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beels-burger-babe · 3 years ago

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Beelzebub's Very Bad No Good Day

***So this is the new format in which I'll be answering requests. In my experience, actual posts get spread further than asks do, so this will hopefully help with that. ANYWAY, I am crazy excited about this request as a major Beel simp and YES I will proudly do this request! Thank you @sinnoman for blessing me with it. -B*** Summary: Beel doesn't get anything to eat one day, and it doesn't go well for anybody.

From the moment Beelzebub woke up, he knew that today was going to be a terrible day. For starters, he had apparently raided the fridge in his sleep the night before, so there was not a crumb left in the house for anyone to make breakfast with. Most of the others had gone and grabbed something from Hell's Kitchen on their way to class, but poor Beel had slept through his alarm due to the food coma his nighttime snack had put him in and had to rush to RAD. The entire school was talking about the monster that they believed had awoken beneath the school. Teachers were on edge ready to evacuate the premises for the earthquake they believed to be happening. Beel avoided eye contact, blushing as his empty stomach continued to rumble and roar throughout the day. He ended up eating a few pencils just to get it to quiet down and even that didn't have much effect. The Avatar of Gluttony nearly cried tears of relief when the lunch bell rang. But it seemed that fate was not his friend that day. He was going to order a gargantuan-sized Little Devil mango slushy, a side of Hellfire curry rice, fried shadow bat, and 108 seed salad and the main course of at least twenty shadow hog burgers with three servings of caramel shadow tart for dessert. Beel was drooling at just the thought of it. He was almost at the ordering station when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Beel growled and turned around, baring his teeth at whoever dared to disturb him.

Belphegor narrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Woah. Beel, relax. It's just me. We've got a student council meeting, and Lucifer has threatened to take away supper from whoever skips out." Beelzebub scoffed as the air around him darkened at the mention of someone taking food away from him. "I'd like to see him try." Belphie raised an eyebrow at his twin's uncharacteristically grumpy behaviour. "Are you alright, Beel?" As though to answer his question, Beel's stomach let out another loud roar, causing several students to flinch and Beel to scowl in frustration. "I'm hungry." Belphie's frown deepened. Beel was always hungry, but he didn't usually let it get to him like this. The younger twin rifled through his own bag before pulling out an obviously full paper bag. "You can have my lunch if you want. I ate a little bit of it during class and swiped a bagel from Mammon during the first period, so I'm not all that-" Before he could finish Beel ripped the bag out of Belphie's hands and devoured it, bag and all. Belphie blinked at his now empty hand and chuckled as Beel chewed. "Man, you must be starving huh?"

Beelzebub merely grunted and continued to chew before swallowing down the small meal. He glanced back at the lineup in the cafeteria and put a hand on his stomach as he thought about the lunch he should be enjoying. Belphie nudged him. "Come on, big guy. We got to get to that meeting. The sooner we get it over with, the more likely it is that we'll end early and you might be able to grab something before class starts again." Only the meeting was not short and quick like Belphie had said it might be. Diavolo wanted everyone to come up with an idea for a school fundraiser, and Lucifer was arguing with Asmodeus on what was and was not appropriate. To make matters worse, you were unable to attend as, according to Mammon, your charms professor had asked you to stay behind afterwards to discuss your progress in the class. The bickering on top of the lack of food in his stomach was giving Beel a migraine and the longer he sat there, the more irritable he had become. Eventually, it became too much and he snapped. "ENOUGH!" he bellowed, flipping the table as he stood. "No one cares about the stupid fundraiser anyway and you're just wasting all of our time arguing over something that will inevitably fall apart and cause an even bigger mess, just like it always does!" "Beelzebub! Watch your tone in front of-" "Shut it, Lucifer!" his brother's gaped at him in shock as he snarled at their elder. "I am sick and tired of you pushing us all around and punishing us when the slightest thing goes wrong just because you-" Beel poked Lucifer's chest hard enough to make him take a step back, "won't take responsibility for your own mistakes!" "Oh shit," Mammon whispered under his breath, as Lucifer's eyes narrowed and his body tensed in defence. The second-born quickly squeezed his way between the two of them and spread his arms to try and create some distance. "Okay! Tensions are high. People are upset. But this is not the place to brawl it out." he glanced over at Lucifer who looked like he was a second away from stringing him up to the ceiling. "Might I remind ya Lord Diavolo is still in the room?" Lucifer looked over at Diavolo, who appeared to be both hurt and concerned by Beelzebub's words, before sighing and fixing his composure. He gave Beel a hard look. "Obviously something is upsetting you, but we can discuss this at home. For the time being, I recommend you work on calming yourself and clearing your head." Beel just growled at him before stomping out of the student council room. He had been about to re-enter the cafeteria again when the bell rang signalling the end of lunch hour. Beelzebub felt his eye twitch before his demon form burst into existence. He let out a deafening scream as he grabbed a table and threw it across the room (students still seated on it, included). Students were yelling and scrambling like mice as the large demon rampaged through the halls. He tore the locked grate off of the serving station and grabbed the nearest server by the scruff of the collar, causing them to squeak in fear. "I'm hungry," Beel rumbled lowly as the demon trembled in his hands. "Get me something to eat now or I will not hesitate to eat you." "R-R-Right away, Beelzeb-b-bub." Beel carelessly dropped the demon, who scattered off to gather as much food as they could. He began pacing like a caged animal. Having been alerted by all the noise, his brothers and Diavolo rushed into the nearly destroyed cafeteria. Diavolo's jaw dropped. "Beelzebub, what's the meaning of all this?" Beel's famished brain didn't acknowledge Diavolo as an authority at the moment. Instead, he was yet another person trying to keep him from eating. "I need food. NOW!" Lucifer's eyes widened in realization as he whispered something to Diavolo. The prince nodded and took a step back. "I'm sure the cooks are doing all they can to get you food right away. But I need you to control yourself before I am forced to take action." Satan had his phone out and was urgently texting someone, as Belphie moved forward.

"You'll get your food shortly Beel. You just need to wai-" "I don't want to wait!!" There was a part of Beelzebub's brain that was aware he was acting like a child. But his stomach physically hurt from how empty it was. He was tired. He was starving. He didn't have the patience for pleasantries. "I've barely eaten anything all day, and people keep staring and talking about me because my stomach just will not stop growling and I'm so hungry that I can barely think straight! I hate it! But I know it won't go away unless I eat, so I NEED TO EAT!" The brothers looked at Beel in shock. They knew that he ate a lot, but they always passed it off as just another quirk that made him Beel. They didn't know it bothered him like this. They thought back on all the instances where Beel had stated that he was hungry out of nowhere, always with a distressed look on his face. Every single time they had brushed him off. Before any of them could respond, you casually walked into the war zone that was the cafeteria. "Alright Satan, what's so urgent that you needed me so badly?" The room fell quiet as everyone's attention snapped over to you and you took in the situation. It didn't take long for you to connect the dots.

You immediately began to rush over to Beelzebub; Mammon stepped forward to stop you. "Woah, MC! I don't think that's a good idea right now!"

You ignored him and continued to make your way to Beel. Seeing you, the small human that you were, made Beel realize just how reckless he had been acting. He held out his hands to stop you and took a step away. "You should listen to Mammon, MC. I-I haven't eaten all day and I-" "You haven't eaten all day?! Oh god, this is worst than I thought." Beel watched as you slid the oversized backpack that he had seen you carry around RAD with you every day off your back and begin to dump out the contents. In a second, dozens of bags of chips, candy, fruits, and other snacks spilled across the floor in front of the two of you. Beel didn't waste a single moment. He instantly began consuming the snacks, causing you to smile happily. "Wha-What?! MC?! Why the hell do you have that much food on ya?!" Mammon sputtered as he cautiously began to approach you. You shrugged. "Beel gets upset when he's hungry, and I don't like it when he's upset. So I stocked up on some of his favourite snacks a while back and always keep them on me just in case," Beel paused his eating to look up at you in awe, "He can't help that he's always hungry. It's not like he asked to be the Avatar of Gluttony." Suddenly there were a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. Lucifer, Levi, and Mammon called out your name as Beel pulled you tightly against his chest. You just grinned and hugged the friendly giant back. "Thank you," he whispered softly into your hair, his arms tightening around you just a little more. "There's nothing to thank me for." As Beel finally began to calm down, the cooks came out with platters of food and shakily laid them out around you and Beel before taking cover back into the kitchen. Seeing that the threat had passed, the other brothers began to approach as well. "You know Beel, I didn't know you had that much pent-up anger inside of you. It was terrifying!" Asmodeus chirped as he plopped down beside the two of you.

"Yeah! You were just like the antagonist in My Boyfriend Turned Into a Cannabilistic Rage Monster, And Now I Have to Stop Him From Devouring The Whole City!!!" Levi began to ramble about specific scenes from the show that matched perfectly with Beel's rampage, causing Beel to blush as he munched on a burger. Belphie sighed and elbowed Beel as he took his seat at his side. "We'll have to make sure that MC's always around you. Just in case you know?" he smiled softly, before looking at his twin with a more serious expression. "You should've told me about all that stuff you said earlier. I had no idea you felt that away about your appetite." Beel looked away uncomfortably as he took another bite of his food and avoided the question. You snuggled closer to him, to provide him with some comfort. Satan tapped his chin as he watched the group. "I'm sure we could talk with Barbatos and come up with some sort of high-protein shake or bar that would better satisfy you. That way you wouldn't have to eat as much." Lucifer glanced over at Diavolo, silently asking if it was a possibility. The prince smiled warmly. "I'll have Barabatos begin working on something right away." Forgetting all about class and the anger that had previously consumed him, Beel looked around at his family. A warm feeling blossomed in his stomach as he felt content with the rare care and affection that they were openly showing. Maybe it had something to do with the thirty burgers he had already ate, but for just a second, Beel didn't feel so hungry anymore. ***Boy that got a little angsty there for a second, but I hope this was to your liking @sinnoman! I definitely enjoyed writing this one, and I think it made me fall in love with my boy Beel even more 🥰*** TAGLIST: @vampwiire @bunna-does-stuff

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violettelueur · 4 years ago

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— ITADORI YUJI || MANGO

↳ featuring : itadori yuji from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : grammar issues

↳ form : imagine

↳ published : 03 february

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 1.3k

↳ synopsis : you and itadori are about to finsh your date with a meal at a restaurant that itadori has been dying to take you to. however, while discussing what you both are planning to order, you both suddenly managed to become face to face with each other.

↳ request : I've always been too shy to request but here we go! Can I order a Yuji x reader romantic first kiss? Like it's both their first kiss and it happens unexpectedly but very cute. I hope this is fine😅 Love your writing❤ Have a good day and stay hydrated❤❤

↳ barista’s notes : so, as you can see, i suck at synopsises ʕ – ᴥ – ʔ but this is the first imagine of the month and it includes the main character of jujutsu kaisen: itadori yuji! i hooe you enjoy your cup of classic black coffee (jujutsu kaisen request!) and please don’t be shy to order again soon ʕ￫ᴥ￩　ʔ

“I went to this restaurant with Fushiguro and Kugisako before you came and it was amazing!” Itadori exclaimed as he smiled brightly at you causing you to reciprocate the action back to him as if his bright nature was somehow radiating itself to you.

