K-drama Part 3/4

We have only 2 days left in the month, and only 2 posts left for me to meet my target of 30 posts. It is important that we complete the K-drama list. 

 1.Vincenzo: Perfection, addiction, obsession! Again, one of the most highly-rated K-dramas, Vincenzo was a treat to watch. It had 20 episodes against the norm of 16, but even that left us wanting more. 10/5 

 2. Business Proposal: Average run of the mill stuff. Nothing worth remembering, except for the male lead's large nose. I think the guy is too young to get surgery yet. The actress was forgettable as well. 2.5/5 

 3. Suspicious Partner: Interesting drama with some high points. Both good looking leads. I swooned over the male lead while he had his hair neat and brushed back. Once he got the k-drama hero fringe, all love was lost. 3/5 

4. Something in the rain: I watched this one because of Son Ye Jin. It started off real strong, and I loved the initial episodes. The jazz music, the tender romance, the rains - all the right ingredients. Then it just went downhill with too much rona-dhona. What a waste of 2 great actors! I will still rate it 3.5/5. 

5. Sky castle: Very highly rated drama focused on the rot in the Korean education system. Super intense and powerful with exceptional production quality, but it was all stress and no fun. I dropped off mid-way. 4/5

We feel really safe now..

..with our 2 resident spiderkids.

High level security doesn't come cheap though. My mother has to play with them a minimum of 3-4 hours a day in exchange for the family's safety. In the evenings, Papa needs to carry one or both of them down to the park. Not a bad deal in this dangerous world, I say!

Of high aspirations

When one is young, there are few things that appear more desirable than growing older. Once you are old enough, there are few things more depressing than growing even older. I think the person can be considered as truly mature on the day this flip happens. We had put up a couple of numeric balloons with numbers 1 & 6 on Pari's birthday to mark it as her 16th. Not because we consider 16 as anything special, but because the balloons were part of the decorations that the neighbourhood general store owner had recommended and sold to us. Also, because on inflation, they looked nice and went well with our theme. After the party was over, I plucked the number balloons off the wall, bought them home and pasted the 16 in Pari's room. I thought it looked great on her wall. The following evening, I went to Pari's room to run an errand. The numeric balloons looked strange and unsettling. And then I realised that Pari has rotated the 6 to make a 9 and pasted it before the 1. Many of us would offer an arm and a leg to be 16 again, I have a child who can't wait to turn 91. I would appreciate her enthusiasm about life, but for the fact that I would either be long dead and gone or 115 years old. I prefer the former.

Of travelling fathers and lonely daughters..

Husband is just back from a 3 day business trip. The man rarely travels for business and it is a big deal for the family when he does. The newly-minted 16 yo who generally avoids parents like plague is surprisingly and severely impacted. 'The house looks so vacant without Papa', she rues on Monday, the day following her Dad's departure. She spends most of Tuesday looking forlorn - 'I miss Papa so much.. when will he be back?' she asks. The child starts brightening up as Wednesday progresses and joyfully proclaims in the afternoon - 'Papa will be here tonight.. I am so excited!'. Most of the evening is spent checking the flight status and once he lands, tracking his transit from the airport to home. At times, I feel like I don't know this girl at all!

Of birthday cakes..

I had mentioned Pari's birthday cake in a recent post. Most people who saw the cake were impressed with my idea of a piano cake as well the craft of the designer. My sister, however, wasn't. She felt that by ordering the cake, I am not putting any effort and insisted that I bake one for Pari. It is understandable. Sis bakes lovely cakes and dresses them so well that they can easily pass as store bought designer cakes. I have none of her talent, and zilch willingness to make extra work for myself. We ended up ordering a cake from a professional bakery but this incident reminded of some of the innovative cakes my parents had baked for my birthday. My mother is the kitchen goddess and baking queen. I think except for the first, second and a few later ones, she always baked cakes for my birthdays and continues to do so to this day. One cake that I specifically remember was the guitar cake for my 9th birthday. I was taking guitar classes at the time and my dad thought it was a cool idea to make a cake that reflected my current hobby. I have no clue how they did it. I may have been at school or my usual absent-minded self. I would imagine that Mom would have baked multiple cakes which Papa would have cut into shapes and decorated with chocolate and frosting. I just know that it was there on the table in the living room when I came to cut the cake, and I got super excited to see it. Fortunately, I still have a picture to show Pari.

