Shake It

Years ago when I lived in the hills, I had almost become a recluse. The quiet life does it to you. Amidst the blue sky above & the green mountains around, you feel connected to a higher purpose. You are far from the city & its madness and feel a beautiful sense of detachment with all things material. If visitors from the city came calling, you could not understand why they talk so loud, use such strong language and go on mindless shopping sprees. In the hills, people are content with what they have. The pleasant weather & the lack of pollution bring about an inner calm that makes sitting in the sun & showing the way to travellers their sole mission in life. They want no more. What city folks seek, the hill tribes already have. Peace.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I did not have a TV those days. Never felt the need. Books were enough. With the hills, the clouds and the stars you felt you could almost touch. And the fact that Ruskin Bond was on the other side of the same space made me feel ah-so-Chosen! Every time I went down to the Valley, I realised I was becoming more rustic. I would find myself staring at a TV that was showing some programme with open-mouthed wonder. I almost ran into a vehicle once because I was not looking ahead, I was looking at a TV in a shop that I had already walked past! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          After two years of ogling at other people's television sets, I finally bought my own. The first big buy of my life. And then I could not relate to those prickly heat powder & ghamauri adverts they flashed between shows! I lived in such a cool clime that the chilchilati garmi  ads made no sense! Of course, theoretically you know, it is hot in the other parts but you can never fathom the intensity of it till you reach there. I suffer from  dé-jà vu now.
                                                                                                                  Don't blame me folks back in India, for talking of daal poori & chatakdar subzi in this heat. Here I am, sitting far away, wearing my jacket & socks and buying woollen gloves in mid April, suffering 2°C when the needle shows 9. Where I go for a walk because it is sunny & come back with sleet at my heels! Can I possibly think of ice-cream & thandi lassi in this weather!  The closest I came to a cool drink is a Strawberry Shake. Not refrigerated, mind you! But you need to keep it to cool before having it, if you are in the 35° C zone:)
                                                                                                               You need:
1. 6-8 ripe strawberries[makes 3 glasses]
2. 3 glass milk
3. 1-2 tsp sugar

Just:
Put all the ingredients in the mixer & churn it for a minute.
                                                                                                                                              With a hand blender, you need to be a little careful, for fear of splashing. 
Go step-wise in that case.
1. Whisk strawberry & sugar.
2. Add milk & whip for a minute.



Serve cool/cold. 

Add the Strawberry Shake, instead of plain milk, to your fruit n fibre, and start your day with a spring in your step.

 It's a cool life!