as I meandered through the dusty, filthy but oddly beautiful streets adhering closely to my map and avoiding side streets , hawkers and beggars. After awhile and not finding my objective, a special savory and sweet stand that is well known, I returned to the hotel. On my way back, a young Muslim student from Dubai who was vacationing in Jaipur while studying in Mumbai, struck up a conversation with me in broken English. He explained that he is studying English and that his father is a cardiologist in Dubai. We parted ways as I arrived back at the hotel. Our departure time was pushed back, so we had more time to kill, a good part of which I spent waiting for my shirts to be delivered. They finally came with little time to spare before we boarded the bus. The sunset was beautiful as we headed through the newly developed area approaching the airport. Once at the airport, I had a samosa, something that I expected to eat much of, but had had only once prior during the trip. The reason for this is that samosas are considered snacks and primarily available as street food. We did not sample any street food as a group, though a few brave souls did so regularly. I was just not that brave, especially for something as starchy as a samosa in a hot climate. Others had tried airport snack bar samosas previously without a problem and in general these had the imprimatur of Julie so I bought one for 30 rupees or about $0.08. We checked in for our flight and discovered that it would be a half hour or so late. I started to become concerned, but not overly so. Once we boarded the short Kingfisher airline flight, I realized that we would be cutting things pretty close. Things became even more urgent as we had a long bus ride to the arrival terminal, waited for our baggage and packed up the bus that would take us to the International terminal. I figured that the International terminal, though a different building, would at least still be within the same airport. I figured wrong. Not only was it a completely different airport, we had to wade through slow, heavy traffic to get to it. By the time we were able to get our bags from the bus and rush through the entrance to the terminal (no mean feet given the airport security), three of us, who were all to be on the same Continental flight to Newark, discovered that the Continental check-in was closed and that we would not be on our flight. Our initial shock led to more aggravation as we had to wait and wait some more for a Continental representative to come and help us as well as a number of other passengers who missed the flight because of major difficulties getting to the airport. In the meantime, I called Julie, who was with her family in Delhi, to inform her of our plight as well as to seek her advice. Though there wasn’t much that she could do for us directly, her advice was useful. Once the Continental agents came, we could leave the terminal. The Delhi airport security is such that once one enters the departures terminal one can not simply walk out of it. One needs an airline representative‘s assistance to do so, thus the presence of the Continental reps was doubly necessary. The terminal itself, inside and out, was chaos, with little apparent order, so it was helpful for each of us to have the others company and share our misfortune. Once we got outside the terminal we had to go to the Continental office to make new flight arrangements. As with every other aspect of this ordeal, this was not as easy as it sounds. We had to wade through masses of people all the while pushing our luggage carts, a process strangely reminiscent of driving through Delhi itself. The airline office happened to be on the level below, however, the elevator was not operating. Given our luggage, the three of us determined that I would collect all of our passports and make the arrangements for all while they stayed with the baggage. I was not the first in line, however, and I became quite concerned as the other passengers were being told that the next flight was already oversold with only first-come, first served standby tickets available. In addition, Continental would not place us on another carrier as it was not their fault that we missed the flight. Fortunately for me, since I was traveling first-class, they were able to confirm my travel for the Saturday night flight with a first class ticket. My two friends, however, could only be booked standby. With the incredible assistance of a fellow traveler, an Indian from Delhi by birth named Privat, who now lives and owns restaurants in Atlantic City, we got a taxi from the pre-pay area to take us to the Radisson Hotel near the airport. We were fortunate to find three rooms. Once there, I showered and crashed.

Great Britains' PM, Gordon Brown is apparently pushing for more GM crops in the UK and EU as an antidote to the world's food shortage problems. This article from the The Independent tells more and describes some pros and cons of thye proposed "solution." The article is one of the more balanced ones on the topic that I have seen.

