CHANDIGARH INDEX


Body business
Gayatri Rajwade

Body beautiful never had it better. A ‘lift’ here and a ‘fluff’ there and voila you could turn into India’s answer to Pamela Anderson! Why? Because this country is fast emerging as the one-stop shop for cosmetic surgery and our very own city is contributing widely to this burgeoning trend.

And it is not just the resident populace at large, it is a flurry of outsiders who are thronging to get those Botox injection, collagen induced pouts (a la Angelina Jolie!) and of course, those nips, tucks and enhancements to look perfect.

According to research reports on the Indian healthcare sector, medical tourism is valued at over $ 310 million with over 100,000 foreign patients coming every year. The market is predicted to grow to $ 2.2 billion by 2011.

However, going to someone qualified is important for any procedure not done correctly, can go wrong. 

Hear it from the horse’s mouth. In this case, 28 –ear-old British model Toni Samantha Wildish who is firmly ensconced at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, after having her second breast augmentation job done, along with ‘bosom’ buddy Karen Cook, who has also gone through the same procedure. “India is the best for cosmetic surgery,” is her firm refrain.

She has done her research well, she insists.

Toni came here first at the beginning of the year in complete despair when a breast augmentation procedure in Prague, Czechoslovakia, went completely wrong, paralysing her on the right side and leaving her with asymmetrical breasts. “I had gone to many doctors all over but none of them could give me any assurances. When I came to India I met with Dr Kapoor at Fortis and his first reaction to me was no problem.”

Indeed, Dr K. M. Kapoor, Senior Consultant, Cosmetic Surgery at Fortis, is her guardian angel or shall we say tooth fairy for making her dreams come true!

A breast enhancement in January this year, another one on August 21, last week and despite her obvious voluptuousness, Toni is definite she is coming back soon for the entire size limit permissible for breast implants before the year is out! For her, her doctor is the wisest!

‘No problem’ is, in fact, the guiding mantra for those wanting that sculpted look. Toni is now bringing in clients from the UK in December for the same procedure she has undergone just like she brought Karen along this time. “I picked the size for her, because she did not know,” smiles Toni.

Karen, mother of five children and working in a bar wanted a breast job done to “feel confident and look good.”

The answer lies here for as Toni puts it, “every woman has the right to look and feel good. It is my body and if I feel comfortable then why should anyone say anything.”

Toni’s modelling career works on the adage ‘bigger is better for more work’ and indeed her career is soaring post her augmentation. A documentary on her terrible experience and a show on glamour models apart from featuring in most of the prominent women magazines she seems to be doing it all.

It is also giving her the perfect platform to talk about the hazards of going to the wrong place. “I spent my 28th birthday in hospital so I want people to know that going to the right place is more important than saving a few bucks.”

Toni’s work is not done.

At the Botox party at Fortis on Thursday, Toni volunteered for the live Botox shots to remove the lines on her face along with visiting Delhi model Deepika who got it done to enhance her eyebrows!

Ah, looking good has, perhaps, never been this easy.





Dating adultery

Justify it as an aftermath of hype created by channels on the television! Or love for Shah Rukh khan! The fact remains that “KANK” is luring even the teenagers, says Saurabh Malik

Emotionless love among couples tied down by the knots of matrimony in the times of adultery may still be a distant reality for so many starry-eyed teenagers shouting sweet nothings over the din of juke box music in fast food joints across the city. But Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kahena sure is fascinating them.

No wonder, in the flick of real life they are leaving behind their parents in the protective seclusion of their homes and offices for knowing something more about the working of a neo-permissive society where young men leave their wives for others, happily and officially. And walking out of legally wedded relationships for extra-marital affairs is apparently justified.

Climax reversed

“If the 70s, the 80s and the 90s saw the parents leave behind their little ones to watching Satyam Shivam Sundram, Insaaf Ka Tarazu and Ram Teri Ganga Meli, the youngsters in 2006 are saying goodbye to them to them to watch Kabhi Alvida Na Kahena,” swears young business executive with a multinational consumer goods company-cum-movie buff Neeraj Gupta.

