IL'ites meet in Chennai - 7th June 2006

Mrs.Chithra as your neighbour-Great to hear a different side of Mrs.C and as always she is the only person i know who can walk the talk and your write-up confirms it yet again.You write beautifully,Bhuvana.
Reading about Mama brought a smile to my face."Two peas in a pod" is all i can think of.
Its really great that you are supportive of Mrs.Chithra and you have no qualms expressing it either..It shows how good a neighbour you are too.Now am not that envious.Better you than me,right!!

Take care
Suba

SuBa
yr mail is touching thanks for reading my mail and replying immediately and its nice to get compliments, uve boosted my spirit.
bhugan

Dear Bhuvana,

I have been really enjoying all your interactions and views till now.....great to hear that you and Chitra are good neighbors.....definetely will have to make a visit to meet this new extended family...would love to meet you also! Let's see if i decide to make my visit in August itself....very tempting indeed!
And of course all of you who decide to make a visit outside India, please feel make it a apoint to drop by in Frankfurt, without fail!

Dear Bhugan, Varloo & Laxmi,

Thank you for sharing about the evening meet at Chitvish's place. Your writings made us feel as though we were all part of the meet. However, we envy you Chennai ILites for being able to so easily meet up with Chitvish and enjoy the feast .

Dear Mrs. Chithra,

You are getting more & more lovely by welcoming everyone home and treating everyone without tired with such yummy dishes.

Tamil Nadu - adhuvum Madurai - per pona ooru for virundhombal-nu - you are proving Chitvish.

I felt so hungry and my stomach started growling looking at the dishes .

Hope such ILites meet happen often in many locations. Nice to hear that IndusLadies site (a virtual space) is able to connect so many in the physical space.

Regards,

Shakthi

On behalf of 'The IndusLadies Team'

Dear Shakthi,
It is amazing the way I L has connected hitherto strangers, so enjoyably. We have to experience it to believe that verbal interaction in a forum can cement such a strong relationship between all of us.
More than anything else, thankyou, Shakthi, for attributing " virundhombal panbu " to Madurai, my native place. You are right. Chennai being more " collective" and " cosmopolitan" is more heterogeneous unlike Madurai !
Being a Maduraite,
" Yaathum oorae Yaavarum Keleer"
is how I would like to sum up, in my dear Tamil.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

thanks for the descriptions that you have given about your meeting at chithra's home..
Really I felt like that I had visited there with you.I got a clear picture of Chithra's house! i congratulate Bhuvana for getting a special lady like chithra as her neighbour. you are lucky Bhuvana. I am sure no one will get some one like her as our neighbour. Unfortunately I would feel very sad because I have a neighbour who is a working lady, wouldn't even smile at any one of her near by people. And she has locked her children and maid inside the house without letting them even to talk with any one out side. the strange thing is that she is also from our place!
It shows your magnanimity that always welcoming people who are not seen before, or not relatives that really attracts everyone, Chithra!
Expect many ILites could visit you in the coming days also...

Hello Chithra,
The other day I was thinking over the evening we ILites spent with you.
One thing that amazes me ( more than the spread of dishes) is that how did you plan it?
What sort of planning does one have to do inorder spread such delicacies.
The planning have to be even more careful lot so becos every dish was complete with its side dish - bread bonda with kara chutney, Dhokla with green chutney, Idiyappam with stew.
Preparing the dishes with their respective chutneys, 3 desserts and lot more, I was wondering Chithra how did u plan it?

dear IL Chennaiites,
You know that we were all not able to meet last time. It is some times difficult to get in touch just thro the forum.I feel that if I have your phone numbers I could contact you and inform you personally about future get togethers. So kindly pvt msg me your phone or mobile numbers, then we can meet with a little planning. What do you all say? So waiting to be flooded with pvt msgs soon.
With warm wishes,
varloo

Dear Laxmi,
I do hope you have the patience to read through - it is almost an essay !
First make out a list of what all dishes, you want to make. You must be able to make them single handed, without feeling too tired or ignoring other daily chores. First decide on the sweets which are best prepared in advance. I always combine one typical Indian sweet like a halwa or kheer or payasam with a western style pudding or gateau.
The no: of sweets is your choice.
Next, make one deep fried or shallow fried dish like a cutlet or vadai etc. I prefer to make one oil-free main dish like idiyappam or Kanjeepuram idli or aappam or anyother steamed dish. Make one colourful dish, so I chose dhokla. Sago upma is really jiffy dish & always a favourite. You must remember to soak sago, that is all. I always make one curd dish – dahi chat or thayir vadai. If it is lunch or dinner, I make bahala bath with rice or semiya.
In a paper write down the name of the dish & main ingredients required. Mine ran thus.
Welcome juice – grapes, carrots, tomatoes, watermelon, ginger, nattu sakkarai
Lapsi halwa - lapsi, khoa, ghee, sugar
Apple pie - maida, butter, apples & vanilla ice cream to serve with
Pineapple cream - instant china grass, fresh cream, pineapples , fresh or tinned.
Idiyappam - rice flour
Sodhi - tomatoes & onions
Bread bonda - Preferably old bread, paneer to stuff
Kara chutney - chillies
Dhokla - fresh besan, fruit salt, fresh coriander leaves
Green chutney - fresh coriander leaves , mainly
Sago upma - sago, ground nuts, fresh coconut
Dahi papdi - fresh dahi, potatoes, papdi, omapodi, sweet chutney.
Finish all shopping the previous morning. Afternoon, make all sweets & chutneys.
Next day for lunch I just make a vegetable & rasam or mixed rice with raitha.
In the morning, I first made the bread bonda balls & refrigerated them to be fried later.
By 10 A M , if you start making all the other dishes, you will finish by 1 PM. Then lunch, rest, cutting fruits & vegs for juice.Last is frying the bonda & making the juice. Then clean the kitchen, take out cutlery, crockery etc, arrange flowers etc in the house.
In my rest time, I wrote the thankyou cards, took out the gifts, marked & kept them ready.
It is only planning & organising properly which is more important.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

Your guidelines about organising and pre-planning a dinner is excellent! You make it sound easy. But the important factor has not been mentioned...the attitude and the generous giving nature of the hostess:)

L, Kamla