“Is it? I remember Fushiguro telling me something about you guys going to a Chinese restaurant, is it this one?” you casually asked, as you suddenly began to recall the time when Fushiguro muttered something about craving Tan-men after a mission leading you to ask him what he was on about.

“Yeah, that one! It’s really good even though the meat Dango is really expensive, can you believe it’s 1100 yen?” Itadori complained, leading you to laugh since his face was displaying an expression of complete shock.

At this moment in time, you and Itadori were walking through the streets of Tokyo hand in hand after spending the whole day in the arcade playing random machine games, trying competitively hard to stock up on as many tickets as possible. It was surprising since you both rarely had any free time to go on any dates due to your lives as jujutsu sorcerers at Tokyo Metropolitian Curse Technical College meaning this date was actually your fifth one now that you thought about it.

‘It’s strange that we've been on so little dates yet seem like a normal long-term couple ha?’

“Y/N, we’re here!” Itadori excitedly announced, leading you to snap out of your quick daze before being guided to the menu that was brightly displayed in front of the small but busy Chinese restaurant that you had mentioned earlier.

“This is a really long menu,” you muttered quietly, as your eyes widened at the multitude of choices you had right in front of you. There were many types of dishes waiting to be chosen, from rice dishes, classic noodles dishes and even street food that you rarely see being prepared in Japan, leading your eyes to widen more at the sight. “But I’m not really surprised since it is quite common for Chinese restaurants to have such a large menu. I wonder how the cooks remember all the dishes they make?” you questioned, leading to your cheerful boyfriend to turn his head to the side to look at you before slowly smiling at the adorable sight of one of your hands holding your chin, as you continued to scan the display to choose when to order.

Itadori remembered the day you arrived in Tokyo to finally enrol in Jujutsu Tech. You came a day after Kugisaki did - much to her glee since that meant she wasn’t the only female in the group now - and he was surprised when he learned you were from the Kyoto side leading to his friend, Fushiguro to question on why you didn’t enrol that side of the school. However, he didn’t remember what you had stated since he was so entranced in your beauty the second you stepped out of the station leading him to nearly forget to introduce himself to you - he still remembers the light giggle you gave him when you caught him in the flustered moment.

“Babe, I’m going for the Tan-men, what are you getting?” you suddenly asked, leading Itadori to snap out of his daydream trace before he came to the sudden realisation of what you had just referred him to which caused a light pink hue to shyly appear on his face.

“Wait Tan-men? That’s what Fushiguro ordered last time,” Itadori stated, leading you to nod at his statement as you then explained that Fushiguro recommended it to you since he really was a fan of the chopped ginger that came with the broth and you were dying to try it ever since he had mentioned it since he gave it such a hyped review from his non-chantant tone - it was surprising that he had convinced you to get it.

“I’m going to get a large Chinese soba,” the salmon-haired boy then informed you as he turned to the menu and pointed at his option, causing you to look at him in astonishment since from what you could see from the picture on the menu displayed in front of you, the large portion size seemed bigger than the size of your face. However, you weren’t too much in shock since this was Itadori you were talking to, his strength must have come from somewhere but you couldn’t help but question his choice.

“Are you sure? It is quite a large portion,” you told him in a concerned tone as you looked up at him, leading to your boyfriend to laugh slightly as he then explained, “I ordered the same thing last time and I was craving it so bad that I had to get it again.” to which then he slowly turned his head to look at you.

However, when he fully turned his head to look down at you, his eyes suddenly widened as well as yours. You didn’t realise how close you were to him, which resulted in the tip of your nose to touch your boyfriend’s, but you couldn’t pull back at all. It was as if you both were the opposite ends of a magnet that was attracted to each other, desperately itching to come closer and closer together to finally touch.

Slowly, Itadori’s bright brown eyes began to look down at you lips, he only just noticed the hint of shine they had to them due to the lip balm you had put on while you and him were making your way to the restaurant.

What flavour was it again?

Cherry? Nah, that’s too stereotypical.

Strawberry? Can’t be, the balm wasn’t pink.

Wait, what colour was it again?

“Can...I?” Itadori hesitantly asked, leading you to shyly nod your head as you didn’t trust your words at all at this point. Steadily, Itadori began to lean closer to you causing you to pull in all your strength to make your head stay still since you didn’t want to miss the chance at all.

Slowly but surely, Itadori’s lips met with your leading you to slowly close your eyes, trying to savour the feeling of your first kiss with the boy in front of you. Suddenly, your felt something warm steadily being placed on your cheek, leading you to place your hand on top of it, only to find that it was Itadori’s hand causing the warmth that was given to you by his hand to become increasingly hot as the hint of embarrassment and desire within your heart became evident as you used your other hand to grip on to his jacket to keep the attraction of your lips on his even if you were gradually losing oxygen.

Regrettably, Itadori had to leisurely pull away allowing the both of you and him to gather the air that was needed to be supplied for your lungs. However, what you didn’t realise was the Itadori took a quick lick on the bottom of his lips causing him to have a slight taste of what your lips were coated in.

“Mango?” he suddenly questioned, leading you to look at Itadori with a questionable look before instantly coming to the realisation on what he was on about.

“Oh! It’s the new Glossier mango balm that I got with Kugisaki when we went out together,” you answered, as you rummaged through your bag to pull out the said item before continuing with, “they were doing a deal of getting two mango’s and choose two more for half price, so I got rose and Kugisaki chose the other one.”

Nodding at your explanation with a bright smile on his face, Itadori grabbed your hand and pulled you into the restaurant that might have seen the romantic act from the small window at the front. However, that somehow didn’t affect the both of you even when there was evidence of the rosy cheeks on both of your expressions.

“Mango suits you Y/N, you should wear it more often!”

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seasonalcore · 5 years ago

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into the basket please...

looking to go on a picnic but don’t know where to start? i am here to help! :)

🧺🍃🌾🍞🍈🥖🥕🍶🌳🌼

picnics are a very good bonding experience for a smaller group of people, I’d say 3 to 5 at most, but you can always invite however many you’d like!

if you’re planning a picnic for a bigger group (5+), it’s better to have everyone bring one food for everybody. if it’s a smaller group of maybe (2-4), you could possibly bring all the food on your own. ask your picnic partners what they feel comfortable doing.

if you’re bringing the food, the next big thing to ask about is allergies! ask every picnic partner about allergies and food to avoid, you’d hate for a friend or lover to start breaking out into hives!

and finally, essential things to bring are: spoons, knives, forks, napkins, (wet wipes if you’re eating sticky food), cups, plates, and a small garbage bag. making sure all these items are biodegradable or reusable is a great thing to think about.

what to eat?

when choosing your food for your picnic, you should consider the following things; time, date, outside temp, and your picnic partners!

if the temp will be higher, refrain from anything that could really melt like ice cream (everyone thinks it won’t melt but I promise it will.) most people have picnics in the warmer weather but if you’re going to go when the temp is lower, most foods are okay to go!

also, know the official food-safe rules for bring certain things. (i am actually Serv-Safe certified in my state, so you can trust that this isn’t misinformation!) cold foods can last up to 7 hours outside of a refrigerator or freezer without going bad, but if the food reaches above 71°F (21.7°C) then it’s no good anymore and needs to be thrown out. hot foods need to stay above room temperature to stay safe, as room temp is when bacteria grows lost frequently. if your hot foods sit at room temp for longer than 2 hours, throw them out.

now that we know the rules, here are some of my favorite foods for a picnic:

when choosing your foods, I’d say think about what kind of picnic you’d like to have. if it’s lunch, you can stick to sevreal lighter foods and one main dish, if it’s dinner or breakfast than you can serve an entree meal. the choice is completely up to you would whatever you think will make your guests happy!

(best way to keep fruits/veggies cool is put them on ice packs)

fruits:

• strawberries

• frozen grapes

• starfruit

• pomegranate

• dragonfruit

• kiwi

• guava

• mangoes

vegetables:

• sliced carrots

• fresh tomatoes

• lettuce wraps

• sliced cucumbers

baked goods:

• apple fritters

• biscuits & honey

• scones & honey comb

• chocolate crepes

• bagels

• scones

• baguettes

• turnovers

• lemon squares

• peach crumb squares

• biscotti

other nice things:

• honey comb

• preserves (strawberry, grape)

• cheese cubes/rounds

• oatmeal bars

• hash browns

• soups

• croissants

• wheat crackers

• buttered toast

beverages:

• wine

• smoothies

• warm apple cider

• banana/coconut milk

• fruit infused water

• homemade fruit juices

again, these are just some of my personal favorite picnic foods, please make the correct alterations for your personal diet! happy picnicking! :)

#cottagecore #summer #animals #nature #food #flowers #fall #warmcore #cozycore #foodcore #softcore #dirtcore #soft #picnic #seasonal #mine

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ashleynicoleabroad · 6 years ago

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Day 1 | Bangkok | 1/26

Early Thursday morning, January 24th, Jeremy and I set off for Thailand. Our first ever long vacation taken just the two of us.

We left from Santa Cruz heading to Pleasanton to say bye to the fam. Then Papa, like the amazing grandpa he is, took us to SFO.

Smooth sailing. Checked into our flight with China Southern, bought a breakfast sandwich to share and tried to walk around as much as possible before our flight.

Seated at the very last row we slept, watched movies, snacked, played games, and watched the 14 hour flight slowly tick by.

From there we had a layover in Wuhan, China. At this airport, they don't transfer your bags apparently so airline told us that we needed to get our luggage from baggage claim then recheck-in at the ticket counter once we land. And in China, even when you have no plans to leave the airport we had to be fingerprinted twice, go through customs where they glared into our soul trying to see if we were criminals, wait in another line to get our bags scanned for contraband, then start all over again at the ticket counter. At this point we were deliriously tired but we made it through all the craziness to eventually get to our next flight.

Once on the plane we fell asleep before the plane had even pulled out from the gate. However, I woke up maybe 45 minutes later totally confused because the plane hadn't moved. We missed whatever the reason was but our flight was delayed over an hour. This was a little stressful because I wasn't able to connect to the airport wifi. We were being picked up by a family friend we had never met before so I was super worried they would get to the Bangkok airport at 1am and have to wait forever for us. It ended up being totally fine though, Pu and Aaron who were picking us up, had luckily checked the flight before leaving the house.

Speaking of those two, Pu and Aaron have started off our trip so well. Standing at a predetermined exit gate they welcomed us with open arms. First thing Punsaid was, "Welcome to the kingdom." From there we didn't stop talking until we got to one of their favorite 24 hour markets/restaurants. Pu did all the ordering. He wanted to give us a course on "Thai food 101." We learned how these types of meals are typically shared, how there's no knives only spoons and forks, and how to create the "perfect bite," which is apparently the only way to eat Thai food.

The perfect bite starts by getting all your foods thrown onto the middle of your plate. He told us to start with these veggies that looked like a cross between green beans and broccoli, chicken basil, wild rice, and some kind of fish dish. You plop that all together then on the table are four little dishes of sauce/ toppings. Sugar. Dried chili flakes. Chopped chiles in fish sauce (v. spicy). And bigger chili slices in a lighter fish sauce (not as spicy). Pu recommended the chopped chilies one and oh lord was if good but my mouth was on fire. I started sweating instantly. We also had Tom Yum, a kind of mushroom soup, and Pad See Ew, a large flat noodle dish.