If you are having any doubts about the movie’s popularity among teenyboppers, just drive down to Piccadilly and other cinema halls screening the movie in and around the city. You will find so many younglings shifting weight from one leg to another in long unending queues waiting for their turn to buy the tickets.

Ask them and the little ones simply say they have heard so much about the movie from their friends and television channels that they took the decision of skipping classes for watching the stuff.

Maybe, the lure of the unattractive is too hard for them to resist. Or, it is the aftermath of hype created by the channels on the small screen. Call it whatever you like, the fact remains that the movie is pulling crowd of youngsters, incessantly.

BULBS: STORAGE AND PROPAGATION
Joyshri Lobo

Bulbs are seasonal and therefore qualify for different storage procedures. Summer bulbs are left in the ground, to come up on their own the following year. Winter bulbs are dug out and put in dark, airy spaces. I find that in Chandigarh, except for exotic, cold climate bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, hybrid gladiollii and irises, most bulbs can be left in the soil.

When flowers have stopped blooming, the foliage starts fading and drying out. Do not cut this as the bulb below is still manufacturing food for the hibernation period. A bit like bears in winter! Do not tie the foliage either. It is a typical maali habit. Without air circulation, the leaves get fungus which is passed onto the bulb below. The bulb plot is going to look scruffy during this process. Therefore it is essential that during planting, you surround the bed with flowers which will bloom and form a screen as your bulbs are fading away.

Completely dry foliage can be cut off with sharp shears, very close to the ground. Try not to use this as mulch as it is a source of fungus.

As mentioned earlier, winter bulbs need to be carefully dug out, put into thick paper bags and stored just above the vegetable tray, in a dry spot, in the fridge. No plastic bags please! Paper absorbs excess moisture. If you have a dark cellar or basement, these can be stored there in cardboard cartons.

March is the ideal time for bulb division. The following signs indicate the need for multiplication:

Last year’s bulbs did not give good quality blooms this season. The soil is “heaving”, meaning that the bulb has thrown out little ones and their profusion is pushing the soil up into ugly mounds.

Three years is the approximate time lapse between the division of bulbs.

DIVISION

Dig deep and away from the bulb, so as to not hurt new plants. Shake off excess soil. Do not wash the clump. Break off new bulbs or cut them with a clean, sharp knife. Most bulbs can tolerate some injury. In any case, tubers and rhizomes have often to be cut. Be sure to apply Blitox or copper sulphate (neela thotha) to the exposed edges, to avoid disease.

Only retain clean, healthy bulbs. Throw away ones that smell bad, are squishy, pitted or black. Do not use these as compost as they are diseased and infectious.

Colour your lips
Rachna Nehria

Lucky are those people who have glossy, red, rose petal lips. Aspire for lips like Anjelina Joli or Ashwarya Rai? Lipstick is one, which can enhance beauty of your lips and give you your dream pouts.

Lipstick is an essential part of our make-up kit. It gives the perfect shape and tint to our lips. It provides an even skin tone. A wide range of different lip products and shades are in the market, which not only make lips attractive but also protect them from cracks and damages.

Choose the shade according to the size of your lips and skin tone. Nude colour looks fine on large sized lips and also appears bit slender. “Lips look very plumper in dark colours so lip balm and light shades give a perfect shape to lips,” says Harjinder Kaur, a make-up artist. Girls trying for those model-like pouts do not have to go for a cosmetic surgery. One can get it with a simple outliner or some lip filler can give them wide-mouth look.

Matching colours for different skin tone is important to achieve that stunning look. A loud shade complements dusky skin. Colours like rose, bronze, copper, wines, deep chocolates and ruby are perfect for this skin tone. And for fair complexion fuchsia, little gold, lilac, caramel and pastel pinks are ideal.

Creamy matte or velvet matte has replaced the regular arid matte and shimmer your lips with lip-gloss in the daytime but its matte in night. If it’s oily skin, apply a bit of powder on lips to avoid you lip colour from getting smeared.

“Asian women have warm skin colour and dark shades like brown, berry, pink and rose complement their skin tone”, says Gagan Anand, divisional trainer, Avon.

COOL STUFF
Matrix – Shades for the season

Matrix, American’s number one professional products range launched its latest striking hair colour collection of mocha shades for the season. SOCOLOR. Beauty: this hair colour range contains patented formula of natural oil derivative and a dual action catonic conditioning system for added protection, supplements and glossy shine for your hair.

Mocha collection has four delicious new shades ranging from deep chocolates to latte lights. These permanent hair colour shades combine both warm and cool tones to achieve stunning brown and blond colour effects with beautiful clarity and long lasting wear. The protective conditioning complex leaves hair radiant, shiny and feels silky smooth to the touch.

‘Art in the Bedroom’

India’s most contemporary fashion designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, has tied up with Bombay Dyeing, India’s leading bed and bath brand for a unique venture. For the first time in the history of Indian design, Art and Fashion meet Contemporary Living with the ‘Bombay Dyeing Sabyasachi Signature Line’ - an extravagant avant-garde ‘Art in the Bedroom’. This range is an exquisitely crafted bed and bath line with masterstrokes from the designer Sabyasachi that reflects his trademark eclectic fusion design themes with traditional Indian motifs rendered into contemporary form. With this range home décor is escalated to the next level in fashion.

This is also the first time ever that an Indian designer, known for his immaculate fashion lines that continues to create waves across the world – has entered into the category of designing for the home space, with a range exclusively designed for Bombay Dyeing.

The creation explores earthy shades that are the fashion forecast for the season and design themes inspired by various motifs from around the world. Each of the collection range sees a combination of unusual colour and design themes. For instance, traditional African motifs have been co-ordinated with contemporary stripes and plains. Floral prints, polka dots, stripes and checks are seen on a single bed sheet which are further complimented with pillow cases that can be mixed and matched to impart a whole new look to the bed everyday.

Another news channel

To integrate the synergies between its English and Hindi news channels, Television Eighteen Network (TV-18) has launched IBN 7 (formerly Channel 7) with an aim to reach out to the Hindi news viewers across the country. IBN 7, a 24-hour Hindi news channel. The on-air look, including the channel ID, programme stings, on-air graphics will give the channel a contemporary look and feel. The logo of IBN 7 in red, black and white reflects the brand identity and corporate philosophy of GBN, which is in-sync with CNN-IBN.

Koutons opens 325th showroom

Koutons, one of India’s leading menswear brands, is all set to further strengthen its hold in the menswear market. Kouton’s 325th Gallery opened in the city of Chandigarh in Rajdeep Collections, SCO No. 47-48, and Sector 17. The people of Chandigarh can look forward to another great shopping experience. The showroom houses the complete range of Koutons menswear, ladies wear and accessories. The range of products consists of all that is needed to satisfy the aspirational values of today’s fashion conscious customers. The exhaustive range of products and designs is large enough to take care of a man’s wardrobe requirements and has been made available by the wide spread network of Koutons exclusive brand showrooms across India, says Mr. H.S. Sidhu, Executive Vice President Koutons India Retail Ltd. Company is offering 50+20 %(condition apply) discount offer, says Mr. Goswami, General Manager, North Koutons India Retail Ltd.

New range of Lighting

Usha Lexus, India’s leading home appliances brand launched its new range of Lighting for the consumers. The new Eurolex CFL range promises to revolutionize lighting and give the consumers their money’s worth. The CFL are not just bulbs but a revolutionary new way of lighting which promises to be economical and practical.

The Eurolex CFL range is five times more efficient and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. A 20-watt CFL has about the same light output as a 100-watt incandescent. Cost effectiveness is another benefit, followed by its high quality lighting, and its environment friendliness The Eurolex CFL uses 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs. The Eurolex CFL uses 1/5 the electricity and last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs. A single 20-watt CFL used in place of a 100 watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime.

