In the East none but Europeans and native princes seem well fed.
- Irish writer Maud Power in Wayside Story (Maud’s 1905 travelogue based on her travels in India. Published by Downey and Co in 1907), P.56
Quote of the Day – Maud Power
Quotes
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Dec 122010
Know Your English – No ‘Passing’ this Post
English
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Dec 122010
Time the natives got another English lesson.
Our focus today will be on different phrases with the word pass.
* Make a pass – Ha ha, don’t we priapic desis know the meaning of this phrase!
* Pretty pass – Difficult situation.
* Pass the buck – Shift the blame to someone stupider than yourself.
* Pass water – To pee.
* Pass muster – Pass inspection.
* Pass the hat round – Arrange for a collection of cash for a cause.
* Pass under the yoke – Humiliating submission.
* Pass under the spear – Sold at an auction.
* Come to Pass – Happen.
Source: Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
Tamil Gen. Punnaku Pandi Desperate, ViShitting U.S.; Vettaikaran Turns Pitchaikaran, $15 For Dinner Seat
Tamil Movies
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Dec 122010
Ilaya-thalai-illadhi-pathi of Punnaku Pandi movies fame (see end of this post) is a haunted soul these days.
Before we get started, let’s anoint our beloved Kollywood actor General Punnaku Pandi (in deference to a character Punnaku Pandi in one of his movies).
After all, a General without a noun is like a decorated soldier without his epaulette! 
Hard Times for the General
These are terrible times.
General Punnaku’s crappy movies are kissing the dust, his political dreams have crash landed, his angry exhibitors are screaming murder and his rear-view mirror shows Plus 2 competitors.
What’s poor, desperate General Punnaku to do?
The General in his labyrinth, eh!
We feel your pain, General. We do.
Like all beleaguered generals whose fortress has already been breached, Gen.Punnaku has a simble trick up his sleeve – ViShit the U.S. to shore up support.
We know why!
You see, Gen. Punnaku Pandi’s movie Kavalan is releasing in the near future. Any publiShitty would be helpful, right General?
If Kavalan too bites the dust, Gen.Punnaku’s fate is sealed. Forget Kollywood. Forget Politics. General Punnaku will have no recourse but to join the rural cowherds to whom he donated cows recently. Ha Ha Ha.
$15 – Daylight Robbery
For starters, Gen. Punnaku Pandi is visiting the U.S. on Dec 16 to ‘dine and dance’ with locals in, as we fondly, mischievously call it, CaliPornia.
But that CaliPornia dance and dine visit comes with a price for Tamils.
Mind you, it’s $15 just to reserve a seat at the table. No guarantee that you’ll dance with the General. Plus the cost of the food.
Given that Americans would rather dine and dance with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DeCaprio, Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon, the dance-and-dine will attract only Tamils. That is, if it attracts any one at all.
Cheapo Punnaku
Dai, Punnaku Badava, you should be the one paying $15. Not us.
Imagine forking out $15 for a chance to dance and dine with Gen.Punnaku.
Kadavule, Kapathu (God, help us).
At least, a dance with that little midget and Bollywood flop Asin (heroine of Kavalan) might guarantee a gay time.
But $15 for General Punnaku – No, no and no.
On hearing this hilarious news of Gen.Punnaku’s $15 forthcoming dance and dine visit to Calipornia, we poured ourselves another large gin.
In a new twist, tonight we’re drinking Gin with Linstead Market Jamaican Sorrell Jam as a side. Nice combination.
Hey General, how about dinner on the East Coast. Who knows, even we might attend.
But, no, we ain’t paying $15. 
Related Stories:
Vettaikaran Review – Punnaku Pandi & the Dysentery Before Sura
Thirupaachi Review – Punnaku Pandi and the Capture of Bin Laden
Madurey Review – Punnaku Pandi and the ‘Negro Problem’
Sivakasi Review – Punnaku Pandi and the art of Nonsense
Sura Review – Colossus of Nonsense
Kuruvi Review – Nonstop Nonsense
Villu Review – Revoltingly Bad
Turbulence Continues at NYC Indian Restaurants; Sukhadia’s Kisses the Dust; Who’s Next?
Food
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Dec 122010
Well, 2010 is certainly turning out to be annus horribilis for some NYC Indian restaurateurs.
At least six well-known NYC Indian restaurants, some belonging to prominent groups, have called it quits in 2010.
Among the NYC Indian fatalities are the high-end Tabla (shutting down at the end of this year), A Desi Diner (belonging to Satinder Sharma’s Brick Lane Group), Spice Fusion, Cafe Spice (University Place) and lately Sukhadia’s.
Sukhadia’s, a well established brand with branches in Iselin (New Jersey), Chicago and Los Angeles recently closed its vegetarian restaurant and sweet store in midtown Manhattan.
We were not surprised over Sukhadia’s demise because the place had a rundown, forlorn look during our last visit a few months back.
Sukhadia’s – Another NYC Indian Casualty
That’s not all.
A few minutes back, when we called Yogi’s Kitchen on Lexington Ave, we found the telephone line had been disconnected.
No question there is turbulence among NYC Indian restaurants.
And a prominent survivor in midtown Manhattan is currently offering discounts of up to 30% for lunch.
Are such giveaways the solution? We’re not sure.
Too Many NYC Indian Restaurants
There are just far too many Indian restaurants in NYC, most of them serving the same Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken, Vegetable Biryani, Lamb Roganjosh et al. In an interesting trend, some Indian restaurateurs have now started dipping their toes into other cuisines (Thai, Italian, Indonesian et al)
While the U.S. recession and the large numbers of Indian restaurateurs are partly to blame, NYC Indian restaurants also have to own up responsibility for their current plight.
A lot of the NYC Indian restaurants serve awful food and run dirty, unhygienic establishments that put off people. Plus, Indian cuisine is still not mainstream.
Other reasons for the distressed state of several NYC Indian restaurants include bad management, lack of advertising and bad business plan, absence of deep pockets to tide over lean times and investor bail-out.
We predict at least half-a-dozen more NYC Indian restaurants will go in the next six months.
Watch this space.
Some New Ones
Even while several NYC Indian restaurants are folding, some restaurateurs are boldly expanding.
Jackson Diner has set up shop in University Square, Bollywood actor Shiva Natarajan opened Bhojan on Lexington Ave, Tawa Tandoor headed to Jackson Heights and Rajesh Bhardwaj, co-founder of Cafe Spice, has just unveiled the high-end Junoon on W.24th St.
Of the four new establishments, we’ve visited Jackson Diner Manhattan (average food) and Bhojan (obscenely bad food).
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