My memorable hogging moments !!! :P :P

When I first read this tag on Shilpa’s I felt bad she didnt tag me…  not that I love tags but this tag was about FOOD !!!!!  I thought of taking up the tag anyway… tagging myself.. but before I could get around doing the tag I was officially tagged by Monu… and I was happy… !! (listening Shilpa ?? ) infact in my comment on Monu’s post I even wrote just 5 memorable meals are no way enough I need to list more… but lets see if I can actually list 5… it doesnt seem to be as easy as it sounds….

1.) We used to live in Bharuch as kids alone with my Mom.. and Mom was kinda insecure about us going out so she would encourage all friends to play in our garden… the old Bharuch house we lived in as kids was 10000 sq ft compound and there was enough place to play  pakda-pakdi or Nargol (sattodiyu) or Aais pais or King or Cricket breaking windows galore.. but Mom never had any problems with it.. !!! (God bless you Mom) :D as long as we were playing in the compound…. and thanks to so many friends coming home… a lot of them would eat with us… coz as per Mom’s theory we ate well when friends were around… otherwise we would have our tantrums…

I still remember how Mom would make Sookhi Bhel for all of us with onion, coriander and lemon garnishing… or how she would make us eat fruits which we would only eat when friends were around… how she would put a chulla out with coals and we all friends would have a whale of a time lighting it up with kerosene and then fanning the coals to roast Bhutta’s (maize) and bake potatoes in them eventually Mom would also roast Roti’s on them and let me tell you the roti’s made on coals (they are called devta’s in Gujarati) are the sweetest in the world.. !!!!   When Mom made rasawala potato subzji, with our gujarati meethi daal and roti’s on coal… they were bliss… !!!!! We three bro’s would gobble so many roti’s sigh… !!!! and some times there would be hungry friends too.. to increase Mom’s load !!!!!

On one instance I remember Mom was acting as Paani Poori wala Bhaiya.. and we 3 bro’s and 5 friends had a competition of eating maximum panipuri’s !!!! yours truly won that day after eating 108 panipoori’s after defeating my friend who ate 107 !!! He threw up… I didnt !!!   :mrgreen:   

Wonder if those days could ever come back… sigh… suddenly I am so much more nostalgic.

2.) We friends made a sudden trip to Gir once.. the trip was decided at 10 in the night and left at 11… in the morning we reached the forest at 6 after a whole night of me doing conductorgiri and another friend driving while 3 others merrily sleeping. We were put up in forest rest house due to some contacts.. but food was a problem.. We had to drive some 50 odd kms to Una for restaurants, one evening we were lazy to go to Una for a proper meal so we went to a few people who who lived in the jungle to asked them if they would make some proper Kathiawadi food.. we were ready to pay…

Some people live inside the core zone of Gir Forest their habitation area is called ‘Nesdo’ which has only thorn walls to protect them from Lions… neways… this guy I forgot his name unfortunately got his wife to make some Bajre ka Rotla’s with Sev Tamatar and Rasawala Potatoes along with Gud (jaggery) and Makkhan with Chaas (Buttermilk, its also called Kutchi beer) and Papad’s which my friend Jay always carries with himself (he is one crazy papad lover) also aided with Onions which I must mention we did not get chopped but broke by our fists and ate away as if there was no tomorrow… among the 5 of us we ate not less than 25 Bajri ka Rotla’s and that is a lot !!!!! they were really big rotla’s and boy… !!!!! the whole meal came free… not only did that guy not take any money… he also let us stay the night in their Nesdo… and the night was terrifying with the sounds of the big cat just around..!!!!!!!!

We tried to pass on as many biscuit packs and chocolates we could to the kids in that dwelling!!!!!! Finally we left Jay’s most precious packet of Papad’s with them!!!!!! As the saying goes.. generosity aint in bank balances or houses.. it lies in the hearts… !!!!

3.) One such meal I remember was on train, returning from our honeymoon we boarded the Augustkranti from Nizammuddin… the meal started at 7.30 with soup… after my portion I asked if I could have another.. and he said sure… so I had one more… in lunch I had the most wonderful Aloo Mutter with 3 really thick and big paratha’s and 2 from wife’s portion as she is a very poor eater… !!!! I had my part of rice with Raita and half of hers… this was followed by ice cream… I had one and loved the butterscoth flavour of vadilal and asked for another… and I asked if I can have one more… and the attendant said sure again with a smile… !!!!! After that started the indigestion part… as I had already had two huge Chole Bhature’s before boarding the train at 5.30 !!!!! Eventually yours truly walked across the train corridor to try and walk and kinda while away the extra calories… sigh… but it was a wonderful meal !!!