At the point it's 4:30am. The restaurant is still packed with people who looked like they just got dome clubbing and then there's us in the corner. Next we went to the market next door where we looked around at the different offerings. They had a type of cookie there called 'Santa Cruz' and it was oatmeal raisin. So weird. Pu bought us some of his favorite fruit, he says it's similar to a grapefruit. It was so good, not as sour, more white than pink, and I really liked the texture of it.

Next they took us to their home where we will be spending the night. Tomorrow we have plans for mango sticky rice in the morning, followed by real Thai tea with boba. If you can tell they asked me what I wanted the most and are making it happen right away! They rock. Then around 2pm we will leave for Hua Hin where we will be staying at their beach house and Pu plans on making us a lavish dinner. He is a self-proclaimed "crazy chef" so I'm very curious to find out what that means. Aaron says he is a really great cook and we are gunna love it.

Im excited to bring my blog back for this trip. I don't want to forget a thing. Till next time, Ashley.

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ouraidengray4 · 4 years ago

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31 Healthy Snacks for When You Love Fruit but Have a Sweet Tooth

Fruit is never a chore. Nature’s candy ranks up there as one of our favorite things about being people.

However, the same way we won’t just stroll out the front door stark naked, we also don’t have to limit fruit consumption to the way nature intended it.

Tatjana Zlatkovic/Stocksy

Would humanity really be humanity unless we found ways to dip everything in chocolate, make it into pizza, or shove a skewer through it? Of course not.

We found 31 amazing ways to make your fruit snacks a little more… fruity.

Sweet

When dessert puts on its healthy hat.

1. Chocolate kiwi ice pops

Photo: Show Food Chef

On the days when the strawberry/chocolate combo seems a little overdone, you can pull this surprise out of the bag and turn your snack time on its head.

The recipe calls for just three ingredients (kiwi, dark chocolate, and coconut oil), but we love ours with nuts or coconut flakes sprinkled on top.

Easy, delicious, and different.

2. Chocolate-covered fruit

Photo: Chelsey Amer Nutrition

Pick your favorite fruits, dice ’em up, and skewer ’em. Dip them into melted dark chocolate, pop them in the freezer for a few hours, and it’s a job done — you have yourself a cool, sweet treat with minimal work.

3. Vanilla roasted strawberries

Photo: Simply Recipes

This is a Swiss army knife of a sweet option. Get this right and you’ve got a topping for ice cream, oatmeal, and yogurt.

Roasting the strawberries kicks their flavor in the pants and makes it go — plus, it creates a rich syrup that brings an extra zhuzh to whatever the strawberries are sitting atop.

You probably never thought of roasting your strawbs before, but give it a go. It’s a great way to boost their already exceptional taste without adding sugar.

4. Almond butter, banana, and strawberry chia jam sandwich

Photo: Days Like Laura

“We didn’t turn up to a renowned Greatist recipe roundup just to have sandwiches thrown in our faces!”

We know, we know. But hear us out. This one’s a special take on PB&J that pushes all the right buttons.

Swap in almond butter, add some homemade strawberry chia jam, and you have yourself a bomb-ass concoction.

For a quicker recipe, you can also just add some sliced strawberries. The whole-grain bread and strawberries offer a great dose of heart-healthy fiber, the almond butter is rich in protein, and the banana’s packed with potassium.

How can you stay mad at us with all that potassium?

5. One-ingredient banana ice cream

Photo: Garlic Matters

Ice cream doesn’t have to be unhealthy — as long as you define “ice cream” pretty loosely.

Simply peel a few bananas, stick them in the freezer, and let them hang out for a few hours or until they’re solid. Put the frozen ’nanas in the bowl of a food processor and process them until smooth.

Finally, add your choice of mix-ins (if you like). Dark chocolate chips, diced strawberries, and a PB swirl are Greatist favorites.

6. Papaya punch smoothie

Photo: Exploring Healthy Foods

Idina Menzel, eat your heart out — this fruit, veggie, ice, and chia smoothie is the real delivery of frozen perfection.

It’s loaded with papaya, a tropical fruit that has tons of flavor and fiber. Papaya is also relatively low in sugar compared to other fruits, with just 11.3 grams per cup.

Papaya’s got a brand new bag.

7. Summer fruit spring rolls

Photo: Bigger Bolder Baking

There’s no way you’d expect these flavors from spring rolls. Who knew they could taste this sweet?

This inventive take on the sushi restaurant favorite fills classic rice wraps with fresh fruit for a simple, slightly sweet (and super fun) snack.

8. Strawberry Nutella bruschetta

Photo: Simple Vegan Blog

It’s a recipe that rhymes satisfyingly and tastes even better than it sounds.

Strawberries plus Nutella is a classic combo. Just add a slice of toasted whole-grain bread for a fiber-rich, filling snack. You can also sprinkle some chia seeds, honey, or coconut flakes on top for an added flavor boost!

9. Lemon raspberry cheesecake ice pops

Photo: Simply Recipes

The word “cheesecake” might make this recipe sound like a rich dessert, but it clocks in at half the calories of the classic cheesecake. Plus, you can hold it on a stick, so it might already be beating the original.

In this version, “cheesecake” is actually just the sweetened lemony Greek yogurt mixture that gives these pops a creamy texture.

10. Frozen yogurt bites

Photo: I Heart Vegetables

This recipe is an awesome way to get creative with some items you probably already have in your kitchen.

Freeze some Greek yogurt with granola, pop whatever fruit you like on top, and boom! It’s a cute breakfast treat for the next morning!

11. Spicy fruit salad

Photo: Minimalist Baker

If you’ve ever thought of fruit salad as boring, you have to give this recipe a try (you’re also wrong — sorry).

Sprinkle some lime juice and chili powder on top of your favorite fruity mixture for an added kick in flavor and heat.

Can’t take the heat? You don’t have to get out of the kitchen — just try cinnamon instead.

12. Two-ingredient banana chocolate chip ice cream bites

Photo: The Baker Mama

Two of our favorite foods take center stage in this recipe: bananas and chocolate chips. You can’t go wrong here.

Blend up some frozen bananas in a food processor, and then dump in some chips. That’s it. These guys store for 2 to 3 months in the freezer, so feel free to make a giant batch to dip into whenever you feel the munchies.

13. Frozen grapes

Photo: Zen and Spice

This is so simple it barely qualifies as a recipe — it’s more of a recommendation, because, well, these bang.

Buckle up, because here are the steps:

Remove grapes from vine.

Freeze.

Get snackin’.

This easy, naturally sweetened treat is perfect to keep in the freezer for when that sweet tooth comes calling.

14. Vegan blueberry oat bars

Photo: Happy Healthy Mama

These breakfast-on-the-go bars are a healthier twist on blueberry cobbler.

The blogger uses just blueberries, but feel free to throw in some strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a mixed-berry version.

15. Pineapple and blueberry fruit salad

Photo: Food Doodles

The key to this recipe is what goes on top (like a great hairdo or a zany hat).

Pineapples and blueberries are awesome, but when you add some lime zest, lime juice, honey, and Greek yogurt on top, you get a next-level treat that’s creamy, zingy, and healthy in equal measure.

16. Cherries Jubilee chocolate chia seed pudding

Photo: Real Food Whole Life

Cherries Jubilee is a classic dessert, but it isn’t exactly the healthiest snack.

This recipe keeps the awesome cherry flavor but adds some healthier substitutes (like cacao) and nutritional bonuses (like chia seeds). Plus, this looks great in a mason jar, so you can seem fancy at all times.

17. Yogurt breakfast parfait with plum compote

Photo: Cake and Whisky

This fall-inspired breakfast has an awesome combination of some pretty underrated fruits and nuts.

Plums, blackberries, and hazelnuts shine in the classic parfait-style snack. And if you’re really in the fall mood, try sprinkling some pumpkin pie spice on top (because you know full well it’s pumpkin spice everything season).

18. Fruit sushi (frushi)

Photo: Dinner at the Zoo

Time to play with your food! (Also, “frushi” is an excellent name. You might want to consider it for a pet in the future.)

This is a super fun snack recipe. Put some sliced kiwi, oranges, and raspberries on top of sushi rice for a fancy treat.

Of course, feel free to improvise — sliced strawberries, mango, or apple would also make a tantalizing topper.

19. Melon salad with chili and mint

Photo: Simply Recipes

No matter your age, making spherical chunks of melon is always a baller move (not sorry — that was great) and a lot of fun to boot. It rolls up just like ice cream.

Chili and mint make this a sophisticated, interesting array of flavors — you’ll never think about melon the same way again.

20. Breakfast yogurt pops

Photo: I Heart Naptime

Tired of your same old yogurt-and-granola breakfast? Try changing up the shape. Yes, it all ends up in the same place, but shapes are fun and ice pops more so.

This recipe takes the classic combo and freezes it into a (very ’grammable) ice pop.

Just make sure to prep these the night before, since they need to sit in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

21. Blueberry coconut protein balls

Photo: One Broad’s Journey

Making a ton of these little protein balls is the perfect way to meal-prep some snacks for the week.

The secret ingredient here is lemon. The combo of lemon juice and lemon zest adds a burst of flavor to the blueberry-coconut one-two punch.

Pop one of these in your cakehole for a kick-ass start to the day.

22. Sesame oat square bars with pear compote

Photo: Cooking Melangery

Oat bars are a great way to save some time in your week — and these are on the fancier side. Make a bunch on Sunday so you’ll be able to grab them on the go during your busy workweek.

Coconut oil binds all the oats together — there’s not an egg in sight, which makes these bars super-duper vegan-friendly.

The recipe includes a homemade pear compote that will satisfy any fruit lover’s craving.

23. Chewy raspberry apple granola bars

Photo: Amy’s Healthy Baking

Granola bars are far from boring when you make them at home. You can customize the flavors however you want, and there’s none of the processed ingredients and preservatives you’d find in store-bought options.

This simple version has just seven ingredients like milk, honey, oil, and cinnamon. Raspberries stand out and do jazz hands as the vibrant, delicious star of the show.

Fruits still have a lot of sugar

While fruits are amazing and can boast a huge range of vital vitamins and minerals, they come with a heavy hit of fructose — a natural sugar, but still a sugar.

If you’re on a sugar-restricted diet or have a condition that can impact your blood sugar levels, such as diabetes, it’s best to eat fruit in moderation and be selective about the fruit you eat.

Some fruits are better than others for people with diabetes — we rounded them up here.

Savory

A mix of flavors is the mark of enlightened kitchen work, so try to switch up your fruit game entirely and get creative.

24. Grilled fruit pizza

Photo: The Chunky Chef

Oh, boy… is pizza not just bae? Well, we’re willing to wager that you haven’t had one with fruit and honey as a topping before. (If you’re one of those who falls on the angrier side of the pineapple-on-pizza debate, this one might not be for you. Or maybe it’ll convert you.)

Just grill up some pizza dough, naan, or tortilla and sprinkle your favorite fruits on top.

25. Strawberry and goat cheese bruschetta

Photo: Homemade Hooplah

We’d eat goat cheese with pretty much anything, but it’s especially good with fruit. The creamy saltiness offsets the sweetness of many fruits beautifully. But strawberries hold the starring role here.

This bruschetta recipe features the gooey combo with a balsamic glaze on top that really brings out the strawberryishness (definitely a word) of the strawberries.

26. Peach quinoa tabbouleh

Photo: Jo Eats

Peaches and quinoa might not seem like a match made in heaven, but this sweet and salty Middle Eastern-inspired dish has other ideas.

