Here's yet another blog about food. It's almost the end of another academic term and my Czech blockmates decided that he' ll cook a Czech dish to commemorate an end to a fantastic term.
They were active during spring- exploring the woodlands around Ultuna to familiarise with the locality as well as hunt for mushrooms (not the intoxicating ones). He saved the best batch of the collection for later. He didn't know when he would get to use it. It's two days left now to when he flies back to his land and here is (right this moment of time) when he's sitting down as the 'Mushroom sauce' is ready. He carefully collected the fungi, he said, closely resembling Hugh Fearnly's style of speech. He had frozen it.
The rich sauce he made was with a base of fresh cream and yoghurt. The base started with frying old spice seeds (Pimenta) in oil with cimmin seeds ( a variety grown in EU) slightly different from the one used in India. It has a more peppery and minty tinge to it. Then finely chopped onions added. Once the onions turned pasty, the mushrooms went in. Some water added to cook it. Salt and pepper to season it. Then went in the cream and yoghurt. The cream and yoghurt was whisked in water to make an emulsion and then corn flour added to it. This emulsion was added to the pot with the onions. On low heat the mixture turned thick and viscose. The aroma filled the room with the goodness from the woods! Despite being an Indian with love for relatively hot (spicy) food, I am much impressed with a taste of the blend so far. It will be enjoyed with mashed potato replacing its better couterpart, the Czech dumplings. We were too lazy to make it this time.
The other food critics joining in today are both from India and with a love for spicy food. I'm so looking forward to the part where they give their feedback apart from tucking in happy for this meal.
I thank my good friend Pavel Salda for bringing this Czech delicacy to our plates tonite. I wish him all the best for his future. We' ll miss him.
Up up and away, Pavel!
January 16, 2011
January 12, 2011
Warm Patch
After a cold cold November and December, we saw a warm patch, weatherwise. The average temperatures that were recorded showed an increase by a good 10 degrees in Celsius. The word on the street was that Sweden will experience the coldest winter in the last century.
Having experienced dry weather with lowest recorded -25 Celcius, -1 and immediate numbers above zero seems surprisingly mild. I mean, I could avoid gloves or even a layer of clothing. Roads, however got more slick. The humidity had compressed them well and the surface resembled that of a frozen lake or an ice rink. Needless to say, walking got harder. Had I fallen, the impact would be more painful. A friend of mine while cycling had a hard time, he said. He did it for the experience of it, he admitted.
People on holidays are back to start a new term, some to give the exams. Imagine visiting a warm destination for holidays and coming back to a place with slick blankets of white. In any case, all are awaiting to see how this winter goes and what mother nature has in store for us. At the least, it gives a few students a chance to include weather in their Facebook updates.
Having experienced dry weather with lowest recorded -25 Celcius, -1 and immediate numbers above zero seems surprisingly mild. I mean, I could avoid gloves or even a layer of clothing. Roads, however got more slick. The humidity had compressed them well and the surface resembled that of a frozen lake or an ice rink. Needless to say, walking got harder. Had I fallen, the impact would be more painful. A friend of mine while cycling had a hard time, he said. He did it for the experience of it, he admitted.
People on holidays are back to start a new term, some to give the exams. Imagine visiting a warm destination for holidays and coming back to a place with slick blankets of white. In any case, all are awaiting to see how this winter goes and what mother nature has in store for us. At the least, it gives a few students a chance to include weather in their Facebook updates.
January 06, 2011
Retreat
I love travelling. A new place and a day to explore it is all I need to have a great weekend. What better if you get to one on a luxurious ferry just for the weekend for a perfect get away from your mundane life. Its all here in Stockholm.
I was introduced to these boatlines that operate all year round from Stockholm- Tallink, Viking line, Stilija etc. These jump from Stockholm to various other destinations- Turku, Mariehamn, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and more. The best part is if you book a trip in advance, it can be as economic as for FREE! Which reminds me of the saying-' The best things in life are for free'. Let me decipher it to the people who don't know it already. You know how in places like Britain, when you book a train ticket at the last moment and have to pay an atrocious amount and say to yourself, "If only I had booked it in advance". Its the same in this case. Carefully pick your dates of travel well in advance to book a cabin for 4 for as low as 80sek per cabin (20 sek a head). Sometimes its free, but the catch is that its unlikely to be over the weekend (thats when you want to be there ;)).
