KADIO BODIO

It's taken me one year to get back to updating my blog…Dunno if it's neglect or sheer laziness...But guess what brings me back here?... My curiosity about FOOD and this time it's KADIO BODIO...

Today, September 16, 2011 I visited Bandra fair again... I feel sad that I do not have the same excitement to go to Bandra fair every year now as I did in the past... Yes the fair has lost it's original charm... I wonder where have all the giant wheels gone, all the yummiest food on the stalls, the tatoo guys who used to make those cross marks on your hands ( OK!!! I now know that was not done in the most hygienic manner, but who cared then?) Every year I would gather the strength and tell daddy that this year I will get the cross tattoo done for sure… but when I got there and saw the faces of the ones making it and their hands all swollen I'd be like, " No Daddy, let's go further, I'll think about it next time." Fortunately/ unfortunately that next time never came in all these years and yes I do not have any other (hygienic if you may call it) tatoo on my body as well... But let's get back to what we started with...

KADIO BODIO... Who cared what on earth it was, and how it was prepared? All we knew is that both me and my brother wanted KADIO BODIO in addition to the whole other list of things.

These white and orange looking sticks always seemed to get the two of us very curious. Mom and dad would drag and pull us in that huge crowd ensuring we don't get lost and always knew the first thing we have to buy is KADIO BODIO ( the bubbles, ice cream , toys, sandwiches could follow later) ... How can Mom ever go home without them? ... She still doesn't and she still buy's them from that same very stall - PINTO's...

Well I guess after we had learnt to read ( I told you Mom Dad, Bro and me have been going to the fair as little kids) the two of us would help Mom spot Pinto's in all that crowd so that once she is done with her shopping our shopping could begin. At Pinto's, we little ones would keep asking the salesmen to taste every damn thing in the poor guy's shop and when questioned what you'll want - the obvious answer would be “KADIO BODIO - Orange colour and white colour” 'That's it! Nothing more?' The look in the man's eyes said it all after all the tasting process we went through. Then there was this long conversation between Mom and the man ( I still don't know whether he was Mr. Pinto himself or some relative of his) we would end up buying different packets of KADIO BODIO... for the entire neighborhood, friends, family, blah, blah, blah and of course for us...

We didn’t know what the hell was this KADIO BODIO, how was it made, what's the English name for it, what are its ingredients… nothing.. We just knew they tasted good and if you ever go to Bandra fair you cannot return without them...

Today, now that I consider myself grown up and little more learned and mature, I am on the quest to find out more about KADIO BODIO... Well when I asked Mom and Dad today ( I still go with them :) to Bandra fair ) about them, Dad explained to me that while sugar is the ingredient for one, jaggery is for the other... a little bit of research on the web tells me that maida is the other ingredient... This is the Wikipedia definition - Kadio bodio (tiny stick made of Maida flour dipped in sugar syrup and dried). Surprisingly the recipe to this one is not listed,I think that’s still a well guarded secret.

In all these years, the KADIO BODIO taste the same, look the same though are not obviously priced the same and I am guessing Mr. Pinto still runs his stall at the same spot. My brother could not accompany us this time around and hence this fact stands unverified.

You know what … now an even more basic question comes to my mind which of the two colored sticks is KADIO and which is BODIO? How are they made, if refined flour is one of the ingredients and I am assuming it's the main ingredient, how are they cooked - fried, baked, or what other mode?

Well I will continue my quest on KADIO BODIO and hopefully will come back with some answers and If I am lucky will also source the recipe... Not that I am ever gonna try it but it's interesting to get into some history... Worst case, I will have to go to KADIO BODIO's root's in Goa or may be talk to some family member of Mr. Pinto...

For NOW... Long love Pinto's and longer live KADIO BODIO...

P.S. - Kadio Bodio is also sold by many other stalls but Mom says Mr. Pinto's is the BEST and who can argue with that? The price today of KADIO BODIO is Rs. 280 per kilogram.

'FEETY' Fishy Food

For some indulgences in life, one goes really far. What else would you call my visit to Malaysia to go to a 'Fish Spa'. Well let me confess, that's not why I went all the way there, but it surely was one of the highlights of the trip.