Honey, mint, and parsley dance around the peach flavors, adding all kinds of busy mouth sensations. Even as a side or a standalone snack, this intriguing tabbouleh stands all on its own.

27. Honey-lemon toast with figs and pistachios

Photo: Ambitious Kitchen

Getting creative with toast is all the rage these days (thanks, avo toast!).

This honey-fig version is the perfect savory way to eat your fruit. With ricotta slathered on the base, stopping your snack at a single slice is the most difficult thing about this recipe.

28. Creamy cheese fruit pizza

Photo: The Frugal Foodie Mama

Fruity pizza: round two. (Wait, how is there more than one? Where the f*ck are all these fruit pizzas coming from?)

This one features peaches and blackberries, but feel free to make your own version with any fruit-cheese-dough combo.

Get as creative as your brain wants — they broke the seal with pineapples many moons ago. This is just the natural consequence.

29. Mango, avocado, and fresh cilantro salsa

Photo: The Frugal Foodie Mama

You’ve heard that it takes two to tango — well, it can take two fruits to salsa. And, yes, avocado is a fruit.

This two-fruit salsa (yes, avocado is a fruit) is a way to give sweet flavors a savory twist when it’s served alongside classic tortilla chips.

Avocados are brimming with healthy monounsaturated fat and tons of vitamins, including vitamins E and B6.

30. Fig and prosciutto crostini

Photo: Mama’s Gotta Bake

Fresh figs — does it get any better?

Well, when you wrap a fresh fig in a slice of salty prosciutto and stick it on top of some toasted bread, you’ll learn that there’s more to the already mighty fig than meets the eye.

31. Melon, prosciutto, and mozzarella skewers

Photo: The Comfort of Cooking

Here’s another awesome salty-sweet combo (because savory doesn’t mean you need to kick all the sweetness out).

Prosciutto and melon is a classic duo. Add fresh mozzarella, put it on a stick, and things get seriously tasty.

Takeaway

Fruit wears many disguises, and almost all of them are delicious (when put together right).

Whether you’re in the mood for sweetness or a broader experience for your taste buds, you don’t need added sugars. You can use the natural sugars in fruits to bolster the flavor of your meal and take advantage of their natural goodness.

Had your fill of pizzas made of fruit? Fine, here are some desserts made from vegetables (and if you think carrot cake is the limit, you are very much mistaken).

from Greatist Health RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2HZWbKL 31 Healthy Snacks for When You Love Fruit but Have a Sweet Tooth Greatist Health RSS Feed from HEALTH BUZZ https://ift.tt/327t1kl

#Greatist Health RSS Feed

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zacknano17 · 7 years ago

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Day 2: words 2542 - 5091

In which, some NPCs predict the entire intended outcome of this story.

Taako regards his three pieces of luggage and the soft, grassy terrain they would have to cross to get into the city. They're a fair distance away from the main road. He had not thought this through.

Does he need three suitcases full of things? Absolutely not. He had traveled for months -- years, even -- with all of his worldly possessions able to fit into a single backpack. Anything of value he had, he pawned off at the soonest opportunity, as to buy himself a meal and possibly even a warm bed for the night.

The Bureau has changed that too. He doesn't need three bags of things (he cannot even imagine needing three bags of things), but he has them anyway, because he can have them. And it isn't even all the things he has collected since joining the Bureau either.

“Mango, be a dear and help me with these bags?” Taako implores sweetly.

Magnus has one single pack strapped to his back and shoulders, settled neatly underneath his mirror shield. It's small enough that Taako can't imagine Magnus having more than one change of clothes within. Taako hopes he is wrong; Magnus is generally a clean person, but he sweats an awful lot.

“Sure thing,” he says, and effortlessly lifts two of the pink checkered designer suitcases, leaving Taako with the smallest one.

Excellent.

“I told you not to pack three bags of stuff,” Merle remarks gruffly. He has one pack, which looks significantly bigger than Magnus', but that might just be from the fact that it's being carried by a dwarf.

“And I told you not to criticize my packing habits,” Taako retorts, hefting the single remaining bag of his and following Magnus through the brush. Behind them, a balloon pops out of the top of their glass ball, and it slowly rises into the air.

They walk for a rather uneventful half hour before they reach the main road, and Taako's single bag feels like it weighs a million pounds. Merle is trailing behind them a short distance, and even Magnus looks a little tired. It isn't hot -- still quite chilly, in fact -- but the ground is soft from the melting snow. It's difficult to walk on, much less drag a suitcase across, and it's slow going.

The sky is also beginning to cloud up, blotting out the sun and filling the sky with a dull gray. Taako opens up the umbra staff to use as an umbrella before the first heavy drops of rain start falling, just as they get to the main road. And thank Dan for small favors, because the last thing Taako needs is muddy boots on top of everything.

The trail into the city should take them another hour, however, and Taako can already feel the humidity from the rain ruining his hair. They are going to be a right mess when they get into town, but at least Taako will be the best looking one of the three. Not that that's particularly difficult.

Just as the downpour begins in earnest, though, a covered wagon led by two horses pulls up beside them, being driven by an older human with a large straw hat to shield him from the rain. The cart slows down, and the man nods to Magnus, who is heading up the group.

“Hail, and well met!” Magnus calls, over the sound of the pouring rain.

“Howdy! You folks headed up to Waterdeep?” he asks.

“You bet! You wouldn't happen to have room in the back of your wagon, would you?”

“We can make some room.” The man leans back. “Emma! We're picking up some hitchhikers! Make room back there, would you?”

“Sure thing, Dad!” calls back a feminine voice.

The three of them move to the back of the wagon, where Magnus boosts up Merle and then sets Taako's bags within before climbing in himself. He then reaches down for Taako's remaining bag, and lastly, reaches down a hand to help pull Taako up and in.

Taako shakes out the umbrella before snapping it closed again. “Thank you, darling,” he says.

There are two women in the wagon, one human and one gnomish. They are sitting side by side at the front of the wagon, facing backwards. The human is in breeches and tall boots, her skin tanned from the sun and a smattering of freckles on her face. She looks similar to the man driving the wagon. The gnome is wearing a simple but very lovely dress that is clearly made from expensive materials. Her dark hair is pulled back in an elaborate braid.

Their luggage is neatly piled in a corner, amid some boxes and crates, and Magnus and Merle have shoved their belongings in as well. Merle has taken a seat on top of one of the crates, and Magnus is sitting on the floor flush with the back of the wagon.

There is only one place left for Taako, and that is to slide in between Magnus and the bench where the women are seated. The gnome scoots over a little bit and pulls one of her bags on the seat next to her so that he will have more room, but even so, it is a bit tight. Magnus reaches up an arm and wraps it around Taako's shoulders to give them a little more space, which is fine with Taako, because he is cold and wet, and Magnus is -- well, still wet, but also warm.

“We sure appreciate the ride!” Magnus says cheerfully. “It's pouring outside. I'm Magnus, by the way. And these two are Taako and Merle.” He nods at each in turn.

“Good to meet ya,” says Merle, and Taako just shrugs.

“Nice to meet you all. I'm Emma, and this is my fiance, Lorette,” the human says, gesturing to her gnome companion.

Lorette inclines her head. “The pleasure is ours,” she says.

“So what brings to you Waterdeep?” Magnus asks. He sounds very rustically hospitable.

“Oh, you must have heard of it, haven't you?” Lorette bursts out, sounding excited. “Wedding Wonders! They're based here in Waterdeep. We're hoping to get an appointment with Ms. Joiner herself to help us plan our wedding...”

“Wait, wait. Joiner? Like, you mean, uh, Rebekah Joiner?” Taako asks, leaning forward a little.

“Hey, yeah! We're here looking for her too,” Magnus says.

“I knew it,” Emma chirps. “You two are real cute together. You guys got a date set? Me and Lorette are thinking of a fall wedding ourselves.”

“What?” says Magnus.

“Oh, we're -- we're not -- ” starts Taako.

Merle bursts into laughter.

“There's no need to be shy,” Lorette tells them gently. “Love is a wonderful thing.”

Magnus, apparently just realizing what is going on, jerks his arm from Taako's shoulders as if they had scalded him and leans as far away from Taako as he could without actually falling out of the cart. Merle nearly rolls off his crate, he is laughing so hard.

“We're...not getting married,” Taako explains, with a great irritation. There is no need for Magnus to suddenly act as thought Taako has the Plague. “We're not even a thing. If you couldn't tell by the way he's attempting to throw himself out of the wagon right now.”

“Oh...I'm so sorry,” Lorette says quickly.

“I'm not -- I'm not trying to throw myself out of the wagon! I just -- I didn't mean to -- do we really look like we have a thing?” Magnus asks, sounding bewildered.

“Well, let's see, you were carrying his bags, he called you 'darling,' and then you wrapped your arm around him like that,” Emma explains, sounding far less chargrinned than Lorette.

“Taako calls everyone 'darling,'” Magnus says, miffed.

“And it's easy to bully Mags here into being nice and carrying your shit,” Taako remarks. “Sorry, shippers. Taako's a single elf.” He turns to Magnus, still annoyed. “And why, exactly, is it so terrible that someone assume you're seeing me anyway?”

“It's your roots,” Merle says.

“It's not you, Taako!” Magnus protests. “It's just -- the whole dating scene. I don't do that. I don't go there.”

Magnus wears gloves most of the time when they're out traveling. But back at the moon base, in between missions and training, he bares his hands for his woodworking and eating and most other things. There is a pale, indented band of flesh on his left hand around the base of his ring finger. He used to wear a ring there, and he doesn't now. Taako has seen this but never asked.

“Well, if you're not getting married, why exactly are you looking up Ms. Joiner?” Emma asks.

“Um, well,” Taako says.

“ -- for a friend, see,” Magnus interjects.

“We're lookin' for work, mostly,” Merle explains.

“Jobs? I hadn't heard she was hiring,” Lorette says thoughtfully.

“Well, you know how it is. We heard that the industry is boomin' -- I mean, look at you two, comin' from so far away and all -- and she's looking to expand,” Merle continues. “I'm a cleric, see, and I get people coming to me all the time and asking me to marry 'em, so -- ”

“News to me,” Magnus mutters, and Taako elbows him. Merle's moments of competence are so few and far between, and it was time to let him shine a little.

“ -- so I thought, you know, maybe I could help out in that department. I do a little work for her, she sends people my way, you know, we scratch each other's backs and all.”

“I thought you were going to apply as a janitor,” Taako says, because he can't help himself.

“That's the back up plan,” Merle explains, shrugging.

“I guess that tracks,” Emma replies thoughtfully. “So what about the rest of you? You aren't all cleric-janitors, are you?”

“Oh, er, I, uh,” says Magnus.

“He's hoping to get a gig as a bouncer. You know, for the receptions?” Taako explains quickly. “They're invite only, right?” He has never been to a wedding in his life. “And I -- ”

“He's going for caterer,” Magnus interjects.

“No, I'm not.”

“Yeah, you should, though! Those maracons you made for Candle Nights, so fucking amazing, man, and didn't you used to have a -- ”

“No! I'm not -- I'm not going to do that,” Taako says quickly. “I only cook for, for people I want to cook for, when I want to cook for them, and I make what I want to make. I'm not gonna cater nothin'.”