Of Hindi film reviews..

8.8.2019 Pari is a potterhead. As is the routine, it started with the books, progressed with the movies, and now we are sitting on tons of Harry Potter memorabilia - charm pendants, bracelets, wands and Lego sets. The obsession with HP doesn't seem to be waning anytime soon and I have made my peace with it. Yesterday, however, she made a surprising request. She wants to watch 'Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone' movie dubbed in Hindi. I was really puzzled because Pari doesn't watch even Hindi movies in Hindi. The child still has trouble telling apart Amir, Salman and Shahrukh Khans! I prodded further to understand this sudden change of heart. It turns out that Pari has to write a movie review as part of the Hindi assignment in school. Being a devoted HP fan, she wants to review one of the HP movies.The plan is to watch the movie dubbed in Hindi(which, according to her makes it a Hindi movie, duh!) and then review it. I think it is a good plan. Let us just hope that the Hindi teacher thinks so too!

The K-wave

Pari and I love all things Korean. The fascination began with k-dramas which were our window into the Korean culture and their way of life. Through these, we have learnt about the chaebols(the super rich Korean families - thinks Ambani's and Tata's in India), Korean seasons, their flora and fauna, their food - gimbap, Tteokbokki, rameon, soju et al, their traditional wear as well as current fashion trends, the education system in Korea, the work-culture, weddings, societal structure and values - so on and so forth. Our interest in Korean culture is manifesting in different ways, which so accurately reflect how each of us pursues a common interest. Pari is learning Korean language, and has already started framing short sentences. She even manages to understand some of the k-drama conversations without the subtitles. The husband is perusing menus of various Korean restuarants to taste all the great stuff that we see in the k-dramas. Many years ago, we had visited this Korean restaurant in Bangalore by the name Soora Sang. I didn't like the food one bit but the husband liked it enough to polish off both our portions. I am sure he will like it even more now. At my end, I am reading Pachinko - an epic novel by Min Jin Lee. The book is set in Korea in the 1930's, when the country was under Japanese colonial rule. I am only on Chapter 14 and it has already become one of the most moving works that I have read in recent years. Highly recommended!

The resident botanist

8.12.22 Pari and I have come down to the society park. It is a beautiful morning and the weather is too inviting for us to stay indoors. Pari has got her botany book and is ambling around in a leisurely manner, apparently studying plants. Her demeanor reminds me of Jaya Bhaduri and Amitabh Bacchan in the 1975 movie Chupke Chupke. Studying Botany is sure a walk in the park!

Of being a bookworm..

 ..is a good reputation to have. Despite our endeavour to keep the event small and casual, Pari still received many presents for her birthday. Amongst them stood out 6 books presented by as many friends, who have known her for less than 6 months. 

Frankly, this was not a surprise to us. I still remember her 8th birthday, when we had hosted a big party for her including her friends, our friends, colleagues and relatives. Almost all the guests had got her books as presents. I had stacked the books in a neat pile next to the child, and it was almost as high as her! She had received so many sets of books - the Wind in the willows series, the Famous five series, multiple books from the the Wimpy kid and the Geronimo Stilton series amongst others. Pari was a fast reader even in those days and got through the books rather swiftly, post which I passed them on to other kids in our circle of friends and family.    

This year, the books are obviously, all grown-up like herself. I must admit that I am rather impressed with her friends' choices.. can't wait to get my hands on these!

       

Of trying new things..

 There are so many beautiful memories that I have made with nephew S, even though he has been with us in India for just over an year. Since I have  to post every day, I am pacing myself and going easy on the content :) This is another really sweet moment we had, around the time this little guy turned 4. 

We were having lunch at my aunt's place, enjoying the all time favourite Chhole-Bhature. S surveyed the dining table and chose to sit in Pari's lap for the meal. Pari started feeding small bites to him. Being the giver that he is, S started inserting food in Pari's mouth in return. He then discovered the salt shaker on the table, poured plenty onto Pari's dish and started feeding her salt, only salt without any food. Pari refused to oblige.

P: S, don't feed me salt.

S: Why? 

P: I don't want to eat it.

S: Et baav tvy tav te detho (Ek baar try kar ke dekho - Try it just once and see)

We could barely stifle our laughter. This is exactly what we tell S every time he refuses to try a new food. Pari couldn't help smiling either!

