Readers might rewind their brains to many years ago, when there was this huge outcry about an American company acquiring patent rights over Basmati rice.
Yes, the very same Basmati rice that we Indians have been cultivating for, for, forever. How dare they? Basmati is India, spelt in seven letters.
Well, they were told to stick it, and after a big campaign, most of the patents were revoked. More importantly, Ricetec lost the right to claim the Basmati brand.
Trust American ingenuity to come up with alternatives.
Presenting, for our very own readers, for the first time, here’s Basmati’s American cousins.
Big brothers Kasmati and Texmati.
Kasmati is Indian Style Basmati. Texmati is Long Grain American Basmati
This one was discovered in a discount household store in Newyork.
So far we had only seen Indian stores selling stuff with prices printed in rupees. A non desi store selling Tide detergent for Rs 23 was, let’s just say, exciting.
(Just to clarify, these prices might be printed in rupees, but the beauty is that you pay in dollars, and the dollar price has no relation to the conversion rate)
One of the highlights of our Las Vegas vacation was a trip to the Grand Canyon. Special enough to get its own post.
The Grand Canyon is one of the great natural wonders on the planet. It was formed by the Colorado river cutting through the surrounding terrain, over the course of millions of years. Located at a short few hours drive from Las Vegas, this is a must see sight if you are traveling to that area.
One added bonus en route is the Hoover dam, one of the marvels of modern engineering. When completed in 1935, it was the largest concrete structure ever built. At its base, the dam is 200m thick. That’s two football fields of solid concrete.
Anyway, we decided to cut short the travel time. We took a helicopter trip offered by papilon helicopters. They would fly us to the canyon in about 45 minutes, land on the canyon floor(!), and get us back. We would get to see the Hoover dam as well, and all this would be done in about 4 hours. You could call it a time saver. You could also call it a wallet buster.
This was the Ecostar helicopter that flew us from Boulder city to the canyon.
The Rockefeller Center is one of the tallest buildings in Newyork standing tall at 872 feet. A place where you can gain a real perspective of Manhattan.
Central Park is larger than two of the world’s smallest nations. It is almost twice as large as Monacoand nearly eight times as large as theVatican City.
Central Park constitutes its own United States census tract, number 143. According to Census 2000, the park’s population is eighteen persons, twelve male and six female, with a median age of 38.5 years, and a household size of 2.33, over 3 households.
July 4th. The American Independence day. A day for barbeques, picnics, family get-togethers, and fireworks!
The Macy’s ‘spectacular‘ has been a Newyork tradition for the past 32 years. This year we decided to watch it from Roosevelt Island, which supposedly offers the best views of the show.
In the middle of East river between Manhattan and Queens lies a little island called Roosevelt Island. One way to reach this island from Manhattan is a tramway, one of the few in the US.
Here’s a brief account of our trip to this nice getaway. All pictures were taken by me…feel free to compliment me on my photography skills.
South point on the island gave me something that i havent encountered often in Newyork – Silence. Its like a little oasis of desolation right in the middle of one of the noisiest cities in the world.
I also shot a video on the way back. Watch out for the shiny Newyork lights, traffic on FDR Drive, the nicely lit Queensboro bridge, and loudly talking Newyorkers. Alas, i didnt make any noise so you wont catch me there
How to get there: Tram Station on E60th street and 3rd avenue. Your metro card gets you a ride.
Right here in Newyork’s backyard exists a quaint little neighbourhood called Jackson Heights. Sometimes also known as Little India. A visit there and you actually feel like you are in some Delhi market. Chandni Chowk anyone?
Here’s some pictures of this great Indian getaway.
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