Eating Betel Leaf - Another New Experience

Over the weekend, the hubby’s colleague had invited us to his home for dinner together with two other couples.

The highlight of this dinner came after dessert when our hosts served “pan” – the Indian equivalent of after-dinner mint, to end the meal.

Pan is actually a Betel Leaf shaped into a cone that is about the size of your palm. Different regions have got different type of pans and some of these pans come with ingredients like tobacco and slaked lime.

The locals really love their pan as you can see crowded pan shops along many streets in the city.

The pan offered to us was a meetha (sweet) pan and it had rose petals, dried coconut, crushed spices, and other things amongst it. I wasn’t at all too keen about eating a Betel leaf with what sounded like dubious ingredients but the host had insisted that we must try it and I felt that it would have been rude to refuse again.


I was told to put the entire pan into my mouth and I was glad that I did because if not, I don’t think I could have taken a second bite.

All I tasted in the first two chews was the texture of leaf. After that, you start to crunch through the ingredients and all the flavours start to explode in your mouth. There is probably no one word to describe the taste but imagine strong mint coupled together with spices. It is overwhelming for a first timer and I could not disguise my expression while chewing through the rest of it. During that few minutes of chewing, I was focused only on one thought: I must not gag. For non Indians, to enjoy pan is definitely an acquired taste.

For the longest time, it was in my head that betel leaf must have a unique taste which is why people in places like Taiwan eat them a lot too. After eating it, it is how I had imagine a leaf to taste. There was no special taste or flavour about it.

As I read more about eating betel leaf, its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties are bring touted everywhere. What goes together with the betel leaf is the deciding factor of making it a good or bad habit.

For most food, one mouthful leaves me wanting for more but when it comes to eating pan, this one bite is surely more than enough.

*was not able to take pictures so these pics are from google.

Our Golden Triangle Trip - Agra (2)

A road sign at the start of the highway had shown the distance to Agra as 184km and I was thinking why did our driver say that the journey would take 4-4.5 hrs? If we travel at a conservative speed of 90km/h, it should take like 2 hours tops.

The answer?
What we understand as a highway does not apply here. This highway is not a dedicated road with marked exits at regulated distances. It's more like a two lane road that passes through townships and industrial areas.

As we approach the townships, the car speed drops to around 30km/h and other times, the car is more likely to be trailing behind large container trucks who cannot keep left. Most times, the car was travelling around 60-70km/h.

Second Stop: Agra
Main attraction of Agra is of course the Taj Mahal. Before the trip, I often wondered if this is worth the long car ride from Delhi and if my expectations of it would be too high having read and heard so much about it. Well, I can tell you now that it is all worth it!

Nothing can really prepare you for the sight. No matter how many pictures you might have seen before of this place, to see it for yourself is really a visual feast. The marble white building set against a clear sky and the symmetry of the Taj really is awesome. I am not sure if a person can get tired of looking at it. 

We were lucky that there was no queue that day and we were able to just walk inside Taj Mahal. Our guide tells us that on some days, the wait can be three hours long. I didn't think much about the interior and it didn't help that it is very crowded around the tomb. Having been inside, I will say that it is not worth the 3 hour queue if there is one and I would much rather spend that time admiring the exterior of the Taj.

Take note that it is closed on Friday and because of that Thursdays and Saturdays are usually very crowded.

Akbar's tomb

First view of the Taj Mahal

No pictures can show the grandeur of it all

Agra Fort

View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Our Golden Triangle Trip - New Delhi (1)

On a whim, the hubby and myself had decided to visit Taj Mahal about 3 weeks ago and we left the next day.

Thanks to myself who had done homework before about the place, it was not too difficult deciding on the tour itinerary. We decided to do the Golden Triangle tour where we would cover New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in 4D3N.

First Stop: New Delhi

Delhi gave us our first feel of summer at around 40 degrees and we had only about 5-6 hours to see the sights of the city. From the architecture of the buildings, it is clear that this city was previously ruled by the British and that added to the charm of the city.

Coming from Hyderabad where potholes are everywhere on the road, we were impressed with the road quality of Delhi and wonder why the standards are so gaping. The streets in Delhi are lined with trees which I believe would look very pretty in autumn while you can hardly find a decent pavement in Hyderabad!

Of course, New Delhi being the capital of India has a certain standard to keep to and I believe that the recent Commonwealth Games had also a hand in sprucing up the city.

As for tourist attractions, here's what we saw:

India Gate

King's Way - Road linking India Gate and the Parliament House

Secretariet buildings flanking King's Way

Parliament House

 

Hamayun's Tomb

Qutb Minar - Victory Tower

When the temperature hits 43 Degrees Celcius

1. My brains are in a permanent siesta mode, hence explaining the lack of new blog entries.
2. Forget about taking cool showers in the afternoon because the water from the tap is so hot that I cant even wash dishes.
3. Summer is here and it is mango season. Yeah!
4. The entire day is spent sitting under the fan, in the aircon room with blackout curtains drawn or both.
5. You will perspire anywhere and everywhere.
6. Fashion at home is strictly limited to dri-fit tops and shorts.
7. With humidity levels between 20-40%, lip balm is a necessity throughout the day and moisturizer at night. It's a bother!
8. Drinking cold drinks is a must to bring body temperature down by one or two degrees. Ice is a must have in the fridge.
9. In the kitchen, forget about cooking curry or soup. It's just too hot for all that stuff.
10. Eat your chocolates fast! m&m tag line line of "Melt in your mouth not in your hands" is not applicable here.