Monthly Archives: August 2007

The signs aren’t good, nurse

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Dear Internet,

I fear I must make a small confession.

I left the house on Sunday afternoon, fully intending to take advantage of the sunny day by going to some tourist spot or another – perhaps Lord’s, perhaps Regent’s Park where they were holding a “village fair”. Oh and fake beach volleyball. But that was never a factor.

On the way out, however, I thought up the bright idea of doing a quick bit of shopping while I was at it. I needed to buy:

  • Jeans
  • Casual shoes

My jeans were getting a bit tatty, and not to mention my shoes really do need replacement after 2 years of hardy service (these shoes have criss-crossed the globe. They rate mentions.) I knew my idea of shopping: targeted, quick, in-and-out, and I knew I could do all that in time for tea a nice juice smoothie.

I checked my map of the fine old city: Oxford St was on my way to Regent’s Park and Lord’s. Oxford St, London. Doesn’t sound like a bad place to look, eh.

I got off at Bond St station (I wonder if I shouldn’t have commenced a Monopoly tour right there; Bond St, Oxford St, Regent St, Marylebone Station, and Mayfair all within a reasonable walk.) and was pleased to find the street packed with much talent. It appears I was far from the only one to have the idea.

And that’s where things went pear-shaped. I wandered down the street, a veritable country rube gawking at the palaces to consumerism that line the street. I hadn’t been down here while the shops were open.

Three and a half hours later I found myself in Hyde Park, shopping bags in hand. I had:

  • Polo-esque Shirt from GAP: £18
  • Black suit jacket worth £120 from FCUK: £35
  • Jeans from Primark: £6

Which makes for a total of £59, or $150. Worth of clothes. Of which I only wanted the $15 jeans. I had also seriously considered:

  • Jeans from GAP: £68
  • Ultra-thin tie from FCUK: £25

… only putting them down at the last minute. Which would have put me way out.

I fear, dear internet, that I may be becoming, dare I say it, consumerist. Help me!

(Oh, and I never made it to Lord’s or Regent’s Park)

Holiday booked

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Back in Oz from 26th August to 10th September. My birthday, Dad’s birthday, stuffness… wondering if I should pop down to Melbourne, too.

ed: gah! I twittered! nooooooooooooo!

Recipe: Pasta (a la Juneja)

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I was just thinking while cooking lunch that I haven’t done one of my Sunday recipes in a while, and I’d promised my sister that I’d post our family pasta recipe so she could whip up one of her own in Adelaide. And at that exact moment, I happened to be in the process of cooking… Pasta a la Juneja.

What’s so special about our pasta recipe? Not much, other than it’s got that Indian touch to it =) Yes, we can change even the venerable Italian culinary tradition to suit our tastes. If you are an Italian purist, look away now.

What you’ll need

  • Pasta of some sort. Your base material is important to the extent that it defines the texture of the dish. I just use whatever one is lying around the house, really =) Fusili is my preferred option, however. I get the type that you have to boil (I know not the technical term), but whatever works really. Portion size of the boil-type is about 75g to 100g, so adjust as necessary for the number of people you’ve got.
  • Pasta sauce of some (tomato-based) sort. Again, the type is entirely up to you, but I tend to buy something from the Dolmio range – if you’re feeling adventurous you could make it yourself! For 3 – 4 serving size, half a bottle works, but may be adjusted as necessary. Real chefs use rules of thumb.
  • Vegetables of a variety. I know, I know, I’m being really generic here, but this recipe is adaptable. Get at least 3 – 4 different types, or alternatively, just buy the frozen mixed vegetables from your local supermarket. Ensure there are at least carrots, because otherwise it’s not my recipe.
  • Red/Spanish Onion: half to one is all that is necessary.
  • Optionally – Meat: once more, I leave it up to your preferences. I’ve only done this once with chicken, but it worked out alright.
  • Cheese! Grated Mozzarella works for me =)
  • Salt, pepper, ginger and spices: The ingredients for any good Indian dish. Spices to taste – a little masala should give it enough of an Indian touch.
  • Oil: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the only one I would accept.
  • Water with which to boil the pasta.
  • Pot to boil pasta in.
  • Strainer to allow pasta to drain.
  • Wok or other similar dish to fry up the veggies in.
  • Optionally – Tobasco sauce. For taste.
  • About 30 min to 45 min.

