The 100th!!!

The 100th post!! A milestone I've longed for so long, a post I've written in my head at least a down times - and now that I'm here, I'm curiously at a loss for words. Actually, I was hoping that I would get to the 100th by 27th August - the 3rd anniversary of the blog - 3 years, 100 posts - wow, I am feeling really overwhelmed now.

The last 3 years, these 100 posts have literally given me a new direction, new vistas to explore. What started as a hobby has gradually evolved into a passion - my only regret being that I didn't start earlier  - way earlier!! It would have been such a treasure to have documented all those years in France and Chennai - all those baby years, all those Snowy stories!! Even now, reading the first posts on this blog, there are so many memories that would have surely faded - if it hadn't been for the blog!!

Since the very first post, I have wondered who would want to read what I've written. Even today, I feel a thrill, a sense of awe when I see the number hits on a particular post - nothing makes my day like a comment on the blog! So thank you, my readers - for reading, for encouraging me, for all the support!! Thank you for getting me to the 100th post!! Thank you for being such an integral part of 'Coolkarnis in China'!!

I feel like I should be writing something momentous to mark this occasion - but I'm seriously blanking out - no words of wisdom from me today! Instead, let me end with a promise to keep writing - here's to many more - more years, more posts, more everything!! I do hope you keep reading, keep coming back to share our experiences - in China, and beyond!!! Signing off the 100th post then - cheers!!

Where has September gone??

I can't believe it's already October!! And as always, I'm way behind on the blogging - too many activities, and not enough down time!! So much for my resolution for keeping a low profile this school year - 2 months in, and I'm back on the whirl - jam-packed weekends, and a blur of weekdays!! Hard to imagine what our lives would be if I went back to work full-time - where would I find the time to fit in an actual job??!!

For me, September started off with mixed feelings - after much vacillating, I decided to let go my aayi - maid - of 3 years. The debate and the indecision goes back a few months - I'm always reluctant to make a change - besides, I can never decide if I have a good reason to deprive someone of their livelihood. My struggle with the help - enough material for a book, to be sure - is not something I'm proud of. Anyway, whys and hows I'll save for another post - suffice to say that I did fire my maid, decided to go solo for a while - soon figured out that I still hat cleaning bathrooms, and with a house this size, mopping is no picnic - so, finally gave in and decided to get a new part-time aayi - fingers crossed!!

Manasi, too, had a rough start to September - the whole Head Girl, House Captain, Prefect drama?? I'm still trying to decide if this was a good learning experience or not. I think it is an enormous pressure for 10 year olds - not only competing with their peers - but the lessons of winning and losing gracefully. Seems like - rather than encourage a healthy competition, the absence of transparency from these selections and elections - engenders feelings of bitterness. Again, material for another post maybe??!! Manasi was selected to be a Prefect - and the Prefect Assembly was one of the high points of the month!!

Football and Family Fun Day followed soon after! Football in Shanghai for Manasi and Ajey - Ajey rode the bus with the team on one of the 2 days. I'll be honest - I was quite glad not to have to go - while I'm for supporting the kids and all that jazz - a day in Shanghai watching football is really not that much fun!! I did have a good excuse - I was working at FFD!! Family Fun Day is the first event of the school year organized by Friends of Dulwich. Not really a fundraiser - we barely break even - it is exactly what the name says - a day of fun for the family. The venues this year was the Grand Jinji Lake, and the entrance price included buffet lunch, and a whole slew of activities for kids of all ages!!

The FoD ladies at Family Fun Day!

Oh yes, how can I forget - I'm jumping around a bit now - the week before was Manasi's China week trip - this year to Yaolin. I was hoping that I could convince her to write about her adventures like she did last year for Nan Bei Hu - but no luck so far!! She did give us a bit of a scare though - I got a call from her teacher late Tuesday night, saying that Manasi was complaining of chest pain - nearly hit the roof - after talking Manasi through her symptoms, I was pretty sure it was just heartburn - nevertheless, we were on tenterhooks the next couple of days, ready to leave at the drop of a hat to go get her - but she finished the week, and from what I've heard, a really good time was had by all! Now if only I could get her to write...sigh!!

The week that Manasi was gone turned out to be quite busy - lunch with girlfriends, a FoD meeting, our date night, of course!! Also, right in the middle of the week, was Ganesh Chaturthi - one of our bigger festivals! Usually, Ajey takes a day off, and we have a relaxed morning with puja followed by sumptuous lunch - but without Manasi, we settled for a smaller puja in the evening - of course, what's Ganesh Chaturthi without modaks?!! And then, the Sunday after FFD, it was time for our biannual Satyanarayan puja - 4 families for lunch, but a much simpler lunch menu this year!! Both occasions were a great opportunity to showcase my mom's latest gift - a pair of silver samai - oil lamps!!