Seriously 5 meals is a lil too many it seems… its two days I have been writing this post… the added work doesnt help… lets still think a lil more..

4.) I always have loved my Nani’s cooking… I can vouch that she made the worlds best Mawa, Mohanthaal, Gajar ka halwa and Udadiya… sorry I cant explain that in english… guys do lend me a helping hand…  they are sweets… she would make them with so much care and patience that it would be sooper, we would be roaming around in the kitchen waiting as she would go about her job with Mom assisting her… till day my Mom and even my wife try to emulate that but no one has reached the flavour that she used to make… I remember growing up eating those garnished with almonds !!! Winters were so much more fun then… !!!!!

5.) Have to mention the best days of life were spent eating Samosa’s from Rajasthan sweet market opposite of our school.. no one made samosa’s like that sweet shop.. even today when I go to Bharuch I make it a point to go and eat there… it doesnt sell like the old days but they still make the most lovely samosa’s garnished with Khajur ki chutney and Dahi… !!!!  In those days Rs. 5 a plate was heaven for us… after school those samosa’s were the best… taking  the girls out for samosa’s in groups was our idea of dates back then… !!!!!! Geee…  those were the days…

Okies these are my favourite 5 apart from that I think I should mention the buffet I had in Grand Maratha, outside the airport which was priced at Rs. 1600 was good too… but apart from it being the most extensive and being most expensive buffet I had nothing much to make it memorable… !!!!! Plus due to some one accompanying me… I couldnt even take a bit of the non-veg being served in that buffet… sigh

Moi is back !

 

Ladies & Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, Heroes and Heroines, Devils and Angels ….. I ‘m back…. !!

 

How perceptions change after a break is quite extraordinary…. Things just start to look so much better and work starts looking so much more appealing… new thoughts suddenly start flowing from everywhere….  

 

I have come back atleast 1.5 inches fatter…. atleast 4kgs heavier and 100% fresh as a flower (a daisy at that) ! whew…. !!!

 

Visiting the home town is quite different, here in Indore I never have any one call me on the roads or anyone waving at me… but back in Bharuch, I got off the train at 1.45 in the night and I had 4 friends waiting to receive me. We head home and meet my anxious Mom who can never sleep when some one is coming…. especially her own son…. After a few bear hugs and taking her blessings, off we went to a restaurant on the highway and had dinner at 2.15  am !! Those are my friends and that is Bharuch and that is a life for you !!  Aha… ! Eventually after a lot of cigarettes and dinner finally I reach home at 4 am… !!!

 

Where ever I go, which ever street I take, I have friends, aquantainces and people who just wave at me, call me, stunned to see that I am so much still in shape… (modest, that I am, you know by now… ) The old girl friends were going booom bastic…. seeing me in my cool short t-shirts, jeans and smart goggles, plus my 4 pack abs !!!! …. that had me looking so so so so george clooney like from the face and Hritik like from the body perspective…. !!!! ahem ahem….

 

Ok ok … enough of my popularity in my hometown… !

 

The next few days were spent in Dwarka at BIL’s wedding, I know very few people at my In-laws and the way they all pestered me calling me “KUMAR”  was really embarassing, eventually even my son called me Kumar once…. it was so god damn embarassing and irritating the word…. I would keep repeating call me Dhiren… !! Even the lovely saali’s that I met for the first time would call me Kumar… so so useless this Kumar word !! bah…

 

Also being at the BIL’s wedding is problamatic coz the Ladkiwala’s take too much care of you, feed you too much and worst dont leave you alone so that you can wander out and smoke a cigarette in peace… ! phew… !

 

Back at home after the wedding was Bro’s engagement, who seems to have completely gone beserk. It seems his whole world is now revolving around a girl whom he didnt even know was existing about 2 months back… !! Well well …. Gone are those days when me and my Mom used to discuss, the girl that marries him will have her life ruined…. This guy has completely changed for the better…. thankfully…. but that invites its own bit of sarcasm from the family members….

 

Imagine a guy who would take his cupboard keys in the bathroom when he would bath, fearing that his brothers or Mom would take something out of his cupboard or whatever…. suddenly leaves the door open, even cleans out  a couple of shelves in order to put some stuff of the girl that is still not marrying him till November !!!!!!

