Focaccia with Garlic and Lavender

It was quite an idyllic setting for a story. Settlers here were simpletons-they had not much to do, and even less to eat. But in a way, they were rich. No one knows if they had ever realized how valuable the object in their possession was. In fact, when a war was waged to snatch it from them, they did not understand why an army would bother to come to their village, cavalry and all. Great confusion ensued when they were asked to give that coveted object back. The villagers refused to back down- why would they part with their only means of livelihood? The land's produce was all they could trade with the empire, and now those lands had to be given away for nothing!

In the fields, the shrubs were nestled so close that they seemed like a single entity. Their purple flowers were dancing in the gentle breeze, giving off wafts of fragrance that could captivate everyone. A war was waged with the village folk, and it lasted but a day. Accustomed to a peaceful life of tilling and trade, there was no question of them being able to stand in battle, leave along fight one. In little time, the lands were claimed by the enemy.

All this while, the fields were watching. Dancing in the wind was only a distraction. They were watching their people, their caretakers being mercilessly killed.

Once the short battle came to an end, the soldiers reveled in their sadistic victory. Although it was not necessary to kill, they had gone on a rampage, sparing not men nor women, and not the child. A dead silence fell over the fields. The soldiers, well aware of the treasure growing there, harshly plucked all that their hands could gather. By nightfall, the revelry took on new proportions- drunk men lay bare in the fields while their casualties lay a few feet away.

The next morning, messengers rushed to the capital, carrying news of doom and despair. The army they had sent was lying dead in the fields. Not one soldier was spared. One messenger wondered how even one corpse had not a scratch on its being. "They look like they may be asleep'', he said. Even the wittiest of the land's men could not decide what could have killed a thousand men. A Djinn, some said, while others blamed the villagers' vengeful spirits. Soon, a law was passed not to trespass those lands. No one would ever till there. 

 

All this while, the lavender blooms swayed in the breeze, their purple flowers dancing away, the wind carrying their fragrance to the village of the dead. They would continue to bloom even decades later,even though no one cared for them, for they had been watered by blood, and the lives of a thousand men.

Hehe, yes. I am a huge fan of morose stories. Because anyone can write happy endings, and because closure seems more important to me that a jolly ending. Whether you like the story or not, something must be said in Lavender's defense. It is not a poisonous plant, nor is there a bloody history involving it. It is a simple, unassuming herb that loves to grow anywhere and needs the littlest of care. I even bought a plant recently and it is going strong in spite of my general lack of care. Also, it is wonderful when used in cooking. A little bit of lavender can do what a lot of rosemary does to a dish. Moreover, it treats your tummy very well. Since it is a strong herb flavour-wise, one would be wise to use it in combination with something that can stand up to it- like garlic.

And that is precisely what we do in today's bread. I used an easy to follow Focaccia recipe from Jamie Oliver's website. I'm not posting it here again. Said link has everything from step by step pictures to a very reassuring narrative. For the unenlightened, Jamie Oliver is a world renowned chef and food enthusiast who aims to make cooking accessible to all. One of his dream projects is to teach every child how to cook his/her own meals, so they can cut down on all the unhealthy fast food that our culture teaches them to eat. You can listen to more of what he has to say here. In my personal opinion, he should be knighted!

Anyway, I used lavender instead of the prescribed oregano in his recipe. If you are planning to do the same, use lesser lavender than the amount of rosemary in the recipe. Else, you'll end up with bread that smells like perfume. I used 1/4th of all the quantities mentioned there and followed the recipe to the very end. With bread, it is always better to measure in grams than in cups. Here is how it turned out.

Right out of the oven..

Though you cannot use rosemary in place of lavender in the story, by all means try it in the recipe. And if you haven't made bread so far, give it a shot. Goes well with soups and pasta. Or if you are me, it goes, in half an hour.

A Very Short Trip And Giving Time A Break

Through timeless, unknown lands,

Wander like a dandelion set free.

For it will tire you, drain you and at times irritate,

Yet, with memories, it will water your soul's eternal tree.

The best thing about day trips is there is almost no planning involved. The second best thing about them is that you don't have to carry a heavy bag. If there is one sure way to feel like a free spirit, it surely involves an unplanned trip to somewhere slightly far away. For once, abandon your life the way it is and do something different. 

