Bargain Tuesday at Suruchi Indian restaurant - extraordinary value!

Indian Restaurant, Suruch. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
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Suruchi means happiness and that is what we felt at this Indian restaurant in London. Near Canonbury station.\

Pleasing Price

Firstly the price. On Tuesday, twenty pounds a person. (Minus 5 pence. Price in May 2024. Service/tip not added but optional.)

Decor

Suruchi tables with cloths. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The placec is small but the decor is delightful Big orange and multicolour paintings.  Up comes

Candle on the tables. The man in charge immaculately dressesd. White cloths on the tables and white cloth apkins.

Drinks

I splurged an extra fiver on a mango lassi. 

We brought bottles of wine to match Indian food tne the restaurant supplied glasses. 

Unlike many places which offer liited choice in set meals, you seen to be able to order anything from the relevant section.

The setup for the bargain evening is you can order one starter, one main dish, a side of vegetabels, rice or naan, and that includes peshwari naan, my favourite.

Starter

I opted for a mied mea auderves.  Filling and good value.(My husband's choice was not as good.)

Main Courses

Candle, my pehswari naan, shared and swapped for half my husband's rice. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Starters - Success, and Surprise

I enjoyed a mixed starter of meats.

Starter Warning \

My husband mistook bhel-poori, for poori. Pur or poori is a fist size iece of puffed bread like a aquahsed balloon, in which you place your suced or dips and food. But bhel-poori is puffed rice, tiny pieces, praswn size of ovel bits. I didn't like them and neighteh did my husband.  

I oped for chicken korma,which a creamy sauce. And a peshwaaari naan with a filling. My favourite. Instead of rice.

My side dish was aubergine, to make a change. (I usually have potato and spinach, aloo gobi, in Indian restaurants. The aubergine was chopped into dice sized piece. It did the trick.

No Desserts\

They don't serve desserts, which is probably good for my teeth.

Charming Chocolates

 But the meal does end on a sewwe not with a chocolate for each person in a gold foil wwrapper and white encasing. It tastes of chocolate orange.

We looked for a place for dessert and coffee on our way back to the station but passed. Just as well.

Leftovers Wrapped

No problem asking for food to be wrapped. A tin foil box appeared on the table for us to spoon in our leftovers thad the staff members helped. Up comes a plastic bag to hold the alinium box.

The toilet is on the ground floor. Small but adequate. Not sure how somebody three dress sizes larger than me would get past the door and basin. Just as well there was no dessert. After my meal, my loose skirt fits me like a glove.

I hope to go back. If I lived in the area, this would be my regular. My friends go there every Tuesday.

My husband sumarized, "For ninetten ninety nine we had a fest and soe leftovers.Extraordinry good value."

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Multi-country birthday Celebrations

 At a toastmasters international meeting of Singapore International Dynamic Club the Vice President of education organized a zoom meeting during Covid travel restriction for the President of the online club. She sent him a chocolate birthday cake and asked us all to get ourselves a piece of chocolate birthday cake and a candle to light. We also had a birthday congratulations back ground.

At the online Zoom meeting interval, the birthday boy, (a man) was asked to light his cake and we all showed our backgrounds and sang happy birthday online. We ate our piece of cake whilst he had a piece of his cake.

The well-organized event was original and amusing. It made him feel special, made us feel privileged and excited by the novelty and camaraderie.

You could do the same or something similar for a birthday party which is all or partly online. At least go online or share pictures for the cake cutting.

No Blowing Out Candles

Nowadays, for health reasons we no longer blow out candles, or at least not over cakes. No breathing on cakes which others will eat. Maybe not even over something you are going to eat.

Instead, you can have a visual blowing out of candles. AI can do that for you. Be inventive.

Photo Montage Or Videos

A picture of previous birthdays could be good. For example, all the previous birthdays of a five year old child. And even the birth! The newborn! You can also show a video, as is done at many weddings, when you have three ceremonies, one at the country were the couple are living, one for her parents, one for his. 

You can do the same with parties for children, with adults online from overseas. Or two parties online one for children, online guests sent small toys like going home gifts.\

Useful Websites

https://www.temu.com/ul/kuiper/un9.html?subj=goods-un&_bg_fs=1&_p_jump_id=894&_x_vst_scene=adg&goods_id=601099546469247&sku_id=17592344037912&adg_ctx=a-5

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Portable Toilets for camping, hiking, and travelling with kids who are toilet training

 I have needed help in these situations

1 In a high street when toilets were only for customers.

2 In a public toilet in China when the toilets had no doors and the toilet was a hole in the ground and all the Chinese girls called each other to see the blonde westerner.

3 A remote mountain hiking trail. I did not want to leave the path far. Tree roots, potholes, insects. Bears. If I fell out of sight nobody would find me.

