Etiquette Of Eating A Mankurad Amo!

You don't just buy one, you have to earn one!!


Okay, I stole that line from Cadbury Bournville Ad! But that's the best way to convey my sentiments about the Mankurad Amo! Now for the non Goan folks, "Amo" means a Mango, and "Mankurad" is the Goan variety or specialty!

They call the Mango the king of fruits, then Mankurad is the king of Mangoes! ( I know each Mango growing state will want to debate that with the best they have, only because they haven't yet tasted the Mankurad!!.......I bet you try one and then debate on this issue, no one can eat just one!! ( Okay, I stole this tag line too..... :-) )

From what I've heard, Mankurad was originally grown in Portugal, and a sapling was transported to their colony in Goa, and today Goa is the only state in the whole wide world to grow this species of Mangoes! Even Portugal doesn't have it anymore. ( Anyone else who knows any other story , you are welcome to share it!)

Mancurado or Malcurado means "poor color".... I don't know who the hell named this species to mean that! I read some Goan lady say, "How can a mango, which when eaten, transports one straight to heaven, be called malcurado which means poor colour ?"....so true!!!

Anyway, if you anytime are honored with this mango, then there are ways or etiquette to eat it! You don't just pick one and eat it!!

First you pick it up and smell it!

No ! Wait! First, you smile......before picking up the Mankurad , you smile.........though that is very natural to all Goans , others have to strictly do it to please the very Mankurad that you are going to eat! ( In my case I simply hop and jump around, especially now that I stay in Bengaluru and I don't get to eat a Mankurad everyday!! )

Step 2: You cut it into neat slices! Remember not to smudge or disturb the pulp!

Step 3: You smell it one's again!

You see, Mankurad is to be eaten at leisure, for that you need to give lots of time, it's not something you gulp down to just finish the task!!

You take small bites, and chew it slowly .......preferably close your eyes while you eat it!

Only after you are done with the slices can you go for the main seed! And you have to eat the seed till the color turns from yellow to white!! Waste nothing my friend!! Waste Nothing!!

You cannot plant the seed after you are done with it and expect it to bear you a Mankurad! You need a graft of Mankurad if you want to grow one, and you need to be in Goa to grow one!

This season, if any of your Goan friends are visiting home, the only thing to ask them to get back when they come is a Mankurad Amo! Each Mankurad should be carefully wrapped in a paper and then all of them put together in a bag....

Well! I hope you follow the rules when you get to eat the Mankurad! If I was in Goa, I would have said all are welcome to come home and have one, but here I treasure each Mankurad that I get!! So sorry, no invitations here! ( This can be another etiquette! You may not want to share a Mankurad, and it's perfectly understood!)

Scary Movie??? Phoonk 2 Experience!

Yesterday night me and my friends finally agreed to go and watch a scary movie. Last month "Click" was released and though we spoke about it, we didn't make it to the theaters. Another reason being most of us had watched the original film " Shutter" from which "Click" is supposedly copied!

"Phoonk 2" was on my mind for quite some time! I knew before watching the film that it's not going to be great......nevertheless it's been too long since I watched a scary movie on a big screen. And all I ever want to do is to get that thrill, to get scared and scream! ( I love to scream!!) The last I watched was 'Darna Mana Hai', and before that I'd watched 'Bhoot'- which was a good film.

I don't know what the makers of this film were thinking when they made this film...... rather, did they think at all before or while making the film?

All that the film offers you are sound effects- big, scary and disturbing one's- at unwanted places....It looks like the guy responsible for putting the sound effects put all that he had in 1 go! ( May be he too was bored of watching the film so he just randomly picked up scenes and put the effects!) The end result is that there's no connection between the video and the audio! Someone's going to sleep and there's a sudden loud scary sound effect!! The visual does nothing to compliment the sound effects!

while you wait patiently and expectantly for something to happen , the night falls...... and........and..........suddenly it's a day! ( tai tai fish!)

I don't understand...in fact I am quite sure nobody understood the flow of the film! There's no progression in the storyline.....no connection between 1 scene to the next. Throughout, it's the same mood! From the 1st scene to the last scene , the film maker tries to scare you and finally succeeds at nothing!

Is it that the film maker was scared to scare the audience? I couldn't understand!

Anyway, I had a good time trying to scare friends who are too scared to watch a scary movie, and the rest of the times commenting on the film.......and a few rare times, screaming... ( Though my sound effects did compliment the film- at least I screamed at the right places!)