Like one would imagine, or at least I would, any best thing to happen to your feet has to have its roots in Thailand, be it shoes or a foot massage! Though I am not sure where the discovery of the 'Doctor Fish' took place, we sure did go to a Thai place in Malaysia ( let me remind you) to have my first fish spa experience. Oh wait, I must tell you who the 'V' r. I was accompanying friends, a couple. This fish spa thingie was a part of the Thai festival taking place at Genting at our holiday in Malaysia.

And now for the XPERIENCE !

Our feet were cleaned with a hot towel and then we were asked to immerse them into a rectangular box which had continuously flowing water from a pipe outlet. That was meant to filter and recycle the water. I put my feet into the box which the three of us shared and suddenly being the last of the three, the friendly fish rushed towards my feet. Tickle Tickle...Giggle Giggle.. that was my first reaction. Just imagine a school of fish moving to feast on your feet. Oh my my !

Ooooh .. Aaah... I had the squirms and I quickly raised my feet but I instantaneously missed that happy feeling, the next moment I put my feet back in... And again they all rushed and that feeling was all over my body again but this time I let in seep in.. I savored it... It was good... really good... I closed my eyes and I was feeling really relaxed. The fish continued to nibble and I continued to giggle. It took me a while to settle down with all the little laughter peals I went through.

The doctor fish were doing a good job, I could tell, they were attacking all the places where i had dead skin on my feet and where it was the thickest. I also realised it is important that you lift your leg and not keep it firmly stuck to the ground ( bottom of the box) which was evenly covered with pebbles. Then with my raised legs, the fish started swimming in between my toes and tickled me all along the soles of my feet. The fish knew we had three pairs of feet in this box and they were distributing their chores well or should I say, sourcing their food well. Another tip, one must not move your feet too often as they get disturbed and then tend to move away.

The fish slowly find their way eating all dead skin around your feet, be it the soles, in between your toes, around your toe nails and if you always though that pedicure was the only way to clean your feet, then you may want to visit a fish spa once.

Time passed and I now I feel like talking to the fish and guiding them to the places I think I have dead skin on my feet, but my efficient friends are gradually hitting all the right notes. I have forgotten how much time I have spent there and suddenly a friendly Thai person comes to tell us that our time is up.

My friends get their feet off and in a moment's rush all the fish swiftly move towards mine. Suddenly the bites feel aggressive ( they do not hurt at all) and there are soooo many fish tugging at my feet... I do not want to get my feet off.. Oh please I wanna stay here.. Let me stay... But I guess I gotta go... I say good bye to the fish and thank our doctor friends really loud and then get my feet off.

Vow .. All dead skin gone... I touch my feet.. so smooth.. And again I do that..Are these really my feet.. I hardly savor the moment when I am handed a dry towel to wipe my feet and I still can't stop staring at my feet.

My girl friend claims that this is much better than a pedicure she normally gets and her husband says, u know why it is total paisaa vasool... Well our pockets did get lighter by 18 ringgits ( do the Indian conversion yourself;) but our feet felt even lighter... In the words of my friend, "My feet are feeling brand new!"

White water rafting at Rishikesh

As always my husband, Dyu finds something unique to create special times for me. This time he gifted me a white water rafting holiday to Rishikesh. And boy oh boy this was indeed a fun, refreshing memorable trip.

While the memories are still fresh in my mind, I think its best to try and capture them somewhere.

The journey to Rishikesh
We boarded the August Kranti to Delhi on Sunday, 14th September and had to spend 15th in Delhi since we could not take a train the same day to Rishikesh. Early morning on Sept 16th began our journey to Haridwar, the station we had to alight to reach Rishikesh. Haridwar is not a very pleasant station and if one thinks Bombay is dirty then one may want to take a look at Haridwar. People seem to use the platform to bathe, wash clothes and do many more things. Leaving that behind, let’s move on to the better parts of the journey. From here on we had someone from the Himalayan River Runners’ (HRR) team pick us up. We had done our bookings through these guys and these guys surely need a pat on their back for the work they do. We drove to Rishikesh from there. On the way we saw many statues of Shiva, some big , some small but all beautiful. And there we caught our first glimpse of ‘The Ganga’ but we witnessed the Ganga at her calmest and from then on we only saw her in different forms, flowing all the way to her destination. On one side of ‘The Ganga’ was a huuuuuuge mountain with thick dense growth of trees and the on the other side was the so called national highway on which we were traveling. The water looks green all the way long and one wonders why, to which my husband enlightens me that it is probably the green forest thicket which is making the water look green. The national highway road is so bad that I think the route not only takes you to these pilgrim destinations but may take you straight to heaven or hell, wherever. Additionally the Border Road Organization is also working to broaden the road, but they are oblivious to how haphazardly the work is being done. To top it all, we Indians are in this mighty rush to God knows where and every one wants to get out first not giving way to the other and in the bargain causing unnecessary traffic jam. Twenty kilometers down we arrive at Rishikesh, we pass the Ram Jhula and the Laxman Jhula on the way. But hold on, this is not the final destination. We drive further, we have to reach the HRR Ganga base camp and we continue to go… Then at last, we can see a beautiful beach with some tents on it. And here it is, destination PARADISE.
Hot sun, silver sands, long vast beach, cool flowing river, and the dense mountain right in front of you with a spring flowing… and some good food awaiting the hungry us.