The cabins are lush for the price payed. Bunk beds for sleeping and no round windows (they do have excellent central vents). The toilets are not for the claustrophobes but has it all. They even supply clean set of turkish towels. Some even have a small telly with recorded channels mainly but one channel showing a direct relay of whats happening in the live band and dance floor area, just so that you dont miss out on anything. The highlight of such trip is the duty free shops onboard. People go mental and shop like theres no tomorrow, bringing a new meaning to the uncommon phrase- Shop till you drop. From great big bars of chocolates and toys to full fledged range of liquers and lagers, it is quite an indulgence in itself. I load myself with the drinks I plan to down that evening.
Entertainment on board ranges from pubs with live bands to a large seating area mimicing an amphitheatre with a live band and disco lights. The band is usually very entertaining but the drinks from the bar are pricy. Few of us on a budget, drink in the privacy of our cabin which clearly hoists a board 'No consuming alcoholic beverages or food inside the cabin). We think of ourselves as Mavericks so does the majority I later realised. Yeah, we do have a few laughs and drinks in the cabin and then head out to the dance floor to dance like 'bell-ends', depending on what and how much we've had to drink. There is a casino to loot you off your money if you are up for a buzz like that. There is a lovely crowd of fine women on board, again depending on the day you are in. You can socialise and make new friends. You can learn a few new ways to shake 'yer leg. The night goes on till 4 AM on the disco floor (different from the one by the amphitheatre).
If you can wake up early the next day ( about 10 AM), you can walk to the preplanned destination(s). If you are a lastminute.com member, you can get maps of the city you are in on board to help you untangle yourself. You are free to nance around the city till 5:30 PM when you have to report back to the check in (?) for the ferry back . The whole chain of events backtrack from then on- drink-dance-socialise-drink-dance-sleep. And Voila! you are back in Stockholm thinking how wonderful the trip was (hopefully, that is).
In any case, you can plan a quick getaway for a decent spending when you are a student. There are buses charging a seperate fee to take you from your city to the docks in Stockholm if you were wondering how to get about that pickle. Enjoy!
I was introduced to these boatlines that operate all year round from Stockholm- Tallink, Viking line, Stilija etc. These jump from Stockholm to various other destinations- Turku, Mariehamn, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and more. The best part is if you book a trip in advance, it can be as economic as for FREE! Which reminds me of the saying-' The best things in life are for free'. Let me decipher it to the people who don't know it already. You know how in places like Britain, when you book a train ticket at the last moment and have to pay an atrocious amount and say to yourself, "If only I had booked it in advance". Its the same in this case. Carefully pick your dates of travel well in advance to book a cabin for 4 for as low as 80sek per cabin (20 sek a head). Sometimes its free, but the catch is that its unlikely to be over the weekend (thats when you want to be there ;)).
The cabins are lush for the price payed. Bunk beds for sleeping and no round windows (they do have excellent central vents). The toilets are not for the claustrophobes but has it all. They even supply clean set of turkish towels. Some even have a small telly with recorded channels mainly but one channel showing a direct relay of whats happening in the live band and dance floor area, just so that you dont miss out on anything. The highlight of such trip is the duty free shops onboard. People go mental and shop like theres no tomorrow, bringing a new meaning to the uncommon phrase- Shop till you drop. From great big bars of chocolates and toys to full fledged range of liquers and lagers, it is quite an indulgence in itself. I load myself with the drinks I plan to down that evening.
Entertainment on board ranges from pubs with live bands to a large seating area mimicing an amphitheatre with a live band and disco lights. The band is usually very entertaining but the drinks from the bar are pricy. Few of us on a budget, drink in the privacy of our cabin which clearly hoists a board 'No consuming alcoholic beverages or food inside the cabin). We think of ourselves as Mavericks so does the majority I later realised. Yeah, we do have a few laughs and drinks in the cabin and then head out to the dance floor to dance like 'bell-ends', depending on what and how much we've had to drink. There is a casino to loot you off your money if you are up for a buzz like that. There is a lovely crowd of fine women on board, again depending on the day you are in. You can socialise and make new friends. You can learn a few new ways to shake 'yer leg. The night goes on till 4 AM on the disco floor (different from the one by the amphitheatre).
If you can wake up early the next day ( about 10 AM), you can walk to the preplanned destination(s). If you are a lastminute.com member, you can get maps of the city you are in on board to help you untangle yourself. You are free to nance around the city till 5:30 PM when you have to report back to the check in (?) for the ferry back . The whole chain of events backtrack from then on- drink-dance-socialise-drink-dance-sleep. And Voila! you are back in Stockholm thinking how wonderful the trip was (hopefully, that is).
