Winters in Mumbai.

When the wind blows cold
and skin turns white
when the days turn shorter
and longer are the night

When the lotion industries prosper
along with cotton factories
when the cold breeze caress
every single leaf of a tree

Mumbai winters are a treat
enjoyed by poor rich and all
whether its espresso shots at barista
or a roadside cutting chai stall

The joy of swathed in sheets
and the AC turned full blast
is a winter treat for us
while uncle sam looks aghast

Someone correctly said
that winters are the worst for those with no warm memories to spare
but don't you love winters? with thick sweaters and miniskirts to bare

Of all winter memories
I've seen in Mumbai
includes hot sambhar from Mrs rai
or even better was the hot shot in a suit drinking roadside chai

Winters are my favorite seasons
strawberry malai ice cream in naturals
and a host of other reasons

Winter brings all this
plus a treat called santa
honored by marathi tamil and gujratis and plus mr braganza

Mumbai winters are best enjoyed
by students with early morning classes
oh the lovely joy of cracked lips and fogged up glasses

I have no clue how to end this poem
with so much left to say
i wish winter lasts long
I'm not eagerly waiting for May.

35 Things to eat in Mumbai.

“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”
― Orson Welles

Orson Welles, like countless other people share a love for food. Who doesn't like eating. It is going to be an absurdly dull world if there was no food.You see those people in health food stores? They are pale skinny and they may live longer than us, and then you duck your head inside one of the many eateries in Bombay and once you've ordered food, take a look around, sure they aren't skinny but they are happy.
On this note I have compiled 35 of my favorite food items in the whole of Bombay. I hope they satisfy and are wildly helpful.

“You can't just eat good food. You've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Jailbird

1. Filter coffee. - Thambis, near Matunga station.

2. Schezwan cheese dosa. - Thambis, near Matunga station.

3. Chips Shawarma. - Tamia, just beside DPs, Matunga.
I personally find calling it Shawarma really silly, isn't it Shorma?
Nevertheless it is delicious. And if you feel a little adventurous, have it spicy.

4. Sea salt macaroon. - Le15 Patisserie.
There is a lot of hubbub about Le15, a tiny cute place in Phoenix, the cupcakes there were not to my liking but the Sea salt macaroon were the best ones I have ever tasted.

5. Red Velvet cupcakes with Cream cheese. - LSD : Love Sugar Dough, Carter Road.

6. Butter Chicken Kolhapuri style. - MIG Club.

7. Paneer Cheese balls. - Dadar Mumbai 28, Dadar.
as amazing the name of this eatery is, this warm cheesy and spicy starter is the only nice thing there.

8. Coffee ice cream. - Haagen Daz, Phoenix.
Haagen Daz is not a place from where you leave from in a hurry, but if you need to leave fast, pick up the coffee ice cream, the best thing there. The sundaes are worth it only if you're with a large group of friends or have an hour to sit and enjoy the whole thing.

9. French fries. - McDonald's.
a silly entry, but there is something about hot salty french fries that makes the world a better place.

10. Chimichanga. - Ovenfresh, Dadar.
One of my favorite eateries. Chimichnaga is like a huge crisply coated medley of beans and sauces which as Gary would say, has bags of flavors. The guacamole, cold yogurt and the spicy red sauce served along with it is something you must immediately scrape into your plate because that just sets the entire dish off perfectly. And also, try the Lime Mint Green Cooler there.

11. Caesar's Salad. - Quench, near Lilavati Hospital.
I was always skeptical about salads but tried this as a gimmick and fell head over heels for it. No dirty mayo, no bitter taste, just lots of baby tomatoes, romaine lettuce, olives and a creamy dressing. Worth going there just for this. And the nachos there are okay ish, and try the Chicken Crunch.

12. Blueberry Cheesecake. - Candies.
The best one I have ever tasted in my entire 17 years. No dirt thick crust or sticky artificial cream cheese but a crisp thin layer of crust, blobs of rich cream cheese and a blueberry sauce drizzled all over.