4 A four year old who is toilet training, out of nappies, can demand a wee wee, which means, now - in the next ten seconds.

I have used 

1 An umbrella behind a bush.

2 A scarf over a car door window when parking. 

I was unable to leave the car because the doors and boot doors were open. It was not my car and the driver had the key.  

Amazon has assorted styles. There are small ones like bottles with wide spouts and scoops.

A folding privacy cover seems a good idea. Brand name Pankay.

How you fold it. it has a figure of eight folding system.

That reminds me of those hats which spring open of their own accord. You have to stick them inside a cover to contain the startling Jack in box effect.

Useful resources

Book How to shit in the woods

A toilet which fits into a backpack?

Twenty eight pounds sterling for a toilet.

Kiddie travel toilet

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Rumi in Turkey, Poetry, Philosophy, Food and Drink Turkish Style

 Rumi is the best selling poet in the USA. He lived a long time ago, in the 1th century. 

Statue of Rumi in Izmir

Rumi statue in Izmir. Wikipedia. From Turkey.com

The Rumi statue in Buca, Izmir, is 23 metres high. His statue is surrounded by smaller statues of whirling drvishes.

He wrote:

What you seek is seeking you.

A candle loses none of its light by lighting another candle.

He is buried in Konya, in Turkey, where you can visit the place where he is buried, as well as his son and father. 

Rumi thought that poetry, singing and dance enhanced ones appreciation of God. His son and followers founded the Whirling Dervishes.

Places to visit connected with Rumi

Turkey

Konya

Konya in Turkey. More details in Wikipedia under Rumi.

Tajikstan\

TURKEY

Stopping for Scoffing Snacks in Turkey

Turkish Coffee

Loukumi - which was successfully marketed in the UK under the brand name Turkish Delight.

Wining and Dining

The Turkish spirit, raki, is made from grapes and raisins. A Raki festival is held in Turkey and Northern Cyprus.

Alcoholic Content

Watch out for alcohol content. The numbers are marked on the bottles of branded drinks. If not on the front label, look at the back. 

Waiters worldwide often pour a drink for you with a flourish, then whisk away the bottle out of your way. You can sometimes check the alcohol content on the bottle, or on the menu, or on the internet. If you order one thing from the menu, and the item has run out and the sommelier or waiter offers you an alternative, check if the alcoholic content is the same as what you expected. 

Be aware that there is no alcohol, which is not the same as low alcohol. Then you have beers, which . vary. Wines also vary. The strongest are spirits (by legal definition).  Spirits are often diluted with water or turned into cocktails by adding mixers.  

Wikivoyage has warnings to travellers about avoiding getting drunk, and other things to be cautious about when travelling in Turkey and other foreign countries.

Useful Websites

Tripadvisor

Wikiquote - Rumi

Wikivoyrage 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Rak%C4%B1_Festival

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Grape names - memorable meanings

 Meaningful grapes

Some time ago I started to write a blog post about the strange tendency of white grape varieties to start (like ‘vine’, ‘vino’ and ‘variety’) with the letter v. There are Viognier, Vermentino, Viura, Verdicchio, Vidal, Verdejo, Verdelho and others. That post never saw the light of day, but it came to mind when a friend reminded me that Merlot is named after merle, French for 'blackbird'. (They like to eat it.) Indeed, in Occitan, the local language of Merlot’s birthplace, the bird is called merlau.

Many other grape varieties have meaningful names. Some are a bit obscure, such as the Catalan name for Tempranillo: Ull de Llebre, rabbit's eye or hare’s eye. Perhaps it's the shape of the berries, or the bunches. Many others are quite obvious, such as those involving nero (Latin) or mavro (Greek), both meaning black. There are Nero d’Avola from Sicily, Mavro on Cyprus, Mavrud in Bulgaria and Mavrodafni etc from Greece.

But there are many more surprising ones.

French Grape Names

France first. Colombard (largely used for cognac) is from colombe, dove, referring to the skin colour.

Folle Blanche (cognac, armagnac) is 'mad white' because it grows so fast, hence also known as Grand Plant & Enrageat 'enraged'.

Syrah's synonym is Sérine (the name of the family it heads), which is from the Latin sera 'late' (it's late ripening) as in buonasera.

Italian Grapes

Lambrusco = lam brusco where lam is berry (e.g. lampone 'raspberry') plus 'brusque' so 'wild grape'. The minor French grape Fer also means wild, as in ‘feral’.

There are many lambrusco somethings and one, lambrusco salamino is named after guess what, salami, having cylindrical bunches.

Spain

Next, Spain. Monastrell (Mourvèdre in France) is from the Latin monasteriu 'monastery'. Tempranillo is 'early ripening'.

