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'Lassi' the best of all drinks Amritsar, May 24: As temperature charts soar across the country, people in Punjab take a cool breather with a traditional drink - 'lassi' made of curd and ice plus sugar or salt to taste. "All Punjabis, whether living in villages or in towns, find 'lassi' the best and it is an old traditional drink. There are many new drinks flooding the markets but the flavour of 'lassi' cannot be replaced by any other drink," said Jasbinder Singh, a local resident. Harpreet Singh, another resident, said no other drink could substitute which has no side- effects. "Lassi cannot be replaced by other sherbets or drinks. The others are sweet and tasty but it has side-effects too. This gives energy and cools the body. Now-a-days there are so many cola drinks but even two bottles cannot give the effect of a glass of lassi," he said. Harpreet added that it's a drink affordable by all, as it costs just 10-15 rupees a glass. Lassi has so far maintained its niche in the market despite the presence of soft drink majors like Pepsi and Coke. More and more people in Punjab take to canned food Chandigarh, May 19: Food tastes of Punjab are undergoing a slow change with low calorie varieties substituting for the traditional cuisine. Recent media reports said high-calorie food habits had become a health hazard with even young people becoming prone to heart diseases. More and more people are discovering the joy of taking to canned food. "I think I am getting a lot of nutritious items for very less money. They do have a lot of nutrition. There are also a lot of organic products which are free from fertilizers and that is why I think they are really healthy for my family. You also get a lot of variety from these foods. Having the same type of food for breakfast can really be boring for anybody so that is why I think such foods add variety to my breakfast and my family members also like it," said Shilpi Singh, a health food enthusiast. With the rise in demand for canned food, more and more grocery stores are earning the fast buck. A number of stores now sell low fat and high nutrient diet products like cereals, porridge, and sugar-free juices and organic food. However, health specialists caution that excessive preservatives in the canned food could be harmful in the long run. "Low fat products could be beneficial, but I would like to say that one should not depend very heavily on these products alone. They have to be balanced with some home-made food also because there can't be any substitute on a longer basis for home-cooked food. The diet can be supplemented with these low calorie foods, that is all right, but because they have preservatives, so excessive use of preservatives is also not right," said Manju Mathur, a dietician. Health specialists say Punjabis face a larger risk of heart ailments due to low-activity lifestyles and unhealthy food habits. Increased tension following rapid urbanisation has only aggravated the problem. Punjab has a high incidence of coronary ailments - 60 per 1000 people - double the figures for the rest of the country. The shift in food habits could be the right medicine to reverse the unhealthy trend. Goa food festival adds spice to tourist season (Go To Top) Colva Beach (Goa) May 18: A four-day food festival in Goa adds spice to the tourist season. Misty winds coupled with strains of music add to the mouth-watering aroma of food wafting through the Colva beach. More than 100 food stalls serve various Goan dishes, but the hot favourite was the state's special fish curry and rice. However, foreign tourists are a bit cautious while selecting the menu, as most of the items are too spicy and chilly. "This is very very nice. That you did this for the people. I like the food but I think as a foreigner this is at times a bit spicy for me. But overall it is good," said Rosemary, a foreign tourist. She also said that it was a good way to escape the summer heat while enjoying a variety of food at cheap rates. The festival has other attractions too like performances by various music bands and entertainment shows. With its lush greenery and pristine beaches, Goa is one of the most visited tourist spots of the country. Chettinad cuisine in Chennai restaurant a big draw (Go To Top) Chennai, May 16: Hot, spicy and tangy - flavours that tickle tastebuds. And when coupled with rustic settings, it's an irresistable combination. Cashing in on these very combinations is a local restaurant called Madupai Appu that is attracting hordes of people because of its famous Chettinad cuisine. Known for its spicy, hot dishes, this comes mainly from the deep southern region of Tamil Nadu, a totally different fare from the bland cuisine of traditional Tamilians. It is spicy, oily and aromatic. "It's nice, unlike conventional hotels where they say it is Chettinad food. This is different. I have taken food in Chettinad also, and this is nice, it doesn't seem to be artificial. It's good and it's very tasty," said Hariharan, a regular customer of Madupai Appu. Although the Chettiars are well-known for their delicious vegetarian preparations, their repertoire of food items is famous and includes all preparations of fish and fowl and meats, as well as delicate noodle-like dishes and carefully preserved sun-dried legumes and berries that the Chettiar ladies make into curries. Oil and spices are liberally used in cooking and most dishes have generous amounts of peppercorn, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, green and red chillies etc. But food is not all that attracts the people. The restaurant also boasts of a potter, palmist and fortune-teller recreating the old-world charm of rural Tamil Nadu. And all that is situated next to a quintessential mud house with a thatched roof. Thangaraj, another customer, said he was lucky to be able to witness such rustic settings in the city. "We are not able to see this mud type of house and this atmosphere. If we want to see the village atmosphere, we have to go to villages. In this hot Chennai, we are seeing all the village atmosphere. I feel it's very good," he said. And basking in the success of the restaurant is Chandrashekhar, owner of Madupai Appu. "Yes, it's (the response) good because the people have started to come. People are seeing the atmosphere and also having the food. This is good. There are so many people in Chennai (Madras) having bigger restaurants than mine but it's the first time we have something like this," he said. In Tamil Nadu, food has a ritual purpose that reminds the individual exactly where he or she belongs to on the culinary map of community consciousness. This is best seen when members of any family or community get together to celebrate an occasion.
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