Posts Tagged ‘recommendations’

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Indian Food

October 21st, 2010 by Manda | 5 Comments | Filed in Food, Question of the Week

Confession: up until four weeks ago, I’d never had Indian food before.

I know. For someone who prides herself on being as cultured and worldly as I do, this is unforgivable. I don’t exactly know why I’ve always been so averse to Indian food; I guess it can be blamed on some traumatizing childhood experiences where I encountered bad (by that, I mean poorly made and/or tasting) Indian food. Still, it was about time I finally caved and tried some.

My apartment in Beijing is near this really, really fantastic Indian restaurant. Indian food also happens to be my roommate’s favorite type of cuisine. When she discovered I’d never had Indian food before, she and my best friend decided to take me to the restaurant to try good, proper Indian food, whether I liked it or not. (I kid; I was very excited to go!)

And my God, it was delicious. It didn’t hurt that the restaurant is famous for top notch food, but I couldn’t believe that I had steadfastly avoided Indian food for so long when it tasted this good. I ordered chicken biryani and garlic naan and enjoyed every single bite.

I’ve been back at the restaurant since, always eager to appease new cravings for Indian food. However, I’ve run into a slight problem. I know nothing about Indian food, so I don’t know what new dishes to try out. I’ve read some descriptions of various dishes on the menu to try and get an idea of what I’d like to try, but I’m just so overwhelmed by the choices. Rice, curries, roti/naan, yogi diet… the different sections of the menu confuse me, let alone the contents!

Essentially, I’ve ordered the same thing every time I’ve gone back. While I still love chicken biryani and garlic naan, I want to try something new. Which is where you guys come in:

Question of the Week: Do you like Indian food? If so, what are some of your favorite Indian dishes?

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I Might Be a Hypocrite But At Least I Have A Nintendo DS

July 25th, 2010 by Manda | 5 Comments | Filed in Technology

Remember when I rediscovered my Gameboy Color and said I wouldn’t get a Nintendo DS because I couldn’t justify the cost for the console or games? Yeah, I do too. I also am now in the possession of a shiny blue Nintendo DS Lite.

How did this happen, when I was so adamant about the fact that a DS would be a waste of money, seeing as I had a Gameby Color? And the fact that I just really wanted to play Pokemon Silver on the Color (which I already had), even though the DS had the remake, SoulSilver? And I’m not employed this summer, so how did I magically justify the expense of a new DS lite?

There were a lot of reasons. I wanted to play the new DS games, SoulSilver is cooler than Silver, I am going to be doing a lot of flying and traveling in the next month so I need something to entertain myself with during the long hauls (which, to me, justified the expense – turns out boredom is pricey). However, what it really came down to was the technology: Gameboy Color has no backlight. Nintendo DS does. Either my eyes are crappier than they were when I first played my Gameboy Color ten years ago, or in those ten years my eyes have been spoiled by the wonders of backlight technology. No matter which, I wanted something where my eyes didn’t have to strain after fifteen minutes of game time… thus, I got a DS.

I know there are lots of DS fans out there, so anyone want to recommend some awesome DS games?

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e-Readers: Kindle or Nook?

July 12th, 2010 by Manda | 18 Comments | Filed in Technology

I am in the market for an e-reader.

I know, I know. When I first heard about e-readers, I was very skeptical and vowed that nothing would ever be able to replicate or replace the feeling of an actual book in hand. I still stand by that sentiment, but logically, an e-reader makes more sense in the long run, at least for me.

I travel a lot, and I always, always bring books with me. Not only do I travel, but I also move from place to place a lot. Basically, I’m almost always en route from Point A to Points B, C or D. Not having/bringing books is not an option for a bookworm like me, so I have schlepped my books to the ends of the world and back in my lifetime. However, it is not feasible for this to continue. Books are expensive (I have an aversion to libraries, but that’s a long story), books are heavy and books take up space. These are problems I’ve had with books and my lifestyle from day one.

E-readers solve most of these problems. Yes, they are expensive – certainly more expensive than any lone book. But e-reader versions of books are cheaper than print versions, and e-reader books that are in the public domain are free. They are also very light and can store over a thousand books on the device, which solves most of my book woes.

Sounds great, right? But there’s still a problem. I don’t know what type of e-reader I want. Or rather, which type of e-reader is the best fit for me.

I’ve narrowed it down to two: Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. Both look very good. I’m leaning towards the Kindle, but I don’t really have a reason for that except that it has a longer battery life. Honestly, both look really awesome and I’m completely torn as to which one to get. If I were to get the Nook, I’d be able to get it (relatively) soon. If I were to get the Kindle, I’d be debating whether or not I should wait a little longer and see when the Kindle 3 comes out before purchasing anything, as that release ought to be soon… right?

Anyway. Kindle or Nook? Anyone have experiences, stories, etc with either, or e-readers in general, to share that would be helpful?

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