“But you -- ”

“No. Stop it, homie. No cooking from Taako.”

“Aw.”

“So, ah,” Lorette puts in, “what exactly do you intend to do?”

Taako quickly makes a list of which jobs require the least amount of work and the most amount of sitting around and looking pretty.

“Receptionist, I think,” he determines, idly inspecting his nails. “Put this pretty face in the front of that building, and you'll just have people flocking in off the streets. People who aren't even engaged will start planning their weddings. That's the ol' Taako charm.”

“...uh huh,” says Emma, and he greatly resents the disbelief in her voice.

“I heard she does only hire elves,” Lorette muses. “Usually men, too.”

“There you go. I got a shoe-in over these chucklefucks right there.”

“That's a little racist, isn't it?” Magnus asks.

“Maybe she's got a fetish,” Merle suggests. “Maybe you don't really want this job, Taako.”

“Wow, way to make it creepy, old man. You're one to talk about weird fetishes,” Taako scowls.

“Hey, so, maybe let's not talk about this,” Emma suggests, speaking a little bit too loudly. “Like, you guys seem cool and stuff, and I'm glad we met and all that, but I think it's waaaaay too early in our relationship for me to find out what sort of weird fetishes you all have. And I think it always will be!”

“That's fair,” agrees Magnus.

The rain hasn't stopped by the time they make it into the city proper, but it has let up some. Once they reach the merchant district, Emma's father Ferris stops the wagon and lets the three of them out.

Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus sees Taako adjust the brim of his hat to ride just a little lower over his face. It's odd on one level, in that Taako generally eats up attention lavished on him, but Magnus has seen him do this before. He doesn't do it everywhere; it seems there are specific locations. Magnus remembers him doing this the first time they met, back before Phandalin. He isn't sure what to make of it.

Taako doesn't ask this time and just hands two of his bags to Magnus. Magnus senses Taako is a little angry with him for rejecting the idea of the two of them being an item so quickly. He takes the bags. He wonders if he can explain his headspace in regards to dating and marriage.

Because it really isn't that it was Taako. Taako is a great guy, and maybe in another life, in another universe, he would be attracted to him. But in this one, the reality they were all stuck in, Magnus is a widower. Underneath his shirt on a heavy golden chain are two wedding rings that he can't bear to let go of -- his own, and Julia's. Just thinking about dating someone else ties his stomach into a knot and twists his mind toward that heavy, cloying despair that never totally leaves the back of his mind.

He loved -- loves, really -- Julia so deeply and wholly that he simply can't imagine loving anyone else the same way again. And, even more than that, he can't imagine losing that all over again. Julia's death had very nearly destroyed him, and he simply couldn't do that again.

He isn't sure how to explain that to Taako. He certainly does not want to try.

It probably isn't important anyway. Taako was probably upset because of the implication that anyone wouldn't want to date him.

Evening is falling over the city as they walk down the main drag of the merchant district. They get directions from a city guard and make their way toward a tavern with an inn above it to take the evening off. First thing in the morning, they will head down to Wedding Wonders and, who knows, try to actually secure jobs there or something.

Normally when they have to get rooms in an inn, Taako will do the talking. He really isn't as great with the charm as he thinks he is, but Magnus doesn't mind playing along from time to time. This time, however, he is content to sit back and let Merle perform the exchange.

Merle tosses them keys to adjoining rooms and then settles at a table within the tavern for his dinner. Magnus shrugs and follows Taako up to their rooms. He still has his suitcases, after all.

He secretly sort of wants the middle room, but he isn't going to say anything. Taako, in turn, takes the first in the line of rooms and claims it for himself. Magnus mentally high fives himself, because once again, his passive aggressive silence has paid off. He dumps his shield and his backpack in the middle room, just in case Merle comes up before he's finished with Taako, and then carries the two designer bags into Taako's room.

#tying the nano

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batvirtualtimetravelstudent-blog · 7 years ago

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Require To Drop Fat? Use African Mango

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Subsequent the guidelines over you must be in a position to uncover a diet and workout program that works for you and tends to make you happy at the identical time.

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lifeastoldbympm · 7 years ago

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A Day in the Life...Mango Edition

Disclaimer: I struggled deciding weather to make this public or not because I didn’t want to portray my current mission work as terrible or not worth it in any way..That being said, I feel its important to share the real, raw experiences of my international work in order to educate and minister to the folks back home.. so before reading this, know that I am thankful and happy to be here in Mango helping those in need and doing God’s work and though it is hard here, I know there is no where else I am meant to be more than here right now.

0530am: I wake to get in a cold shower to wash off the sweat and bugs from a night of sleeping with the windows open, under the direct air of 2 fans..In the states I would have made an annoyingly high-pitched noise at the sight of a beetle in my kitchen, here I swipe 5 or 6 of them off my bed before plopping into the middle, still sticky from the mile bike ride home in the dark and mud. I brush my teeth with the water from my water bottle, careful to remember not to rinse my brush in the sink where the water is infested with bacteria and parasites..(the same water I just showered in). Then begin to dress first in leggings, then in ankle long skirt, then t-shirt and tennis shoes. Because its pouring outside I’ll need to pack an entirely different outfit to change into after my bike ride to the hospital and be sure to put all my belongings in a plastic bag so they stay dry while riding shot gun in my basket for the journey. I’m sure to grab my flashlight both incase the hospital power is off all shift like it was the other day and also for the night bike ride home. Then I head off in the storm..literally.

0630: The bike ride begins down a paved main road. Normally I pass ladies selling various items from trays atop their heads and naked kiddos running about yelling “Bonjour!” Men sitting around chatting or herding livestock here and there, but on days like today when the rain beats down, the only souls in sight are the trucks you're trying to steal clear of as the blow their horns behind you to warn they're speeding by. Once I make it through the round about, I pray HARD for my thigh muscles to push the pedals forward one by one until I see the gas station which is my cue to turn off onto the dirt road on the right. From here on, my ride is a bit off a game of frogger meets Africa. As I trudge forward through the rain, I struggle to avoid pot hole after pot hole while also attempting to decipher the firm mud from the thick muddy sand that I will instantly sink in if I hit it. Most of the time I can make it to the end of this bit before I have to get off and walk my bike about 15 feet due to a thick patch of sand/mud. Today its even worse because its sand/mud/a flowing river of rain water..Once through there I’m on the home stretch to the hospital. This road, like the previous one, is full of pot holes, thick sand, and today..water. Unfortunately, today, at this moment, I discover that for the remainder of the way I will also need to walk my bike because my tires are now too flat to hold my weight and allow me to cycle through the roads as they are.. I start to say a plethora of ugly, frustrated remarks as I trudge...

0710: I finally make it onto hospital grounds where I burst into the cafeteria soaked from head to toe despite my rain jacket and slip into the bathroom to change. I am sure not to make eye contact with a soul for fear I may spew the fury I’ve built during my commute. Once dry, I slip back onto my wet bike and cycle over to the hospital to begin my shift.

0730: Its a typical day at the hospital. My assignment is 7 kids all under the age of 8, all but 2 have severe malaria. I make my way around assessing them as the scream in fear of the white person. Every one of them has a fever over 101.5.. Every one of them has to be brutally held down and force fed paracetamol in hope that they don't rise to a temp of 107.6 and begin seizing uncontrollably like the girl in the ward next door that was my patient just yesterday.

0900: In the midst of caring for my kiddos I’m called away because we have a 2 year old in Rea (the ED) that is unconscious and not breathing and they need me to try and get a line..I try twice before I find myself giving compressions while also instructing the local nurse aid on how to give breaths with the ambu-bag and the MD tries with all her mite to use a 20g IM needle as an IO to give epi.. this goes on for 45 minutes before we call time of death and I swaddle the sweet boy in the panga cloth he was brought in with and let his mom say her goodbyes.

The rest of the shift continues like this...attempting to stay ahead of temperatures and seizures due to malaria, bowel perforations due to typhoid fever, DIC due to snake bites...we are continuously coding or nearly coding someone, somewhere...usually its a child and usually it ends the same way.. Today I am thankful that the power is on so at least the families can pay and go home to grieve...the other day when the power was off they had to stay and wait to pay for the care of their deceased child. Its also much easier to notice a child not breathing or seizing when there is light...

By the time 1900 roles around, I am covered in my own sweat, someone else bodily fluids of some sort, and likely about 10 more mosquito bites but I’ve still got the ride home.

1930: I try to tape my flashlight to the front of my basket for light but the first slight pothole I hit, it falls to the ground and the batteries come out the back. I resort to holding it while riding again.. the road is still wet and slippery but I manage slowly but surely back the way I came just in the dark this time. As I push forward, the distant calls to prayer from the mosques surround me, echoing each other from ahead and behind, creating a jumbled mix of chanting and sirens that creep me out as I count down the pedal pushes until I reach my gate.

2030: Once home, I make myself a PB&J for dinner and take another cold shower to rinse all the day off. Dinners are very small because there are no proper stores here to buy things to cook and the only provided meal I can make it to, due to my 12hr shifts, are the lunches on hospital grounds. The rest of the night is spent usually brushing up on tropical medicine treatments and chatting with loved ones back home via FaceTime. Thank God for technology.

2200: Before bed I am sure to take my doxycycline to ensure I too don't get malaria and then I again brush the beetles from atop my bed and pass out praying for the sick and hurting here in Mango and that God will give me strength to be the best nurse possible for them tomorrow...and to make it through another bike ride in..ha!

I have been here a little over a week. Some missionaries have been here for years doing these type days constantly..pray for them BIG TIME. Also understand that we, as missionaries, have it GOOD in having days like this as the locals have MUCH bigger hurdles and struggles in their days and this is their lives, this is their home...Pray for them as well. Again I am just thankful to be a part of this and to be able to help in some small way. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.....I have been molded by God in so many ways to be here in this place right now.. At the end of the day, it truly is exciting and comforting to know that you are where you're meant to be, doing what you're meant to do.

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thefearlessgastronomist · 8 years ago

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¡ FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO !

Wednesday May 3rd, I decided I wanted to put together a meal for Cinco de Mayo.

Yes, my new favorite thing is to cook dinners for those days/holidays I previously ignored. Saint Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, even some of those silly miscellaneous days (like National Burger Day, which is on May 28th). Any chance I can get to try new foods and cuisines, or to appreciate another culture, I’m totally game to do so.

The trick for this particular Cinco de Mayo-inspired meal was planning and executing it in a day and a half. Not super hard, but it took some brain power, and thankfully some very accommodating family members who picked up some groceries for me.

The bonus for me is that I have a friend of Mexican heritage, so I did what any resourceful person would – I asked her for ideas of what I should make for Cinco de Mayo. Her response was tostadas and margaritas, because she knows I love tostadas... but I wanted to take this opportunity to branch out this time; I want to do something I haven’t done before. So we came up with some form of steak tacos that would also put my red onions to use, and Mexican rice.

But do you really think I’m one to end there? Nuh uh. Absolutely not.

Let me tell you, the internet is a very helpful place. And sometimes a little too helpful. My browser’s bookmarks (and I’ll admit I use multiple browsers) are packed with recipes I’ve saved for some purpose or another. Sometimes I question why I bother with cookbooks... but then I remember that I’m also a sucker for pretty printed materials.