Delicious Sandwich Spreads

Fun Foods, one of India’s largest and most trusted names in the food industry, brings to you, a variety of innovative Sandwich Spreads. These 100% Vegetarian Sandwich Spreads are cheesy and delicious that makes your day-to-day cooking easy, hassle free and fun. No cooking, no mixing, no chopping, no heating, Just Spread It.

Specially designed for modern and contemporary living, these sandwich spreads are a convenient food beyond comparison. Fun Foods range of sandwich spreads makes some of the creamiest and tastiest sandwiches. They come in four different variants: Sandwich Spreads and its eggless version that are delicately flavored creamy base with tomatoes, cheese, cucumbers and carrots. Cheese n chilli Spread, that has a cheesy and tomato base with a trace of chilli just enough to tingle the Indian taste buds. Cheese and Mushroom spread that, changes an all time favourite Sandwich into an exotic gourmet meal with the right balance of cheese and a magical touch of Mushrooms. Priced reasonably at Rs.65/- per 300 gms these Spreads are easily available at all leading stores across the city.

Bike with an electric start

TVS Motor Company, has launched a new version of 125 cc Victor GLX with an electric start option. This new feature will add to its sporty style with new graphics and alloy wheels to suit the tastes of discerning customers. The other unique feature offered only in its segment is the Air Suspension - Gas filled shock absorbers for good comfort and hassle free riding.

With a design that is high on looks and performance, the 125 cc Victor GLX targets the popular segment riders on the lookout for better styling and power, with mileage as a clinching factor. The Victor GLX provides nimble handling and riding comfort enabling easy maneuvering even in busy city traffic.

Keen attention to detail, marks this new offering. Neat Creases and bulges and snazzy dual tone graphics translates to an amazing Road presence. An angular clear lens and halogen equipped headlight resides within a bikini front behind which the Victor GLX offers stunning instruments – large, sited within twin pods and very comfortable to read. The Victor GLX 125 prices start from Rs. 42,950/- onwards.

Saapna’s piya

Saapna Mukerji is back with yet another album Mere Piya. It is a combination of dreamy love, melody and poetry.

Who can forget her Tera saath hai kitna pyaara...., a chartbuster from the Feroz Khan’s Jaanbaaz. This and many more of her tracks that have become a part of our own love lives.

Her new album Mere Piya was launched in Mumbai by Lata Mangeshkar.

Mere Piya has been produced by Sahara India Pariwar with music being released and marketed by T – Series. The music for the album is composed by Raju Singh and Pt. Satyanarayan Mishra, consists of seven love songs. It also has one soulful duet sung of Saapna Mukerji and Sonu Nigam.

Says the delighted Saapna Mukerji, “Mere Piya is extremely special for me since it has being launched by my idol Lata Didi. God has indeed been very kind and generous to me. Also, I am extremely thankful to Sahara India Pariwar and T-Series for their support in this entire endeavor.”

Saapna Mukerji began her career in 1986. She has sung more than 100 songs in numerous films. In a very short span of time, she proved her calibre by winning the Filmfare Award for Oye-Oye, from Rajiv Rai super duper hit Tridev. She has also received the India Sangeet Award and Critic’s Award for the Best Female Playback Singer for the film Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, in which she had sung for A.R. Rehman.

So for all those people out there who wants to learn all about love, Saapna Mukerji has defined it in like never before.

—DP

Fantastic Five

Five young boys from this region have braved the cold and rocky terrain to enter their names in Limca Book of Records, reports Smriti Sharma

What thrills the modern youth and keeps their adrenaline pumping up and about? Perhaps it’s the cosmetics, designer apparels for cheeky lasses and hi-tech laptops, latest i-pods for boys may be. But for this motley of five young boys; it is traversing the rocky terrains and braving the icy cold weather that gives them a definitive high. Combined with this they had a noble mission to accomplish.