Rhotacism

We learn so much from and because of kids. I learnt the word 'rhotacism' courtesy my little nephew S. His tendency to replace all R's & L's with V's and W's is a source of constant amusement in our family. We often imitate him in our casual conversations, and I have gotten so used to it that I once greeted my manager at work with: "Havvo, How aw wou?" Thankfully, he chose to ignore it like so many of my peculiarities. 

S is the most adorable, sweetest child that I have ever met. And it is not just me who is so smitten with him, every single person who interacts with S turns into a fan in no time. His genuine concern for all and his unusual kindness makes it quickly to your heart. His rhotacism just makes him all the more adorable. 

On that point, I recall this incident from last year this time. S was 3 at the time. I was visiting and had promised to take him and his older brother A to the aquarium. S was checking with me every few minutes on the start time.

S: When do we go to the aquarium?

M: In a short while.

25 seconds later..

S: When do we go to the aquarium?

M: Shortly. 

S: When?

M: We will go to the aquarium after I put my lipstick.

S: (brightens up) Whipstick whipstick!

M: Do you apply lipstick?

S: Yes!!

M: How?

S: (drawing finger circles around his mouth) wound and wound and wound..

I still think of this every time I apply a lipstick.

16th birthday with 17 friends..

 ..and what a delight it was! We finally celebrated Pari's birthday today. She has attended her new school for less than 6 months, and I am so proud to see her already being great friends with half the kids in her class - which is to say 100% of the girls and 0% of the boys :) For her birthday, Pari invited 26 friends from the current school out of which 17 turned up. My love for little girls is no secret. I realise that this didn't come out sounding the way it was intended to be, so will clarify - I love my daughter, my little nieces and their young friends. I enjoyed hosting Pari's lovely friends - such polite, warm and promising young people who brightened up our party with their enthusiasm. 

At my end, I tried to surprise Pari with a piano cake. However, I realise that I am very poor at keeping secrets. Pari mentioned that she overheard me discussing the last-minute modifications with the cake designer this morning, and gathered that it was a cake related to music. So much for my undercover execution since last 15 days.. duh! Thankfully, the cake didn't disappoint.

K-drama's continued..

 6. Strong Woman Do-bong Soon: Fun drama again, though some of the comedy was crass. Korean dramas sometimes border on gross with their toilet humor and juvenile innuendos. But to their credit, the humor has no sexual references. And they always have such strong female leads, a trend unseen in Hindi or English entertainment. 4/5

7. Marriage Contract: Serious drama with lot of tender moments. The lead actress is a single mother trying to secure a future for her child while battling a terminal disease crosses path with a wealthy single man- you get the drift. The story is nothing new but the performances made it worthwhile. 4/5

8. Descendants of the Sun: Very highly rated K-drama and rightly so. A love story set in a war-torn country, it has lot of great action and amazing visuals with an memorable background score. Also, the lead actors share a crackling chemistry. All the right elements in this one! 5/5

9. 100 days my prince: First Korean period drama, and it worked for us. Everything looks so surreal in the older days with castles, palaces, princes and princesses in their finery. The lead actress was outstanding and the drama had its moments. 4/5

10. 39: Watched this one because of Son Ye-Jin(CLOY fame). Couldn't sustain my interest despite being a female-centric drama, one terminally ill character, romances etc. I gave up after the initial few episodes. 2.5/5

My affair with K-dramas..

 ..started during the COVID lockdown. I had been hearing exciting things about Korean entertainment for a while, and the lockdown gave us ample opportunity to sample new stuff. Funnily, we started K-dramas as a family and the husband enjoyed it more than anyone else. However, he got over it fairly quickly while Pari and I got hooked to them. Here's what I have watched so far with my quick comments and ratings. I will try to list them in the order in which we watched them, as far as I can remember.

