केळ्याचं रायतं

माझ्या आवडत्या फळात केळ्याचा समावेश अजिबात होत नाही. खरं तर केळं हे फळ आहे हेच मला मान्य नाही. :-) त्यामुळे केळं घातलेला रव्याचा शिरा, केळ्याचं शिकरण आणि रायतं ह्या तीनच गोष्टी मी खाऊ शकते. तर केळ्याच्या रायत्याची ही रेसिपी:

केळ्याचे बारीक तुकडे करा.
दही फेटून घ्या. त्यात साखर, मीठ आणि थोडं ओलं खोबरं नीट मिक्स करून घ्या.
त्यात केळ्याचे तुकडे घाला.
तेल तापवून त्यात हिंग, जिरे आणि हिरव्या मिरचीचे बारीक तुकडे घाला.
ही फोडणी केळ्याच्या मिश्रणावर ओता.
कोथिंबीर घालून सर्व मिश्रण ढवळून घ्या.
फ्रीजमध्ये ठेवून गार सर्व्ह करा.

'Do you have any pets?' one of my classmates asked me during our recent college reunion.

'No. But why do you ask?'

'We are thinking of going for a pet. Just can't seem to be making up our mind about whether to get a cat or a dog.'

That set me thinking. Am I a dog person or a cat person? It's a theoretical question, of course, because I know that I won't ever have a pet - though I admire cats and dogs from a distance.

So, theoretically speaking, I would go for a dog. I think that cats are self-centered animals. They expect a lot from their owners but don't love them as much as a dog would do. I know, those who have cats at home would have an entirely different opinion. :-) But I think a dog is more invested in his owners. I like that.

And I certainly would go for a Labrador. I just love their look, their shiny fur and the way they carry themselves about.  There is this dog, a bitch actually, who I see during the course of my evening walks. A servant walks her in the park. On one or two occasions, I have seen how patiently she waits while he removes the leash and then starts her rounds across the park - turning quite a few heads. She clearly knows that people admire her and is very comfortable with all the adulation. :-)

So a dog it would be. At least that's what I thought till I spotted a kitten with its mother in our neighborhood. The tiny one looked absolutely adorable and I couldn't help but smile as it opened its tiny mouth to meow. Definitely a Kodak moment!

It's a tough decision then - one I am glad I will never have to make.

One of the "Castle" episodes had this line - Love you till I die, meet you on the other side. I searched on the internet and found the lyrics.

These days I am reading "Moonlight Becomes You" by Mary Higgins Clark. In the author's note, she has mentioned a couple of books about funeral customs as well as practices that she read and found fascinating. No doubt this is quite a morbid subject, I might take a  look at them one day. Here they are for future reference:

Consolatory Rhetoric - by Donovan J. Octs
Down To Earth - by Marian Barnes
Celebrations Of Death - by Metcalf Huntington

'शेलार खिंड' ची आगाऊ नोंदणी

Bank Of Maharashtra मध्ये बाबासाहेब पुरंदरे ह्यांच्या 'शेलार खिंड' या आगामी कादंबरीची आगाऊ नोंदणी सुरु आहे. किंमत ६०० रुपये. पैसे रोख किंवा चेकने भरायची सोय आहे. नोंदणी केल्यास 'शेलार खिंड' सोबत "राजा शिव छत्रपती" चे २ खंड आणि बाबासाहेबांच्या कथाकथनाच्या सीडीज मिळणार आहेत. आता नोंदणी केल्यास एप्रिलमध्ये पुस्तकं मिळणार. ही सोय केवळ ज्यांची खाती आहेत अश्यांसाठीच आहे का ते मला माहित नाही. आणखी एक गोष्ट म्हणजे नाव, पत्ता वगैरे बाबी ३ वेळा भराव्या लागतील - एक कॉपी Bank साठी, एक नोंदणी करणाऱ्यासाठी आणि एक पुरंदरे प्रकाशनसाठी.

Happy New Year

Here it is. The very last post of 2013. I go into 2014 with only one resolution - to become a better person. And hope to God to stick to it, come what may.

So, here's wishing all of you a Very Happy, Fulfilling, Healthy and Wealthy New Year!

ADIOS 2013!

HOLA 2014!