Yes, we are talking about Rajwant Singh, Karan Datta, Harsimranjit Singh Gill, Amit Raj and Ashish Gupta who went on an expedition from Hussainiwala in Ferozepur on the Indo-Pak border to Chishul on Indo–China border by road covering a whopping distance of 1237 km. Not only did they cover the entire distance passing through the perilous terrains of Manali towards the snow laden Rohtang Pass on to the Changla Pass, near Leh, finally ending at Chishul but also managed to wrap it up in a record time of 53 hours and 45 minutes. The outcome of such a tiring journey was obviously bravura. These ‘fantastic five’ are now the proud ones to have their names entered in the Limca Book of Records, 2006, for their journey, which they fondly entitled “Expdo”.

Expdo as they admit was not any child’s play. “Not only we braved chilly weather all through but also encountered other practical problems like the bad fuel (owing to the absence of any decent petrol pump in Leh) leading to other problems like overheating and knocking in our vehicle, not being allowed to cross over from the last Indian check post even though we had the permission which further resulted in loss of precious time, exhausted oxygen cylinder (at the time when we needed it the most!), dizziness due to excessive travelling et al,” informs Rajwant, the leader.

“So much had the problems taken the toll over us that for once we lost all the hopes of finishing the journey in time,” recounts Karan. But what kept them going was the zeal to accomplish the task at hand and the motive behind it. “We sensed the seriousness of the obvious and not so obvious hurdles we were facing and also the ones which we might have to face later. Deep inside our hearts we also feared the truth that all this could lead to an abandonment of the expedition,” adds Harsimran.

Nevertheless, it was their sheer will power and a promise to stand by each other throughout the expedition that finally led to the feat. The journey just didn’t end there. These youngsters for their love of the road and to encourage others like them to take on the difficult terrains have come up with a website, ‘www.expdo.in’ which features the entire information about Expdo and their earlier excursions, fascinating pictures and wall papers of this expedition et al. “For all those who wish to embark such a journey can get in touch with us through this website and we can provide them with all the necessary information, ”says Rajwant, the brain behind the expedition and the website. He already has guided a group of nine friends on their excursion to Leh. With recognition already under their belts who can stop these fearsome five!

MAAN MADE
Gayatri Rajwade

Does the longing of being one with the muse actually make it happen? In the case of singer, actor Gurdas Maan, the answer is yes. “I have been reading Waris Shah’s poetry since I was a child. When I sat alone in the fields or did my riyaaz, I thought first of Heer. This is the great Sufi poet’s vardaan, blessing to me.”

This sanctification holds great meaning for Maan for he is portraying his muse, the sufiana poet Waris Shah in Sai Productions’ Punjabi film, Waris Shah, Ishq Daa Waaris.

In the city for the release of the film’s music on Thursday, Maan paid rich lyrical ode to the poet. “For me, he is more than a bard who suffused the region with this works. He is a great philosopher who described everything with sweet, refined beauty. He is the essence of Punjabiyat, of shabdavali (the spoken word), of music, of poetry, of the very soul of the region. For me, he is a pir.”

Bringing Waris Shah to life was not easy. “There is just one line which mentions the name of his village Jandiala Sher Khan (in Pakistan) and his guru Maqdoom,” explains Maan. But everyone associated with the film—Director Manoj Punj, producer Manjeet Maan—even the actors worked hard to bring to the fore whatever they could find through his works, weaving it into the story of a man whose words still echo around the countryside of Punjab.

For Maan, it is the culmination of a dream. “I believe I was to portray this fakir who is so much a part of my soul and I believe what has to happen will start to unfold much earlier in one’s life. That to me explains my love and reverence for his written word.” Indeed, the songs for the film, written by Maan took him just one and a half sittings to complete and all his attention is focussed on getting this one film right. Nothing can distract him and he will not go looking for work either. “When someone calls me, I am there but I will not go ask,” he says. So how did the song in Veer Zaara happen? “I really do not believe I have a voice for playback. When I was offered the song, I asked Yash Chopra why me, but he said that Amitabh Bachchan himself had recommended it.”

