interlude

hit or miss?

global trade.

theobroma christmas stollen. stollen is a traditional christmas bread. usually hard to find in good quality in the states, and hard to avoid in germany. unlike fruitcake, its drier, yeasty, and not overwhelmingly sweet. to make one properly takes a lot of time and energy, and just the right ingredients, so sometimes the store-bought ones are more reliable.
at the beginning of the month, they showed up at theobroma, looking fairly legit. to be seasonal (and have a little taste of christmas) i picked up a few small ones and gave them away, saving one to take to germany, to the fussiest stollen critic i know. the verdict was 'not bad'. kind of overly sweet, and the marzipan inside was double the size that it needed to be, but overall, A for effort. for that, and the novelty of hausgemacht stollen in india, it was a hit.


thank you theobroma, for trying.

'a national catharsis'

as reported by the new york times, and followed by one homesick girl in mumbai.



a little disbelief, a little suspicion, a little relief. lots of hope.
due to the time difference, it felt a little like christmas.

little trouble

a few cats stay in the lobby of my building. some are cute, one is not, and none of them are friendly.
some weeks back, sometime after 2am, the small one came to my door, scratching and mewing.


the large one, (i call her puss) was making noise in the stairwell, and after noticing the small one having a snack, started up a fight. they were screaming for a good 30 minutes before i assume they came to some compromise.
earlier this week, my landlady called while i was at work. there were strange noises coming from the room. there was no one at home. they entered, and discovered a cat.
did i bring home a cat? no. but the smart suckers probably know by now i have a whole cupboard of goodies, and snuck in while i was re-arranging umbrellas, rubbish bags, or any number of things i do with the door open.

i miss home.

today the new york times had this guy in the top headlines, complete with picture:

"'The Jersey tomato is a nondescript red, round tomato,” said Mr. Rabin. “And I use nondescript as a term of respect.'

Is there nothing unique about the legendary Jersey tomato? Ask seven New Jersey farmers and you get the same answer: a perfect balance of sweet and acid. But everything from lemonade to lollipops can be described that way."

we used to grow tomatoes in the backyard. it was always fun to mix up the dirt, give them their stakes and cages to stand up, and watch them grow. to this day, i have never tasted tomatoes as delicious as the ones out of that backyard garden. the simple, plain, standard ones that we got every year, nothing fancy, just all tomato. and they grew so well that we would have endless salads, grilled tomatoes, fresh tomato sauce, blt's, etc. and they tasted so good it was hard to eat anything else.
to the city's credit, i have not really had a bad tomato in mumbai. but i really wouldnt mind digging around in the dirt and having one of these again.

je suis américaine

how to have a celebration of independence*

have a fantastic breakfast of toast, coffee, and girl talk.
speak at an orientation session for indian students getting ready to study abroad in the states.
talk about roomates, snow, and 'use your best judgement'.
listen to questions about pressure cookers, luggage, and picking up the bill.
get an unexpected bonus, then blow it, american style, playing consumer on the causeway.
drink chai inside a parsi baug, and eat grilled paneer on the street, then drink cold kingfisher while listening to rock of the early nineties.


wake up early and clean house. by yourself.
find a drycleaner. then find a tailor that directs you down an alley, around a corner, to a jean mender.
know that next week, the best blue jeans ever will be fixed.
buy the world calling card with the special american rate.
work at work.
explain to colleagues that yes, america was once under british rule as well.
join a gym on the way home.
take a train to the 'burbs for unlimited grilled skewers.
talk about what its like to live in india.
crave a good slice of watermelon... or, even better, a s'more.
eat gulab jamun instead.
and save the fireworks for next month.

*over two days

i learned to drive in new jersey

rt 1




nj tnpk/linden co-gen plant




washington rd

development planning

snowed in

after the last two years of boston winters under the influence of global warming and spending the majority of this years on a west coast beach, it was nice to wake up to this:



the forecasted blizzard was actually nothing but 6 inches of soft pretty mess. doctors and shots were still open so i can check hep A off the list. according to the cdc, its a good idea to get lots of shots before you go on a trip like this. while my doctor may not agree, id rather be overly safe. hep A breeds in places with unsanitary conditions, fancy bars in new york, and is quickly passed through food and water. at the least it will screw up your liver. so my left shoulder takes one for team healthy.