Now of those, who dare, abiding one beside another, to advance to the close fray, and the foremost champions, fewer die, and they save the people in the rear; but in men that fear, all excellence is lost ...
What was it ? Wait and read ...
Heart beats faster. The pounding drowns the chaos around. Will I fall or the the one next to me. Hope its not me..... Not yet ..... At-least I don't fall alone.
Things will change if everyone falls. Good that things never change. Nothing will change....
...
So thinks a soldier you would say and hardly be near the truth.
These are the thoughts of an Indian pedestrian, a compelled jay walker if you will. Compelled by poorly planned walkways, road junctions in India. The pedestrians are forced to resort to one of the oldest military formations known. The Phalanx.
There is nothing martial about it per se. The common compulsion to achieve a goal viz. cross a busy junction brings the people together, regardless of their differences. Together they move step by step ...
I lock eyes with one of the others. The Others who cross our path with impudence. They bear more power but they stand alone. We bear us ...
A game of power and risk. And yet with an assurance of change if not rewards. So then are pedestrians the only ones who use it ?
Not really. Everyone does. The drivers ( the Others ) use it too. Against a bigger group of others. Confusing ?
Shouldn't be if you have driven on Indian roads. Vehicles on the narrow roads which join the bigger roads, face a problem when there are no signals to stop the on slaught of the stream of vehicles going orthogonal. The crowd of vehicles grows on the narrow road. Honking increases. There is reluctance. Yet the compulsion grows and grows.
And then The Phalanx takes over. The brash ones in the front move a foot ahead with a sneer. The timid ones add the inches. The ones behind add to the numbers. Step by step ...
I stand in the middle, neither the front nor the rear. Saved by the front and driven by the rear. I am ready, for when my time comes I lower my spear and pull up my shield, to protect me and my left. I hear the cries from the front. Yet we don't care, for our shield is the front and for our rear, we....
Far from the dramatic clash of shields there is something different at work with the pedestrians or the vehicles. The fear of clash. A deterrent far more powerful than the clash itself.
And strengthened by this, the phalanx of men and vehicles move ahead, constricting the flow one by one, step by step ...
The front is strong. We push and get pushed back. And back. Then we heel and jostle ahead. The Others are blocked by the ones who push and by us who heel. They know they dare not breach the phalanx. Because some other time they have to be a part of one....
The effort pays off. The vehicles slow. Some from the deterrent. Some out of respect. And when then slow they ponder for a second how they did the same when they crossed the road, step by step ...
Ah ! They stop ! The phalanx is safe. I live yet another day !
The flow has ebbed. And it does not matter how, as the pedestrians / vehicles cross to the other side safe and to their lives, not together but disbanded.
Only to join again at the next junction, step by step ....
Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Jar
A trip to European lands can quickly turn into pain if you don't know the native language. More so because of their rabid opposition to including English as one of the languages for the tourist dear. You are quickly left with no choice but to resort to gestures and cues.
With so much of discomfort you begin to wonder if there is indeed anything to the glitter of "far-away-lands".
However just when you are about to give up in despair and begin towards your dear ol' home land, the prime attraction of a "phoren" trip strikes you - chocolates !!!
Thankfully this thought was always in my mind when I was in Germany, so I never really felt the despair. Instead I focused my energies on trying out different chocolates in the limited time and money that was available to me then.
It is said that European chocolates are the best in the world. And having tasted quite some varieties of chocolates both American and European, I can say this is true. Lets talk about their differences.
American or European ?
American chocolates are exactly that - mass produced. There is absolutely nothing unique or special about them. Its big, fills your mouth with chocolate and increases your weight by atleast a kg.
European chocolates have a hint of homeliness to them. How they do it is beyond me, but they have that element. What is that element is not entirely clear however we'll try to theorize with some known facts.
How to distinguish a good chocolate
The test for a good chocolate is simple if you understand what a chocolate actually composed of.
A chocolate is composed of sugar, milk (if needed), additional flavors and the crucial cocoa butter. It is the last element that gives chocolate its flavor and body. In an exercise thats more economic than taste oriented, the big companies reduce the cocoa butter content and replace it with something synthetic or with more sugar and other materials.