But the conversation keeps coming back to his favourite pir and as the meeting winds down to a close his delight and passion for Waris finds moving eloquence. “I really believe when you devote yourself with purity of spirit you reap the harvest of it. When I sing Heer alone, I feel someone is listening to me. It is so quiet, peaceful and pure, like a prayer.”

FILM &  FASHION
Doharty behind bars

Pete Doherty, the lead singer of the band Babyshambles and Kate Moss’ boyfriend, was put behind bars yesterday after being charged with seven counts of possessing drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Doherty has had a string of previous drug arrests, with the latest coming after he was stopped by police in a London street last week on suspicion of drug possession. According to the Daily Mail, he will now appear before Thames Magistrates’ Court, in Bow, east London. The star, who has had a long-running heroin addiction, recently insisted that he is trying to be clean after coming out of a Portugese rehab clinic.

Paltrow loves English garden

Hollywood beauty Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed that she finds London the perfect place to bring up her two kids. The Shakespeare In Love star is married to Coldplay front man Chris Martin and loves spending time in her garden with the couple’s children, Apple and Moses.

“Most days I’m in my garden, in sweatpants, with the children.

It’s so nice to have a big garden with a lawn in the middle of the city. In New York, we just don’t have that sort of thing,” she was quoted by Contactmusic, as saying. “I love the idea that I can get dressed up and go to galleries or the theatre, but then I come back to the quiet Hampstead area, which is like Santa Monica, California, where I grew up when I was little. There’s an easy living here,” she added.

Smell it like Beckhams

English soccer captain David Beckham and his wife ex Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, have unveiled ‘Intimate Beckham’, their own line of his-and-her fragrances. The scents were unveiled by two Beckham look-alikes at a launch party in London on Sunday and are set to +hit stores in Britain. David Beckham “is a portrait of modern masculinity” and his signature scent is a combination of grapefruit zest, bergamot and cardamom. While Victoria Beckham, is a “multitalented mother, wife, businesswoman and style icon” and her perfume is a mixture of lilies, tuberose, orange blossom, vanilla, sandalwood and musk.

Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow

David Beckham already has a cologne to his name, ‘Instinct’, and has sold more than 50,000 bottles at Superdrug, a U.K. chain.
“It has proved to be enormously popular and is one of our best-selling brands. The Beckham brand has a very wide appeal, particularly to people who read celebrity magazines and think that Posh is really fabulous. They will buy the fragrances because they like them as a couple and aspire to what they have,” Eonline! quoted a Superdrug spokeswoman as telling the Independent.

Connery in cartoons

After playing British secret agent James Bond, and Indiana Jones’ father, Hollywood legend Sir Sean Connery is about to start a brand new adventure. This time however, he’s going to be the star of a new Scottish cartoon.

Sir Sean Connery

A taste of Awadhi splendor

Five hundred years after the great Mughals brought along with the splendor exotic spices, dried fruit, and nuts, along with deliciously new cooking methods; the charm — like the aroma of well-cooked food — continues to linger.

No wonder, food festivals, commemorating preparations from the land of the Mughals, seldom fail to bake steaming-hot excitement among so many city residents. And when the restaurants offer foodstuff that promises to cook up bygone grandeur surrounding the Awadh nawabs, the ingredients are just right for a perfect meal in faultless ambience.

So folks get down to the business of some serious eating. Just drive down to Moti Mahal in Sector 17 and digest the new concept of chow fiesta by savouring food from the land of the Mughals during the on-going “Awadh Food Festival” that promises to tickle the taste buds till September 3.

The traces of excitement are unmistakable. As you cross the joint offering Tandoori Chooza and other delicacies, the aroma of spring chicken marinated overnight lures you indoors. The tang mingles with a hint of exotic spices to give the flavour of the Mughal delicacy here in the city.

If you are hot for the stuff, just gratify your taste buds with an abundance of mutton shanks cooked in raw and brown onions mixed with yogurt. You see the weather with a hint of niceness is just right for you to savour the stuff.

