tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903000916462373372011-10-10T04:23:43.143-07:00I came, I saw, I clickedChitrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660142339863334706noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-290300091646237337.post-26386809596474436132009-12-20T18:33:00.000-08:002009-12-20T19:12:44.995-08:00<code><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/4202230952_fc13f83513_b.jpg" width="810px" /></code><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >My earliest memories of mushrooms go back a long way to my teenage years. In Mangalore, one could find these umbrella-shaped forms growing in damp places, spots of white against the dark brown soil. </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Amma </span>used to joke that they carried their houses on their heads :-)! </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Needless to say, they made a very pretty picture!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I don't remember when I first sampled mushrooms, but I do remember this - I didn't like the taste at all! So you could imagine my trepidation when CN, one of my roommates, bought a bunch of mushrooms for some culinary experiment. The smell of the </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >cooking </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >mushrooms was nauseating to say the least. Moreover, it was all-pervading. No matter where I went to escape that smell, it found its way to every nook and cranny of our house until I was forced to open the window and catch a whiff of the sub-zero cold air outside! A couple of hours and a frozen face later, I scurried back to the sanctuary of my room. The ordeal was over! </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >No matter where I went, I made it a point not to order anything that contained mushrooms. But alas, vegetarian food abroad more often than not contained mushrooms, and I couldn't fathom the reason as to how vegetarians liked it! A casual discussion with a friend who was trying to be vegetarian revealed that the taste of cooked mushrooms is akin to that of meat! <span style="font-style: italic;">Aaaarrrrgggghhh </span>!<br /><br /><br />Slowly, my palette rediscovered the flavor of mushrooms thanks to stir-fried varieties in Thai and Chinese cuisine. I have gone as far as having them as a pizza topping. Till date, I love the sight of mushrooms growing but remain non-committal with regards to the taste. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/290300091646237337-2638680959647443613?l=chitraazclicks.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Chitrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660142339863334706noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-290300091646237337.post-20469946212349322012009-11-21T23:53:00.000-08:002009-11-30T15:05:39.968-08:00<code><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/4103550323_0f164d0958_b.jpg" width="810px" /></code><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Come exam-time and I see most parents sweating it out along with their kids. Along with their work, coaching their most-of-the-time-recalcitrant kids sends their stress levels skyrocketing. On the kids' part, when was studying ever fun?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Looking back, my parents had it really easy, all thanks to me ;-)! Not that I loved studies; I used to fall asleep the moment I opened my Physics textbook :D! But somehow, I managed to pass with flying colours in all aspects of my education. Perhaps, I had His blessings all along......and freverently hoping that I will.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/290300091646237337-2046994621234932201?l=chitraazclicks.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Chitrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660142339863334706noreply@blogger.com12