An argument for love…

I play squash. I obsess about it. I train. I play. I wake up mornings and play till its time to go to work. I spend money on court fees, racquets and gear. Money which should rightfully be spent on more productive things or earn a sensible interest in a bank account. I have no idea why I do this. I am not particularly good at it. I am not quick enough on my feet,my head isn’t still and my reflexes are slow.

And I think its okay.

I do it cos I enjoy it. I enjoy learning about it. On days I can’t find a partner, I go and knock the ball on the wall. On good days, the ball will fly sweetly off my racquet armed with a pace and a direction I don’t remember giving it. I like working at it and getting better, bit by bit. It’s a better other people don’t see. I do and that’s enough. It’s not a better nearly enough but the fact that I it is better wakes me up on cold mornings.

Some day I’ll play with the gift so many people seem to have – moving with languid ease and have the ball sing off my racquet. That day is seven years away, give or take a day.

And that’s okay.

A man and his vegetables

I don't know about you, sir, but I really think vegetables should know their place in life. 

(if you are south indian or a vegetarian or a woman or varying combinations of those, I think you will avoid yourself a lot of angst by skipping to other sections of this wonderful site.) 

I don't know what it is about vegetables of late, but really it seems they are fashionably in focus - a manner that is unbecoming and not dissimilar to the whole media obsession with the role of the minor spinning allrounder in the Indian cricket team. 

It is ridiculous - no matter what food article or culinary blog you read  -you cannot but avoid long flowery (excuse me) references - its either wonderfully leafy this or fibre-rich, green that or lovely juicy tomatoes or flavorful gherkins ..good grief.   in 

Try it - go see some food content - this salmon recipe from the Aussie Masterchef   - a line in here goes  - Potatoes and cucumber salad make delicious accompaniments to the honey mustard salmon"  - Eh? Potatoes?) or Eatopia's headline for chicken soup  - "Chicken Shorba is a light, clear, flavorful broth, infused with Indian spices and herbs." infused with spices and herbs - where's the damn meat eh? 

My lovely wife insists on making Thai curry with massive chunks of tasteless capsicum - ruining a perfectly good meaty curry- my poor mouth gets shocked every time it expects a nice tangy fish bite or a biteful of lamb dripping fats and flavours and finds the give of a bland chunk of capsicum in its stead. Its like watching the pipsqueak Rahane come out to bad at 45/2 instead of the masterful Tendulkar. 

If you ask me -and no one does, sadly - the ideal place for these fellows is to not jostle with the kingly meats for buds and attention, and instead bring up the rear of the dish - make up a nice, unintrusive base, add some crunch here and there to bring out the contrast to the rich, luscious flavor of the meat. Any thing more - I still shudder at that capsicous memory - imagine a horrific potato that dwarfing a nifty cut of lamb in a bengali jhol - that leaves enough scars to keep three shrinks in the gravy (excuse me) for life. 

Now, don't get me wrong - veggies are good, necessary even - those are dues you must pay if you want to revel in the sensous pleasures of the flesh - but really that's about it. Any meal north of eleven am has got to be an organized place, with the rank and file in, you know, rank and file! So make sure you run a tight galley when you are dealing with these infernal fellow - cut them down to size even, and let's have some pomp and ceremony in that delightful chicken curry you are making for your friends or that lovely lamb Rindang you plan to unleash on your in-laws.