1. What's wrong with Secretary Kim?: The first drama we watched and which made us K-drama fans. Not much of a story, but a feel-good romance with lot of fun moments. 4/5

2. Crash landing on you: Commonly known as CLOY, this is amongst the most  successful k-dramas of all times. Really, it was absolutely perfect in all aspects - interesting story, tender romance, situational comedy, suspense, fast-pace action, superb performances, great background score, stunning visuals and chemistry. 10/5

3. Its okay to be not okay: Again, a phenomenal drama. All the things that I said about CLOY above stand true for this one as well. It is an exceptional work on human feelings, love, insecurities and trauma with a fairy tale feel. 5/5

4. Memories of Alhambra: I chose to watch this because I just couldn't get enough of Hyun bin after CLOY. The first couple of episodes were dreamy and I imagined this soon becoming my new obsession. A crackling chemistry between two good looking people, sights of Granada, and the enigma of Alhambra.. what is there to not like! However, it soon ventured into virtual territories, where the lined between reality and perception became blurred. The following episodes didn't work for me despite trying real hard and I gave up on this halfway. 3/5

5. Romance is a bonus book: A warm, comforting drama. Again, the lead pair were really great looking - I think the actress is the prettiest in all k-dramas that I have seen. 4/5

Alright, this post is getting really long. I haven't even watched my k-dramas tonight. My mother often scolds me for staying up late at night watching TV, and I tell her - mujhe apne Korean heroes ko dekhe bina neend nahi aati hain(I can't sleep without watching my Korean heroes). So long!

Mumbai winters..

 Mumbai gets really pleasant in winters. Winters here are defined as the period from mid-Nov to mid-Feb, when the days become shorter with the sun setting in before 6 pm, and the temperatures plummet to 18-24 degree celsius in the evening. In our 10.5 years stay here, we are yet to experience sub-20 degree temperatures. I would imagine those low temperatures would be recorded in the less populated, less polluted places, not Andheri. 

Having spent the first 20 years of our lives in Uttar Pradesh - Delhi, Kanpur & Allahabad, 20 degrees doesn't even begin to define winters for us. It doesn't motivate us to pull out our basic windcheater from the cupboard, much less our sweaters from the boxes under the bed. 'We' refers to the husband and myself here. Pari is a Mumbai kid. We haven't seen her without a jacket or hoodie since November, while we continue to wear short/no sleeves and shorts. Also, this child sleeps under a stuffed duvet 6 months an year. For years, we have sniggered at folks who show up in warm clothes in the society park or at work. Soon, I see us lighting a bonfire to keep our shivering offspring warm during the bone-chilling Mumbai winters. Karma is for real!

Of new games..

There are major advantages to playing board games with strangers. Firstly, I get more people to play with which is the primary motivation due to the limited size of our family. Secondly, but equally importantly, I get to experience so many new games without having to purchase them. Earlier, I used to read up reviews on different board games but that is so subjective of the writers' interests. It doesn't compare with the opportunity of experiencing a game through actually playing it. Here are a few games that I have played(and mostly won!) so far..

1. Fantasy Realms

2. Skull king

3. Money

4. Parks

5. Project L

Of these, I think Project L is the game with the simplest, most intuitive rules and terrific real repeat value. I played a couple of games last Saturday and can't stop thinking about it since. I plan to get it soon, provided my delivery service from the US is restored:)

16 again..

..this time as a parent. I am wondering if that qualifies me as an expert. Frankly, I hit the motherhood jackpot and got a great deal - a extremely easy child to parent. So far, it has been a cakewalk, and if there is one thing that I don't want to change in my life - it is the child I have. I can count on my fingers, on one hand, the times or things that didn't work out between us. That is a lot given the 16 years together. Ok, why not! I will list the things that I didn't like about Pari.

1. Pari made me very very sick in-utero. I had the worst time and just about made it through. 

2. Pari didn't eat solid foods for the first 2 years of her life. Really, the stress of feeding her shortened our collective lives by many years.

3. This child didn't want to leave the house, like ever! I had to literally throw her out in the evenings to ensure that she gets some fresh air, if not exercise in the park. 

4. Pari quit Kathak despite progressing really well in the first 3 years. 2 reasons - firstly, her aversion to any kind of physical activity, and secondly, she found it very difficult to memorize and write long complicated sentences in Hindi in the dance theory exam. We didn't even collect the certificate for the grade 2 exam that she had appeared for, because Pari so strongly refused to pursue it further. 

I have run out of the things and still have the thumb left. Thumbs-up for Pari.. Happy 16!

16!

