“Look at that bozo in the window,” points out the young girl at the university as she walks past a series of dorm windows. The friend looks and much giggling ensues. The “bozo” in question appears to be practising dance moves, but what in reality look like a series of kung fu moves from a third rate ‘70s movie of the genre!
He is also completely unaware of the fact that his is the only lighted window with the curtains not yet drawn in the whole dorm! All eyes passing by are naturally drawn to the ‘dancing’ figure in the brightly lit window and pretty soon, a little crowd collects underneath as the news flashes around! The ‘dancing wu-li master’ has acquired a reputation set to rival that of the Harappan dancing girl figurine!
It takes a while but our pal figures out that some action is happening downstairs and decides to join the crowd below to stare at what he realizes – after several minutes, is his own window! Tough one to live down but that’s what tough guys are made of, right? Brilliant move, Rohit!
The story – related to us by the Rohit, son of the friends we are staying with in New Jersey – has us almost falling off our bar stools in mirth! I empathise secretly however. I like kung fu style dance moves myself and am quite famous for my Egyptian moves too (modesty never was my middle name!).
Also takes me right back to an evening in Coonoor some couple of years ago. There’s a bunch of us holidaying together and contemplating creating a community in the hills for when we are old and no longer able to do kung fu moves which do not look like an ageing, arthritic spider trying to climb a wall! Some of the people in the group are meeting each other for the first time but there is bonhomie – a lot of it – flowing around! My pal D, who has brought gifts for Kanch and me, whispers to me in what she thinks is an aside that we should slip away to the room for a few minutes as she’s brought some gifts for us. We do, a bit like the two detectives in Tintin, Thompson and Thompson (unobtrusively in large bowler hats and trenchcoats!), and repair to the room upstairs.
The room looks out on to the lawn where we have been sitting and where the rest of the group is still sitting. This is the hills, remember? And the hills are lovely… also definitely dark! We switch on the light in the room. Below, it is like the television has suddenly come on in front of the group sitting in a semicircle, facing the room! All eyes are drawn to the window. It is glass fronted and the curtains are not drawn yet…
D hands out the gifts. Her usual impeccable taste gives to squeals and many hugs and much prinking and prancing around the room wearing our new threads – completely unaware that everyone below has their eyes riveted to the window!
Prinking done, we switch off the lights and unobtrusively slink back into the group, which is trying hard to look as though they haven’t just sat through an entire episode of a new and riveting soap!
Like how unable I am to take my eyes off this display in this frozen yogurt place that Murali (our host in NJ) takes us to. Millions of flavours, zillions of toppings – you help yourself and they weigh out your stuff (try eating your way through twenty eight ounces of frozen yogurt without feelings pangs of serious guilt!) to bill you.
What would my favourite one be? Obviously what I’d try to make at home myself – warned y’all – modesty etc… 😉
HOMEMADE FROZEN YOGURT WITHOUT AN ICECREAM MACHINE
- 1.5 cups thick Greek yogurt or hung curd
- 2 cups frozen mango pulp + a few chunks of mango (substitute sapota or jackfruit or banana or strawberry or whatever you like – more or less)
- 1/2 cup sugar or honey
- Saffron strands – a few
Blend in a food processor, pour into the container that you want – loaf tin for slices, cups for lazy bums who don’t like serving out later!
Freeze!
And remember you’re likely to be freeze framed so check and draw your curtains before you do the Egyptian moves we practised! IS there anyone in the world who hasn’t secretly done the Egyptian move in front of their mirror? Liar, liar, pants on fire!