Modaks!

Right after China week trips was the Greek Day for Year 6! I think this day is meant to be an kick-off to learning about Ancient Greece - for the kids, however, it's another chance to dress-up, another opportunity to get a costume!! Rather than scrambling at the last minute, I was actually prepared - had ordered a 'Greek' costume for Manasi from taobao - which meant that for once, Manasi was happy with my efforts! Some of her friends had quite elaborate costumes - while others had a bed-sheet draped as a toga - either way, the morning at the bus-stop was quite fun!! Year 6 parent reps had also chosen to have a Parent Coffee that same day - with the hope that parents would come to school to participate in the Greek Day activities - no luck, this year either!! I'm fully convinced that these Parent Coffees are a total exercise in futility!! 

To make September even busier than normal - this year's Golden Week October break actually started in September - which meant that the last week of September was travel week for us!! Where did wgo - well, that will definitely be another post or two!! Settling into October now, watching the weather change, the leaves turn, the chill set in - Fall is definitely here, with many more activities!! Hoping to blog a little more frequently this month - so until next time!!

Date night

Date night - in the Western sense of the phrase - is actually quite rare at our house!! Ever since we've had Manasi - Ajey and I almost never go off for an evening together - when we do go out, it's quite often all 3 of us. Even before, when it was just us - didn't really see the point of leaving the house to spend time together - wasn't every night, date night!! And although in recent years, we have left Manasi with a baby-sitter to attend a social event or two - date night, yes, really rare for us!!

Then, of course, Manasi leaves for 1 whole week for her school's China week trip - same as last year. A lot of our friends make plans to make the best of these kid-free days - at the Kulkarni household, evenings without Manasi are ear-marked to really, really miss Manasi!! And while in a weird kind of way, it is quite enjoyable to mope - maybe something different for a change??!! So I was nagging Ajey half-heartedly - to plan a date night, something fun - when unexpectedly, mid-week he calls me from work to say he has planned something, and to be ready to leave home at 6-ish. Well, I have been married to him for almost 16 years - so didn't take me long to sniff out the catch!! What? Of course, there was a catch...

The story goes back a week....well, actually, it goes back quite a ways - but I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, a week ago, the previous weekend to be precise - we were at dinner at Amigos with our Indian friends - yes, dinner with kids!! Someone mentioned that they were looking to buy an used dishwasher - what's that? Used dishwasher? For sale? Well, of course, we have one!! This is where the story skips back further - right to when we moved to France - umm, 10 years ago?? We bought and used our dishwasher in Grenoble - and when we moved to India, we took it with us.

And things never work out the way we want, right? - the dishwasher sized space in my gorgeous, modular kitchen in Chennai was just a tinny bit too small for our French dishwasher! Nothing else to do but stash it in our storage!! Tried to sell it when we left Chennai - turns out there's not much for a market for dishwashers in India!! So rather than throw away a perfectly good dishwasher, I just carted it back to US. Then when the China opportunity came up, I thought it would use it here - except our kitchen already had one - so my French dishwasher has been languishing in our garage for the last 3 years too!!

So, a 10 year old dishwasher - 7 of which, it had lain unused!! Our friends still wanted it though - so the plan was to hook it up and test to see if it was still in working condition. To be honest, it was with great trepidation that we opened the door - I was quite sure that the inside would be covered with mold and other unmentionables!! So was a pleasant surprise to see the pristine, stainless interior - hey, this is shinier than the one in my kitchen!! Took quite some effort to move it to the kitchen from the garage - but we managed to get it into place, and start a wash cycle!! A couple of buttons were a little sticky - and we were unable to find the user manual from the mountain of manuals we have - but still, in good working condition, and a bargain at 600rmb!!

The plan was that Ajey would bring the dishwasher to our friend M's house after work - and help him install it too. Except that Ajey always prefers that I accompany him on these kind of expeditions (I know, so sweet!), and obviously, he knew I wouldn't be interested - and knowing me as well as he does, the lure of date night to get me to leave the house!! Have to admit - quite an ingenious plan - if only I hadn't seen straight through it!! In any case, catch or no catch, he had planned the evening - and there was the promise of dinner in an Indian restaurant at the end of night - so date night it was!!

