Chronicles Of The Sassy Fork

We went to Pench Forest Reserve,the jungle Rudyard Kipling based Mowgli's story Jungle Book in.Located two and a half hours from Nagpur,it lies in Satpura Hills in Madhya Pradesh.The temperature was 5 degrees centigrade in the mornings increasing gradually to 20 degrees in the afternoon.There are several resorts in the area including Kipling's Retreat run by the Madhya Pradesh, Baghvan Pench Jungle Lodge (where we were),Tuli's Tiger Corridor and Pench Jungle Camp. I thought we'd be the first ones when we wrapped ourselves in two sweaters,two blankets,muffler,monkey cap and hand warmer and arrived there at 6.30 am but there were many others! Some sipping hot chai at the tea stall.The hot water bag provided by Baghvan was a source of great comfort.We wore clothes in brown and green to blend in with the forest At the gate,a forest guide joined us.Our naturalist Sangeeta,well versed in her subject and with excellent diction, drove us in the safar...

In my childhood,Sweden to me meant pen friends! Then it was the Nobel Prize ceremony,a seat to which is coveted by so many! As I grew older,it was the Ikea store....something I discovered in America...gorgeous furniture and home items! Henceforth when I think of Sweden,I will think of "Glogg".We were invited to the home of Fredrika Ornbrant,the Swedish Consul General for a Christmas  Glogg (spiced wine) event.Fredrika is charming,friendly and pretty young! Glogg is a drink served at Christmas time in homes,restaurants and on the streets.It is warm wine with spices such as cinnamon,cardamom,cloves and ginger.Every culture has food that has a rationale behind it.In this case,it is to keep out the harsh winter cold.It is also served without alcohol as a concoction made with berry juice.Berries such as lingonberries are available all over Sweden.People also go to forests to pick them.These are added to savory dishes as well.Lingonberries are a rich source of antioxidant...

It's December,not exactly winter but definitely time for the Upper Crust Food and Wine Show.I make it a point to attend every year,looking out for new products and food concepts. This year the dish of the event for me was the lipsmacking Barley Slaw (with barley,cabbage,capsicum with a dressing of olive oil,lime,honey and mustard) at the Sushi and More stall.The Japanese call barley Oomugi.I have had it in Scotch Broth and loved it. Barley is a rich source of insoluble fibre and can be cooked with rice or aata (wheat flour).It is a whole grain and reduces blood sugar levels by slowing down absorption of sugar from food,has beneficial effects on cholesterol and blood pressure. There were no nonveg items at the stall.There was a dish called Okonomiyaki which is a Japanese Savoury Pancake. At a neighbouring stall,I had the Pasta...made with tomato,basil and garlic paste.Was delightful.Hard to tell the sauce wasn't freshly made.No doubt that one ma...