At the camp
We are welcomed by our camp manager, Vijay a warm friendly person who gives a quick brief about the camp.
Our bathroom is a three sided enclosure under a huge tree. The water from a nearby spring is collected through a water pipe in a green drum which is hanging from the branch of the tree and there is a small tap to it. Bucolic but fun.
Our toilets are a small tent with a dry pit and a wooden commode which has an opening from the back. After every sitting one has to use the sand and lime mix kept at the back.
Our room is a tent with two single beds, two chairs, one dustbin, a mirror and a woven wooden mat spreading across the tent.
The front side view is the flowing river and the mountain. Our backside view is a sandy beach, a partial view of the road and more mountains.
We have a delicious spread for lunch. The food at the camp was quite good given the fact that it was cooked at the camp and also included variety. The cook did fair justice to continental food and Indian food.
We learnt that in addition to us, there was a mother daughter duo at the camp who had gone on an overnight trek.
We thought it would be rest time on the first day since we had just arrived but Vijay had other plans for us. He wanted us to go rafting. And me and my husband readily jumped at the opportunity.

Our first rafting experience
While I quickly changed, my husband rushed towards the raft and got introduced to Ganesh, our river guide and Raju our safety guide on the kayak. The water was ice cold and was a welcome relief to the hot sun shining above. Ganesh thoroughly briefed us on the rafting instructions, the dos and the don’ts on the trip and exuded complete confidence. A man of few words, he assured you that he knew his job well. We then got into our raft gear, the life jacket and the helmet and were ready to hit the river. While I tried to strike conversation with Ganesh, he would smile and answer only the questions asked. We were to raft from our camp to a little further than Rishikesh and then return by the vehicle to the camp.
We soon hit our first rapid – Good afternoon Rapid, that’s what they call it. ( The name changes dependent on what part of the day it is) And this was not bad at all, fun yes, scary no and now we wanted more. Then we moved further and we passed through the Roller coaster, Golf course, club house, Initiation, Return to the sender rapids… Major fun, but Ganesh stuck to the safe line in all the rapids since we were new and man I was bad with the paddle. At the initiation rapid, we were informed we could body surf, and my brave husband jumped into the water. You are actually supposed to move downstream with your legs in the direction of the water. But once you hit the ice cold water it takes you time to realize what you need to do and therefore in the bargain you end up swallowing water. Well, that’s what my husband did also. He later informed me that he was scared when he started swallowing water but once he understood the technique he had fun…

Me, I was still acting chicken and did not want to enter the water. Later when Ganesh coaxed me, I agreed to jump, but did so holding the safety line; a rope which runs throughout the raft and should be held when the raft capsizes, unless instructed otherwise by the guide. Later, we went to do the cliff jump… but it was a complete failure on the first raft (details later in the blog). On the way we passed many more rapids, names of which I cannot recall and then passed the Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula, Tryambakeshwar temple, Goa beack (Surprised by the name) We soon reached destination and then got into a jeep to come back to camp by road. On the way Ganesh treated us to some garam chai… because none of the others were actually carrying money… Well that was our first raft and we only wanted more of rafting after that experience…

The Cliff Jump
On our first raft, Ganesh asked us whether we would do the cliff jump. This jump was from a cliff some 20 odd feet above the water surface and all one had to do was jump into it. Sounds easy, looked even easy from a distance but once you went up there on the cliff, your legs just freeze. Your mind wants to do it. You want to do it, but your legs just don’t co-operate. You go fits , no you go first, that’s all me and my husband kept telling each other Poor Ganesh, he cajoled us, told us not to worry, Raju was just below and this is safe. But we could just not do it. Inspite of having witnessed a previous bunch of boys do it, we were scared souls. After about half an hour of innumerable tries, we decided to continue rafting but we did not do the jump. What followed post that was a feeling of sadness, Ganesh told us not to worry since we had one more raft on this stretch of the river and we could try then.

