Obama vs. McCain

Some quick thoughts about the second Obama McCain Debate -

"that one"? huh, I found that patronising, condescending and very disdainful.

I liked Senator Obama's answer regarding the priorities he had while fixing the economy and also the fact that he thinks health care in such a country should be a right.

Overall, the debate was pretty much 'more of the same' but I guess after listening to this for atleast one year, one can't really expect anything new, at the end of the night for the last question regarding what they did not know and how they would learn it, I felt like they regurgitated their trademark lines over again just to say that closing statement.

One more to go - and then November 4th!

Biden vs. Palin

some quick thoughts on the vice presidential Biden Palin debate -

Senator Biden did not make any 'gaffes' as he was expected to, hurrah for Team Obama!

Governor Palin performed above expectations too.

But the main event of the debate for me was how well prepared Joe Biden is to be the vice president of this country. His answers were well informed, sincere, and he knew what he was taking about. I did not know that he has been advocating for intervention in Darfur, that's not an issue many people are talking about in this election, but he clearly felt strongly about it. I haven't been the biggest fan of Joe Biden, I supported Hillary Clinton through out the primaries and was rooting for her to get the VP nomination. Can you imagine that debate - Clinton vs. Palin... that would have been THE debate to watch. But then Senator McCain would probably have never chosen Governor Palin as his running mate if Hillary Clinton had been the vice-presidential nominee. If people still feel that the Republicans are going to get the womens vote, they really need to take a look at Joe Biden's record on womens issues. It was an interesting departure from the first debate that the media were tracking men and women on the debate and not Democrats, Republicans and Independants. Time and again, and especially after Bidens answer regarding him being a single parent to his children after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, I felt his answers showed humility, decency and grace under pressure. After watching Joe Biden today, I say 'good choice- Barack!'

Hillary vs. Palin

As I have mentioned before, I was an avid supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Democratic Primaries. That she isn't the nominee is disappointing, but well Barack looks like he is on the right path. But McCain choosing Palin as his running mate sure riled me up! I love this Newsweek article in which the author Patti Davis lays out why Governor Palin is not really the right choice to entice the votes of Hillary backers. Governor Palin might prove to be a good Vice President, but she sure is no Hillary Clinton!

Barack Obama in Austin : Round 1 in the K household

R and I have both been passionate followers of the Primaries, R more so than me. Since we are a house divided on the issue, though we both support the Democrats this election, we have many long and heated 'conversations' on the subject. We have both agreed to disagree without trying to convert the other to our cause. I have been supporting Senator Clinton till now, while R is a staunch Barack loyalist. I would like to make this clear that I do not oppose Senator Obama, I think it is the policy grounding that I got in my planning degree which makes me support Hillary who as is evident in her speeches and debates, is an unashamed policy wonk, though of course the idea of the first female US President is in itself tremendously exciting. I do of course believe that she is thoroughly qualified to be the President. When we heard that Barack Obama would be conducting a townhall in Austin on the 28th of February, we both jumped at the chance to attend.

The townhall was supposed to start at 9.30 am at the Austin Convention Center. R, I and our friend A, in our enthusiasm got there at 7.15 to discover a long line outside. People had started lining up at 5 am! Well. Austinites are definitely passionate about their politics! The doors opened at 7.30 and we were able to get excellent seats in the third row, about 15 feet away from the podium. By 9.30 the place had pretty much filled up and one could feel the excitement in the air as everyone waited for Barack Obama to show up. He showed up around 9.50 to the loud chanting of Yes We Can! There is no denying that he is an extremely charismatic and gifted orator, with excellent control of the audience who were hanging on to his every word. The 15 minute speech felt a little jaded though, but the blame is probably on this media driven age where we have heard and read the speech many times over. I had two questions, one was about his plans to invest in green energy and the other to invest in funding research at Universities. Both got answered along with other questions and I must say that though of course there was not enough time to answer it in as much detail as I would have liked, he did have polices I would agree with. In all, he was able to take only six questions on subjects ranging from 'No Child Left Behind' , the US Patent Office, fiscal responsibility for the government, foreign aid to Africa to creating jobs for the next generation. I personally thought the highlight of the debate was the fact that he seems to be keen about fiscal responsibility, even though liberal Democrats are often accused of being big spenders. The 'cute' moment of the meeting came at the end, when he took a question from a 9 year old who actually had two questions, the first one being if he would sign her book.

I liked the fact that he doesn't offer a panacea to everything and doesn't promise that the government would solve everyones' difficulties. He emphasized that although the government could put helpful policies in place and help people along the way, it is up to people to be proactive and take charge of their lives. I thought that this attitude overall makes him a compelling choice for the Democrat nominee. Of course I am still not a total convert till I give Hillary a chance!

Indian curry at Java Noodles

After enduring a considerable period of time feeling nauseated by the sight, smell and even thought of food, I felt really happy at having regained a semblance of my former appetite. I still don't feel like eating any kind of meat. But the one exception I can always make is for the Indian chicken curry at Java Noodles, an Indonesian restaurant in Austin. One might well wonder why would an Indian go to eat Indian chicken curry at an Indonesian restaurant. I did run a quick Google search on Indian curries in Indonesia, but not with much success. I have no idea if it is eaten in Indonesia or if this is creation that took place in the US. Since Java Noodles is a good 14-15 miles from my house and the Indian curry is served only for Sunday lunch buffets, it's not a regular feature of our lives. But some days, the craving hits and I start dropping not so subtle hints to R and a few other friends. Fortunately R and our friends like the food there too, so not much persuasion is needed.

Making sure that we have a light or preferably no breakfast in order to do justice to our hearty lunch, we reach Java Noodles around noon. First I head towards the soup counter and help myself to tangy coconut soup. After that although there is a decent spread of other good stuff like satay, nasi goreng, rendang etc, I head directly towards the Indian chicken curry, ladling plenty of curry in a soup bowl along with 1-2 chicken pieces.I also help myself to some the crusty bread, which is perfect for sopping all the curry. One of the key features that makes this curry is that the chicken is not boned unlike the flavorless morsels which are usually served at other South Asian places where boned pieces are poached beforehand and then added to the curry while it is being heated. The fact that the pieces cook along with the curry lends it a special flavor. I am not sure what other ingredients are used, but I would guess there was liberal use of minced onions, grated coconut and lots of turmeric. I have tried the other food there before, and although it is quite good in it's own right, I don't want to to dilute the flavor of my favorite and so have given up on trying anything else. I do hope the restaurant adds this dish to their regular menu soon!

Tomato Soup

I have loved tomato soup ever since I was a child. Steaming hot soup with lots of croutons, a swirl of cream and generous sprinklings of freshly ground black pepper.. yum! Hotel Darshan in Pune at the intersection of Prabhat Road and Karve Road used to serve really good tomato soup. In Austin, Romeo's serves a really good tomato basil soup. Tomato enthusiasts know that the best tomatoes are available here in summer, but this is a great way to eat some tomatoes in winter too. This is also a great lunch option with some crisp toast instead of the croutons.
However I am not a big fan of tomato soup loaded with cream, it takes away from the natural taste of the tomato. I much prefer a lighter soup with a more concentrated tomato taste. The addition of cream is basically for thickening the consistency and to give it a smoother texture. One way to get round this is to add cornflour, but a better way is to add boiled carrots or potatoes. Carrots are preferable for the color as well as the taste they add to the soup.

Start by washing 4-5 big tomatoes, usually Roma. Cut a cross shape at their stem end to make it easier to peel them later. I take 2 carrots, wash them thoroughly, cutting the carrots into 2-3 pieces each. Set some water to boil, enough to cover all the tomatoes. After the water comes to a boil, add the tomatoes, stem end up, along with the carrots.

Let the water boil for some time, till the skin of the tomatoes starts shrivelling and the carrots turn a little soft. At this point, turn off the heat and remove the tomatoes and carrots from the water with a slotted spoon. I save the water to add to the soup later. I usually wait till the tomatoes cool down before peeling the skin. Blend the peeled tomatoes, and carrots in a blender to a smooth puree, adding some water from the boiling pot if needed. Pour the puree back in the boiling pot. Add about 2tbsp of butter, 4-6 peppercorns, some salt and some basil if desired. Bring back to a boil. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes before tasting for salt. Add a little sugar if desired to balance the tomatoes. Simmer for 5-10 minutes more and tomato soup is ready!

Awaiting The Deathly Hallows

Along with many other things, my genetic inheritance from my parents is a love of reading. My mother and my father both love to read, though they both read very different genres. Back in Poona, our house is crowded with book shelves. The one thing I have never been denied (for the fear that I might be spoilt) is a library membership. I even got to choose my own library at the age of seven as I was not too happy with the selection from the library my mother went to. Not too many Enid Blytons there! People who lived in or are living in India will remember that libraries in India are usually small private enterprises, usually housed in an outhouse or garage and run by retired folks or ladies who look at it as a part time occupation. The first thing I wanted to do after some super stressful exams was to go home and read a good book, stay up late in the night reading. I think I always disappointed my peers who would have rather gone out partying or at least for a movie.When I saw the library collection at UT, Austin (yes, I am a Longhorn!!), the tenth largest in the United States, according to the American Library Association, with 8,937,002 volumes, I was elated. Every book that I could think of, I could get.

This week, me and my friends are living in eager anticipation of Harry Potter - The Deathly Hallows, surely the biggest phenomenon in the book reading world to date. Part of the Harry Potter experience has been this waiting period between each book, of going over the many possibilities of what could happen and finding out what actually did. I got into the series quite late - just before the launch of book 4. Once I started reading, I was addicted. Always on the lookout for a good book, the fact there were 3 more books to follow made me extremely happy. Book 7 will be the culmination of the series, when all the missing links get tied in and all the questions get answered (hopefully not too tragically). I wasn't around when Lord of the Rings was being published, so cant really compare it to what it must have felt like to wait for the later parts. But I do feel really lucky to have been around for this series. I am sure having all seven books at hand is not the same! So 5 days, and 10 hours to go .........