The dishwasher delivery went off without a hitch - and our driver was quite perplexed when we asked him to drive back without us - we were almost exactly opposite the lake from our house, a good 7-8kms away. But nothing says 'romantic evening' like a brisk, invigorating walk around the lake, right?!! So that's why Ajey asked me to wear comfortable clothes and sneakers - we were, quite literally, going to work up an appetite for dinner! He's lucky that I really enjoy the walk here - Suzhou is quite spectacular in the evenings, all those pretty lights - makes me really happy to be living here!! A couple of pictures we took along the way...

So from Bayside Gardens, past Moon Harbour, through Times Square - all the way to Xinghu Jie, where we finally caught a cab to take us to the New Ganesh. A nice dinner - we were sitting outside - and although I tried a couple of times, it was just too dark to take a decent picture. All worked out perfectly in the end - although, I wouldn't be surprised if this is our last date night for quite some time to come!! Oh, well!!

Investiture of the Junior School Leadership Team

Quite a mouthful, isn't it? Junior School Leadership Team? Investiture ceremony? All this for something quite simple - in plain English, an assembly to hand out badges to the newly elected or selected prefects and house-captains. But this is Dulwich, and nothing is plain and simple - and if there is an occasion for a ceremony - well, let's go ahead full steam, bells and whistles all the way!!

So, the special assembly. Parents whose children were selected as prefects received an invitation to the assembly - no, not just an email, a proper printed invitation with request for a RSVP. Seats were reserved in the front 2 rows of the theatre for attending parents. Along with speeches from the Headmaster and the Junior School Head, on the program were various musical recitals - alternating with the introduction of the new prefects. All the selected students - 26 odd, I think - were to sit on stage for the whole assembly - the eyes of the whole JS on them.

The path to this place on the stage was not that easy though - quite the emotional roller-coaster!! First up were the interviews for Head-Girl. It was quite interesting to see Manasi prepare for the interview - coming up with her own ideas about what makes a good leader, and why she would be a good Head-Girl!! Well, she didn't make it - and although the disappointment was huge, she came away with a sense of pride of having done her best. I could have done without the letter from school, though - I'm all for life lessons, but a rejection letter at the age of 10??!!

The elections for House Captains was next - more of a popularity contest this - for this one, Manasi was sure that her friend SW would win for her House, but she decided to go ahead and contest anyway!! A second disappointment, and once again, I was proud of her for doing her best, even when she was certain that the outcome wouldn't go her way!! Her persistence was finally rewarded - when she was named a Prefect!! I think I was probably more anxious than her, waiting for these last set of results!! Huge relief!!

To be honest, though, I did feel that the school went a little overboard with the whole 'Leadership Team' thing. Can I honestly say that Manasi has shown better leadership qualities than some of her peers? Knowing these girls, I can't help feel that they are more or less evenly matched - in terms of both abilities and potential. Yes, of course, not everyone will become a prefect - but why this coronation for the chosen ones? Won't a Prefect badge suffice - do they really need gold buttons on their blazers?? Why place them, quite literally, on a pedestal - shouldn't the honor of the positions be reward enough?? That's Dulwich, though!!

The best part of this whole Prefect deal - Manasi gets to attend a 2-day Leadership training - and I'm definitely not going to talk about why it's unfair that only a few students get this absolutely wonderful opportunity - I do wish that they had emphasized this as an advantage, rather than the gold buttons!! I'm hoping that Manasi will have a great time at the training, and come away a little bit wiser!! And yes, all of Manasi's friends have some position or the other - so at least in our little group, there are no disappointments, no hurt feelings. Well done, little girls!! And now for the pictures...

The Leadership Team on stage

Receiving the badge from the Headmaster

Happy girls!!

The Prefect blazer!!

18 years ago...

An anniversary of sorts - an important one, actually - one of those days that change your life for good! 23rd August 1997, the day I flew from Mumbai to Chicago, left India for the US - the day that has shaped my life for the last 18 years!! Didn't give it much thought back then - was kind of a go-with-the-flow thing - finish your B.E., take the GRE, apply to an US university for the Masters program, and wait to be accepted, before packing up and taking off!! Nothing to it, isn't it?!! In hindsight, I'm amazed I even dared to go - can you imagine, 21 years I had lived in the same city, in the same house even - and then out of the blue, one day I'm flying 8000 miles away to a country I knew nothing about!!