Italy

Then Italy has many. Dolcetto is ‘little sweet’. Nebbiolo (Barolo) is from nebbia 'fog' as the berries grow a thick bloom. Think nebulous.

Pecorino is from pecora 'sheep' like the cheese though I’m not sure whether the connection is proximity, the sheep’s favourite snack or otherwise. Primitivo (aka Tribidrag, Zinfandel) is from the Latin primativus, 'first to ripen'.

Vermentino was originally Fermentino: the young wine is fizzy.

Place Names

Then there are place names. Lots of wines are named after their origin, such as Champagne, Chablis, Sancerre and Madeira. But very few actual grapes are; the only well-known certainty is Chardonnay. 

Prosecco (now renamed Glera to distinguish it from the wine it makes) probably originated there. 

Trebbiano may be from Trebula (now Treglia), from the Trebbia river. Or from any one of the many Italian villages named Trebbo or Trebbio.

Misleading Names

Most place names are misleading though. Auxerrois is not from Auxerre in the Yonne, but refers to the old name for Alsace, Auxois. Montepulciano is not from there but, as the label says, it’s Montepulciano d’Abbruzo. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is from there but is largely made from Sangiovese, like Chianti. Shiraz has nothing to do with the Persian city; it’s the Australian name for Syrah.

There’s more. Muscat is not from Oman, rather its aroma is suggestive of that from the caudal gland of the musk deer, as in musk(y). There are many Muscat Somethings, and Muscat of Alexandria is not from there while Muscat of Hamburg is not from there!

Roman, Rimini, Rumour and Religion

But the best names are the stuff of legend and religion, and here the Romans and Italians excel. Sangiovese means ‘Jupiter’s blood’, from sanguis Jovis. Rumour has it that the monks at Monte Giove near Rimini made the name up (based on their location) when a visitor asked the name of their wine. 

Sagrantino was sacred wine for the sacristy. Vin Santo is the wine of saints. So not only does the church have the best songs, it has the best wine. It once only lacked women, and that has now been corrected too.

Salut!

Names of Grapes To Eat and Drink

Here's a handy alphabetical list of wine grapes and their meanings. See my blog post on grape names

Grape Name Meanings - An Alphabetical Checklist

Champagne - from the Champagne region of France, north, river Loire region, near Paris

Auxerrois - from Alsace (the old name for Alsace)

Colombard - white from colombe, french for dove (white birds)

Fer - French for wild (grape) like feral

Glera - the new name for Prosecco grapes to distinguish them from the style of wine more widespread

Madeira - strong alcohol, Portuguese island in the Atlantic, whose wine was transformed in long hot journeys stored for ages by ship in the olden days, storage conditions to enhance flavour and other qualities, now imitated on the island without the sea journey

Mavro - Greek for black (used in Cyprus)

Merlot - from French for blackbird. Grapes used in France for wine and eating

Monastrell - Spanish wine which came from the monastery (Latin monasteriu for monastery)

Mourvèdre - from the Latin monasteriu meaning monastery

Muscat - musky smelling, sweet, often a dessert wine on the menu 

Nero - Latin for black

Nero d'Avola from Sicily - black Grape, from the Italian island

Prosecco - a town, now the style of wine which originated there but comes from other places too

Sagrantino sacred wine

Sangiovese - Jupiter's blood

Shiraz - Australian name for Syrah

Tempranillo - early ripening (think of time and temps fugit meaning time flies, early grape saves time)

Trebbiano - from Italian villages of similar names or the river

Vin Santo - wine of saints

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Buying, and shipping, everyday home essentials - such as a plate and cutlery rack, worldwide

 In Singapore at our rented apartment in a condo we bought an expensive plate and cutlery rack from a department store, probably Tang's at the central crossroads of Orchard Road. The rack was large, shiny metal, supposedly stainless steel, when new with a nice shiny chrome or chrome effect. You could move the plastic tray underneath left or right. You could remove it to wash it. The spout directed water into the sink. The upright, cutlery holder you could remove to wash - frequently growing black mould in the humidity.

It claimed to be stainless steel. We thought it was rusting. Maybe chrome, mislabelled? My husband wrote to the manufacturer in California. They replied that the guarantee did not apply to Singapore which was a secondary market. 

We were disappointed. As we were on the point of throwing it out, nothing to lose by being rather rough with bleach or cleaning.

The good news was that when we tried to give it a good scrub, all the apparent rust was just dirt which came off. What a pity we did not have a dishwasher large enough to do it.

Dishwashers

We had no dishwasher. Many homes in Singapore have a maid's room off what I call the scullery, what Americans call the utility area. The kitchen was too small for an under-sink dishwasher and the work surface was not large enough for a table top model. Most homes employed a maid from the Philippines or Indonesia who washed up by hand.

