Tag: food

Food for the stomach, music for the soul

With Independence Day falling on a Friday, we realised that the weekend would get extended by a day. Having more time on our hands, we decided to binge-watch Borgen, play badminton, and read on the first two days of our three-day break. Sunday could be spent visiting the Indian Music Experience Museum at JP Nagar. Swapna had mentioned it to me earlier, and I was curious about what made the place special.

We began the day with my Tabla class at Malleshwaram. Swapna prefered to soak in the nature at the public park nearby as I drummed away under my Guru’s guidance. After an hour of practise, I was done and joined Swapna at the park. It was time for lunch, so we hurried to Halli Mane in an autorickshaw. Halli Mane, meaning ‘Village Home’ in Kannada, is a popular restaurant serving South Indian food in the heart of Malleshwaram. Eager to relish the tasty food, we bought ourselves a special weekend meal each. As expected, we were served a rich variety, from a welcome drink, starters, five types of main course, and three kinds of dessert. We ate to our heart’s content because, after all, it is not everyday that we get to eat good food.

After lunch, our expedition to the Indian Music Experience Museum began. Located at JP Nagar, the museum begins by highlighting the music in our everyday lives – the chirping of crickets and birds to the noise of busy roads. It then takes you through the history of Indian music, starting from the first hymns in the Sama Vedas composed two thousand five hundred years ago, their evolution into the Carnatic and Hindustani forms, the influence of Western and Persian music on Hindustani, to the rise of popular film music, and more. The 360 degree view of Indian music at the museum is a visual and auditory feast. Whether you are a professional or amateur, you are sure to find something about music that interests you.

Back home after the eye-opening visit to the Indian Music Experience Museum, Swapna, Amma and I ended the day the way we began the weekend – by watching one more episode of Borgen.

SEASHELLS AND CALAMARI

Palolem Beach had left a deep impression on Swapna and me, so we decided to spend the day there. Like earlier, we boarded a bus to Canacona from Karwar and, upon reaching, walked down to Palolem Beach.

Since the sun was blazing, we postponed the swimming to the evening. But we wondered how we would spend the day. We then spotted reclining chairs under an umbrella outside a shack. This gave us an idea. We could spend the morning relaxing on them, soaking in the warm sun without overexposure. We requested the shack’s owner to let us use them, and, to our delight, he agreed. But he had a condition: we had to eat lunch at his restaurant. We agreed.

Soon, it was time for lunch. As I flipped the menu, I remembered Sandeep asking me to try Calamari. Calamari is a Konkani dish made by cutting squid into rings and then breading & frying them. Eager to experiment, I ordered it. Swapna was keen on prawns and ordered a plate. 

Cooked in cheese & corn flour and served with French Fries, the Calamari was delicious. I relished every bite as it melted in my mouth like butter. Swapna, seeing me enjoy the Calamari, felt a FOMO (a marketing term that stands for Fear of Missing Out). She liked them so much that she forgot about the prawns.

At 4, the sunlight faded. We entered the sea but limited ourselves to the shallow parts. The lifeguard on duty warned us against going too deep. Yet, even that experience was fulfilling as the water kissed our skin and rejuvenated us.

We spent the final hour at Palolem Beach shopping for necklaces made of sea shells. We wanted to gift Amma something authentic from Goa, and this was the perfect opportunity. We also bought some elephant-shaped fridge magnets, also made from sea shells.