 

How the girls  make the guys go round is there for all to see…. ( girls meaning girl friends, no.. Moms and Bhabhi’s are not in that girls category )

 

However everyone in the house is having fun at his expense…. or rather at the expense of the change that is suddenly visible in him…. Now the poor guy can’t do any good deed for us…. Sarcasm rules here….

 

With friends it was a good time, going to their offices, while they are working and pestering them, disturbing them in work, making them stay out long at night, even though they have to go at work the next morning…. (you have the luxury of waking up at 11 am he he he… )

 

The useless chatter and banter kept us going at nights…. leg pulling was the theme at all times and always fighting that Bharuch is a small village and Indore a Mega city… !! although I love Bharuch much more… !

 

Yes, did visit Baroda once just to eat…. after each eating session we would enter a shopping mall, not to buy anything but to pass time, so that we could stuff ourselves again…. amazingly we spent the whole day in Baroda, eating and then waiting to get hungry again and eating again…. !!!! It was seriously fun…. !!!! and felt so good, at all times when ever any one would ask… how come your in Baroda?? and I would proudly tell them, I have come here to eat…. and they would again ask… but no seriously how come..?? and I would say… seriously … silly… I came here to just eat…. Yes we drove 80 kms at 10 am and stayed till 9 pm in Baroda with no agenda, no work, nothing to do but just EAT !

 

I wont tell you all the things I ate…. some people get too jealous and the NRI Blogggers cast a Buri Nazar…. so I wont …. its better to play safe …. or else who knows… my Stomach might ache… !

 

There are so many blogs that I have to read, my reader shows some 590 plus items to read… whew…. I guess I did rather post this piece and get down to reading… some interesting tags are also in the offing…. suddenly things are so so so bright and exciting…. yipppeee…. !!!!!

Well Well…

Seems some are doing, this new kind of post that i kind of like….

You know your a dad when… (masood)

You know its almost summer when… (smitha)

You know Dhiren is the smartest when… (yea even this was done by a blogger, but since I am very modest, I wont give you the link) 

blah blah blah …. lol

 

So I thought I should do my version –

 

You know its vacation time around the corner when – -

 

Everday you reach office and mark your attendance and pronounce to your colleagues that only so many days remain to your 10 day vacation !

 

Through out the day you keep mentioning it 100′s of times for over a month to all your colleagues who are not going to go out of office.

 

Your colleagues out of jealousy keep telling you its a very short vacation you are taking, its not going to be fun !

 

You son comes to you to ask how many days left before we go every 10 minutes and you still dont get irritated answering him !

 

You start exercising thinking about the old girl friends.

 

Your wife starts exercising tooo….

 

Your wife is suddenly concerned a bit too much, “Hriday looks skinny, my mom and your mom will kill me… !!”

 

You go on a detox diet so that when you reach home you can treat yourself to all sorts of food and gorge in ….

 

You reach 50 sit ups a day to get your abdomen in shape so that you can tease all your friends about them being out of shape !!!

 

—–

 

Folks, tomorrow on 16th I go home, for BIL’s wedding followed by my brothers Engagement, yea the silly guy also wants to bite the Shaadi ka ladoo !! Thereafter I am spending  a week at home with friends and try and prove a distraction in their work !  Relax at home ! time with my parents, sneak time out and catch up with old girlfriends.  Total 10 days, so I hope things can go further then just catching up withe the girls !!! he he he….

 

Although much of the time will be spent gorging, Sev Khamani’s, Bharuchi Khari Sing, Apna ka masala Chicken, Moosa kaka ki Mutton Biryani, Nirav’s (cry while you eat, so hot) Sev Usal, Locha from Shriji, World famous Bharuchi Akuri (egg bhurji), Pravin’s most delicious Half fries, Shalimar ki Gujarati Thali (they make the world’s best Rasawala Potato Subji, nothing like it with 20-25 foolka rotis), Kathiyawadi feast at Tapi which includes Lasaniya Aloo, Sev Tomato, Baigan ka Bharta, Lasaniya Rotla, Chhas, Pickles, Jaggery and home made butter & papad Also a visit to Baroda, the food capital of the world for me !!!!!

geeeeeee I am drooling here… !!!!!

 

However, i am not going off the blogosphere… I cant stay away from this samaj. I will keep coming in and reading and replying to all my comments and will also try my best to come to all pages and leave my most sought after comments…. !!!  (well I could have written my precious comments but well err I am modest)

 

I just love you all so much I can not leave you !!! sorry I cant !!!

 

It seems you all have become an integral part of my life !!

 

and I’ m lovin it !!! Cheers !!!