Pari turns 16 tomorrow. To me, it feels like I was 16, not so long ago. The days are so fresh and vivid in my memory. Like Pari, I was in the 11th grade, struggling with the rapidly mounting pressure of advanced-level Physics, Chemistry and Maths after scoring very well  in 10th grade with nominal effort. Nobody and nothing had prepared me for this sudden acceleration in academic rigor and I remember having bouts of self-doubt. Pari is in the same boat and goes through similar emotions on a regular basis, and I try to support her as best as I can. It actually helps to remember my 16 year old self because I can relate to her challenges and insecurities so well.

It is a lack-luster birthday eve. My enthusiastic child, who starts planning for every birthday 6 months in advance, is quietly studying for her school exams that begin tomorrow. We had to move the birthday party to the following week to accommodate the exams. To justify the deferred celebrations, I pulled out the pre-natal hospital records and showed to Pari that the due date predicted by the gynac was 22nd Jan. The doctors had planned a leave from 10th Jan, not wanting to take a chance with my 'precious pregnancy'(that is medical term!), they extracted her on 9th Jan. Her actual birthday is 22nd Jan and a celebration any day before that is early instead of delayed. Always a logical person, Pari appears to be quite satisfied with the explanation and her initial disappointment has diminished. Happy birthday my lovely child, I am so blessed to have you.

Of exceptional muscle memory..

I am a naturally lean person, averse to any physical activity. I would, therefore, imagine myself having very little muscle mass. Irrespective, my muscle memory appears to be really active and sharp. Every muscle remembers every ache, every workout long after I have forgotten the routine and the gym instructor has forgotten my name. I know that I really need to do something about my creaking joints and stiffening limbs if I intend to rely on them for the second half of my life, the question is how!

Of personal cheerleaders..

 Earlier this week, I participated in a board game event organized by a bunch of gaming enthusiasts. It was a casual, fun event and I am glad that I could make it despite a dull headache. A couple of hours later, Pari messaged on Whatsapp to check on me. I think I got incredibly lucky with this kid!

Of online shopping, unrealistic expectations and aerial views..

Last week, I had ordered a dress online as a new year present for myself. It got delivered today. Now, the dress looked very nice in the pictures posted on the website. But then, the pictures featured a tall, leggy model with porcelain skin inside the dress, apparently 10 years younger to me if not more. People often blame designers for not using real people to display and promote their clothes. I can't even do that as I have observed myself subconsciously scrolling over clothes that feature plain Jane models. Truth be said - modelling is a profession, which like any other, requires certain qualifications. Models do make the clothes look desirable and designers need to sell. And I am no activist really, just a regular person who browses fashion websites and buys pretty-looking stuff online to feel good. I am not here to make a statement or take a stand with my purchase. 

We digress but to be fair, even the dress didn't look like its picture. The actual dress looked like a poorer cousin of the dress in the picture, similar to how I looked when compared to the model in the picture.  Now, I am a very reluctant person when it comes to returning clothes or other things once purchased - online or offline. I feel that my time invested in the selection and purchase would go waste if I were to return the item. Therefore,  I continue to seek validation of the item to avoid a return. My darling mother is my go to person for self-affirmation. It is not that she actually likes all of my shopping, rather she instinctively  knows it when I come to her for an approval that wasn't found anywhere or with anyone. And she loves me way too much to turn me down. I asked the husband to take a couple of pictures of me in the said dress to share with my mother. He took the pictures from his eye level which is about 6 inches over my head and I ended up looking like a dwarf, with stunted growth. I insisted that he bends down to my level and take another picture. This time the picture came out well with my body appearing proportionate. While comparing the pictures, I had an strange thought - most people are significantly taller to me, is this is how I appear to them? Funny that I never thought of this before! In any case, I have sent the good picture to my mother and am now waiting upon her approval of my dress.. fingers crossed!

Of Twister and unyielding limbs

Twister is an old favorite in our home. The game is fun to play, and funnier to watch. We have pictures of friends and family, including my dear mother in various contorted positions in desperate attempts to stay on the twister mat and thereby, in the game. I remember catching hilarious(to the spectators, not necessarily to the subject) falls and tumbles on camera as well. 