How does it make a difference having more cocoa butter you ask -
Ah. Bingo. Here comes the simple test. If you have a chocolate with more synthetic stuff and sugar it leaves a coat on your tongue. However a true chocolate will never leave a coat on your tongue. It is meant to dissolve and vanish. Leaving a taste lingering on your taste buds. Ask your local choco-meister for more details on further tests. ;)
Cocoa butter is a costly ingredient and hence it is often substituted with some other materials. American companies often tend to mass produce on a gigantic scale at low prices. Hence most American chocolates fail the simple coat test.
European companies often don't worry about the price of a product and tend to focus on the quality and richness. And I was experiencing this perfectionism all around including chocolates, during my stay in Germany.
The quest in Neverland
In my quest to alleviate my despair, I was trying out different chocolates from the local food chains. It was in one such chain that I picked up the jar.
I picked it up for no special reason. It was a chocolate spread and I wanted to have it with my bread at breakfast. First day of trying it proved a disappointment. I should say it was more due to the fact that I had no means to heat or butter the bread in a sensible fashion before spreading the chocolate. And I was almost dejected. Then I thought of trying it with milk. That should taste good ? But no such luck. It simply wasn't soluble !! It would melt and stick to the bottom of the glass.
However I dutifully added it to milk and tried stirring it for long time. All while along I kept concentrating on the taste of the "chocolate shake" I was making. Then it struck ! Why am I having the feeling of "eating" the shake everyday ? Why does the shake taste better at the end ?
Then I understood, it was the not milk shake. It was the chocolate. It was not a spread. It was a chocolate. It was supposed to be had as a chocolate. You take a spoonful of it and just put it in your mouth. The first thing that you should do or m'be I should say not do is try to taste it. Why ?
You might have heard of wines. And how they are tasted. You first sniff them, right ? Well you don't sniff a chocolate, but you don't taste a chocolate spread either. You simply let it stick to your palette. And do not take the spoon out of your mouth. Let it melt because of the temperature in your mouth. And talking of temperature, the temperature in your mouth is something very interesting. Something that makes it the ideal part to kiss. :)
So, the warmth of your mouth caused the chocolate to melt and drop to your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Now which part of your tongue do you taste a chocolate with ?
Its not the middle. Its not the back. Its the tip of your tongue. You let it spread all inside your mouth. Do not eat it yet. Next with the tip of your tongue start licking it off the different areas in your mouth. The tip will tell you the story.
First Tongue View
Here's what my tongue has to tell you -
"Its smoooooooooth. Rich. And nutty. And its not terribly sweet. Oh no. Its just right. Its got a thick body, yet it thins out and goes in real smooth. I check the front teeth.
Hey its gone from the front teeth. Let me check out the other part of the mouth. Hmm. There's a heavy bit on the spoon. I lick it out of the spoon. Ummm.. No. Made a mistake ! That heavy little lump of chocolate didn't give me the fun that small drop on front tooth gave me. Well I'll be a little more careful.
I check out the roof of the mouth. Its dripping with the smooth chocolate. Wooooooow! It gives me the kick ! Yessssssss! I be a little more adventurous now and try out that small pocket between my teeth and cheek. Wohooo! Its there and its even more tastier. Wait. Chet has turned the spoon. I taste the bits on the spoon. Theres much on the small neck of the spoon. The metallic spoon and the smooth chocolate make an explosive combination, doesn't it ? Man, Chet, you should try some more of this dynamite. I shout out to the brain. Hey you there. How did ya feel ? Have some more ;)"
Out goes the spoon and comes the next spoonful and ...
So it continues. The heavenly feeling continues taking away every bit of thought and stress you might have.
Chocolate life
Life is something like that. Taste it with the tip of your tongue. Thats how it will taste sweet. And don't forget to explore it between the teeth :)
Want some ?
With so much of discomfort you begin to wonder if there is indeed anything to the glitter of "far-away-lands".
However just when you are about to give up in despair and begin towards your dear ol' home land, the prime attraction of a "phoren" trip strikes you - chocolates !!!
Thankfully this thought was always in my mind when I was in Germany, so I never really felt the despair. Instead I focused my energies on trying out different chocolates in the limited time and money that was available to me then.
It is said that European chocolates are the best in the world. And having tasted quite some varieties of chocolates both American and European, I can say this is true. Lets talk about their differences.
American or European ?
American chocolates are exactly that - mass produced. There is absolutely nothing unique or special about them. Its big, fills your mouth with chocolate and increases your weight by atleast a kg.