13. Caesars Salad - Manchester United Cafe, Phoenix.

14. Chicken Tikka. - Cafe Leopold's.

15. Thai Green Curry. - MIG Club.

16. Possibly everything that Bademiyans has to offer.

17. Hyderabadi Korma. - Banana Leaf.

18. Cheese Masala sandwhich. - Jay sandwich, near National College.

19. Schezwan Cheese frankie. - Quality frankies, near McDonald's.

20. The large grilled cheese sandwich. - Sandwizza, near Santacruz station.

21. Grilled sandwich. - Right place, Breach Candy.

22. Amars pav bhaji. - Juhu beach.

23. Chicken Satellite sizzler with rice. - Yokos.

24. Kheema with pav. - Koolar Cafe, more famously known as Irani cafe, Maheswari udyan, Matunga.

25. Mutton Biryani. - Noorani.

26. Chicken tikka kebab. - Zaffran.

27. Sweet corn with mayo and mint sauce. - Jawahar nagar, Goregaon.

28. Chicken tikka biryani. - Aidens fast food, Goregaon.

29. Butter chicken. - Bhagdidi, Colaba.

30. Chicken lasagne. - Indigo cafe.

31. Nutella crepe. - Suzzette.

32. Burger. - Modern VT.

33. Pasta. - Ambrosia.

34. The open air stalls near MAFCO, almost every roll is amazing there.

35. Pudina Aloo kulcha. - Kailash Parbat.

Hope you have as much fun eating all this as I have.
Thank you to all my hungry and glutinous friends who gave me their suggestions and a deepest regards to the ones I have eaten all this with.

Have You Seen Me Lately Mother?

Have you seen me lately mother?
So tall I am now, so strong
I have a moustache now
And my hair is long

I help father in the woods
Chopping and heaving
And was the baby's face
To make sure the fever is leaving

I help you make tea mother
And shop for you in the bazar
I am not scared of the dark anymore
Even when you are so far

I milk the cow and stich my buttons
I polish the shoes
And wash the curtains

Why do you still call me baby?
Mother ain't I big now?
I don't sleep beside you mother
Or constantly have you in tow

I see you asleep mother
Oblivious to what I just said
I tuck the blanket around you
And wipe the sweat from your forehead

You look so peaceful when you sleep
And as I climbed in beside you
I felt you pull me close
Mother, I love you.

No, I Can't Bargain.

No i cant. I really cant. You have no business to look so shocked. So what if i cant. Oh i must? Thank you but no thank you. Bargaining was never my cup of tea. When did u learn it anyway? I must have been absent when it was taught.
People treat me almost like an invalid, like not knowing how to bargain is a handicap. When i enter places like linking road i am swathed in a cocoon of protective people least, Oh God forbid, someone catches a glimpse of my innocent face.
Street shopping mainly consists of me pointing what i like, handing my wallet to a friend and spend the next few minutes watching her heroically battle for a pair of ballet flats.
I am not much of a shopper though i do love it. I tend to regard squealing over a SALE sign with disdain. Shopping for me is passing by a few shops then heading to crosswords and then the food court.
clothes? ok. but books? Ah books.
The wonderful smell of fresh crisp pages make me delirious. I totally advocate and encourage squealing over a SALE sign in crosswords.
most of my shopping trips are intermittently fraught with efforts of dragging me out of the bright yellow enticing place i call a second home.
some people have a weakness for shoes, but i on the other hand don't mind reading barefoot.
Now books are something i can bargain for.
It is a open but guarded secret that matunga is home to not just eskays and filter coffee but also book stalls.
Books laid out on a bed sheet on the footpath send people like me in raptures.
Yes more people like me exist. Oh stop rolling your eyes, if they get stuck like that, where would we be?
I walk like a boss to the book stalls. expertly bargain and walk away. its a nice feeling.
Bargaining. Yes i just might know how to bargain, only for what i really want.

A Cup Full of Tea

A Cup Full of Tea

My Mother set the cup of tea beside me. I was reading a very interesting article about tangerine trees and marmalade skies. I was momentarily distracted by my cup of tea. I shifted my attention to the cup.
Simple things are the ones that are the most Beautiful. There is a marvel in every small thing. I watched the sunlight lightly caress the cup, wrapping its soft smooth arms around it,lighting it up as the light that illuminates the one that has seen Heaven. I watched the condensed drops on the inner rim of the cup,like sweat drops that adorn a farmer's forehead as he toils in the fields. the sweat drops adorn him like a crown. that is his crown.
the steam,the wispy vapors that arise from the cup almost make me philosophical.
The steam looks like spirits escaping. The ivory colored steams remind me of acts of kindness done by the people around even while wars and scams ravage our country. The steams look like ghosts trapped in a stone basin.
The steam, very like the ideas that flit across an idle mind during hours of solitude in the afternoon. Each idea having so much potential,but having been just let go of. Sometimes it is better to let go. It looks so uncontrollable. The very moment I think of it as something uncontrollable I clamp my hand over the rim of the cup. Ha! haven't I controlled it now. Mankind has this unexplainable urge to control everything within its grasp. As the palm of my hand heats up I think of the way the heads of our country or any country for that point, clamps a hand on the sentiments and aggression of the people. But after a while it gets too hot to handle. The same thing happens to  me as I remove my now hot palm from the cup. I watch bemused, at the speed at which the trapped steams escape the cup. Control what you want but you cannot stop it from its course, which is to escape and blend in air.
As I finish writing my musings, my cup of tea has gone cold while my minds warms with the thoughts I have just penned.

Prachi Shirole.
Feb 7, 2012