Neither exotic nor homey - Malta

You go to places. You have expectations. You do extensive planning, spend ridiculous amount of money to take cattle class in shit airlines to reach your dream destination. And bamm, in a split of a second you realize it was a bad bad choice.

I thought to myself, maybe I need to scratch below the surface to find something interesting but all I could find is yet another destination invaded by the Russians and British in their ever longing quest to find places to soak in the sun, but instead making the island into gloomy, expensive and dysfunctional place. An island full of under-staffed restaurants serving large portions of everything, liquor shops advertising discounts for students, do as-little-as-possible hotel employees, self-claimed universities trying to teach English to everyone including the Brits and realtors luring those fat rich brats to expensive sea-facing properties. Oh I forgot to mention about the silent city of Malta where you can visit the dungeons, probably an inspiration behind “Fifty shades of Grey”

Yes, I’m indeed talking about Malta. May be i gave up too early to bother to look at the hidden charm and beauty of the world's smallest state.

If you are one of those tourists who would like to visit every UNESCO heritage site on this planet, you will not be disappointed as Malta has quite a few of them. If you are interested in history, once again Malta will be of deep interest as the island has been reigned by many empires and rulers before gaining independence in 1964. Malta is also a favorite destination for hollywood and its several mega-budget movies.

People who read my blog may have realized that I travel for food, as food not only defines the culture but also the character of a country and its people. Malta supposedly has some really good Maltese cuisine if you can find one. Apart from that you can find many self-acclaimed world’s best Italian, Mediterranean and Chinese cuisine, and indeed they are the worlds best if you have never stepped outside the Maltese island.

If you do happen to be on this island, some of the good restaurants you should try are Gozitan (just wear your patience hat as you will have to wait for a long time for your food) and Gululu. There are some other decent restaurants such as Tarragon, Blue Elephant and de Mondion but be prepared for some serious harm to your wallet.

Gastronomic eroticism in Barcelona

There is food and then there is food. There are places to eat and then there is Barcelona. The notion that the "world is flat" is crap and I don’t think it will ever be flat, at least in the culinary world. The inconsistency has lot to do with the culture and history of any country, and even after centuries of transformation certain things are so deeply rooted in any society that it is impossible to change, in a good way. No wonder one place can be in food mecca while the other food hell, even though the two places may be just one-hour-flight distance apart, because the concept of good food is more than products that one can import from other countries. Food is a desire, a fantasy, a habit, and a life style. Good food not only delights your taste bud, but almost gets you high in every way.

Barcelona is undoubtedly that food heaven From Boqueria market to the tiny cafes to the numerous tapas bars to the molecular gastronomic experience at the high-end Michelin restaurants, the food is not only appealing, but almost provocative, teasing and tempting all your senses. I’ve never been so confused except in a discreet group of open-minded people where anything goes (I think there is a term for that)

People in Spain take their food seriously, very seriously, in a good way. A trip to Barcelona, though short, has forced me to reconsider my previous post “Why Japanese restaurants serve the best food in the world?” Irrespective whether the Spaniards consider food as art or science, the outcome is brilliant.

So what makes food in Spain so interesting? Yes, the striking history has to play a part. Yes, European laid-back attitude of sitting at dinner table for hours has to play a part in it. Yes, Spain's proximity to the sea making sea-food as one of the key pillars to Spanish gastronomy, rich terrain that produces some excellent wines  and other fresh products has to play part in it as well. But above all it has to do with the rich culture of living life, for enjoying the simple pleasures of life. There is nothing more pleasurable than food, especially with friends and family around. The Spaniards know that very well and they wouldn't give up their Sobremasa (art of conversation after meal over a drink) and Siesta (rest after a splendid meal) for anything else. 