In any case, you can plan a quick getaway for a decent spending when you are a student. There are buses charging a seperate fee to take you from your city to the docks in Stockholm if you were wondering how to get about that pickle. Enjoy!
January 01, 2011
Auld Lang syne
New years eve in Uppsala was packed, energetic and snowy! Needless to say, I was in company of good friends and we had enough good food and drinks before we left home. The centre was packed with people despite the blizzard like snowing. Many were under the protection of alcohol in their systems I was guessing.
We didn't know if any of the nations were open to give us the party we were hoping for and to wander around in search for other parties would seem very thin. We rushed to the nearest and noisiest club/pub. To my surprise the entry fee was only after 2200hrs yesterday in that particular club. The translated entry fee after 2200hr was roughly about £12 or $24 approx. Back in Britain, an equivalent pub would charge a ridiculous entry fee on new years eve. That was really nice that we got in before the fee began. The drinks were slightly over priced- a pint of beer starting from £2.5 to 5 and spirit cocktails from £6 onwards. It did make sense letting in people for free and then charging them slightly higher amounts for drinks. I am no judge. These are just observations.
We left that crowd in search of a better club at about 2300hrs. The town was still teeming with energy and flashes from cameras everywhere. It was weird when you had just been to town an evening before the 31st to see no one. We got into another joint and the entry was free! Later today I found out that there were only a handful of places that had entry fee and amongst them, the highest charge was £20. That is still decent for a night out like yesterday.
Heres the weirdest part- I was having a good time with new friends I had bumped into, in one of the bars and we were talking like there was no tomorrow. It suddenly struck me that it was almost 0000 hrs and I just had a look at my watch. It was 0015hr on my display! I quickly checked to see if it was right. People back home are used to a countdown to the new year. There was nothing of that sort here. The Swedish girl in the bunch told me that they don't it. Last new years eve, the bunch I was with sang 'Auld Lang Syne' the Scottish way, interlocking the arms with fellows on either side and hopping around. I missed that. There would either be a countdown or this song by the Swedish band, Europe- 'The final countdown'. There is no hype of such sorts here. I was probably the only guy sober enough to realise that such celebration was missing. Many of my friends found the same thing weird today in retrospect.
I thank the bunch I was with yesterday for showing me a great time. We had many interesting things that we talked about and shared jokes. I did make fun of some people with flashy attire. It was all good. Wish all readers a wonderful new year and hope everything works out well.
We didn't know if any of the nations were open to give us the party we were hoping for and to wander around in search for other parties would seem very thin. We rushed to the nearest and noisiest club/pub. To my surprise the entry fee was only after 2200hrs yesterday in that particular club. The translated entry fee after 2200hr was roughly about £12 or $24 approx. Back in Britain, an equivalent pub would charge a ridiculous entry fee on new years eve. That was really nice that we got in before the fee began. The drinks were slightly over priced- a pint of beer starting from £2.5 to 5 and spirit cocktails from £6 onwards. It did make sense letting in people for free and then charging them slightly higher amounts for drinks. I am no judge. These are just observations.
We left that crowd in search of a better club at about 2300hrs. The town was still teeming with energy and flashes from cameras everywhere. It was weird when you had just been to town an evening before the 31st to see no one. We got into another joint and the entry was free! Later today I found out that there were only a handful of places that had entry fee and amongst them, the highest charge was £20. That is still decent for a night out like yesterday.
Heres the weirdest part- I was having a good time with new friends I had bumped into, in one of the bars and we were talking like there was no tomorrow. It suddenly struck me that it was almost 0000 hrs and I just had a look at my watch. It was 0015hr on my display! I quickly checked to see if it was right. People back home are used to a countdown to the new year. There was nothing of that sort here. The Swedish girl in the bunch told me that they don't it. Last new years eve, the bunch I was with sang 'Auld Lang Syne' the Scottish way, interlocking the arms with fellows on either side and hopping around. I missed that. There would either be a countdown or this song by the Swedish band, Europe- 'The final countdown'. There is no hype of such sorts here. I was probably the only guy sober enough to realise that such celebration was missing. Many of my friends found the same thing weird today in retrospect.
I thank the bunch I was with yesterday for showing me a great time. We had many interesting things that we talked about and shared jokes. I did make fun of some people with flashy attire. It was all good. Wish all readers a wonderful new year and hope everything works out well.
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