Change is the only constant they say. However not all constants necessarily change and it takes a perfectly gloomy day and a few drops of rain to realise that. In the land of egg rolls, crowded streets and festivals, my Calcutta, a day like this would have me running for a hot cup of coffee and a book. In another city, at another time a similar day had me running for a cup of hot chocolate and a book. The city, my home for almost a year now, Milpitas, the suburbs of San Francisco. That reminds me, when I first thought of making myself a cup of hot chocolate I confess i checked the internet for that 'perfect' recipe. Ain't no rocket science, but i know thousands like me across time and space do the same. So why not add my 'perfect' recipe in the vitrual bank....
Hot Chocolate
A cup of milk
1 tablespoon of your favourite coco powder (I use Hersheys)
A pinch of salt (I realised this is the magic ingredient that makes all the difference in hot chocolate)
Sugar a tablespoon or to your liking
a few drops of vanilla essence
a topping of whipped cream and dark chocolate for that extra smile and calories!
There you go.
I should have initiated the post by apologizing to Mr Dickens. A tale of two cities afterall is his doing. My tale of two cities however is just that- a simple tale of two cities and any resemblance to any work fiction or non-fiction is purely coincidental.
At the risk of sounding philosophical i firmly believe that it's almost always about a city or a place we belong to or we have adapted to. We don't live in a vacuum. We always belong somewhere. If a place could speak it would be the creator of a perfect autobiography because it records the minutest details, some that we ourselves often ignore or fail to recognise.
When I moved to California last December I didn't have much in mind. Only the apprehension that my life would change completely with the change of place. A year away from home made me realise a lot more. We never really leave our place behind. We consciously or unconsciously bring in an essence of the place we belong to, to the place we have moved and somewhere they blend perfectly in a palette to create new colours. I for one brought in a lot of Calcutta with me when I celebrated Saraswati Puja here, learnt how to make dal, shukto, alu bhaja, woke up at 5.30 in the morning to listen to Mahalaya, missed roshogolla like crazy. wished there were rikshaws to take me around, thought Vegas was like Calcutta because there was chaos, noise, traffic and people. I also know that when I go back to Calcutta I will take with me a slice of california. I also know that eventually pasta and pies will coexist with dal, torkari.
My posts too will reflect just that-My experiences in California and those of Calcutta, Interesting places and restaurants and a few recipes thrown in here and there- in other words pretty much everything that reflects a tale of two cities.
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