For this particular occasion, I first took the time to do a bit of research about the day itself. Because really, like most people I’m sure, I didn’t know much about Cinco de Mayo other than its part in Mexican history. Similar to Saint Patrick’s Day, it would seem the typical American uses the fifth of May as an excuse for excessive drinking. Even more so this year because Cinco de Mayo falls on a Friday. Ohhh, lordy. But I, for one, knew that it was more than just a day for Corona and tequila. Not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day (which is September 16th), Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the unexpected defeat over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. (x) Funny enough, it is really only a minor holiday in Mexico; it is much more popular here in the United States.

Read all about it here ➛ (x)

MENÚ DE COMIDA

Tacos 3 Ways – Carne Asada/Steak with pico de gallo Shrimp with mango slaw and Chicken with chipotle lime crema (and pico from the steak)

Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn covered in mayo, chili/cayenne powder, and cotija cheese)

Mexican Rice

CHOOSING THE MENU

Once I started actually searching for recipes, it turns out I want to cook a lot of Mexican food. It’s part of the reason I’m doing tacos three ways; because I didn’t have it in me to choose just one. I’m a big fan of having options, since my family doesn’t always agree with my unorthodox cooking habits; they also have vastly different taste buds (i.e. my mother liked the sweeter taco; my brother preferred the spicier). The fact that it may or may not give us leftovers to feast on for a few days doesn’t hurt either.

I adore seafood, so when I found a recipe for a shrimp taco (and fish too, but I’ll save that for a later date), I absolutely wanted to include it. Even better when it involved mango slaw. You (or at least I) expect Mexican food to be relatively spicy, so the use of a fresh, non-spicy element as a topping is most interesting to me. ONE RECIPE COLLECTED, moving along.

I know that seafood isn’t doesn’t always fly for everyone, especially when it comes to tacos, so I also went for the classics: chicken and steak. I’m starting to realize that I have underappreciated steak as a Mexican food ingredient and I now want to actively fix that, starting with this Cinco de Mayo dish. I naturally didn’t want just plain a steak taco filling (how boring), so I found a recipe for carne asada – which is steak that is marinated and grilled. The typical marinade for asada is called “mojo,” a combination of cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and olive oil, sometimes even a few other spices. I am fascinated by marinades (and smoking meats), so I was definitely excited to give this a try.

As far as chicken, I have done it a few times before to make it easily this time around. But I came across a recipe online that included a mixture for crema, a flavored Mexican sour cream. This particular chipotle lime crema included sauce from chipotles in adobo, but because I decided to include/use this chicken recipe at the last minute, I didn’t have the opportunity to go to the grocery store again to get said adobo. A lot of my work in the kitchen involves improvising, so it doesn’t surprise me that I’m improvising this time. I substituted tabasco sauce.

Within the last year, I have also developed a great appreciation for corn. More specifically grilled corn with those streaks of char *swoooons* So delicious. As such, I have had my eye on trying elote – grilled corn, Mexican street food style. Grilled in or out of the husk, brushed with mayonnaise, sprinkled with a chili powder and cayenne powder mix, and then sprinkled or rolled in cotija (very similar to grated parmesan)... Anything that takes a regular ol’ corn on the cob above and beyond is on my list of must-tries.

And Mexican rice, an excellent final addition as per my friend’s suggestion, is a very intriguing concoction. The rice gets toasted in olive oil with garlic and jalapeño; a large can of tomatoes gets pureed with onions; the two get combined along with some other ingredients in a symphony of boiling bubbles that will also make you fear for the safety of your hands. But it’s worth it, so worth it. It’s one of those things that, once you make it yourself, you have a greater appreciation when you eat it somewhere else.

So, some firsts for me:

Jalapeños and Serranos. Anybody else intimidated by these little peppers? Because I sure as hell am. It’s kind of like spiders; the smaller they are, the more deadly 😆 But I am the person crazy enough to take a small piece of each as I was mincing them and try them, separately, and straight up. I literally said out loud to myself, “I regret this decision” because my mouth was immediately on fire. But hey, just another day of fearlessness in the kitchen.

Mortar and pestle. Fun fact: I’ve had a mortar and pestle for a while. Mostly, like so many things in my life (*cries*), I have them but they generally go unused until I rediscover them by some divine intervention – like when cooking food for Cinco de Mayo. When I was making the mojo for carne asada (don’t worry, even my Mexican friend didn’t know what mojo was) and it called for a mortar and pestle to mash ingredients into a paste, I was like OKAY I’M DOING IT, I’M CHANGING THE PURPOSE IN WHICH I OWN THIS MORTAR AND PESTLE AND IT IS NOW FOR CULINARY USE. And strangely enough, I think I’m actually excited to use it more in the kitchen. Though I’m also the person that, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking to myself that I’d like a bigger one than the one I have. Anywho... someone please send me recipes or things to make using a mortar, please and thanks.

Making rice on the stovetop. We have a Pampered Chef microwave rice maker that we typically use when we eat rice. That’s all I’ve ever used to make it in my life. Let it be known that on May 5th, I made my first official rice dish on the stove top. And the way Mexican rice is cooked, I definitely thought I was going to hurt myself (i.e. pouring a boiling hot tomato-onion puree into the Dutch oven pot that held the rice. Ayyye-aye-aye; the way that boiled was crazy!) The rice was a hit though. 👍 I just suggest adding extra chicken stock or broth to moisten it up a bit.

The Experience

Here’s the truth: This meal took me about... 4 to 4.5 hours to make. In my defense, I will say that when I’m making something for the first time, I’m always a little slower because I’m trying to get my bearings. Not to mention I was doing this by myself (by choice, of course), doing each dish one at a time rather than multiples at the once, and also trying to clean up as I went along.

The thing is, despite how long it took and the eons of dishes I used (I’m pretty sure I used every major gadget I own in order to make this), the amount of time didn’t bother me. Not a single bit. People will often say to me “See? That’s why I don’t do that, it’s too much work” ... or “Just cut corners and use store bought stuff because it’s faster.” BUT I LOVE DOING IT THIS WAY. No matter the fact that it takes 4 hours to cook and only 5 minutes to eat, it is infinitely more satisfying – at least for me – when it’s done from scratch and/or from fresh. Okay sure, I used a few things from the frozen section of the grocery store (i.e. the ears of corn) or items from a bag/can (bagged coleslaw and canned diced mango) to cut a few corners here and there, but it was still amazingly delicious and didn’t taint the flavors and freshness of the meal one bit.

While all of it was AMAZING (seriously, my mom said so!), my favorite parts by far were the mango slaw and elote. Coleslaw and corn will never be the same for me. I dare say forget butter, always put mayo on your corn on the cob; the Mexicans know what they’re doing.

And my gawwwwd, the love I have for cilantro has deepened so much thanks to these dishes. It’s such a fantastic compliment to the mango and the coleslaw; I could eat it – the slaw and cilantro – forever.

I gave some to my friend, to get it authenticated by someone who knows this type of food well. I had to know if I did right by the Mexicans! 😂

And I did! It wasn’t spicy to her standards (us white people have more sensitive taste buds obviously haha), but she told me that it was the best (or some of the best) Mexican-American cooking she’s had. 🙌 Thanks, lady!

Turns out that I need to make tacos like this more often. Everyone seems to love them! I'm stoked for the next time I make Mexican, and can use all those other recipes I found

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andy-abroad · 7 years ago

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Egypt_01

June.07.2017 Hello, hello! Or should I say, selam? I am currently in Cairo, Egypt. A sentence I never really dreamed I would say. It took a bit to get here, but I'm here nonetheless, safe, sound, and excited. This morning was a bit of a hassle. I woke up and had to pack in the dark, as everyone was still sleeping at 8a! Anyways, I packed all my stuff, and realized that my bag is getting bigger and bigger as more of my clothes get dirtier. I've actually re-worn some shirts and a pair of underwear (for the beach and the hammam bath), so I doing alright, but will need to do laundry before I leave Mumbai. Anyways, I packed and organized and headed downstairs. I needed to find a post office to mail my things, but didn't want to have to carry my bags around. I knew that they had temporary luggage lockers, so I just paid the 1€. I needed to get rid of some coins anyways. I got a bit lost on my way but eventually found it! I'm glad it was a real post office because I trust that it'll get to the states... or at least have a higher percentage of getting there. I walked back and passed my shop where I've been getting breakfast every morning. I got a pizza, as is my ritual before traveling in Europe, and put it away to eat at the airport. I got back to the hostel, grabbed my things, and caught the train. The trains come on the half hour, so I didn't really have a choice. I also didn't have any more euros and was going to use my card to buy a train tickets, but they didn't accept card. I decided to risk it, and rode anyways. All was well and I got the airport two entire hours earlier than my flight. I got through customs and realized that I didn't even have a gate yet. So I just hung around and window shopped and ate my pizza. When it was time to board the plane, I accidentally said in the wrong seat, so I had to move up. I was only one row behind business class, so pretty close to the exit which made me pleased. Also, no one sat in the middle seat which was awesome! I had the window. The downside was that there was a large family traveling together and they were so rude on the plane. They were screaming to each other, eating snacks and getting up while the flight crew was trying to do their job. They also kept demanding things and it really frustrated me. I fell asleep before we took off and was awoke to a meal. I wasn't expecting one, for a 2 hour flight. I also didn't expect Egypt to be one hour behind Greece! It was cold chicken, some potato salad, Greek salad and some honey cake. It was... okay. Not the best, but enough. I fell back asleep and before I knew it, we were descending. When we landed, I kept noticing that my phone carrier kept switching all around. From vodaphone to orangephone to others. I knew it meant that this leg of the trip would be without data, which is just fine. I've been spoiled anyways. I picked up my visa (paid in USD. Thanks for giving me cash, mama!),got to the exit and was told that the metro doesn't connect to the airport and was down, anyways. I was confused as to how to get to the hostel. My phone wasn't working, the airport wifi wasn't working, and I didn't know what to do. Thankfully I had the address. Cab drivers kept asking me if I needed a ride and I kept saying no, but I finally just gave in and took a cab to the hostel. It only cost 10$. The ride to the hostel was crazy. There are no traffic rules and the drivers just weave in and out, merge, honk... it's crazy, but safe, I guess. I got let off on the street that I was supposed to be on, and luckily the hostel entrance was right there. The hostel is... interesting. It's in a historic building and in a historic neighborhood. Cairo as a whole is still pretty shabby. The Egyptian people don't make a lot of money, so of course it is a different environment, but still shocking. I met the owner and he was very kind. I think I'm one of a few people staying here. My room is nice and has a bit of a view. No AC, but decently clean. I will say that if I have issues tonight I will go to the Hilton up the street, haha. I put all my things on my bed and then caught up with everyone now that my wifi was working. Next came me trying to confirm my booking with Expedia. I was using Skype to call the place, but I couldn't hear them, but they could hear me. I was getting so frustrated! But I test called mama and figured it out. The hostel worker let me use his phone to call, and I confirmed my location and pick up time. With all that mess behind me, I looked at the map, decided to go to the Egyptian museum and set out. Crossing the street is an actual nightmare. There are so many cars and. No real crosswalks. People just move into traffic and cars will oblige. I walked to the museum, which took forever since I had to cross a giant traffic circle and walk all the way around this gated bridge, and found that it had already closed for the day! Was disappointed. I decided after to walk the Nile and make my way to the opera. I was walking there and a gentleman kept trying to get me to go to his store and it was very annoying, but not many tourists come this way, so I get it. I got to the opera center but it was also walled. So was this garden! Cairo has so many walls. I think it's because the Islamic faith places a lot of importance on privacy and view. Not to be defeated, I saw this really tall tower while walking around and made my way there. I needed to see something!!! I got to the tower by ways of much backtracking. I actually ended up buying a water and a small Fanta because I was so thirsty. I hate drinking in public when the sun is up out of respect, but I was desperate. I entered the tower, paid my entrance (25 Egyptian pounds for Egyptians and 150 for non Egyptians - only about 8$) and went up. I'm glad I did! Such s beautiful way to see the city, and how sprawling it is. It was actually so windy up there I had to take my hat off for fear it would fly away! I took some photos and then went down to their cafe. They actually had beer there, which I was going to get, as drinking a beer everywhere I go is kind of a tradition of mine, but they didn't take card and I didn't have enough cash. I settled for a mango juice. So fresh, so good. It was just pure mango and delicious. I relaxed and the paid and then made my way back to the hostel. I wanted to grab some water and snacks on my way in. I walked back over the bridge with the sun setting behind me, and crossed the crazy traffic. I also saw a KFC and Pizza Hut! So funny. I went into a shop and the man didn't speak english, but he pulled out his phone and typed how much I owed. I got 3L of water and a bag of gummy bears for 10 Egyptian pounds. I got ripped off at that other place, but 10 Egyptian pounds is only about 55 cents. Not too mad about it, haha. I went back to the hostel, drank water, played on my phone, caught up with people, and now I'm in bed reading and going to bed soon. It's early, I know, but I'm exhausted and my morning is early as well. I'm going to see how well I can sleep as there is no ac. There's a fan, but we'll see. Anyways, excited and ready to face this adventure! Until whenever--