So for once, forget all about your busy schedule and enjoy the delectable cuisine at leisure. Go in for Makhmali Murg or else Nehari Gosht with mutton cooked in bone-marrow gravy.

You see, until a few years ago, one had few options even during food festivals as the restaurants were not offering a rich variety. Undoubtedly you could enjoy “Malai Koftas” or “Gosht in a Handi”, but hardly anything else.

But now the dishes are more and merrier. Pick up the menu card and you will find stuff like “Seekh Do Rukhi” or else “Murg Potli Kabab”. You can also order chicken delicately cooked in rich almond and cashew gravy, or even mashed vegetables and corn seekh kabab.

“The authentic harmonious blend with unique flavour and authentic royal Avadhi touch is prepared by `specialty chef’ from Lucknow and is served with tehzeeb associated with the great Awadh nawabs,” says proprietor Sanjay Ahuja. “The festival endeavours to provide a fine dining experience with enigmatic taste that is sure to transport you to the past”.

Happy eating, folks!

— Saurabh Malik

Bon Appetit
Dieter’s Dilemma
Kandla Nijhowne

The Japanese eat little fat, and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British and the Americans. The French eat lots of fat, yet suffer fewer heart attacks than the British and the Americans. The Italians drink a lot of red wine, yet have fewer cardiac problems than the British and the Americans. A logical conclusion? Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you!

Why is it that my friend Ms A. gobbles down twice as much as I do, and still looks like toothpicks in boots? On the other hand, Ms B starves herself silly, but continues to sport truck-tyres and a corrugated set of chins!

There are no clear-cut answers to this unfair scenario, but ,by and large, consuming leafy veggies, fruit, whole grains, pulses, nuts, white meats and cold-pressed oils( like mustard and sesame) can help us jog towards a healthier, leaner silhouette.

Check this out for size this week !

The inspiration to combine pasta and our good ol’ baingan comes  from Catania in Sicily. There, it is called Pasta alla Norma, in honour of the town’s famous son, Bellini, and his opera, Norma. 3 tbsp olive oil 1 slim aubergine cut into roundels 4 cloves garlic, sliced 3 cups tomato puree 250 gms pappardelle (flat, ribbon noodles) 100 gms cottage cheese 1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sugar

Salt, pepper and chilli sauce to taste Basil leaves

Method

Brush aubergine slices with oil and grill on low heat till tender, flipping over, once. Alongside, take a heavy pan and cook the garlic, using the rest of the oil. Add the puree after a couple of minutes, Sprinkle in the seasoning, sugar and oregano and simmer till thickened. Boil water in a large vessel and plunge in the pappardelle along with half a tsp of salt. Cook till tender. Drain and add to the ready sauce. Toss together and adjust seasoning. Make discs of cottage cheese, using a cookie-cutter. Warm gently on a non-stick pan, seasoning lightly. Dish out the warm pasta on to a platter, arranging the aubergine and cheese alongside. A garnishing of torn basil would complete the picture.

Sizzling hot dogs

Hot dogs are sizzling in the dog days of 2006 like never before. In fact, the American street food is giving hunger pangs not just to the students tasting youth in university and college campuses. Even not so young city residents are flipping through the dog-eared menu cards before ordering the scrumptious foodstuff for tickling their taste buds with an abundance of excitement.

The whiff is unmistakable. As you cross the joints offering a heady combination of cheese and chilies stuffed in the hot dogs, the aroma of potatoes fried with loads of tomatoes lures you indoors. The tang mingles with a hint of white and black pepper to give you all-in-one flavour.

You have tasted the foodstuff; now know something about its history. Information available on the Internet says the stuff was sold by the vendors was called Hot Dachshund. As the Americans found it difficult to pronounce, they started calling it hot dog.