Please don't waste your time and money on this film! However if you simply want to hang out with your friends, comment and have a good laugh- then please go!

This film can bond you to your friends , will sharpen your wit and your tongue, can give you lots of opportunities to laugh out loud, will disgust you!! But what it won't do - is scare you!!

A big Cheers to Indian Scary movies......they are in a class of it's own! A genre you can't call thrillers, scary films, comedy ....for that matter nothing!

Rating: Sorry, What was it I watched yesterday??

LOL

The Changing face of Indian Television!

Rishta.Com

This is a new hindi serial on sony Tv .It aired it's first episode on 3rd Jan 2010.

The very 1st look will tell you that it's a different serial!

I've never been a regular viewer so I don't catch any of their shows, but I did in my free time watch a few episodes on youtube and found it very entertaining!

It's anytime better than those totally senseless melodramatic saas bahu serials!

The Plot:

It is the story of two contrasting individuals namely Isha and Rahul who open a matrimonial agency. But while accomplishing the most challenging job, they encounter extreme cases, and illogical requests of their clients.

It is a Yash Raj Production and is an extremely innovative and fresh concept!

Rishta.com Timings:

Monday: 1.30 pm

Tuesday: 9am

Wednesday 11pm

As you notice, the timings of this show are so awkward that it's not been able to catch its target audience- which is obviously young, modern and urban class! So the TRP's are supposedly very low and the producers are thinking of taking it off the air!

So some people are trying to save the show by starting an online petition called Save Rishta.Com Petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/Rcom4evr/petition.html!( Sign it if you want more sensible shows to come to Indian Television- I did!)

What more? It's been written and directed by Rishabh Seth, who is the younger brother of the main female cast- Shruti Seth!( Who's standing in that photograph there!)

So try to catch an episode, such shows are definitely welcome as they will hopefully change the face of Indian Television for the better!

About: Interesting blogs !

Over the last couple of months I've been writing less and reading more of what other bloggers are writing!

And here's a list of blogs I thoroughly enjoy reading: And I recommend you to try them out!

( Most of them are links Mr Kiran Rao puts as update messages! So thanks to him for that!)

1. http://neoindian.org/

2. http://indianhomemaker.wordpress.com/

3. http://thetimepassofindia.blogspot.com/

4. http://poomanam.blogspot.com/

5. http://www.hopehorizons.in/

6. http://therestlessquill.blogspot.com

7. http://www.chronicwriter.com/ ( Funny)

8. http://spicyipindia.blogspot.com/ ( Legal writing)

9. http://di-space.blogspot.com/ ( My sister's blog! Writes rarely, but writes very well!)

10. http://deadlykali.blogspot.com/

11. http://harryjerry.com/

12. http://chandni.wordpress.com/blog/

Any blogs you have come across that's worth a read, then please leave the link in the comments section!

Enjoy Madi!

No place like home!

This time when I visited Goa, I learnt more about her beauty then I ever had before!!

I'd always hated Goan summers because they are hot and humid and sweaty! But at least the sweat protects your skin and keeps the body cool- it doesn't burn like here in Bengaluru!

No restaurants or cooks in Bengaluru can ever match up to my mum's food! I'd almost lost my appetite in the last week before I left for Goa! And all I could dream of at nights were the simple "bhaji's" and "toys" ( It's a variety of daal tadka. Not pronounced as 'toy' meaning a child's toy...it's pronounced....well! Forget it! There are so many words in Indian languages that English can never help in pronunciation- this is one of them! )

The calmness and peace that surrounds Goa is refreshing! And I just trekked in the evergreen forests of Netravali and had a dip in one of its several cool waterfalls- That my friends, is a heavenly experience!!

Goa , to me, is To hear the songs of birds every morning when I wake up!
And to see the happiness in the eyes of my pets when they see me!

Goa is walking any street and meeting people you know ( and occasionally having to face a comment or two!)

It's the freedom to take the bike or the car anywhere I like, without having to worry about the time and the place!

And speeding- yes! Goa is the place ( especially at nights) to speed your vehicle!

Goa- is everything you ever need!

The only problem area is lack of opportunities , especially career wise!
Another major problem is dirty politics which will eventually kill this beautiful state!
And at  last, an orthodox society which vehemently refuses to grow up and walk with the times!