#Cairo

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terribletwos5 · 8 years ago

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If Varanasi had a form or figure, it would be called Shiva! The city that is said to be the home of the deity who not just did his tandav (divine dance) there but was founded by himself as mythology would say it. It is one of the sacred 7 for the Hindus, many are happy to go there and die!

Benaras– What do you expect? Dirt, color, faces lined with experience, saints, sinners, doers, non-believers, life, death, laughter, cry, pain, hope and in the midst of all this- belief!

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They say Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon ever there and the Sarnath temple came to be. A hypothetical estimate of 84,000 sermons and 8400 stupas have been built around the country (the guides say so) and Varanasi has Hindus and Buddhists come alike and together to this holy haven.

How to go?– An hour and 20 minutes by flight from Delhi. More than 15 flights per day starting early morning…19 hours by train.

Where to stay? – We chose to stay on the ghats and settled with the boutique property called Suryauday hotel which has an old world charm; a courtyard nestled in the Shivala ghats. The other hotel on the ghats which is worth dining/staying in is Brijrama palace with a fort like facade and interiors of the Maratha heritage.

http://suryaudayhaveli.com/

http://www.brijrama.com/

For a more luxurious and a royal experience, Taj hotels have acquired the Nadesar palace in the city and converted its rooms into limited suits for the guests. From Jawahar Lal Nehru (Former late Prime Minister of India), His Holiness the Dalai Lama to many British royals having stayed there…the property is truly a personalized expanse of land which provides yoga, croquet and carriage services amidst its mango orchards.

https://taj.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj-nadesar-palace-varanasi/rooms-and-suites/palace-room/

The Experience-

Varanasi, Benaras or Kashi came to be the holiest of all cities due to its pilgrimage and evidence of spiritual/religious amalgamation. Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism pay tribute to this city as a way of being.

The aarti or the prayer to the holy Ganga (one of the sacred rivers of India). imagine 4/500 people facing 7 podiums with 7 pundits (holy men) performing their sacred duties with candelabras bigger than our abdomen on colossal platforms. It’s not just a ceremony, it’s an act of devotion, of faith and a performance (if I can say so). The bells ring through every cell in you, waking up each atom to be alive, to be present. Tourists, Chai-wallahs, passersby, residents all come together to be a part of something bigger than reality. Our organizer, Mr Samir says “I cannot ever get bored of Kashi, I can just come and sit on the ghat and watch the world move!” Our driver Mr Pramod who spoke in between chewing paan and complaining incessantly about the traffic claims “He will never leave no matter what happens!”

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Imagine- Life as ying and death as yang. The line between the two��I would call Benaras! Not to be gory, we saw cremations and celebrations adjacently. Cry of pain and joy; Tears of a culminating experience.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple– One of the holiest temple dedicated to lord Shiva or the ruler of the universe (Vishwanatha). The temple which cannot be seen from the outside goes unnoticed through the alleys which define Varanasi. As you enter the site though…you can see gold, stone and etchings which tell us tales of who all have donated, dedicated and designed the holy house. Built and destroyed multiple times; finally completed in 1780, by the Maratha ruler Ahilya Bai Holker of Indore. It is believed that lord Shiva came there after the death of Sati Devi, who later became goddess Parvati.

Paan– One cannot go to this city and not give this adventure a go. The little digestive made in a betel leaf and Areca nut combined with tobacco for some and mukhwas (mouth freshener) is eaten by every inhabitant and represents a strong culture. Though I wouldn’t suggest it to any tourist who has a weak gut and doesn’t want to walk on the wild side! We had one too many during our time there and I can almost relive it again as I think of it. You can chew it or spit it as you like, the street walls and roads are marked by the red spit that comes of it.

Other things to be eaten and tried is the chaat (street food) which its widely popular for. The gol gappas with yogurt in them, the kachori and papdi is a must.

Open Hand cafe is a great american joint for breakfast and all day dining with scrumptious and freshly baked goods, milkshakes and meals.

https://www.zomato.com/varanasi/open-hand-shop-cafe-assi-ghat

Thandai– The milk based creamy drink has multiple variations and needs no occasion to be consumed. With strong flavors of cardamom, nuts, saffron, black pepper, watermelon seeds, fennel and more. It is a staple during the prominent Hindu festivals Holi, Maha Shivratri and Kumbh Mela.

Clothing– Since many have recreated their own versions and photographed editorials in the same, we decided to go minimal instead of the trite. The city being so colorful and bold itself, the monotones and earthy hues with a bit of color seemed appealing to us. Urvashi kaur and her easy silhouettes, the dhoti pants with the woven blazer were light and easy options for the urban traveler. The abstract blouse with the blue draped pants stood out against the morning sun.

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Accessories– Meaning to work with Dior India for sometime now. The minimal clothing needed their counterpart and the S/S’17 collection of monochromes ideally fit the bill. The vintage astrological jewelry, the cross mini bag, the sunglasses prominently framed my face. Just one problem…was this juxtapose going to work?!

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Gilli Danda– The local bat and ball, the street cricket or softball. The boys play this game all over India…in between dreams, reality and now; You strike the bat waiting for an answer. I witnessed boys of varied age groups playing this along the ghat while life carried on, not caring if the Ganga swallowed their hope. I had a dire urge to join them!!!

I’d say take me back to see what a full circle looks like.

Thank you team Urvashi kaur, Sanya Dawar from Team Christian Dior India, Our guide Mr Samir and our Driver Mr Pramod.

My best friend, family and many people in one- Raghav Bhalla (the true bhakt/worshipper of lord Shiva) for the sweetest/funniest memories and a gift that will stay with me for lives to come.

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A little secret– I’m always nervous when I finish an article, not because I’m worried how many people will read or like it; Because the finality of this ending hits me.

I hope you can see what I saw and live it in your own way. When I was younger, I didn’t care about travelling much around my own country and that feeling has changed over time, washed with a sense of pride at how warming and beautiful Hindustan truly is!

Photography– Between the three of us on Iphone and a Canon.

Bums, Thank you for reviving another passion that I yearn for.

Zina Singh for (the wanderer in me) Terrible Twos

KASHI If Varanasi had a form or figure, it would be called Shiva! The city that is said to be the home of the deity who not just did his…

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zacandshan · 8 years ago

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Our last day in Baños was relaxing. We got a coffee in the morning, booked our accomodation for Quito & went for a last stroll around the town centre. The receptionist told us that buses for Quito leave every 30 minutes or so, so we caught a taxi to the bus terminal & were rushed onto the next bus out of there all within the span of about 10 minutes.

The bus to Quito was a pleasant 3 hour trip, enough to catch up on podcasts, a quick read & in Zac’s case, going up a few levels on his Pokemon gameboy emulator on his phone. We arrived at the terminal in Quito at around 5.30pm. It was extremely overcast, thundering & raining. I have an unconfirmed theory that the thunder is louder at higher altitudes. I don’t know, it’s probably just my fatigued travel brain talking but I have never heard thunder as loud as I’ve heard it in places like Cusco & now Quito. We were in the middle of a supermarket within a shopping centre & it was still mind shatteringly loud. Anywho. *makes mental note to google that later* *zac looked at me like he didn’t want to tell me it’s stupid but doesn’t see the logic, therefore I already imagine I’m going to be eating my own words soon*

As we got in a taxi, unloading our monster packs & giving the taxi driver the address to our hostel - El Hostelito - he was looking pretty unsure of himself & getting directions from other taxi drivers. Never a good sign. We were driving for just over 30 minutes, with him checking & re-checking the address, calling people for help, driving in circles in the rain. At the last minute when we were driving down a road we’d already driven down, I casually looked out to the left & the bright sign of the hostel was looking back at me! I told the taxi driver, “Si! Hostel!” While pointing like a crazy person. He did a U-turn & we had arrived.

This hostel was pretty cool in that the beds are all “pods”. So the beds have curtains & are built to give you maximum privacy while still having a glorious hostel feel. We got a double bed too, which is a rarity in a shared room situation. It cost slightly less than having to book 2 beds, & significantly less than booking a private room. So the hostel got itself a deal. The staff were amazingly friendly, as I’m writing this I’m realising I need to give them a good review. One lady Christina basically gave us every bit of information we needed to see the most of Quito in the short time we had, while also helping us plan our next leg into Colombia. Nothing was too much to ask of her & at breakfast the next morning, when she’d just arrived to work, she informed us that it was an amazing day to hike up the Volcano. Mentioning that it was the clearest she’d seen it in a while, she suggested that we do it after brekky before clouds began to cover. At this point another hostel guest had joined us at brekky - John, who was from Canada & the same age as me. We decided the 3 of us would go & hike the volcano together, so we finished up at brekky & got in a cab up to the Teleferico (cable car) which would then take us to the top of the mountain, where we could begin our hike.

We purchased our tickets for the teleferico which cost us about $8 USD each, but that included the trip back down so it wasn’t too bad & off we went. We shared a cable car with 3 people from America who were also in Quito for a few days, because there Dad lives there. We made small talk about where we were all from & it was pleasant. They’d hiked the volcano before & said we’d picked a good day, though they wondered whether we’d freeze since the 3 of us were all in shorts & at its highest the Volcano is over 4,000 metres above sea level. We started to get nervous but tried to be optimistic about the sun being out & talked ourselves up as being tougher than we really believed.