My understanding is that this cultural norm may be relaxing a bit in the larger urban areas, but still predominates through most of the country. What prevented the same fate for Anu Mathew in Kerala was that she bore a son prior to her husband's death. As for the meal being more "western", that was true on two counts. The presence of the cole slaw is probably a remnant from the British. This particular family seemed to be well connected to the British with photos of family members with British royalty including Prince Charles scattered throughout the house. The other aspect was the presence of corn with the spinach. Although prepared in Indian fashion, corn is a vegetable that seems to be becoming more popular in India despite its foreign origins. The rest was classic Rajasthani cooking.

continued.... The remainder of the day I took it easy until the time came for our farewell dinner. One couple stayed in their particularly glorious room, but the rest of our now abbreviated group convened. I still wasn’t feeling great, but since this was the finale, I decided to attend anyway. Unfortunately, I did not realize that this would involve a one-hour bus-ride to a cheesy, tourist trap destination, the name of which I choose to forget. Though I regretted going, the group made the best of it. We wandered a bit through the grounds as Julie tried to get her bearings and find someone who could help us out. During our wanderings we saw dancers, musicians, palmists, camels for riding and sundry other side-shows. Julie’s initial thought was to take us to a section of this theme park for authentic Rajasthan Village cooking in an authentic Rajasthan village setting. That this meant sitting low on the dusty floor made me and others reject this notion, so we went to a more conventional restaurant setting. The food was actually decent, especially a Chinese dish that we sampled of chicken with garlic sauce, which was actually one of the best renditions of this dish that I have had anywhere. The tandoor chicken and kebabs were also very good. Had I been hungrier, I might have enjoyed the experience more. The most interesting aspect of the meal, however, was the wine experience. Two people ordered a bottle of wine, that finally arrived after we were well into our meal. Once they had the opportunity to taste it (it had simply been poured for them), they realized that the wine was bad. It had been cooked. When they tried to return it, they were met with staunch refusal, saying that the bottle had been opened. They attempted to have one of the staff taste it for themselves only to discover that no one working there “takes” wine or alcohol! Finally, they managed to track down a staff member who did taste it and agreed that the wine was bad. The staff learned something about wine, while we had an interesting India experience. I slept through much of the return bus ride.

I am spoiled! Shortly after my return, my wife and I went to one of our favorite local Indian restaurants that specializes in Southern Indian cooking and I found the food to be barely edible. I do live in NY, but upstate. If I live in NYC, it would be much less of an issue. With the exception of special products like sagri, the difference comes not so much from a lack of availability of ingredients, but the quality of ingredients, especially spices and products that are originally from India. They simply aren't the same here. The real test for me will be to go back to a restaurant like Devi in NYC and see if it is still as good to me as it was prior to my trip.

Lunch was special as we went to the private home of a wealthy, royal-connected family, the Singhs. Their cooks gave a demonstration of cooking several dishes before we sat down with the family for lunch. Before the demonstration and lunch we sat in their parlor surrounded by family photos of people in regal garb as well as some of family members with the likes of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Prince Charles and Prince Albert. Lunch highlights included crisp-fried okra, spinach and corn and perhaps the best desserts of the trip, including wonderfully light and crispy jalebi and smooth, rich and buttery carrot halvah made with the local red carrots. During lunch, we learned from Mr. Singh that all Sikhs are Singhs, but not all Singhs are Sikhs. He and his family including his daughter are not Sikh. Cooking demonstration by the family's chefs in their kitchen Buffet Arrangement Cole Slaw! Spinach and corn "Mutton" = Goat Dal Potatoes with herbs and spices Crisp-fried okra Sangri (a desert vegetable) with lotus root My plate The daughter is an interesting story and example of an aspect of Indian culture. She had been married, but her husband died early, while she was pregnant with their only child, a daughter. In Indian culture, a wife is often blamed for the death of her husband. Given his early death and the subsequent inauspicious birth of a daughter, she was rejected by her husband’s family and cast out. She was fortunate to be taken back by her father as that is not typical Indian custom. Remarriage is not a common custom within Indian culture. Her daughter has grown and gone on to study law in London.