On the third raft on the old stretch of the river and we reached the cliff again. The moment of truth. We had to do it this time. Additionally, this time we had an American father daughter ( Amy and Russ) duo with us. The daughter herself a river guide reached the cliff the first and took a jump without even blinking an eye lid. While I was still climbing the cliff, my poor husband was waiting down with the camera hoping this time I would jump because I wanted to. . But the wait would just not end with my feet not moving. The father then arrived and I told him to go first. He told me he was in no hurry. And here Poor Ganesh was cajoling me again telling me to jump. While I told him to push me at one instance he told me it was not the best idea as I could land on my stomach and hurt myself. I had to go with my feet down first. He got a little irritated with me after a point in time I guess, but was kind enough not to make it obvious. Soon afterwards Russ decided to take the plunge and there he went. He signaled me with a thumbs up and told me to jump. But me… one DARPOK could not move. . Ganesh asked me again do I want to do this alone and he could give me a gentle push. But I was not ready. Somewhere I knew that if not a push I would never be able to do this. Atlast Amy came up again and told me we could do this together holding hands. Ganesh warned me that I have to take the jump since I would other wise get pulled and could hurt myself in the bargain . We were to go 1,2,3 and jump. Amy took off and I was still there and the next thing I know I was in the water, feet down. This was indeed a VOW experience. The landing. I did not even realize the fall but I realized Ganesh had pushed me and I could not thank him enough for doing so, else I would never have witnessed the moment. Ganesh had done so only to ensure I was safe, since Amy and I were holding hands, Amy had taken off and I had not.
Well after doing the great so called jump, I would advise anyone to try it. Though easy said than done but it is indeed an experience one should not miss. Soon after that my great husband jumped too albeit with a push from Ganesh.
And VOILA we had done it.

One of the examples of Being Caught In TIME …. In the rat races we run in Mumbai

9th May 2008…
Imagine getting a call one fine day in office from your mother telling you that “Daddy has been admitted in the hospital.”
I freeze… Did I hear that right?… My dad who is actually quite active ( touch wood, touch black) in the hospital… How could that happen and God, why me?
“What happened and who is along with him,” is my next question to my mom. Well turns out that my uncle is with him and thankfully not my mom who could be a bundle of nerves when it comes to such situations… I tell her not to worry and I am leaving the office to reach the hospital…
My next call is to my husband where I have broken down… crying and crying … Why my dad?
Isn’t that the only question we ask God sometimes... Why me... Why my family…
Well, we both rushed to the hospital from our respective workplaces…
I did call up my uncle in the interim once I got a hold over myself… to get a clarity on the situation… He informed me that it was partial facial paralysis… Doctors had to keep him under observation for the next 72 hours because it normally tends to worsen in that period…

There I was caught in TIME… Suddenly nothing else mattered… Not my work, not the trains, not the money, not the gym which was then my latest fad, nothing else… but my dad’s recovery…
Well, we did spend the next three days in the hospital… but now that I look back at it… IT doesn’t matter…
My dad has almost recovered…And I could only thank God for the quick recovery…
Did I mention the cause for my Dad’s Bells Palsy.. DIABETES with the sugars at 387… Gosh !!! I cannot imagine this situation again…

For all the rat races we run… It’s sometimes God’s way of slowing us down…

DRIVE TO GOA…. VIA NH4

I was driving to Goa the first time… All along we had either travelled by the buses that ply to and from GOA and in the recent past the trains were the best option.. The train journey to Goa is beautiful… But 'sleepy head' that I am I do not manage to catch most of it…

This time since I was driving to Goa I decided to make most of the travel and not catch on my beauty sleep during the journey…

