Tag: Pagesfromydiary

Watches!


Today if you look around more than sixty percent people wear a smart watch!
About 30 % don’t wear a watch at all.
The Rest 10% wear a traditional watch.
What makes smart watch so popular is it being health conscious , A fashion statement or affordability?
How has the Smartwatch replaced traditional watches?
Are Smartwatches, worn to track Health & fitness levels or are they just a cultural movement replacing traditional watches?
Do we wear a watch to keep an eye on the time or do we look at a watch being the only legitimate piece of jewellery a man can wear?
More recently Timex took
A dig at smartwatches – “Read the time, not your emails, Watches like they used to be”
Are watches a necessity? Or are they considered a luxury?
So many brands like Titan, Sonata, HMT are heavily investing in the market with newer collection and stores. But what sets the traditional watches apart from the smart watches? A statement or A piece of accessory or a watch makers history?
Are collaborations the only way for traditional watch makers to Woo the market and Buyers?
Timex X Peanuts & Swatch X Omega to name a couple that have gained popularity recently. Or is it bringing back classic designs from the watchmakers?

Some Of The Must Visit Cafes In India!


When you have lived In a city like Mumbai for a long time and have had the opportunity to enjoy some of the best Yum food in the city and also get equally good food at home, It
becomes difficult to find food that tastes just as good in the city or town you travel for vacation or Work.
While travelling around the country, there have been some amazing cafes for Food, Coffee or The View and occasionally all three elements.
Here are some of them I have visited and recommend

Goa: The La Plage Cafe in Goa.
The beach view is amazing, The Coffee is good too and the seafood options are Yum.
Babka in Anjuna has the best Eclairs, Coffee and Pasta.

Kolkata: The Roastery House location, The White & Yellow colours on the walls Definitely make you feel you are in Kolkata the cold brew options In coffee and the Baked fish in mustard is amazing!

Bengaluru: Araku’s Orange Cold Brew and the savoury Waffles have been two of the best things from the cafe. The Roastery within the cafe, The Mod Bar Espresso machines, and the Coffee table Books at the cafe does not make you get enough of the cafe.

Lavonee Cafe’sAcademy has been the Foundation for many patisseries and Pastry chefs in the city and in India and no wonder the Cafe Gets the Bake and the coffee right! The breakfast menu has been one of the most beautifully presented and filled with Taste and texture in the Bengaluru city.

Conoor: The Culinarium cafe en route to Ooty has one of the most breathtaking views. The coffee option, The Bakes( Lemon Cake) was one of the perfect ones I have had not too sweet or not too sour.
The pizzas were amazing too!

Dharamshala:
Moonspeak Deli Cafe – A tiny cafe near the main market is a hidden gem!
The coffee Ricotta Cake has been one of the most delicious Tea-cakes I have ever had!
The coffee was also well-balanced and the Ham and Bacon sandwich was very good too!
The Cliffs In Palampur is a cute little cafe that’s like a cottage in the woods, with a small corner filled with books.
The Marble Cake, Filter Coffee, and Mutton Kheema Dosa were the highlight of our meal

The Other Space: There wasn’t any other space like this one in Dharamshala!
The day we visited this space, we witnessed Hail and Rain from the balcony of the cafe while sipping our Coffee and enjoying Spaghetti at this cafe.
You just can’t miss this for the view!

Varanasi:
Vatika – A cafe Overlooking the Ghats of Varanasi and you are enjoying the most delicious pizza, you could not imagine you could get here! For desserts, you must have Apple Pie with Ice Cream and try their Saffron Milk and Paan Stuffed With Rose Petal Milk.

March Reads!

Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami.
Also known as the other Murakami.
This book is about two babies who are left in a coin locker in Tokyo.
A concept in Japan, where babies are kept in lockers until they are adopted.
This story is set in the early ’90s in Japan and it’s about two babies, One is a bisexual rockstar in search of his mother, and the other is an athlete looking for revenge from the woman who left him behind.
A dark thrilling read on Japan and Japanese culture.

Around the World in 80 Trains:

A Book, that takes you on a journey around Asia, Europe, the U.S.A. and the U.K. through some beautiful & adventurous train journeys.

Dopamine Nation: Anna Lambke

A study on how certain activities result in Dopamine levels shifting to higher or lower levels.
Dopamine is a chemical messenger that works in the brain that makes you feel good, A happy hormone that is released from the body.
This book makes you question your habits and how we humans have changed behaviours when our dopamine levels shift.

Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Is a story Set in Africa about a child stolen from his parents by German troops. After Years, He returns to his village to find his parents gone.
This book is an emotional ride through the lives of the characters.

Forgotten Foods by Tarana Hussain Khan, Claire Chambers, Siobhan Hurley

A Book on Food Recipes, Food as a Culture for Bonding and the Ingredients that Make Food Taste Authentic and More importantly how they originate. Today it’s only a few who follow the recipes with authenticity.

Some of the recipes mentioned are

Soybean Biryani, Qiwami Seviyan, Custard Apple Kheer, Nabi Bux’s Jelly Roll, Qeema Fry, and Kaleji fry.

Flamin Hot Cheetos!


A Story about Richard Montañez who was a Janitor, Bold & Confident about his idea to directly call the boss at Frito lay and tell him about his plan to save the company’s factory and Jobs!
The story is about how some believed him, while others mocked him. It was the push he got from one of the seniors, who believed in his Idea and the CEO who trusted his instincts. Yes! He did save the jobs and Grew the company too, with a simple idea of following his roots for a snack, that’s loved globally today.
A Completely new range of products was introduced and handled by Richard Montañez the man who changed the lives of Cheetos.
He retired in 2019 after being involved with the company for 42 Years…
Flamin Hot is Streaming on Hotstar.

Best Books on Food!

Taste by @stanleytucci.
A book, that you would enjoy reading not just if you like eating, but if you like cooking too! The tone used in the book, the way it has been written, takes us back to his childhood days and memories! This book has Taste on every page, while some pages are sweet, some are Bitter. The whole read is a meal! You wouldn’t like to miss it!

The Food Mood Connection by @drumanaidoo
Haven’t you always said or heard? I am in the mood to eat this meal today for lunch, Breakfast or Dinner.
Well! Food and Mood does have a connection and this book highlights how it affects us. An interesting book on focusing correlation between Mental Health, Food and Diet.
Research and written by Uma Naidoo who has studied nutritional & lifestyle psychiatry at Harvard.

Pancake in Paris by @craigcarlsonauthor
A story of an American who lived his American dream in Paris!
By starting a cafe – Pancake in Paris!
This story is about how he succeeded in living his dream and the challenges he faced in getting the right ingredients and introducing a Breakfast meal that wasn’t part of the French culture.
A good American breakfast.

How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas @munafkapadia
The Story about Borhi Kitchen – A home experience of cultural cuisine, that started a decade ago and gained popularity for the food and the experience it, it later also grew with food experience as a delivery service and for Catering at events! With a simple idea of bringing in local cultural food. This is an inspirational story set in India, Mumbai since it’s also a challenge to diversify from well-paid jobs to starting something of your own. This book also highlights the challenges one faces in the Food & Beverages and Hospitality business.

Forgotten Foods @taranahusainkhan
A book on looking back at some of the food specialities that aren’t very popular these days and are well known only in certain parts of the country.