Getting used to or unused to

If you are away from a place long enough or frequently enough, some things change. Sometimes you get used to living in a certain way, sometimes its the food. As lot of my friends who come back to India tell me, its probably the water, the food or the hygiene thereof.

Its taken as a given that people will fall sick at least once during the home trip. Stomach, throat, cold, viral...take a pick.
Of the lot, stomach disorders are most common. So people avoid outside food, try sticking to mineral water bottles (oops packaged water bottles) etc.

I have always gloated that I have been largely immune. Part of the reason a lot of my food will be at home or at better restaurants. I did have a little bit of adjusting to do to Kolkata street food while I was there last year. But it was a quick adjustment.

Of course I will be found eating the pani-puris/golgappa/puchkas at the local chaat corner. That and a meetha paan is a sure thing in first couple of days for me. Can't get good one of those anywhere.

BUT...one thing no one ever has ever complained and I found irritating for the very first time (still trying to figure out a reason why it didn't bother me earlier) are the mosquitoes.

They have been troubling me ever since I sat in the cab for ride back home. Mosquitoes have been prominent absentees in all my houses and hotel rooms. So they should have bothered me earlier.

And why do they not feature in people's list of the happenings on the trip home?

May be its the timing of visit...too hot in June for them to survive and too cold in november/december...I doubt.
But its worth spending some pennies for the thoughts on it.

Blogging on Cuisines

Part of the privilege of my job has been travel around the western world (cannot say World as I have yet to go east of India or south of it).
Europe, small as it may be is widely diverse. Each country is different and has regions that are different from one another in its cuisines.
Take for matter Switzerland, where I spent most of my last 4 years. Swiss cuisine is in a way defined by its neighbors.
If we take out the famous Fondue, Swiss cuisine can be divided much like its population into French, German and Italian.
Of course Swiss is known for its dairy products- chocolates and cheese included.
Swiss wines are good but wine connoisseurs do not proclaim them as greatest. But I was told certain years were really good and for my humble palate I found some of the table wines really good. I never liked wines before I went to Swiss. I tasted Sura Red wine in India and found it revolting.
And I don't think it was because the wine was bad. My taste buds were not developed enough to enjoy the taste of wine...used to as they were for Rum, Vodka, beer.
I started with white wines and they are gentler on the palate and then moved over to rose wine (its a pink wine with taste between a white and Red wine...though closer to white).
Once I was used to drinking these wines, I shifted to Red wines and have been hooked ever since. I have always enjoyed a stronger red wine.
The only trouble - I could never remember the names of the wines...though I do remember the various regions whose wines I liked.

In coming days, I will try to blog about the aspect of cuisine I liked in different part of the world.

Unfortunately I could not find the time to start blogging on my travel. But this remains a thing I want to do.
With my close friends planning a European trip, I think it gives me a good reason to blog my travel.

On Board!

Salut,
This blog is a travelogue/travelog for some of the beautiful & enchanting places I have visited. Few snaps, few tips, few help sites and lots of experiences...
Onwards we go on the Yellow Brick Road ...