There is no typical Spanish food, as it never existed. It is one of those cuisines that have been influenced by so many different settlers that passed or settled in Spain, from the Greeks to the Romans to the Phoenicians. However it is said that the Moors (medieval Muslim inhabitants) during their centuries of reigns, influenced and transformed the Spanish cuisine most. The only good thing in Columbus’ historic voyage and discovery of America is that it brought in many new products such as potatoes, chocolate, beans etc. from the new lands, that once again integrated perfectly to create new flavors. So you see food can also give you a taste of history. May be we should incorporate food as a subject in our education system.

Unfortunately I got to taste only a piece of what this incredible country has to offer, but what a taste that was !! 

Places not to be missed: Boqueria market, Quimet y Quimet, Gelonch, Cal Pep and Bar Del Pla. Restaurants that I couldn't try but rank highly are Tickets, Dos Palillos, Gaig and Cinc Sentits

I completely submitted myself to the gastronomic delights of Barcelona. It was a gluttonous week and I was greedy for more, so my next stop was Sicily to seek more culinary pleasures.

Why people don't get what they want?

Here is a story of a three-year-old girl and his father. Every morning, the little girl used to wake up and the first thing she asked her dad was “Papa, can you play with me? You can go to office after you play with me”. As soon as he returned home from a long day of work, she used to ask “ Papa, can you play with me now?” Finally before going to bed she used to ask one more time “Papa can you play with one last time today?”

Most often the father used to find an excuse of not playing with his little girl, but every now and then he used to fulfill her wish. The little girl’s success rate may not be incredible but it is much better than most grown ups. Have you ever wondered why? 

The answer is as simple as it gets; people just don't try hard enough. Perseverance is only the quality that distinguishes winners from losers. You need to try just one more time to be successful. Thomas Edison is famous for saying “Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” This world is full of amazing stories of people who achieved the impossible just through sheer perseverance.

People get bored very quickly. Have you even seen a mouse running on a rolling wheel, equivalent to a treadmill for humans. The mouse can run for hours everyday without getting bored, even though the mouse has no explicit motive to run unlike humans. Scientists have defined boredom as “an aversive state of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity”. In simple terms, humans have a tendency to let their brain’s attention network corrode. 

People like short cuts. Yes the world is unfair. There are few extremely successful people (the definition of success itself calls for another post but we will leave that for another day) who have achieved success due to sheer luck, but that is the reason we introduced the word “outlier” in dictionary, and let me tell you there are few outliers in this world. There is just no way to become a role model without taking that long and uphill road of perseverance and hard work.

The next reason is the most shocking but most prevailing in the modern society. People don't even try because they are educated to adhere to the societal norms, to act within boundaries of limitations, to stop chasing the stars and to be practical rather than passionate. These ideas and beliefs are deep rooted in our education system, and we teach them to our kids every day. Mathematics and science is top of the hierarchy in every education system irrespective of the interest and passion of a person. We constantly thrive to produce more teachers, doctors and scientists even though our daily life is influenced by music, art, food, design etc that has nothing to do with science and math. This education system overtime not only kills creativity but also passion in most people. Passion provides the energy to focus on what excites you. You are nothing more than a headless chicken without passion.

The last reason, as naïve as it may sound, is lack of faith. Belief is the fuel for your dreams and every act to achieve those dreams. Let me tell you a story as told by Azim Premji, founder of Wipro.

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. They were moving to a smaller house because they could not afford to stay in the present house after paying the doctor’s bills. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and there was no one to loan them the money.

When she heard daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation, ‘Only a miracle can save him now’, the child went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.

Clutching the precious jar tightly, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the local drug Store. She took a quarter from her jar and placed it on the glass counter. “And what do you want?” asked the pharmacist. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered back. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.

“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, child. I’m sorry,” the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl.

“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does you brother need?”

“I don’t know,” she replied with her eyes welling up. “He’s really sick and mommy says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my savings”. “How much do you have?” asked the man. “One dollar and eleven cents, but I can try and get some more”, she answered barely audibly.

“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents — the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took her money in one hand and held her hand with the other. He said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again and doing well.

“That surgery,” her mom whispered, “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?” The little girl smiled. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost - one dollar and eleven cents plus the faith of a little child.