We began from Parel in Mumbai at 4.30 a.m… and my cousin had decided to travel via the NH4 and not the conventional NH17… The NH17 has too may turns and the road is too narrow along the way…

Driving on the NH4 was a delight… ( Even my cousin vouches for this since he drove all along) ... We had received minimal instructions and were told to reach a place called Nipani… Well let me share clear instructions now, not very detailed but good enough to enlighten one…

Once you begin from Mumbai one has to drive to Pune obviously via the Expressway and then one catches the NH4… The better way to look at is to reach Kolhapur from Pune.. and then come to a place called Nipani... Watch out for Tawande ghat on the way…This is post you cross Nipani...It is one straight route .. Beautiful roads all along and many toll posts along the way… But the drive is every penny worth all the toll taxes you pay along… Once you cross the signpost indicating Tawande ghat keep your eyes wide open… Because here one has to locate Hotel Satyawati Palace on the left side of the road… At this place one has to take the right opposite the hotel.. If you miss this right then you touch Belgaum…

With our eyes wide open we did locate the hotel.. and took the right turn… Then one has to reach Sawantwadi from there and then the destination – GOA…

On the route connecting NH4 and Sawantwadi one has to pass Amboli ghat which is the only big ghat on the way… But the drive on the ghat is not bad at all…The road that cuts in from NH4 to Amboli is a little bad… Bumpy and a little narrow as well… On the way it is advisable to ask for directions because there are forks on the way and we found it advisable not to take chances lest we lose our way… Once you reach Sawantwadi you get on to NH17 and then you enter GOA…. You drive through Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Amboli Ghat, Ajra, Sawantwadi, Goa... Three states Maharashtra... Karnataka and Goa...

Less than 10 hours coupled with two breaks in between we made it to our destintaion GOA… Of course I did catch on my forty winks in between…

AM I GOING TO GOA or NOT?

I could not contain my excitement…
After more than two decades and innumerable trips to my hometown GOA… This trip would be different… It had to be because we had well planned this trip… Here I am referring to me and my husband.. Well it was not the first time that we had visited Goa after marriage but the first trip was a short one to attend a marriage…

I was excited… we were looking forward to this one… But the first deterrent turned out to be a shorter holiday since my entire leave was not approved… However I decided to make the most of what I had… The next blow was even harder… My dad developed Bell’s Palsy exactly 8 days before we were to go… He was admitted… hospitalised for three days and we were really worried… After a lot of reading and research on the subject I was all the more determined to go since this would be a good break for my dad… The entire family together.. My uncle, aunts, mom, dad, my fun cousins, nephew and of course my dear husband…

But then started all the drama.. My mom was not too keen, my uncle and aunt only aided her.. But persistent that I was, I told them that I would take him alone if they choose not to come.. Well in the end … it was my way.. The entire family on the way to Goa….

But we were 10 of us… Two groups if I could divide us into.. Two distinct groups.. Let’s call one as the traditional group and the other the fun group… While we left on the 17th of May to drive to Goa they boarded the train on the 19th.. And from here on the fun begins…

Do people change jobs or bosses?

This one question has been playing on my mind for quite sometime now...

For obvious reasons...

But I am not sure if I have the right answer to this question... The closest I could reach is that people do change bosses and not jobs... But this may not be true all the time...

Why do I think so?

An organisation is made up of people... if you are in the services industry then your job involves interacting with people... so obviously it's people and more people around you ...

Over a period of time these people become a part of your life... and sub- consciously they start affecting your life...

You then start looking upto some people and some others you just dont care...

Well lucky for you if you have a boss you could look upto and learn something from else you start lookin for one elsewhere...

And in the bargain you change your job...

Well not sure if this funda really works for everyone and everytime...

But then it has some truth...

So is it that you keep changing your boss everytime you don't find the right one... May be not... Not all human beings are perfect... Atleast I am not...

Learning is also a key factor ... you need to learn something everytime and thats what keeps you going... learning new things and delivering results on things you have learned in the past...

And when learning stops, your challenges become limited... and then again IT's TIME TO MOVE ON....

Well this is my side of gyan on this funda...

Learning, delivering, the kind of work you do, the satisfaction you get post that, people whom you could look upto, people whose company you would like to be in... all these factors define one's longetivity in a job...

Did I forget to mention the MOOLAH factor...

Atleast in a day and age of today its one factor that cannot be missed out...