It is, probably, now the most popular fast food in America . In fact, each state has its own version: To begin with, you have New York Street Dog, Chicago Red Rochester White Hot and New England Fenway Frank…

If you are hot for the stuff, just drive down to your favourite haunt and gratify your taste buds by indulging in some fun with delectable vegetable hotdogs, or even the ones full of non-vegetarian stuff topped with thick tomato ketchup.

Right folks; for once forget all your tensions about gaining weight, or spending too much money and time waiting for the stuff to arrive on a platter. Simply order indigenous hot dog, or the one prepared the Mexican style. The choice is yours, entirely.

You see, until a few years ago, one had few options as not many fast food joints and restaurants across the city were offering a rich variety in hot dogs. Undoubtedly you could order long-buns stuffed with alu-ki-tikkis, but hardly anything else.

Otherwise also, hot dogs were not exactly on the priority list of many residents, even the youngsters. Abstinence was the buzz word as they associated hot dogs with pork — prohibited in majority of homes across the city.

But now the range is more and merrier. Pick up the menu card and you will find stuff like “Yankee hot dog with cheese”. You can also order “Mexican chili dog with cheese”, just in case you wish to go in for something in non-vegetarian.

And then there is this new lip smacking desi version of the foodstuff. Visit some of the fast-food kiosks in the sector markets in the evenings and you will find people lined up for “Makhni Hot Dog”.

“The stuff’s popularity can be gauged from the fact that so many residents refer to hot dogs as ‘comfort food’”, says Suneel Anand of Andy’s Hot Shoppe in Sector 37. “It is convenient to carry around and eat on way to office, college or home…. the chicken and vegetarian varieties are more popular here”.

Anand adds that the sale of hot dogs has barked up the charts during the past two or three years with the mall and the BPO culture invading this part of the region. But the sale is still less compared to America. For, a person picking up the stuff from roadside carts is a common sight in New York. Statistically speaking, an American eats an average of 80 hot dogs a year.

If you are going to Hot Millions, remember to go in for “Vegi Hot Dog”. You will get the stuff for less than Rs 50. In case you wish to order something in non-vegetarian, go for “Yankee Hot Dog with cheese”. By paying something like Rs 14 extra, you can even add “fries” to the order. The ambience, and the setting, is otherwise also fit for a perfect evening for two.

At Food Swings in Sector 17, you can order “Vegetable Sausages with or without cheese” and even “Chicken Sausages Paprika” under the hot dog category. The stuff is ranging between Rs 30 and Rs 40, plus taxes. Sounds yummy, indeed! — Saurabh Malik

Bread dessert
Navneet Kaur Hundal

The commoner amongst food—Bread—is probably the greatest cultural binder of all time, eaten as it is by almost everyone, everywhere!

This humble filler, of course, comes with a list of avatars to translate its value into something more exotic and none takes the cake as sweetly as the Chocolate Bread Pudding does.

Here is a quick and easy recipe to turn your day-old loaf into dessert, most delicious.

Take 12 slices of white bread, preferably a day old. Remove the brown fringes around it and cut the slices into four equal parts. Collect the brown edges and crumbs into a pan adding half a kilo of milk, 200 grams of dairy milk chocolate, 450 grams of cream and sugar to taste. Add 2 tablespoons of dark rum and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Prepare the mixture on a low-flame. Let the mixture melt properly and keep stirring it. After the proper blend, remove the pan from the fire. Give it a strong stir till it all becomes a thick paste.

Napoleon gave the common bread its name when he demanded a loaf of dark rye bread for his horse during the Prussian campaign. “Pain pour Nicole,” he ordered, which meant “Bread for Nicole,” his horse. To Germanic ears, the request sounded like “pumpernickel,” which is the term used for a traditional loaf.

Take the cut rectangular pieces of the bread next in a separate pan and fry them until brown.

Take a big bowl and place the fried pieces in it. Pour the paste over them and refrigerate for 25 minutes.

Serve chilled.

Health tip of the day

When using a heating pad or hot pack for relief of pain at the back one should never lie on the pad. Instead the pad should be placed on the back while lying face downwards.

— Dr. Ravinder Chadha





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