Taking the GRE was the easiest part - well, relatively speaking!! Minor problems, really - my very first passport, the only ID allowed for the GRE, didn't arrive as expected - and it took a nerve-wracking day at the sweltering, crowded Mumbai passport office with my uncle - before I could get my passport!! Rushed back to Pune, and celebrated my passport with a glass of cool sugarcane juice - really, really bad idea - as I came down with a high fever just 2 days before the exam!! I'm not kidding - not a drop of sugarcane juice have I tasted after that day!! All things considering, I ended up with quite a decent score - first step done!!

The application process was incredibly clunky - nothing online, no scanned copies - everything had to be a hard-copy and hand-written - and what with all the mark-sheets, the recommendation letters, the Statement of Purpose, birth-certificate, passport copies, and copies of every possible document or certificate I possessed - the application package was considerably large!! I think I had sent off applications to about 10 short-listed universities - and I remember that the postage was absolutely astronomical!! Once the replies started coming up - was quite the thrill, receiving the envelopes with the US stamps - the actual selection was based on a very simple criteria - I needed not only a tuition waiver, but also an assistantship with a stipend - obviously, the school had to have a good Engineering program - finally, ended up being Michigan Technological University!!

The biggest potential obstacle - no surprise there! - was getting the US student visa. Once the acceptance and admission letter arrived from MTU, it was back to Mumbai - this time to the US Embassy. This was before you could book visa interview appointments online - I remember reaching the Embassy at about 7am, to join a queue of at least 50 people - to wait for the Embassy to open. I had a single file with my MTU documents, and a statement from Dad's bank - and my heart sank when I heard the talk as I waited - that I had to show funds to support a 2 year stay in the US before I would get the visa, and all these people had these sheafs of documents - whatever was I going to do? Thankfully, my fears were quite unfounded, and my F1 visa was approved without too many questions!!

And then the days flew by in a blur!! There was shopping to be done - can you believe, leather jackets from Mumbai and woolen inners from Ahmedabad - both of which proved to be quite ineffective against the bitter Michigan winter!! Rudimentary cooking lessons - and basic utensils and staples - and lots of snacks!! Rounds of farewell - I was quite literally the first person in my extended family to go abroad - and ended up getting a ton of probably undeserved attention - not that I was complaining, with so many delicious meals coming my way - I was quite enjoying my sudden celebrity status!!

Every little detail was special then - including booking the airline ticket! We're talking 18 years ago - way, way before the era of e-tickets and online payments - the Air India ticket that the travel agent brought home was like a little booklet - Mumbai - London - Chicago, departure 23rd August!! Finally, the 2 huge suitcases were packed - 50kg was the baggage allowance - and weighed, ribbons tied to the handles for easier identification, big labels with the destination address stuck on (in case they were misplaced!), friends dropping in at the last minute - this is it, down to the wire now, time for final goodbyes!

The morning we left for Mumbai was quite chaotic - quite a drama was coming our way! My mom had given me a pair of earrings as a farewell gift - and that morning, I happened to lose one - well, all of us searched high and low, but the errant earring was nowhere to be found. Not a great start to the journey - but I had a flight to catch - and it was time to leave. My Dad had arranged for a different car to drive us to Mumbai - a bit larger than the Premier Padmini Fiat we owned at that time. And true to the saying - when it rains, it pours - funnily enough, it really was raining that day - not 30 minutes on our way, and the 'special' car was stuck in an a stream that had overflowed. Hmm, it's a good thing I don't believe in omens!

Nothing left to do, but head back home again - and resume the journey with our Fiat - its higher chassis meant that it would do fine on the monsoon flooded roads! And then - I still don't know how to explain this, was this a higher power at work, or simply, a mere co-incidence - one shining moment, which elevated everyone's spirits - as my bags were being loaded into the Fiat, something shiny caught my eye - near the left rear wheel - is it? Can it be?? Yes, yes, yes - incredibly, unbelievably - it was the missing earring!! What's that I was saying about omens, again?!! The good old Fiat - BTJ 122, strange the things that stick in memory - took us safely to my uncle's house in Mumbai, and then to the airport a few hours later.

Those few hours - were probably the longest in my life. Knowing that soon I would be leaving everything familiar behind - for the first time ever, I would be completely on my own - and worse, I didn't know when I would get the chance to return! I think I must have blanked out at that point - can't believe that I didn't break down, and point-blank refuse to go. And although at that time, it was all about me - looking back now, I can't imagine what my parents must have gone though!! Hardest thing ever - to let a child go - and what troopers they were - smiles on their faces until I left to board, showing me no sign of the immense mental turmoil they must have felt!

On the other hand, I was completely in tears by the time I was in my seat on the plane. If someone had offered me the chance to turn back, to get off the plane - I'm sure I would have jumped at it. But I did stay on that plane, did make it all the way to Chicago - finding reserves of strength that I didn't know I had! What happened when I got to Chicago? - well, that's surely a tale for another day!! For now, I'm reliving this day 18 years ago - the first step on a journey of a lifetime!!

Back to school - Year 6!!

Year 6 already - seems like forever ago that we were on our first visit to Dulwich College, Suzhou - and the Headmaster, Mr. Grice had pulled little Adithi P out of her Year 3 class to talk to us about the school!! 3 years down the line - Mr. Grice has accepted a position in Egypt, Adithi has moved across the street to Senior School - and Manasi is now in Year 6!! Her 4th year at Dulwich - our 4th year in Suzhou - I'm sure filled with tons of exciting events, as always!!

Now - Year 6...

Day 1 of Year 3!

First thing for every term - buying new uniforms - quite strange how all of Manasi's uniforms shrink during every vacation!! I know, I know - she's growing - but still, to spend almost 500 RMB, first the summer set and then the winter - adds up pretty quickly!! There's always the cheaper alternative, of course - to buy from the FoD second-hand uniform store - but never do seem to find the sizes I need!!! Shoes remains the biggest problem - I did find an acceptable pair in Auchan last year - but the best option is always to buy when in India. Except that the dainty shoes I wore when I was in school seem to have disappeared from the market - the replacements are incredibly clunky and unbuyable!! Oh well, Auchan again this year!!

Year 6 brings with it a whole new set of activities. Probably the most exciting - the Head Girl, Heads of Houses and Prefects are all appointed from Year 6!! Manasi, of course, is planning to enter her name for all these positions - Head Girl and Prefects will be selected after interviews with a panel of teachers, and as for the House Captains - the whole of JS will vote!! Busy times ahead, then!! Preparing for the interviews, and then also a bit of campaigning for the House Captain! What an absolutely wonderful experience this promises to be!!

And there's the Production to look forward to, as always - Peter Pan this year! I haven't seen the movie, but it does seem to have a lot of roles for boys - Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, Captain Hook and so on. And while it will be great to see a lot of boys participating and on stage, I'm curious to find out what our group of very talented girls will be doing! Auditions next week - will find out soon enough!! Also, I do hope that my friend, MW, is given charge of the costumes from the start - I'm here to help, MW!!

Once again, school work always seems to be the last priority, doesn't it?? And although I have been giving Manasi dire warnings about how much work she's going to have to do - I don't think they're really going to be buckling down until after the week long Yaolin trip mid-September. Manasi is not off the hook, though - her dad keeps her quite busy with the Kumon workbooks I ordered - and much to her surprise, she's doing so much better with concepts and ideas. I'm guessing that once Homework starts, she's not going to have much time on her hands - what with all the ECAs and other activities!!

So here's to a great year ahead - and best wishes to all those heading back to school!! Have fun learning, and enjoy every single moment!! Good luck!!

Rediscovering Pune - restaurants, old and new!

This August will be 18 years since I left home, since I left Pune. Almost 2 decades later, after having traveled half the world - truth is that no place seems like home the way Pune does!! Although, over the years my city has changed so much, that sometimes I feel like a stranger here - looking for landmarks that no longer exist, marveling at new bridges and buildings that seem to have sprung up overnight, straining to hear words of Marathi in the now more frequent Hindi and English - when did my laid-back hometown evolve into this busy, fast paced metropolis? Where's the Pune I grew up in?!!

Adding to the disconnect, my parents moved from Deccan to Baner - it's been a while now, about 7-8 years - but after spending all of my childhood quite literally in the heart of the city, getting used to calling this new place home took a while. A change of home base doesn't necessarily mean change in hangout spots - and many of my favorite restaurants have stood the test of time - totally worth braving the traffic and crowds! Heading the list, of course, is Vaishali on Fergusson College road - our old house was a hop, skip and jump away from this landmark eatery - now, driving almost 25 minutes and then waiting forever for a table - has drastically reduced the frequency of my visits here!! Still, no place like Vaishali for the crispiest dosas and fragrant, finger-lickingly yummy sambhar!!