European chocolates have a hint of homeliness to them. How they do it is beyond me, but they have that element. What is that element is not entirely clear however we'll try to theorize with some known facts.
How to distinguish a good chocolate
The test for a good chocolate is simple if you understand what a chocolate actually composed of.
A chocolate is composed of sugar, milk (if needed), additional flavors and the crucial cocoa butter. It is the last element that gives chocolate its flavor and body. In an exercise thats more economic than taste oriented, the big companies reduce the cocoa butter content and replace it with something synthetic or with more sugar and other materials.
How does it make a difference having more cocoa butter you ask -
Ah. Bingo. Here comes the simple test. If you have a chocolate with more synthetic stuff and sugar it leaves a coat on your tongue. However a true chocolate will never leave a coat on your tongue. It is meant to dissolve and vanish. Leaving a taste lingering on your taste buds. Ask your local choco-meister for more details on further tests. ;)
Cocoa butter is a costly ingredient and hence it is often substituted with some other materials. American companies often tend to mass produce on a gigantic scale at low prices. Hence most American chocolates fail the simple coat test.
European companies often don't worry about the price of a product and tend to focus on the quality and richness. And I was experiencing this perfectionism all around including chocolates, during my stay in Germany.
The quest in Neverland
In my quest to alleviate my despair, I was trying out different chocolates from the local food chains. It was in one such chain that I picked up the jar.
I picked it up for no special reason. It was a chocolate spread and I wanted to have it with my bread at breakfast. First day of trying it proved a disappointment. I should say it was more due to the fact that I had no means to heat or butter the bread in a sensible fashion before spreading the chocolate. And I was almost dejected. Then I thought of trying it with milk. That should taste good ? But no such luck. It simply wasn't soluble !! It would melt and stick to the bottom of the glass.
However I dutifully added it to milk and tried stirring it for long time. All while along I kept concentrating on the taste of the "chocolate shake" I was making. Then it struck ! Why am I having the feeling of "eating" the shake everyday ? Why does the shake taste better at the end ?
Then I understood, it was the not milk shake. It was the chocolate. It was not a spread. It was a chocolate. It was supposed to be had as a chocolate. You take a spoonful of it and just put it in your mouth. The first thing that you should do or m'be I should say not do is try to taste it. Why ?
You might have heard of wines. And how they are tasted. You first sniff them, right ? Well you don't sniff a chocolate, but you don't taste a chocolate spread either. You simply let it stick to your palette. And do not take the spoon out of your mouth. Let it melt because of the temperature in your mouth. And talking of temperature, the temperature in your mouth is something very interesting. Something that makes it the ideal part to kiss. :)
So, the warmth of your mouth caused the chocolate to melt and drop to your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Now which part of your tongue do you taste a chocolate with ?
Its not the middle. Its not the back. Its the tip of your tongue. You let it spread all inside your mouth. Do not eat it yet. Next with the tip of your tongue start licking it off the different areas in your mouth. The tip will tell you the story.
First Tongue View
Here's what my tongue has to tell you -
"Its smoooooooooth. Rich. And nutty. And its not terribly sweet. Oh no. Its just right. Its got a thick body, yet it thins out and goes in real smooth. I check the front teeth.
Hey its gone from the front teeth. Let me check out the other part of the mouth. Hmm. There's a heavy bit on the spoon. I lick it out of the spoon. Ummm.. No. Made a mistake ! That heavy little lump of chocolate didn't give me the fun that small drop on front tooth gave me. Well I'll be a little more careful.
I check out the roof of the mouth. Its dripping with the smooth chocolate. Wooooooow! It gives me the kick ! Yessssssss! I be a little more adventurous now and try out that small pocket between my teeth and cheek. Wohooo! Its there and its even more tastier. Wait. Chet has turned the spoon. I taste the bits on the spoon. Theres much on the small neck of the spoon. The metallic spoon and the smooth chocolate make an explosive combination, doesn't it ? Man, Chet, you should try some more of this dynamite. I shout out to the brain. Hey you there. How did ya feel ? Have some more ;)"
Out goes the spoon and comes the next spoonful and ...
So it continues. The heavenly feeling continues taking away every bit of thought and stress you might have.
Chocolate life
Life is something like that. Taste it with the tip of your tongue. Thats how it will taste sweet. And don't forget to explore it between the teeth :)
Want some ?
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