Quo Vadis?

This post is about something that polarizes people coming from Tamilnadu. This is the famous pongal. I am not talking about the festival, there are no doubts about it, Pongal is the most important Tamil festival. This post is about the breakfast staple “ven pongal” or kara pongal that is loved and hated equally.  I am on the side that loves it with a caveat. I prefer to eat pongal with sambar and at least coconut chutney, a vadai is a bonus. After all how can you eat just a gooey, almost tasteless mash? So if it is breakfast in a restaurant I go for a pongal vadai combination. This does not seem unusual to many unless I am driving on a road trip. I have seen eyebrows raised when I opt for this combination during a breakfast halt. The infamous after effect of feeling drowsy after a plate somehow does not work for me. I love pongal and I enjoy it on road trips. At home knowing my preferences sambar & chutney are usual with pongal. Pongal is an essential carb loading ...

The extended weekend has ended and people will be getting back to work. Though Holi is not a big celebration in Tamilnadu except for small pockets it is not unusual to see people celebrating the festival by playing with colours and looking extremely silly to those who do not celebrate this spring festival. These days celebrating festivals have taken a new dimension: wake up, since most festivals have a religious angle pay obeisance to the Gods, indulge in the hallmarks of the celebration like making the pongal, bursting crackers, having good food and then these days settle down in front of a TV to watch a block buster movie from one of the many cable television channels that vie with each other for the bigger hit. Just look back at how we used to celebrate festivals when we were young, I am reaching out to Xennials or the Millenials those born in the ‘80s and the ‘90s. Back then the anticipation for the festival was a large part of the festival itself and the planning woul...