Route 79

How bizzare :-)

I think Private Spoon (from Dog Soldiers) said it best:

'I love it when a posh bird talks dirty'

Hey new look.....but m so used to the old look na...Anyways.....the post was damn cool.....I liked it...:D

That was... ummm. .very infotaining.

It seems that there is a shortage of Indian chefs in Britain. Apparently the Visa restrictions have tightened and people are not willing to work long hours. (Read it in Today's (16th) Edition of Economic Times)
Care to join???

What did Parminder say? I recently found this blog and find it interesting (most of the time). Being a U.S. born - first generation Punjabi, I find it difficult to find someone with whom I can practice speaking. In the small city in which I live, there are not too many Punjabis and my wife speaks Telugu.

Sorry for the ramble; a bunch on non sequiturs. :)

James: Indeed!

Shobha: yes, new look may take some getting used to! Glad you liked the link.

Sat: Yes - very infotaining! I tried to find that Economic Times article in today's edition - but couldn't find it. But I can understand what it's about - for many years UK goverment has made it easy for chefs from India to come work in UK - such is the value to the UK economy of the Indian restuarant and takeway trade - worth hundreds of millions of pounds annually. Now - with a tightening of immigration rules - I can imagine that it's hard to get chefs from India - plus also it's the kind of work that is mostly unglamorous and, as you point out, long working hours, harsh environment etc. Hence the shortage.

I'm not sure I would want to cook for a living. Well - not in a restaurant anyway. Maybe I would consider doing a book on cooking - and hopefully get rich that way in my retirement - but not to work 12 hours a day in a dark backroom kitchen taking orders for chicken tikka masala. No way.

Hi anonymous: Parimder says: "Kiddha Haramzada" (which for those who don't understand Punjabi means - "How you doing bastard?"

I am Punjabi too! Pity you cannot mix with others speaking your own language. This is why, although I have travelled (and lived) in many places all over the western world - there is no better place than the Indian/Punjabi communities of London and Birmingham for affiliating with our culture. I know that there is sizable Punjabi community in NYC (I have a lot of family there) - and there is also a large Punjabi community in Yuba CA - but outside of those two places Punjabis are spread very thinly.

Thanks for commenting here anonymous! Glad you find it interesting (most of the time).

Jag, thanks for the update. I posted my real name but not my address at this time. I have friends who live in the Sheperds Bush area. The first time I went to Southall on a visit to their house, I was amazed! Now, I can speak Punjabi but cannot read Gurmukhi script (I hope to remove that deficit soon) so to enter a community with that much Punjabi was neat. Almost like being in the pind. :)

Ahh - Shepherd's Bush - the place of the very first Gurudwara in UK - probably the first in the world outside Indian subcontinent! Legend has it that Punjabi-Sikh travellers to UK walked as far as they could into London from Heathrow Airport - and set up Gurudwara there!

Anyway - I am amazed that you are planning on being able to read Gurmukhi script! I cannot do that - and have no plans to either! A bit too involving for me right now - even my Punjabi isn't that good either!

Yes - being in Southall is just like being in pind! Which pind you from anyways? (I am from Jullunder - OK - not quite pind - but mother was from there - and father from Jaspalon in Ludhiana dist.)

One of the reasons I want to learn to read Gurmikhi script and hence, speak Punjabi properly, is to read our holy books as they were written. As you know, transliterations and translations don't quite capture the author's full intent and meaning. I believe this is true of any language.
Like you, Punjabi is not a facile language for me. :)

As for the gaon or pind, my father hails from a village south of Moga called Badhni Kalan (or large Badhni). My mother came from a small village near Amritsar that may not exist anymore (although I think it does), and whose name escapes me. I tell people she is from Chandigarh as that is where my grandfather retired after military service. I believe that I may be a bit unique (at least in here in the States) because my father is Hindu and my mother was Sikh. I feel as though as I am lucky to have the experience and beliefs of both religions.

Oh, I plan on trying out your recipes as my wife is a great cook of south Indian cuisine (being Telugu) but would like to make more north Indian dishes.

Sat Sri Akal.

Sat Sri Akal Ajay,

Yes - I agree with you that a lot can be lost in translations etc. And I also agree that you are pretty unique in terms of mixed religous parentage! I envy you in that respect - there is a lot to be learned from all faiths.

Hey - I'm glad you wush to try out some of the dishes. I do most of the cooking in our house - and it's something I really do enjoy. I like cooking even if I'm not eating myself! Well - it's funny because I am actually going through a South Indian phase at the moment - am practising as much as I can - hence no recipes on South Indian yet. I think this is because I live in predominantly Gujurati and Sri-Lankan area of London - and since I was raised in Leicester (same place as Parminder Nagra!) which is mostly Gujurati - I have lived Punjabi and Gijurati food for a lot of my life - so I fancied the idea of more South Indian instead. The other day my wife and I had a go at making Rava Dosas with mashed potato filling - and we didn't do very well with the dosas - I think we need a lot more practise! But there are so many great places to get South Indian breakfasts and lunches around where we live - even the most obscure places - and very cheap - and very tasty - it makes us wonder why we bother trying to cook it at all!

Anyway - once again - thanks for commenting here!

Hi Kelly: thanks for your comment - well when I listened to Parminder again - I think she said "Kiddha Haramda" - which is slightly different to the first time round that I heard it - and now I am not sure what she is meaning it all!

Happy travelling Kelly!

Jag:

I have to say, I heard, "Kiddha Haramda", equivalent to "How's it going bastard?" I did not hear "kunjuri" (whore).

aacha?

Agreed anon! I think it is indeed "Kiddha Haramda"!

fuck u fuckers u lot r mother fuckers

UGH WHA ARE YOU TRYIN TO DO WITH YOUR FONT, KILL MY EYES!! GOSH CHANGE TEH BACKGROUND AND FONT ITS SO MESSED UP I BET HALF THE PPL LEAVE YOUR SITE CUZ OF TEH CUSTY FONT STYLE AND BACKGROUND!!!!