The not-so-secret diary

It is fascinating how the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is questionable change over time and across societies. In this basket of 'slightly tacky- politically incorrect-a bit too sweet-but a great laugh down memory lane', I would place Phantom sweet cigarettes. I haven't seen a packet for at least 20 years (or possibly since I was in primary school in India). And as my knowledgeable younger sibling tells me, they are no longer sold in Delhi and neighbouring towns. On special request from her a friend got about four packets down from Ludhiana (of all the places!). For those of you wondering what the hell these are, this is what the packet looks like from outside. And inside this are a set of ten 'cigarettes' made out of a white candy which actually tastes like sugary chalk and has red-coloured candy tip to indicate a flame. My first thought on seeing the pack was, funnily enough, nostalgia. It brought to mind summer holidays at school, hanging...

A belated post on Oki, the new Korean restaurant in London which continues to delight us locals in SW19.  A few weeks ago, my   friends and I   decided to both test and taste the menu by working down our way through it slowly. After the slurp-yummy Dolsot Bibimbap,  our latest discoveries include the big bowls of soupy-noodles (with veggies, tofu or seafood) and semi-spicy stir fries with rice on the side. One Friday going by the sated look on my companion’s face it was obvious that the bento box was apt for meeting strong hunger pangs. Especially for someone who has just finished a swimming session and feels ‘ready to eat a horse’! Another recent memorable evening was one where a couple of us decided to go for carrot and orange juice to accompany our main meals. We started with one glass per person which soon became several glasses through the evening. Well, some of us were more thirsty than others :D As a friend mentioned, i t’s a mercy they didn’t ru...