Masala Turkey is a Charaipotra tradition and it’s something we all look forward to every Thanksgiving. Sometimes the house is filled with cousins, friends, relatives, and sometimes it’s a small gathering of immediate family. One year, Sona made this for…
A Papa and Daughter NYC Adventure Way Past Bedtime!
Way past Kavya’s bedtime, we’re walking along 7th avenue, through Times Square, with its massive LCD screens lighting up the sky, brightly decorated Christmas store windows and on the sides of buildings. Kavya’s fluffy mitten fingers are coiled around mine,…
Hot Lava! A Doorless Helicopter Tour of Kilauea Volcano, Big Island, Hawaii
This morning I wake up to the news that Kīlauea Volcano on Big Island is erupting. Towns are being evacuated, videos show bright red lava spilling onto highways, grassy areas, and the governor is requesting national emergency status. My immediate…
Eat This Page: Horiatiki, a Classic Greek Salad
This Horiatiki, a classic Greek salad is crisp, zesty, and absolutely delicious with a very quick and easy olive oil based vinaigrette. We adapted this recipe from one we were shown during our Greek cooking class at Ethos restaurant in New York City….
Greek Cooking Class at Ethos in New York City!
One of these days we’ll make a bucket list. And when we do, you can be sure Greece is on it. Sona is infatuated with the lush blue domes and stark white architecture of Santorini, contrasted with the light blue…
Photo Friday: Gino and Carlo in San Francisco!
Ayyy, look who it is everyone, Gino and Carlo! One of our favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco is North Beach. Many people flock to this area enticed by its nightlife, with its bars and Italian restaurants – a natural fit…
Photo Friday: An Ode to Chai
Sona is mad about chai. It could be 100 degree weather outside, she will choose kadak, masala chai over a cool lemonade. Aromatic fennel seeds, cardamom, ginger, the pungency of loose-leaf Yellow Label or Wagh Bakri tea wafting through the…
Papa in the City: Slinging it to Coney Island!
August. First day of my classes. Kavya still has three days before her summer ends. It’s ten in the morning. Kavya welcomes me home dressed in her bathing suit. “Papa, the bulb in the corridor is confused,” she says, a…
Photo Friday: Maui, the Land of Rainbows
I never thought of myself as the sort of person who would stop everything just to look at a rainbow. Turns out, that’s exactly the sort of bloke I am. Even Sona and her brother and sister, who are committed…
Papa and Kavya Fly to California. Hell Does Not Break Loose
We are a family of elbows, feet, and arms. We lean across each other, pressing our bodies in, just so we can all look out the window at fog, blackness, clouds, blue skies, starry nights, bright sunlight, cityscapes, sunsets and sunrises. It doesn’t really matter what’s outside. As long as it’s something we can all see together. This summer, the house is divided. It’s just the two of us. Me and Kavya, our first ever Papa-Daughter flight from Newark to San Jose via Atlanta. All in all slightly under 8 hours.
Artistic Rendering of What it’s Like to be a Papa, Again
Since people have been asking me what it’s like to be a Papa again, I thought instead of using words (sooo 1990), I’d use a visual depiction with Kavya’s help. She’s an artist. The portrait she drew on the top-left is pretty realistic—my legs have indeed started growing out of my neck, and I was wondering about that throbbing pain in the side of my jaws. I’ve also lost several fingers and WHERE DID MY MASSIVE MUSCLES GO??????? Also, is that a sun visor or a dress in front of my face?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The first time I met Sona, we drove around a dodgy part of Beverly Hills trying to find an Indian restaurant in the days before iPhones or GPS systems. Just as we were about to give up, a Gaylords restaurant appeared out of nowhere. We were both starving and our first move as soon as we sat down is indicative of our entire relationship: I went straight for the gulab jamun, Sona went straight for the chai. Eventually, we got around to the food.