The metal and plastic went shabby and stained eventually, After eight years in that condo, we were onto our second or third cutlery rack.

UK Dishwashers

Metal crockery and cutlery stand. On sink worktop. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Back at home in the UK, we have the same problem. Although we have a dishwasher, some items are not dishwasher proof. For example, plastic take away bowls which buckle in the heat.  Wooden handled cutlery loses its shine. Delicate Royal Albert cups would lose the painting, or chip if you slam the dishwasher door shut and items in the top rack bounce against each other. Wooden handled steak knives - not in the dishwasher! Denby ware cutlery with china handles can develop chips around the join at the top, or cracks. 

Our Nespresso coffee cups get washed by hand, because they are in constant use. We have three, but drink three cups every morning, each of us. So it's quicker to wash by hand and leave them to drain.

Our stainless steel sink has an attached drainer, so we do not need a tray under the rack, which you would need if you place your rack on the other side on a work surface. (This depends on space available, and how much room is taken up by your kettle, table top wastebin for vegetable waste, etc.

Buying Online

I went online looking at cutlery trays. The first search showed the cheapest cost about ten pounds UK sterling, 

You can re-set your computer location, or re-set your google or website to another country, if you are about to move, or want to use a different credit card, or are buying for somebody overseas, or plan delivery overseas.) You can also set to a different currency.

 If you buy in one country and ship to another, you might get charged tax before the mail will deliver your parcel. We were charged tax, a hefty amount of about seventy pounds sterling, after paying about a hundred Sing dollars to send our kitchenware back from Singapore to the UK, even though almost all of it was used and second hand, and had already paid tax when bought originally in the UK and taken to  Singapore in hand luggage with us on the plane.

Compare Price, Quality, Colour, Size

Compare Price

On a second search, I found the cheapest item was as little as about two pounds! Unbelievable price. I am not keen on gray. But if you are in a hurry, or temporary accommodation such as a serviced apartment, this could be a good buy.

Compare Size

 My husband looked at the height of ours and said, 'The one advertised is only 7 centimeters deep. Our current one is about eleven (four inches). If you have a short, or low, item, your cutlery and plates will topple and things will break. It will be a disaster.' 

We have long tongs and spatulas and huge dinner plates. What you need depends on what you are using the cutlery tray for. In a serviced apartment you might have just one set of four of everything. The quality could be robust hotel quality, thick and heavy cups, almost unbreakable. You might have small plates. only two long handled items which can be laid sideways. Our serviced apartment in Singapore had a deep sink for washing without splashing, or draining.

Style and Material

For example chrome - a penny under eighteen pounds sterling, Not for me. Either I would need it to be dishwasher-proof or I would be spending hours cleaning off every spoke. But if you have helpers, or a friendly go-to friend who organizes washing-up parties after events.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/simplywire-Kitchen-Basket-Drainer-Chrome/dp/B084CVN13C/ref=asc_df_B084CVN13C/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=435824070893&hvpos

Some items are shown with the dimensions, and how many items stack up. You can buy two tiers. That might block the view. 

When would you need such a large item? Not for one person. Not for a couple when one of them is away working for several weeks or months, or travelling a lot intermittently.

For a family of four, or five, with visitors from overseas, a party. Also, it could provide useful extra for a dinner party of four, a children's birthday party. Also privacy, keeping the person cooking, such as a caterer at a party or wedding, away from distraction from the householders, children, or guests.

Compare Sources - big supermarkets

Where can you buy. Our first check was local supermarkets. Nothing in the Sainsbury's in Pinner. We might have had more choice in the huge 24 hour supermarkets in London, like other city centres. 

Compare Small Corner Shops

You can also browse and buy in the cheap notions shops in suburbs. You can see them from afar. They have piles of plastic homeware spilling out across the pavement in front of the shop windows.

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Charing Cross Station Decoration - murals of history

 

Charing Cross Station platform mural. Photo by Angela Lansbury.  Copyright.

For a quick free introduction to London, stop for 5 to 10 minutes on Charing Cross station platform to read the murals about the history of the station, and the historic events of the area.

Charing Cross station is next to Trafalgar Square. On the north side of Trafalgar Square if the imposing National Gallery of Art. Behind that, looking north, is the National Portrait Gallery.

In the station, the underground railway station, on the Bakerloo line platform, are murals showing the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.   

I took the above photo on the Bakerloo line platform on arrival (from north London, West Harrow). The mural shows an historic scene. 

The twelve men were wearing large white ruffs around their necks. Their clothes are all black. 

The elaborate tablecloth is coloured red, which would hide stains such as blood stains from meat. The pattern would also help to hide stains.

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