DAY TWELVE: Thursday March 13 Despite the wonderful accommodations, I did not sleep well. I had to get up in the morning to go to the bathroom to discover that part of my discomfort was due to some very loose stool. Fortunately I had some Imodium and took that. The group had been surprisingly free of significant illness, but I was to discover another one of the group shared my discomfort that morning. In addition to the Imodium, another MD on the trip gave me some Levaquin to take. Though I no longer had any pressing issues, I remained feeling less than 100%. Fortunately, that was not enough to prevent me going to see the Wind Palace in the old Pink City area of Jaipur nor did it prevent me from going to the Amber Fort in the mountains just outside the city. The latter visit was especially fun as we rode elephants up to the Fort itself. Since Bob’s wife, Ellen did not go, he was my partner on the elephant. The ride itself proved much fun, though my photos were not as good as I had hoped due to the jostling and the overcast sky. In fact, it had rained a little bit as we waited our turn for the elephants. Once in the fort, we dismounted from the elephants at a platform. Jai, our guide then proceeded to show us through the palace that was occupied by the Maharajah’s family until 1959. The details still extant within the labyrinth of passages and rooms startled, especially the winter palace with its walls of mirrors. These consisted of a multitude of small convex mirrors inlaid through this part of the palace. The effect, even in daylight, was marvelous. At night with moon and candlelight, it is supposed to be magical. From the Fort, we made another shopping stop. This one was for rugs, and other textiles. Following the obligatory craft demonstrations we were led into the showrooms. I was able to withstand the lure of the carpets as beautiful as they were, but I did purchase some gifts of scarves and ties.

That evening we convened for another cooking demonstration, this time by the hotel’s staff showing us several dishes and techniques including how they use the tandoor for making chicken and naan. Though I wasn’t very hungry, the dinner that followed was amongst the best of trip. The chicken, made without any red coloration, was particularly succulent and flavorful. The dal was also especially delicious. Marinating Chicken Skewering chicken Chicken taken from the Tandoor Paneer with vegetables Making kebabs and such with a special grill pan Amazing naan baked quickly in the tandoor The Maharajah chats with Julie The hotel provided entertainment including drummers, fire swallower and girls performing a native dance showing exquisite balance, strength and grace. One dancer balanced a column of pots on her head while she danced, at one point stepping up on cups in her bare feet. They also invited audience members to come up to dance with them. I did not refuse.

I'll be putting mine into some orzo cooked with onion and chicken stock mixed with a litle butter and parmiggiano to be served alongside vadouvan roast goat loin and sauteed shiitake mushrooms. I'm looking forward to these as the season is short. For dessert, fresh local strawberries and balsamico.

Back on the bus, our journey continued deeper into Rajasthan, the landscape changing from lush farmland to more arid. Ironically, it rained part of the way. During the ride, Julie told us more about the changing face of India. She discussed the breaking down of caste barriers, evolving roles of women, the culture of village life, the tolerance of a variety of religions within secular India, the place and cost of graft necessary to get things done and the food culture and specialties of Rajasthan. The ride was one of the more harrowing of the trip, however, as we had several near-miss accidents, including one during which we moved on to the shoulder of the road. Since the shoulder sloped away from the road we angled over to our left, briefly feeling as if we would roll over onto that side. The driver was able to keep us righted as we quickly moved back on to the regular road surface. The reason for so many scares is that drivers pass each other indiscriminately with little regard for what may be coming from the opposite direction. The instance I described was the result of one bus passing another, both coming towards us. Other situations arose involving ourselves and/or other vehicles. The number of times automobiles or motorcycles quickly tucked in front of a vehicle they were passing just avoiding collisions were too many to count both today and during the rest of the trip. Given the sheer anarchy of the roads, it is a wonder that there haven’t been more collisions between vehicles as well as between vehicles and pedestrians and/or animals. It is quite fortunate and necessary that the brakes are kept in good repair. We finally entered Jaipur, a city with the typical contrasts of India. As we entered we saw beautiful old stonework and shabby, decrepit shanties and tents. The city also possessed the energy and vibrancy that I have come to expect in India. Our arrival at our hotel, The Raj Palace, proved eye-opening. The hotel was truly a palace and is still owned by a Maharaja. The rooms and appointments of this unique property are truly stunning, once again illustrating the extremes of India. Although my own room is one of the most luxurious and finest that I have ever stayed in, it actually pales in comparison to some of the others. This should be a marvelous place to conclude our sojourn in India.

Thanks, but I find doing this enjoyable in its own right.