Another iconic spot - again near my old house - is Santosh bakery. No fancy pastries or cream cakes in gleaming window displays here - just fresh-baked bread, cream-rolls, and of course, the world famous puffs or in the local lingo, pattice!! Way back when, Sunday mornings were incomplete without these pattice - fresh-baked and hot, hot, hot from the wood-burning oven!! At that time, this family run business only made a limited number of pattice - and I highly suspect that the limited availability and uncertainty made these even more coveted - today, Santosh bakery ships its pattice to Dubai and Singapore, and other than the daily afternoon shutdown (another very typical Pune quirk - everything shuts down for siesta!), Santosh bakery pattice are available at all hours!!

From the old to the new - right across the street from Santosh Bakery - in place of an ages old residential building, stands the gleaming new Coronet Hotel and it's restaurant Shahji's Paratha House. As the name suggests, the star on the menu here is the parathas - and the hardest part is probably selecting a paratha from their vast menu!! Manasi and I finally agreed upon the Cheese Paratha and the Paneer Burji Paratha - all parathas come with a side of chole, dal makhani, potato curry, boondi raita, salad and a pat of butter - all this and the absolutely humongous paratha will be enough to satisfy the hungriest appetite!! The parathas rank way up there for taste - but it was the dal makhani that was easily the best I've had in a while!!

Speaking of parathas, Mast Kalandar on Baner Road is another favorite. This cafeteria style joint does not have an extensive menu, but the parathas, especially the alu and paneer, and the chole are consistently tasty - and so is the rajma-rice and the kadhi-rice!! Less than 100m away from Mast Kalandar is Kalyan Bhel - the place for chaat in Baner, possibly even in all of Pune!! The signature Bhel and the Pani-puri - will leave you wanting more, more and then some more - but their cut dosa certainly holds its own, and the melt-in-your-mouth Malai Kulfi is the perfect cool ending to the taste-bud tingling spicy chaats!!

In recent years, almost all restaurants will bring your order home to you for a very nominal delivery fee - an absolute god-send for non-drivers like me!! Pizza always is the first choice to order in - and in Pune, Dominoes or Smokin' Joes is preferred - I do enjoy the 'desi' pizzas - panner tikka is a particular favorite!! Actually, a lot of these other 'restaurants' are little more than food counters - while the food is good, the eat-in experience leaves a lot to be desired - making carry-out or delivery the far sensibler option. And with the Just-Dial service providing phone numbers for any and every place, ordering from home is almost too easy!!

Firmly in this category is the Dum-a-Dum Biryani House on the Pashan-Baner Link road - actually, they have branches all over Pune - and their home-delivery service is fast and efficient!! Their 'dum' biryanis come in clay pots - remember to ask for the 'matka' version - and the fragrant mixture of rice, spices and vegetables is as close to a perfect biryani as anyone can get! The kebabs here are worth a try too - claimed to be the softest kebabs in the world - and the delectable Chicken Reshmi kebab certainly lives up to this claim!! Keep in mind, carry-out or even better, have the food delivered piping hot to your doorstep!!

A new addition to the order-in go-to places is Rolls Mania, located in Aundh, opposite the Croma showroom - actually, I have never even been to this place - all my orders have been over the phone!! Again, quite an extensive menu - every imaginable type of roll is available here - my favorites are the Veg Kheema roll and the Paneer Mughlai roll!! At Rs. 70 - Rs.100 per roll, this is a really good deal - one is usually enough for lunch, get two just for the variety!! And if you order 4 or more, they throw in a complimentary brownie - very gooey and chocolately - yumm!!

For a change from these almost fast-food type places, is the Minus Eighteen Degrees restaurant, also on Baner Road. Quite spacious and airy, this is a good place for brunch, or even a leisurely coffee with friends. A good selection of pastas and sandwiches, and a gorgeous dessert spread - try not to drool all over the display!! The Pesto spaghetti was perfectly al-dente, and the Pesto, although a trifle too oily for my taste, was appropriately authentic - the Grilled Veg Panini was also quite decent!! Was really hard to pick up a dessert - finally picked the Tiramisu (no surprise there!) - but will definitely go back to try the Green Apple Pie and the Opera cake. Compared to the other places I talked about earlier, this is a bit pricey - lunch with drinks for 3 ran up to Rs.1500!!

This Baner-Aundh area is fast growing into a gourmand's delight - all types of cuisines, to fit all budget ranges can be found here! Just the tip of the iceberg really, this post!! Eating out with friends and family is such a big part of our vacations in India - and while I have my favorites, I'm always ready to try new places - never know what you'll discover!! So, bon appetit - until next time!!