When our friends suggested playing twister during the New year's party, I was quick to raise my hand. The three of us - Pari, DH and I were invited to play a game together. 3 moves in, I pulled my thigh muscle and retired immediately due to the intense pain. I felt embarrassed for quitting so soon and tried to massage my thigh to ease the pain, which felt unbearable and had me gasping for breath. I somehow waited for the DH to finish the game(which he eventually won against my gutsy kid) and return to help me. In the 3 minutes that lapsed, I had started feeling dizzy. The host offered a pain spray which we gratefully accepted and made our way to the bedroom for application. The next I know is the DH holding me and calling out my name loud, to wake me up from what felt like deep sleep. I had passed out from the pain on the way to the bedroom! On gaining consciousness,  I lay down in the bed for a while, still feeling faint, and my ears ringing so strongly that I could barely hear anything else. It took a good 20 min for the pain to subside and for me to become alert again. 

Effectively, the first thing I did this year was to faint before friends, family and a dozen strangers. 

Of financial frauds and narrow escapes

 I have listed Pari's bicycle for resale on OLX. This is perhaps the 4th bicycle that we are selling on OLX. It is always the same story - we buy her a bike enthusiastically, she enthusiastically rides it 3-4 times, soon the novelty wears off and the poor thing lies in the shed gathering dust. Once in a blue moon, I pester the husband to get the cycle serviced, the tyres inflated and the chain polished - Pari promises to ride it more often - but before long, the promise and the cycle are both forgotten. It helps that we are always able to get rid of the current cycle very quickly on OLX, and that we are able to order a new one even more quickly on Amazon or Flipkart. 

The present bicycle is about 3 years old and has been used as many times. I have been waiting patiently for the past couple of years for Pari to get back to cycling, but kind of losing hope now. Yesterday, I finally got the husband to click a few pictures and list the cycle for resale. True to OLX's reputation, messages are pouring in and the phone hasn't stopped ringing since the post went live. Today, a person called me to buy the cycle, displaying a great sense of urgency. He asked me for my phone number which is linked to bank accounts to transfer the money. I insisted that he looks at the cycle before making a payment, but he mentioned that he runs a cycle repair shop and is happy with what he has seen in the pictures. I sent him the DH's phone number. Promptly, he started sending  QR codes, insisting that we scan those to receive the money. The husband refused to scan the QR which immediately showed up as a payment link. The person on the other side kept arguing that that he doesn't have gpay or UPI but is paying through some card machine. This went on for a while, the guy just didn't stop calling us. After a while, 1 rupee was credited in our account and he called back saying that it worked because we had scanned the code. DH was extremely annoyed and gave him an earful, after which he became abusive. I blocked his calls and messages. and reported him to whatsapp. Tried reporting him to OLX multiple times- the functionality just didn't work. Opened the govt cyber crime reporting portal, filled the longish form, attached pic as proof when the site randomly misbehaved and all my information was lost. I remember facing the same issue earlier as well when I tried to report a cyber crime - some guy sending lewd whatsapp messages on my phone.

This is one of my 'Janahit me jaari' posts. I will try again tomorrow to report this on the cyber crime helpline. Hopefully, the govt would fix their website and not wait for people to get frustrated and give up on reporting such incidents. 

Food nostalgia

A couple of days ago, DH and I were discussing our life and home back in Bangalore. No discussion of our lives can run over 90 seconds without gravitating towards food. We reminisced about our oft-visited restaurants in Bangalore: Samarkand, Ebony, Casa Picola, Wanleys, Treat, 3-quarters Chinese, Chung wah, Memories of China, Grameen, Bombay Post, Little Italy.. some of whom have sadly shut shop since. 

There were several establishments near our house in Indiranagar from where we would regularly order-in. Since we never visited those places, it was hard to recall the names after so many years. One of them was a Bengali restaurant and irrespective of our main course, we always ordered Bhetki Paturi for appetizers. How outrageous that we haven't had this luscious preparation since moving out of Bangalore in 2011! I decided to make Bhetki Paturi as my first dish for 2023. Ordered Bhetki fillets, watched recipes on Youtube and plucked banana leaves from our society park. The husband and I spent the better part of an hour, carefully wrapping a dozen marinated fish chunks with banana leaves, and securing each with a piece of string before placing them in the steamer. As we proudly set the fish before Pari, she looked at the platter very curiously and suspiciously - 'Mumma, shall I eat the banana leaf before the fish or alongside?' That is when we realised that the poor kid doesn't remember eating Bhetki Paturi at all! What looks like yesterday to us is so far back in the past for her that it is as good as never. I lovingly unwrapped the paturi, carved a small piece of bhetki and offered to her. The ensuing grunts of approval and satisfaction told me that she is unlikely to forget the experience any time soon.