A bright green hug in a mug
by Rashmee
Posted on March 28, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND Earlier this week I made spinach-cilantro soup with tahini. it is hard to describe what made it so…satisfying. But let me have a stab. ** It was simple, which made it easy to whip up. ** It was healthy, which allowed one to consume it with pleasure and sans guilt. … Continue reading “A bright green hug in a mug”
Read MoreBrexit really has meant Brexit: ‘Let them eat cake’
by Rashmee
Posted on February 1, 2021
/ BREXIT BRITAIN In the month since Brexit properly began, consider all the things that have happened. The European Union (EU) and UK have begun their future relationship with a row over diplomatic protocol. Britain is refusing to grant full diplomatic privileges to the EU’s envoy in London, something more than 140 other countries have … Continue reading “Brexit really has meant Brexit: ‘Let them eat cake’”
Read MoreThe Real Bread movement arrives in East Greenwich
by Rashmee
Posted on January 31, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND Rejoice, all ye in east Greenwich, we have a real bakery. Not only is it now possible for everyone wending their way up Trafalagar Road to buy a fresh loaf, a scone or a slab of chocolate cake, Fingal’s Bakery is part of the Real Bread movement. That 12-year campaign … Continue reading “The Real Bread movement arrives in East Greenwich”
Read MoreIs that a nargisi kofta you’re chowing down with your pint?
by Rashmee
Posted on December 17, 2020
Coronavirus restrictions in England sent sales of a humble, often unregarded pub snack soaring. Across the land, pubs in “tier 2” tried to comply with rules that they only serve drinks to customers who consume a “substantial” meal. Amid much discussion over what constitutes a “substantial” pub meal, a government minister confirmed that scotch eggs … Continue reading “Is that a nargisi kofta you’re chowing down with your pint?”
Read MoreAn ode to Ratatouille, a metaphor for our times
by Rashmee
Posted on October 13, 2020
Some say (ok, it’s Wikipedia) that Bill Buford is credited with coining the term “dirty realism“. I have no idea if that’s true. What I do know is that Mr Buford was editor of Granta and an excellent captain he was too. Anyway, Mr Buford has also long evinced a lively interest in food – not … Continue reading “An ode to Ratatouille, a metaphor for our times”
Read MoreMargaret Ferrier, the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century?
by Rashmee
Posted on October 3, 2020
Is Margaret Ferrier the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century? At first glance the question sounds ludicrous. The two women could not be more dissimilar. Ms Ferrier is a Scottish member of the British parliament. Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary, was an Irish cook who immigrated to the United States. The two women are separated … Continue reading “Margaret Ferrier, the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century?”
Read MoreWhy do restaurants matter?
by Rashmee
Posted on September 27, 2020
‘1843’, sister magazine of ‘The Economist’ asked an important question the other day: Why do restaurants matter? Why, said the magazine, do we choose to spend large sums of money to dine among strangers? Why indeed? ‘1843’ offers us a fair few clues. The very word “restaurant”, it says, “hints at the restorative effects of … Continue reading “Why do restaurants matter?”
Read MoreFrance and Italy are food and beverage superpowers
by Rashmee
Posted on September 15, 2020
There’s no question that Europe’s food and beverage superpowers are France and Italy. Half of the products on the 100-strong list of unique European products that China agreed to protect (on Monday, September 14) come from France and Italy. The list has 200 products altogether – equal numbers from China and the European Union (EU). … Continue reading “France and Italy are food and beverage superpowers”
Read MoreDreaming of Sitopia in Britain
by Rashmee
Posted on August 31, 2020
BBC Radio 4 has aired one of the more unusual – and inspiring – food programmes I’ve ever heard. ‘Sitopia – a land with food at its centre’ is set in 2030. It features a Prime Minister Carolyn Steel, who led her Sitopia Party to victory in the 2022 general election and proceeded to … Continue reading “Dreaming of Sitopia in Britain”
Read MoreBlue plants are wondrous and not just because they’re like something on the set of ‘Avatar’
by Rashmee
Posted on August 20, 2020
News that ‘Current Biology’ has unveiled research on a blue shrub, a relatively uncommon colour in plants, reminded me of the Blue Java banana seeds my neighbour recently gave me. ‘Current Biology’ describes the Mediterranean Viburnum tinus shrub’s blue fruit colour and posits that it “could serve as an honest signal of nutritional lipid content” … Continue reading “Blue plants are wondrous and not just because they’re like something on the set of ‘Avatar’”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK