5 things desi I always carry
Otherwise an easy person to travel with, there are a few desi things I am quite finicky about. I travel with them wherever I go -if something harmless makes you comfortable in a foreign land, why not? Here’s my list. Let me know in the comments below, what’s yours.
- Karak chai premixes
A day that begins good, is a day that goes well. I hate when the morning tea is ‘English breakfast tea’ mixed with cold milk – it just ruins the first sip! Chai for a desi needs to be karak and piping hot. That is why I always travel with a few sachets of tea premixes (one per day). There are many brands, but I find the one by Girnar the best. It also comes in a sugar free version which I normally prefer.
2. The ‘Indian’ scissor
The Swiss invented the Swiss knife. My mom invented the Indian scissor. Cheap and versatile, this one’s easy to make at home. Simply wrap a kitchen scissor with a couple of kitchen tissue and use multiple rubber bands to hold them together. The scissors are essential for cutting everything from my tea sachets (it’s annoying when the packets tear haphazardly spilling powder all over) to packets of snacks. The tissues have the dual purpose of keeping the pointed tips of the scissor safe and cleaning up small messes. The rubber bands too help in two ways – to keep the tissue wrapped firmly and for use in closing half empty snack packets. Simple and versatile – I told you. Just remember to carry it in your check-in bag, or in the trash it goes!
3. My old Hindi songs collection
You can take a desi out of India but you can’t take India out of her. There’s nothing better than listening to Kishore while on a long drive through the Alps. It’s magical. So whenever we are on a trip that involves a lot of long drives, my song collection on USB or the phone, is always with me. The kids can listen to their Katy Perrys once in a while, but I admit I control the music most of the time – there’s an advantage of riding shotgun!
4. My jacket
‘Ask the locals,’ they say about travel. The one thing I don’t trust locals on, is the weather. I am a cold frog and shiver below 15°C. So, if the Scots tell me the weather is ‘warm with an occasional breeze’, to me it means ‘Carry your jacket’. If the Austrians tell me the weather is ‘pleasant’, to me it means ‘Carry your jacket’. If the Kiwis tell me it’s ‘summer here now’, to me it means ‘carry your jacket’. If the Singaporeans tell me ‘It’s summer all year round’, to me it still means ‘Carry your jacket’ (‘cause I know how cold your AC buses can get.)
5. Mein Saunf
That’s what my autobiography will be probably called. I carry my small box of roasted fennel seeds with me on all trips. The husband laughs every time he sees me pack it. Yet he is the first one to stretch his hand and ask for some, after a good dinner! Kids eat mentos, Adults eat tic tac, legends eat fennel – end of story!
