From Santosh to Magnolia....with love!!!

A friend suggested that we should not miss the cupcakes at Magnolia in NYC..we did go..so this is all about that....though I hope no self respecting New Yorker reads this one or then I hope he or she has not seen Santosh Bakery in Pune...chances are that most would not have and so I'll go on...

Actually what happened when I entered Magnolia was that I got transported back to Santosh....suddenly...well for those who know both, this might be sacrilege!! But you know you can't ignore the similarities....both are about the same size - Magnolia probably slightly large....but you can see the mouth melting treats being made at both the places....so now whats different..? Ahmmm....Magnolia is a plush patisserie in Manhattan - next to the Rockefeller Centre...almost as touristy as you can get... and our Santosh is on the friendly neighbourhood of Apte Road. Where are we going with this...? For starters...I loved both...Santosh a little more I must admit...Of course the perks that Santosh enjoys of being in my life for 25-30 years...and since Santosh introduced me to cupcakes...thinking of Santosh while getting the Magnolia cupcake was but natural, wouldn't you say??

But besides that I think it was the buzz in both the places, the excitement of being in your favourite place in the city and its not only your favourite place but everyone's...the excitement that you are soon going to be digging in into something that you've been craving for long...that you will surely meet someone you know...a friend, acquaintance...someone who is always behind you in the queue...coz you've been there for so long and you've visited the place so often.....that you will always know atleast one person who's serving you that day and he doesn't often need to ask what you want to have because for years' you've had the same...and the taste has remained the same year after year...

....and that's probably why its your favourite and your city's favourite too....and no matter how much others who have other favourites love this place or just about tolerate it...you will never hear a word against it....then be it your "Vaishali", "Marzorin", "Santosh bakery" or New York's "Magnolia".....

Ek garam chai....!

Well I never thought I'd ever say this...but I'm missing the Mumbai Rain...!

Why I never thought I'd say it is because I have a strong and long dislike for rains almost bordering on "hate" which started many years back when the rains started enhancing the already extremely frizzy hair..which almost ensured I went around everywhere looking like a golliwog...

...But now I miss it....For one..there is actually a fixed season.."monsoon"..you don't wake up to check the weather forecast every morning for most of the year...

And then of course people scurrying home - because when it lashes no matter how protected you think you are with your raincoat, jacket or umbrella...you end up getting drenched...to return home to a hot bath and warm clothes..which is such a good feeling after you are thoroughly drenched and your feet have gone cold...And then sitting by the window watching the others rushing ......or children dancing in the puddles....with a cup of your hot ginger tea or favourite filter coffee....

And then you go to bed that night in anticipation that it rains so much at night that the roads will be clogged the next morning so that you don't have to go to work....so much for sadistic pleasure...;-) (Now this I surely miss..because I don't think there will be clogging of the roads and more importantly..there is no work..:-))

And the city looks so different after the rains....the dusty brown gives way to a fresh clean green and you make plans with friends to go to Lonavala...by local...eating hot batata wada and bhajiyyas...and tea...and the plan hardly ever materialises..

And speaking of chai...in the rains it doesn't matter if you are in the comfort of your home or sipping some exotic sounding tea in "Tea Centre"..slightly wet from that walk on Marine drive or whether your sipping the scalding hot chai and wadas at the roadside tea shop with the rain drops falling right into your glass...chai is just so different in the rain....

One of my favourite scene of Mumbai after the rain is from the movie Bluffmaster...It has no relation with the rain..I don't even know if it been shot in the rain or after...but some how it always seems to me like its been shot just after a heavy shower..since Mumbai as a backdrop looks very clean just as it does after a shower...

It brings about a sense of nostalgia and longing for your special someone who make you, your tea just the way you like it when its lashing outside and you are curled up near the window with your favourite book...!!!