Making a trip to Pondicherry from Bangalore is a very straightforward affair as far as planning a trip is concerned. You could take one of the many buses that ply between the two cities every evening. Or you could take the one train that goes to Pondi once every week from Bangalore. Yes, it is a longer journey and yes the train stops for every possible excuse. Also, it is usually late. So, if your agenda is to see as much of Pondi as possible, pick the bus. But if the idea is to spend a relaxed day out, do take the train. It leaves on a Friday night, around 11. The return train is at 10PM on Saturday, making it ideal for planning a day trip- you get twelve full hours in the city. We took the train and it reached Pondi at 10AM the next day. Sensing time being lost, we changed and had breakfast on the train itself- all six of us.

The road right outside the railway station is called Subbaiya Salai or South Boulevard. The first thing we did was follow that road away from the beach. We reached the Sacred Heart Church which is by all means an architectural marvel worth seeing. We spent some time praying inside as it was very calm in contrast to the road outside. 

We then paid a visit to the Aquarium- it is inside the Botanical Gardens complex. You can get here by following the same road, away from the beach. Time in the aquarium was well spent as there were some exotic fish worth seeing. It also helped that we got to be indoors for a while considering the sun was blazing with full force.

We then started walking in the opposite direction and arrived at the French part of the town. Now, every building here is painted white (almost) and the construction is all quaint and villa-ish. In other words, it is extremely beautiful. The end of the road brought us to the statue of Dupleix- the Governer of the French establishment in India way back in 1742. From there, one cannot miss the beach road. It is all rocky but we did go down them a bit, and had the time of our lives. This place was surprisingly cooler and very windy- how could we leave? Many, many pictures later, we decided that we needed to eat.

Wandering onto Mission Street and the many lanes it leads to brought us to Veneto. The ambiance and general atmosphere at Veneto is like a small, rustic settlement in Italy. They've gotten everything covered right down to the walls. The food was good, but I doubt its authenticity. The food didn't do justice to the huge fan following that Italian cuisine has- many a chef's illustrious careers were built out of making Italian food. The food here is just passable for Italian- and the garlic bread was at least five days old. If you really want to taste some authentic Italian, head out to Don Giovanni on Mission Street instead. We heard it is expensive but I have a feeling it would be worth the money. We then headed to Zuka on Mission Street for some of the best chocolates and desserts I have had in a while. Do not miss this one!

After all the extra travel and walking it involved, Auroville was a thorough disappointment. The highly popular meditation hall is closed for public viewing except early in the day. Shopping inside Auroville is unnecessarily expensive. Also, once you are outside the town limits (Auroville is on the ECR), be prepared to face all sorts of lewd comments from just about everyone. That we were a group of six fairly well built people didn’t deter other visitors from passing comments and displaying stupid antics. It is sad that while the locals are respectful and nice, it is the visitors who unnecessarily spoil Pondi’s tranquility. And before you ask, we were fully clothed. Avoid the beach in the area- somehow here, the men strip down to nothing and it still is the women who get harassed.

By sunset, we got back to beach road in the town. We took a walk to Raj Nivas which was beautifully decorated (it being Republic Day). While walking back, we got to see the lighthouse. Some more time was well spent here, after which we walked to Baker Street- a well renowned boulangerie on Bussy Street. Baker Street is where dessert lovers go after they die. The sheer variety of food will make you faint. We tried some macaroons, chocolate éclairs, brownies, puff pastries with all sorts of fillings and the signature French dessert- Galette des Rois, or Three Kings’ Cake. I’ll do a detailed post on it later. Avoid the savoury items here as they are exorbitantly priced and not worth the money.

The Beach Road at Moon-rise

By now, it was time to leave. We shopped for some candles and incense at an exhibition and dragged our feet back to the Railway station. Yes, we missed several places (like the Museum which I really wanted to see, and the Ashram). Yes, we were dead tired by them time we boarded the train. But none of that mattered because we had a great time! I’d never replace that day trip with anything.

If you don’t particularly enjoy summers, avoid going here after February and upto May. Any other time is just fine while October- December is advised. Depending on whether you want a heritage holiday or a beachside one, you may have to add/omit some places from your itinerary. Do eat at as many places as you can. Grab a guide from one of the eateries you visit- they are free.

Explore Pondicherry by foot, and you will find things to do and eat that you would have missed otherwise. By all means, don't go here with a plan, just go. Pondicherry knows how to make you fall in love with it.