Ingredients

The Line Up

The Method to the Maddness

  1. Boil up or prepare the pasta according to the directions on the pack.
    1. For the boil type, put the water in the pot and add a pinch of salt, and get it close to boiling (when the bubble first start to form) before adding the pasta. If you’re not comfortable with dealing with hot water, add earlier.
    2. Once boiling properly, turn down the heat to just enough to keep the boiling rolling. Let this boil for about 7 minutes (varies according to variety – so see directions!) You want it to be slightly firm (al dente).
    3. Take off the heat and drain the water in the strainer, leaving the pasta to cool a little.

    Strained Pasta
    Al Dente (to the teeth?)

    If you can manage it, do this next bit simultaneously! =)

  2. If you’ve got unchopped veggies, chop them now into bite-size pieces. Otherwise take out the frozen veggies and give them a quick wash to remove the frost. Chop the onion too.
  3. If you’ve got meat, cook this first, to your style & preference. This is primarily a vegetarian recipe however.
  4. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in the wok a little (just give it 30 seconds on a hot wok)
  5. Add some finely chopped ginger and the salt & spices, letting it get a little fried up.
  6. Add the vegetables (and optionally meat) and stir-fry them until they start to soften, especially the onion & carrots. Turn down the heat to 30% or so.

    Veggies a-go-go
    Veggies a-go-go

  7. Add the pasta sauce to the wok, and mix well. There should still be plenty of “loose” sauce left to coat the pasta, however, so if not, add some more!

    So Saucy
    So Saucy

  8. Let this fry up a little for 30 seconds – just to get it hot, really.
  9. Add the pasta from step 1 and mix in thoroughly, ensuring plenty of sauce coverage. Turn down the heat even more at this point – should be on minimum, as most of the cooking’s done and we just want a little heat.
  10. At this point, the dish is pretty much ready – if you want to be healthy, take it now!

    The healthy cop-out stage
    The healthy cop-out stage

  11. For everyone else, turn off the heat, and add a splash of Tobasco for that little bit of zing
  12. And finally, add a bunch of cheese and “fold” it in, ensuring it is evenly spread and melted (but don’t let it cook!)

    Mmmm, Cheeeeeese
    Mmm, Cheeeeeeese

  13. Et voila, Pasta a la Juneja. Top off with a bit of cracked pepper and serve hot.

 Pasta a la Juneja
Pasta, my way (or the highway)

Let me reiterate that I’ve usually had this as a vegetarian dish, and it makes a filling meal at that. It’s infinitely tweakable, though, so I’d say experiment to find your own taste groove. And that’s how you do Pasta, Indian style =)

This shit just got real

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(It’s inevitable, isn’t it? As soon as I say “I’m on hiatus,” I think of something to write)

I think what’s got me in a bit of a zone is the fact that suddenly, things are real. I don’t know why it hasn’t felt like that until just recently; maybe I’m finally getting out of that age range where you’re expected to goof off, and hitting 22 suddenly sounds very much like “Ok, you’re supposed to be grown up now. Get on with it.”

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m in London and suddenly I’ve realised that, wait, I’m actually here for 7 whole months. Not just two like last time, most of which was spent larking about. Maybe it’s my flatmates – they’re all much, much older, and while they are students, it’s something they’ve come back to.

Maybe it’s that others are talking of careers, and homes, and lifetime partners, and I’m not thinking of any of that, because… well because I’m not sure that I should. That’s Scary Stuff, don’t you know? The grad program I’m on is a nice feather-bed to land on on my way into the workplace, because for the first year at least, it certainly felt like I was just out of uni but not really, and it was all a bit of a lark. And then London happened, or at least kicked off, and it still felt like it was just going to another semester.

But then I got here, and found a place to live, and suddenly… it’s all too real.

Whatever the reason, it’s like I’m finally realising I’m out of uni, and way out of school. The work I do day-to-day affects other people in their day-to-day world, even if just slightly. In some cases, there are people praising my work, and that drives an intense sense of satisfaction. In others, there are those who criticise and point out how it gets in their way. And all the time I’m watching them thinking “hang on, you use this for real?“, as if I’d always considered that this was merely an exercise like at uni, and I was being trained for the “real thing”. But now I’m here, I’m called on as a subject expert, having worked on it for a year and a half (and still knowing all too little).

It’s not too early for a quarter-life crisis, is it? When the hell did life become real?!

Never forget

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Even after 2 years, the memory is strong. The dream lives on, growing, changing, adapting to the newer perspective. I want to reach out and grab it, to hold it tight until it becomes real, or it truly dissipates. Regret and desire all mixed in with a hint of words unsaid.

Imagination, dreaming – they all serve their purpose.

Occasionally, melancholia hits, and you just can’t sleep.