Food and Drinks

When you are in Europe, it is a good opportunity to taste different types of food or cuisines like Italian, French etc.

Italian Cuisine:

It is predominated by pizza and pasta.
Pasta comes in different shapes and sizes(like ribbon pasta). And it is usually distinguished by the type of sauces used like meat-based sauce like Bolognese or white/red/green sauce(like pesto sauce).

Drinks:

1. Alcoholic and Non-alcoholic: Wines are usually described as 'dry', it means it is an unsweetened wine.
2. Dessert Wines: as the name suggests are usually drunk with the meal or the desserts or as a replacement for dessert and are sweeter in nature. These wines have both high sugar and alcohol levels.
3. Fortified Wines: 
1. White fortified wines: Usually drunk before the meal.
2. Red Fortified wines: Usually drunk after the meal.

Coffee: When you are in Europe, coffee is a must drink. You will find so many accessories and techniques of coffee that will amaze you.

Coffee is made from the coffee beans. Coffee beans are produced in different regions of the world, so different in taste and texture.

Types of coffee:

1. Expresso
2. Cappuccio
3. Latte

Techniques for making coffee:

1. Pour over coffee using the coffee filter
2. stopover percolator
3. Expresso Machine
4. Coffee machines using capsules
5. French Press 

Buddha as a Neuro-scientist or motivation speaker

I am a science student with a curious research-focused mind. My spiritual inclination is toward Buddhism. I find it interesting to read and listen to the famous neuro-scientists. And, the more I listen to such latest updates in the Neuro-science and lectures of modern motivational speakers, I find so many correlations in the modern science and religion. Sometime, I wonder that initially we made the religion simplified so that people can follow it easily, but in the long-run it has become so over-simplified that we have lost the sight of its significance.

The main essence of Buddhism is Happiness. Many things make us happy: family, relations, health, money etc. We are also reminded every now and then that the our life is all about the decisions we make at each moment. We are often mistaken that we will be happy when we will have lots and lots of money. But I realize that this is not completely true. Money is just an illusion that it can make us happy. Buddhism shows us the light how can we make ourselves happy. It tells us about two types of happiness: relative and absolute happiness. Relative happiness is one which depends on this and that like if I got the promotion, I will be happy, a new car would make me happy and list is endless. And, absolute happiness is the state of happiness despite all good or bad. If there is all good, we don't get trap in the arrogance and if there are challenges, we have courage to take the right actions.

As much as I am researching on the religion, I am developing a better understanding of it. I am a very practical person, and used to believe that religion is something outside of us. Now, I realize that religion is an integral part of us. We often say that life does not come with a manual. I believe that the manual for life is 'Religion'.Religion touches upon all the aspects of living a healthy, happy life.

Our life is not ruled by few things or guidelines. There are many dimensions of our life:Personal, Physical, Spiritual, and so on. But, we are misled or distracted so much by the dogmas that we lost the real picture. And, this is true for everything and religion is not an exception.

In every religion, we have a place, call it temple, church, gurudwara or mosque, where like minded people gather and discuss. We burn candles or incenses or lamps. These things are symbolic and add to the better understanding. Light signifies hope, a message or an intention that we should be able to overcome our darkness and be able to see the real truth, the absolute truth.

Religion teaches us about the values that we should apply morally, in business and in every aspect of our life. We all follow the books of rules to direct our lives, the quality of our life depends on the quality of the directions shown in the book followed by us. This book could be a bible, guru grath sahib, Geeta, Ramayan or Quaran or 'The monk who sold his Ferrari' or 'The Alchemist'. I read in the book: 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' that books are not read to acquire knowledge rather to discover ourselves. I believe that religion is like a mirror which helps us to introduce us to ourselves and guides us in growing in our life journey.

All the motivational speakers are selling the old wine in new bottles. What our religion has already told us, motivational speaker are repeating or decoding for us and the neuro-scientist are finding the scientific proof of that.

Bengali Bahu (Bengali Daughter-in-law)

When I got married in a bengali family, I used to wonder, have I come to a foreign land, which I, now, find it true.

In Bengali families, you are supposed to take off your shoes before entering the house, which I never saw in Punjabi families. And, the same Bengali rule is true for North American or European household, they do take off their shoes at the entrance of their houses.

I laughed a lot when I first learned of that Bengali's carry a separate bed and cover sheets for the train journeys as well as for hotel stays. And, I was equally amazed to know that typical Swiss people do prefer to make their own beds in the hotels.

As I mentioned in my earlier post-Bengali Bride: Part 2, Bengalis have course based meal system, which in part seems to inspire from the European cuisine.

Bengalis have the love for nature, therefore in everyBengali'ss rooftop or in the balcony, you can find a tub of flowers and vegetables, and in their backyard or front yard, you could easily locate a mango or beetle nut or coconut tree. Same is true for Europeans.

Bengali's are also quite sustainable. They always throw the vegetable peels in their garden at the roots of the tree for decomposition. And, in Switzerland, every household or apartment building has a separate small bin for the wet, green waste like vegetable peels.

Bengalis also love to travel a lot. They are very curious and want to know each and everything. That is why Bengalis are great travel and a huge amount of their saving for traveling. Same is true for the westerners.

As I mentioned earlier that Bengali's are curious to know each and everything. Therefore, they love to read a lot. It is a common site to find a closet or a corner decorated with books related to literature. And, I have also observed that people in the west do love to read a lot.

Like westerner people, Bengalis do have a soft feeling for their art and culture. It is a common custom that Bengalis put a lot of emphasis on extra-curricular activities. Poor or rich alike, they try to put their kids into a dance, drama/theater, singing, music or drawing school.

Bengalis are also very stereotyped. Like, they have a special liking for heathy, long-hair girls.

Bengali Bride: Part 2

When I got married in a Bengali family, I used to wonder, have I come to a foreign land, which I, now, find it true.

In Bengali families, you are supposed to take off your shoes before entering the house, which I never saw in Punjabi families. And, the same Bengali rule is true for North American or European household, they do take off their shoes at the entrance of their houses.

I laughed a lot when I first learned of that Bengali's carry a separate bed and cover sheets for the train journeys as well as for hotel stays. And, I was equally amazed to know that typical Swiss people do prefer to make their own beds in the hotels.

As I mentioned in my earlier post-Bengali Bride: Part 2, Bengalis have course based meal system, which in part seems to inspire from the European cuisine.

Bengalis have the love for nature, therefore in everyBengali'ss rooftop or in the balcony, you can find a tub of flowers and vegetables, and in their backyard or front yard, you could easily locate a mango or beetle nut or coconut tree. Same is true for Europeans.

Bengali's are also quite sustainable. They always throw the vegetable peels in their garden at the roots of the tree for decomposition. And, in Switzerland, every household or apartment building has a separate small bin for the wet, green waste like vegetable peels.

Bengalis also love to travel a lot. They are very curious and want to know each and everything. That is why Bengalis are great travel and a huge amount of their saving for traveling. Same is true for the westerners.

As I mentioned earlier that Bengali's are curious to know each and everything. Therefore, they love to read a lot. It is a common site to find a closet or a corner decorated with books related to literature. And, I have also observed that people in the west do love to read a lot.

Like westerner people, Bengalis do have a soft feeling for their art and culture. It is a common custom that Bengalis put a lot of emphasis on extra-curricular activities. Poor or rich alike, they try to put their kids into a dance, drama/theater, singing, music or drawing school.

Bengalis are also very stereotyped. Like, they have a special liking for healthy, long-hair girls.