Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Metamorphosis, or, The Art of Communication

From this:

"This paper is poorly written and difficult to follow."

"In its present form, this paper does not provide a promising step towards publication."

to this:

"This is much improved. It addresses most of the problems I had with it earlier."

"This needs some work, but I like what you've done."

...man. I should have joined debating society when in school or college. Who knew one had to argue clearly for people to understand you?

Friday, June 12, 2009

Punchline

I don't know if you've seen the documentary The Story of India, it's on PBS, and excellently made.

Well, anyway, one of the things I learned from this was that all non-Africans owe their heritage to some Indians who walked out of Africa presumably. Whoever does these things, has traced a gene found amongst all inhabitants in a village in Tamil Nadu that apparently the rest of the world - apart from Africa - shares, though in diluted form.

So at lunch, talking to Geret (in my year and who's American though of Dutch descent - 4th generation) I told him about this particular fact. Then the thought struck:

"So, my friend, you see, you're Indian.

Who's your daddy now, huh?"

ha ha ha ha ha

postscript: in North Carolina, Indians are treated as Caucasians. Fact!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Sunday Morning

(Song: "Sunday Morning" by Velvet Underground)

After many months, a somewhat relaxed Sunday. Although in a strange twist of life/fate/whatever I hope to not have too many of these. This paradox apart, my thought for the day is:

Apparently you can get high on a good breakfast followed by one of my by-now signature excellent masala chai's. Who knew?

To make omelette that make you high:

Chop tomatoes, onions. Make about half a katori (or cup as white people call it) of chopped onion and tomato if making for one. Amount of tomato, onion monotonically increases with amount of people intended to eat at a ratio of 1-1. You will also need to enlarge the skillet/pan being used if no. of people>5 (say).

Take two eggs break em up. Take cheese (half katori again), and tomato (leave a bit of the tomato behind) and dhania/cilantro leaves and mix with the eggs. Add salt an pepper also. Mix well. Let stand now.

Move on to onions. Take pan, add butter and wait for it to foam all the while humming Velvet Underground. Once foam starts, add onions. Keep heat medium. Add the leftover tomato. (This will give the onions water + butter to cook in as the flesh of the tomato dissolves. Plus it makes a bit tastier. Don't ask me why). Wait until onions start to brown a bit. My theory is that the water of the tomato cooks the onion - as opposed to frying it straight - then when the water evaporates, the cooked onion gets fried, imparting flavour to the butter in which the egg will cook.

Now dump in egg mixture. The flavour of the dhania, cheese and tomato should have mixed with the egg. Cook this, and if you're an expert once the egg is done you may flip one side of the omelette over the other. Preferably at some point of time you have the presence of mind to toast bread.

Eat bread and omelette, reading newspapers and blogs. It will be 11am. And all you have done is make breakfast.