Beginnings

Okay so I was this whole "Out of the Comfort Zone" believer. Telling people how they should go and challenge themselves and be brave and be strong and things like that. Quite a Visionary eh?

UNTIL,

I had to do it myself.

That's when I became chicken-shit.

 For starters I made masala chai with tons of salt in it, made a vegetable curry with lots of sugar (America makes both salt and sugar look the same *-*), Got terribly homesick for 2 weeks, lost my credit card, got stalked by a mad man, Dialed 911, Sobbed in front of a policeman, Almost got escorted home, Burnt an entire pot of rice, Met a stranger, Interviewed a stranger(One of the most enriching experiences of my life) Got to know cultures, Hated stats, Cleaned the bathroom pot, Loved consumer insight, spoke to new people, explored the city with the boy, Ate reallllly good food on days and really trashy food on others, Chilled with the roomies, Hung out with Ketan and Nibha..

Quite an eventful one month and 18 days. 

But in all of that.. I didn't find the time to do things that I really really love to do... To write and to sing and to sketch by the lake… and to be free! 

Free? Of course I'm free. I’m independent, living alone... living my dream ... That's what you're thinking!

By free I mean…Stress-free with no cares about the future, no cares about grades, Peace and joy, learning for knowledge and living the day to its fullest…CarpeDieming' it? That sort of went out of the window! I was bogged down with assignments and grades and stress and deadlines and long days and junk food… GRAD SCHOOL IS NOT EASY BROTHERS!

But today, a day before my midterms I'm suddenly at peace :)

As I look out of my window and I see the orange maple leaves fall… Im at ease… The sky is the perfect blue, I have my consumer insight book in my hand and I'm genuinely enjoying what I'm reading (Do you know why Santa Claus has a red and white costume? Because of Coca - Cola!) It’s fascinating, I'm suddenly learning for myself, for taking it with me for a lifetime to come and not for tomorrow. Finance is teaching us to focus on long-term goals and not on short-term goals… that's what I'm trying to do today. So this journey is going to be about gathering…Experiences, knowledge, memories and happiness for a long long time :)

Maybe I'm finally finding comfort outside my comfort zone :)

This is just the beginning...

A pocketful of sunshine and a bucketful of dreams,

Juie

Pasta Al Gusto

These were the wise words written on the wall of this quaint little Italian restaurant :

"Amicizie e Maccheroni, sono meglio caldi"

(Friendship and Macaroni are best when warm)

Chicago hasn't disappointed at all when it comes to food (Cooking at home is definitely an exception to this theory). 

Nibha 'B'rastogi took us to this cute little Italian Diner in Belmont and it's definitely in the top 5 of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been too (High Five Nibha!). It was sort of a quiet girls night and it was one good meal!

The decor is simplistic, cozy and relaxing. Wooden Chairs, Yellow lights, a potpourri jar filled with Pasta assortment, Silverware framed inside a little photo frame, white crockery et al. It's homely and welcoming and perfect for a quiet dinner after a long day or a cozy dinner for two. 

Like any other Italian meal this meal started with Garlic Bread. The bread was really good but what was actually melt-in-my-mouth was the Mozzarella. It was delicately toasted with little golden brown specks of crumbly cheese. It was definitely a great start!

Being a vegetarian I sometimes feel that options are too little.

But Boy! I'm okay even if I'm just given one option at Pasta Al Gusto : Penne Verdure.

Tube Pasta with mixed veggies, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, onion, olive oil and garlic sauce.

This is what the menu reads. It sounds pretty basic right?`

But that's the thing! The best chefs whip up the most delicious food with the most basic ingredients. 

Here's what it was : 

I asked the chef to replace the penne with spaghetti(I live for noodles). The vegetables were noticeably fresh especially the spinach and mushroom.The spaghetti was tossed in parmesan and olive oil and the vegetables were lightly sautéed in olive oil with a hint of garlic sauce.  The only spices I could taste were chilli flakes(Which I asked him to add), pepper and salt. The taste of the garlic wasn't in the face. It was subdued yet very flavorful. That's the thing about garlic I guess, the uncanny ability to enhance any spice and bring it to its actual potential.There was a slice of bread that was served as a side to the Pasta. The presentation wasn't out of the world but it was fairly tempting in a homely way.The portion was huge but my appetite is of an elephant so ya, I finished it all!

As they say, the best things are worth waiting for. (Read: Dessert)

One Word. Tiramisu. 

(Did you know that 'Tiramisu' means 'Pick me up'. Quite literally, I'd definitely Pick you up!)

It was orgasmic. That's the only adjective I could think of. I'm pretty sure that I haven't had better Tiramisu.  It was the usual Tiramisu with Coffee, Mascarpone cheese , and a batter of flour, eggs and coffee BUT there were little caramel bubbles between the layers. There's no caramel in traditional Tiramisu but this one was special! After a spoonful of tiramisu had melted in your mouth the caramel stayed and melted slowly and deliciously and OH MY GOD that feeling! The presentation was beautiful too (Or maybe it sucked, but because it was so delicious it looked beautiful) There was cocoa sprinkled over the dessert and all over the plate. 

So Yes, It was a simplistic meal but it was uber-satiating!

If you ever end up going there (which you should) you can take a bottle of red wine with you! 

So basically,

All's well that ends well boys!

Bon appétit !

A big spoonful of Rich creamy Tiramisu,

Juie

Why Hello!

Welcome to my New blog :)

For the ones who don't know, I'm Juie and I'm from Mumbai, India.
I have just moved to Chicago, Illinois.
Actually, I haven't  'just' moved, its been 28 days + 12 hours to be precise.

For the ones who've followed my older blog ,

I hope you enjoy this one too :) 

The main purpose of this blog is to write about this new beautiful change happening in my life. Living in a new city changes almost everything.New roads and a new house, a different skyline and different colors that fill the sky, new people and new cultures, new struggles and challenges , sometimes the only thing that isn't new is you. That's a struggle too you know, keeping up with all the newness around while not changing yourself. 

I'm going to collect memorabila and memories, observations and art,products and brands and situations and emotions, awe and surprise and love and laughter!

I'd want to surprise you, excite you sometimes, make you think and make you wonder, I'd tear you up sometimes and sometimes you'd think I'm plain weird, 

But what I'd kinda like to do is - Make you smile.

Words take you traveling and I hope I do too.

Lots of fresh smelling lakeside wind,

Juie