Visiting New York City has never been the same experience twice. This past December, I went for the filming of The Marriage Ref. While a full day was occupied at NBC studios, I had an agenda for the rest of my time there. As a die-hard foodie, I researched all the celebrity owned restaurants in […]
A dear friend of mine from high school, who is now settled in Australia, sent me a note the other day saying “I am a picky eater and don’t know what to eat at the airport when I am travelling. Should I try a new cuisine while I have a layover in a foreign country?” […]
I have friends who believe in not using credit cards at all in order to control their spending. I also have friends on the other side of the spectrum that have Multiple Credit Cards. However, it’s the people that don’t believe in credit cards that concern me. I say to them, you must carry a […]
I was talking to a friend last night who is a jazz singer. She works long hours and wants to have a light snack that is quick to prepare, when she come home late in the night. She said her favorite treat was homemade popcorn sprinkled with chaat masala. That got me thinking I should write […]
I celebrated a dear friend’s birthday this past weekend at a Persian restaurant called Fanoos located in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta. I have been to this place a few times before and over time, have come to know its owner Jalal. Jalal moved from Northern Iran to the US over 30 years ago. […]
I am now writing for the Smyrna Patch, a hyper-local online magazine. My first assignment was to interview Bobby Martin, owner of Howard’s restaurant in Smyrna about the filming that took place at his restaurant for the movie “A Joyful Noise“. Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton were here in our neighborhood filming the movie! You can […]
I wrote this for my family and friends a few months ago and decided to share it with you too… I lived in India with my grandmother till the age of 17. She was a professional volunteer social worker for most of her life as her husband did not want her to work for money. […]
I attended high school in a small town in northern India. It was an all-girls Catholic Convent school, right across the street from where I lived. Our school was considered to produce polished, well-spoken, and smart girls who were quite successful in whatever path they chose after graduation. From sixth grade until now, I have […]
Ingredients 1 whole large chicken, cut into 8 pieces 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 5 tablespoons olive oil 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped 1 large bunch parsley, chopped 1/2 teaspoon saffron 1 teaspoon fine salt 2 medium onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 cup green olives 1/2 […]
I spent New Year’s Eve 2011 at the Leela Palace Kempinski hotel in Bangalore. It was a magnificent palace converted into a 5-star hotel, rated as one of the best in India. The architecture and gardens of the property are worth considering a tourist destination itself! Even their restaurant is rated the best in town. […]
Hello! Consider me a self proclaimed foodie. I have a genuine passion for people, places and food. I believe that food is one thing brings us together. When we humans meet, we eat. By travelling around the world, exploring different cuisines and writing about my experiences, I want to enrich myself and my readers. Even […]
India seems to have becomes a popular destination for many in recent years. In addition to the 5 million visitors each year, there are the corporate executives looking to expand business, spiritual seekers headed to an Ashram, novelists and films crews capturing local stories, nonprofits discovering opportunities to solve some deep rooted problems and cultural […]
The city of Montreal is just across the border, yet an entire world away. Crowned as City of Festivals and Paris of North America, the French influences are found everywhere from architecture, language, culture to cuisine. While there are a number of great eateries to choose from, here are my personal top choices that you […]
My volunteer placement in Rabat, Morocco was at Le Feminin Pluriel, a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999. This organization has a small center that focuses on women’s empowerment and educational programs. They host conferences such as the one of the Mediterranean women’s writers every year and bring in guest speakers on various topics […]
Some of the volunteers from our home base have been volunteering at a local orphanage. Today I learnt a few things about the system in Morocco. For starters, most of the kids in the orphanages are boys. This is surprising to learn since it is usually more girls than boys that end up in orphanages […]
I was interviewed by the online magazine Do It While You’re Young in August 2010. They asked me about my passion for volunteering & where I was headed next. You can read the interview by visiting their web site.
This was my second time on a volunteer vacation abroad program. Last year I went to Russia so this year I decided to try a very different place. Africa was on top of my list of places to travel to. Luckily Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS) offers 2-12 weeks programs in Morocco. Their structure is very […]
I never thought one could have so many adventures in less than 24 hours! For starters, our flight from Atlanta was delayed, which left us with a very tight layover in Paris to get our connection to Casablanca. Once we landed at Charles de Gaulle airport, things slowed down to a “French” pace. The bus […]
My friends travelling with me must be tired of listening to me say “This reminds me of India” dozens of times since we came here. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between India and Morocco, to say the least. Here are a few worth pointing out… Over crowdedness: When I was walking around […]
Fes or Fez is the oldest imperial city in Morocco and its old town is now a UNESCO world heritage site. While it was not in our original itinerary of touring Morocco, Leslie, Cheryl and I made an impromptu decision to make a day trip to Fes, which is about 3 hours each way by […]
