Monday, April 12, 2010

Hummus and hiccups

I have been making hummus at home and to my great surprise it turns out pretty decent and its freshly made at home. So, I make my own hummus. Wish I could make it sound as cool as 'I brew my own beer'. But all would agree that its not quite the same. For the recipe, its not much of a recipe, its pretty much getting all the ingredients, some roasting and blending it all together to a smooth outcome called hummus. You need chickpeas (chole) (soaked overnight and boiled only till its half cooked), sesame seeds (roasted), dried red chillies, salt, garlic (dry roasted) and olive oil. Take them all together and blend it until its rather uniformly smooth and add a tiny drops of olive oil and chilly powder to garnish and its ready to be eaten.

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Lately, I have pondered about hiccups a bit, the real ones and how meaningless, inappropriate and untimely they can be. They come anytime, anywhere, unannounced. You may be in a formal setting and you may end up hiccoughing relentlessly. There is no explanation and excuse that can make hiccups look discreet and less obnoxious. People turn around and offer that hollow unsympathetic nod since its not coughing which can demand those sympathetic gestures of water and comfort advice. It would be interesting to hear how different people have handled hiccup in public settings and if they have improvised the strategy to deal with it any better.