Initially we thought we’d go up just to the top of the mountain & not do the hike to the Volcano, see a few viewing platforms, maybe wander a little way up but not fully. We started walking & talking, before you know it we’d walked for an hour. Stopping to take photos & catch our breath because the altitude & walking up a constant incline is difficult but also makes you feel pathetic. To stop and look at the incline your thinking “this is going to be a BREEZE!” but with the altitude being so high, you walk for 50 metres & have to stop, drink water, have a snack. Eventually we’d walked for about 2 hours & got right up close to the Volcano. It was tough, but we enjoyed every minute of it & John turned out to be a kindred spirit who we got along with really easily, almost as if we’d known him forever. After we all agreed we couldn’t hike any farther, we made our way back down, which took all of 30 minutes or so.

A man approached us offering a lift back down the mountain for $1 each in his taxi/van. We didn’t really know where it would drop us off, but we were too tired to question it & got in anyway. Typing that out I know it sounds super creepy, but I’m happy to report, there was no candy bribes involved. He actually conveniently dropped us in “New Town” which was a hip area of bars & restaurants everywhere & only 1km away from our hostel. LUCKED OUT THERE. There were a bunch of other travellers filling the van also, a couple of Canadians who had just visited Venezuela! We were so shocked because of course you only ever hear about how dangerous it is there & absolutely out of the question to visit - despite the out of this world scenery you’d get to see. But he said of all the places he’d visited he felt more safe there than other places. He didn’t witness anything dodgy & said it was one of the best countries he’s ever been too. So there ya go!

We arrived in New Town & the 3 of us walked into the first restaurant we saw, eager for burgers & beers. We ordered our food & guzzled down our beverages, feeling like it was a victory meal for such a strenuous & unexpected hike - albeit an amazing & rewarding one too! We hadn’t planned anything for Quito so to have such an awesome first day there out of complete spontaneity was a win for us.

We headed back to the hostel & each took a 3 hour nap. What? We’re on holiday!

At lunch we’d inevitably discussed our favourite movies, movies to quote, etc. We began talking about Superbad & decided we’d watch it that night if we could snag the TV at the hostel, which had Netflix. Thankfully when we awoke from our nap, it was free. The boys went & got pizza & booze, while I guarded the TV & set up the movie. We got a little tipsy, ate our pizzas & laughed all the way through the movie. It was pouring down with rain outside now & it was a great night in.

The next day it was still sunny outside, but high in the mountains looking at the volcano, you could see it was engulfed in clouds. John had mentioned that some people he’d spoken to said they’d hiked it a day or two before us & couldn’t see anything because they were surrounded by clouds & moisture. We were so much luckier than we realised!

John was flying back to Canada that day so we said our goodbyes & went off to explore the city.

A great thing about South America is the fruit & how naturally massive it is. We stopped first at a cherry stand & bought a bag to munch on. They are seriously so much bigger & juicier here, I don’t know how we’ll go back to the fruit at home! And cheap, so cheap. *cries a little*

Quito is seriously pretty, with most of the buildings in the city painted pretty pastel colours. Think peach, mint green, baby blue, pinks. Its like a cute, real life doll city. Every time we turned a corner we were awe struck by the pristine buildings we saw. We went to see a Church which we’d read was the most stunning & colourful of all the churches in Quito, which while pretty, wasn’t really much in comparison to some others we’ve seen.

The next day we decided to visit the “Middle of the Earth”, or where Ecuador gets his name sake (Equator) the place where the Northern & Southern Hemispheres meet. It was about a 45 minute drive out to the spot where Christina, our saviour of a hostel guide organised transport for us & for the driver to wait an hour while we went & explored. It was super cool! I mean its just a painted line going across a monument, but we had fun jumping back & forth & being in different hemispheres at the same time. But what was really cool was that inside the monument you could walk up to the top, with each floor on the way up hosting different stuff. From Ecuadorian history, to solar system displays, it was like being at Sci-Tech. The view from the top was really cool too. It took a little over an hour & we decided to treat ourselves with Japanese food after. Zac found an amazing restaurant where we had delicious vege dumplings & sushi, pad thai & Mango martinis.

it was time to head back to hostel & plan our next leg to Colombia. A 4 hour bus ride to Tulcan, the town on the Ecuadorian side of the border, walking across to Ipiales, the first town on the Colombian side. Christina helped us do all of this & when we awoke the next morning, 2 of the other staff were headed to the bus station & said we could tag along with them rather than take a taxi.

The buses are very straight forward & not intimidating in Ecuador, & for only 25c no matter your destination it’s sort of a no brainer. We did have to walk to our first stop though which proved challenging -and then our bus stop was a while away so it did take us what felt like 100 x as long to reach our final bus station, with heavy packs & backpacks (I swear at some stage I will get a photo of us with them on- I catch our reflection occasionally & laugh about how we are even able to stand), not enough room to sit down on the bus, switching buses, it was a mission. I considered a number of times just getting off & getting into a taxi. But the lure of cheap transportation was too much. Even if my shoulders had never hurt this much before.

We got to Ofelia bus station at about 11am, with the first bus leaving in 10 minutes. Perfect! We bought some snacks, one in particular that is becoming my absolute favourite which is lemon chips. They are something else entirely, super zesty & zingy. I wish we had them in Aus & fully expect to have lemon chip withdrawals the moment we leave South America. It took us about 4.5 hours to get to Tulcan & only cost us roughly $6USD each.

The border crossing much to our despair was quite busy & there was a big line streaming outside the office. To make us more on edge, you had to leave your packs outside of the office in a pile. There was one incident where we saw a guy try to leave with a small black backpack, but a security guard stopped him & got it back. Someone else eventually snaked in & got it- so we can only imagine what its contents were. In front of us was a couple with a child & a dog. The man only had 1 arm so as the line moved we helped them move there bags. We think the man mustn’t have been leaving the country as he waited outside with their dog & bags, & thankfully watched ours for us too. We got our packs back & waved goodbye to Ecuador.

As we approached the Colombian border, my heart sank. The line was much longer than on the Ecuadorian side & our backs were already aching from having our packs on. We must’ve only been in line for 2 minutes when one of the officials approached us & asked if we were leaving or entering Colombia. “Entering” we’d said, & he ushered us up to the front of the line where we only had to wait a further 15 minutes to get through. Sometimes our luck really astounds me. Like I have to actually pinch myself. Then sometimes our bad luck makes me want to punch myself. In the face. Repeatedly. Like what happened after we got across the border.

So our plan was to visit Ipiales Church, as it was right there on the border & one of the most stunning Churches to see, then jump on an overnight bus to Cali. There was a guy advertising a buses to Cali & Medellin standing right at the Colombian side, so we asked for prices & it turned out to be cheaper than the bus company we’d planned to go with, so we agreed to it. We only had enough cash on us to pay for half of the bus fare, so he even offered to pay for our taxi into the bus terminal / township & said we could pay the rest once we got there. Happy with that, we got into the shared van/taxi he’d got us, pulled out of the park & got stuck behind a truck that had broken down. I mean in a single lane, that is the only road crossing the border, with eventually hundred of cars backed up behind us honking. If we’d left 2 minutes before we would’ve missed it completely. I mean, shit happens. We were still in good spirits, I was just getting nervous that we’d miss our window to see this beautiful church that we’d been so looking forward to seeing. Zac remained optimistic & hopeful.

I don’t really know how long passed but it felt like a long time. In reality it was probably a slow 20 minutes to half an hour. You know when you’re just so eager to GO though, it feels longer. A good practice in patience I guess. We pulled up to the terminal & asked the first taxi we saw to take us to the Church. Not before a homeless (Not meaning to be presumptuous! t was an assumption based on his cleanliness & clothing but said without judgement, okay?) came up & asked for my hand & kissed it while saying something I of course couldn’t understand. Zac gave him a handshake after too but sadly no kisses for Zac.

We ended up using our taxi drivers Google Translate app to get across where we wanted to go. So handy that he had it in the end but he got super excited about being able to converse with it that he was not really watching the road & writing things to us like “there are many cars today”. We are like, we know, watch the road dammit. Haha. But of course we replied being as nice as possible while still fighting daylight & wanting to get to the church asap. Did I mention we had roughly an hour to get to the church, see it & get back in time for our 8pm bus? Yes, there’s that. Well there was some kind of festival in the town that night, which meant there were cars backed up to the town, thousands of people all walking around weaving through cars. It took us half an hour for what should’ve been a 10-15 minute drive, but we arrived. We had agreed the taxi would wait for us while we made the mad dash to the Church & back. It was completely dark by now, so many times I asked Zac if we shouldn’t just turn around & at least make our bus, convincing myself the Church wouldn’t be as pretty at night when you couldn’t see it. Zac assured me he’d seen photos of it all lit up & it’d be worth seeing. I am too punctual for these kinds of adventures & absolutely detest rushing. I was growing more & more anxious with every minute that passed & couldn’t completely enjoy seeing the church which was a further walk than we’d planned for also. Never the less we took our photos - & I can say now that I’m not stressing, it was still pretty at night. Not AS pretty. But pretty.

We begin running back up the hill to meet our taxi driver. When we arrived to the spot he parked, he was GONE. Nowhere to be seen. In a car that held our packs, filled with items we’d bought all the way back in Argentina at the beginning of our trip. We just looked at each other completely shocked but also feeling so stupid for leaving our packs with a complete stranger, we hadn’t paid him which we thought meant he would wait for us but then realising he might’ve found something more valuable in our bags we felt like dummies. I can’t tell you the emotions that played over us at that moment. I had to sit down & try to process that we literally had nothing on us now. In one dark way, I felt relieved I didn’t have to carry that f***ing thing another step! But in another, realistic way, I was gutted. The only relief we could muster was that the one backpack we’d brought down with us held our PASSPORTS, laptop & cameras. The expensive & necessary items. We paced around for about 10 minutes really not sure what to do. I checked the time & it was 7.45pm. So we were going to miss our bus also. In my head I started planning, okay so we’ve lost our bags but we will just get the next bus & have to make do with less. No shampoo. No soap. No underwear. No shoes. It was becoming harder & harder to imagine. We were in the midst of feeling sorry for ourselves & angry at the world when a taxi driver called out to us. It wasn’t “our” taxi driver. We thought he was just asking if we needed a taxi. Reluctant to leave on the off chance he was coming back, we said no. He kept saying something & pointing up the hill. I still have no idea what he was saying, but we’ve gotten pretty good at understanding context haha. We ran up to his window & he was motioning for us to go up the hill, when we thought we heard him say bags. So we just started running up the hill, further & further down the traffic jam, a car starts flashing its lights at us & can you believe it was our taxi driver? He hadn’t abandoned us after all!

He got in & we started heading towards the bus terminal. He starts writing on his google translate app “were you scared?” And laughing at us, I wanted to reply & say “can you please concentrate on driving & not giving us heart attacks?”, but his relaxed humour was infectious & just what we needed at that moment. I’d already accepted that we’d missed our bus so we weren’t really rushing so much anymore. We talked over the app for a bit while we gradually came down from a huge adrenalin hit. I also realised he must’ve said over the radio “look for 2 panicked gringos & send them my way” or some derivative of that.

We got to the bus terminal & went to our bus company, hoping we could just get on the next bus without having to pay twice. There was no-one in the box office so I sent Zac out to run & see if any buses were there with our company while I watched the bags. He runs back 30 seconds later & would you believe our bus was still there? We were rushed on, bags stowed, & low & behold we’d actually made it onto our original bus & were out of Ipiales & on our way to Cali. We just kept looking at each other like, did this night really happen? Expecting to wake up & it be either a nightmare or a very lucky reality.

The overnight bus to Cali takes about 12 hours. We arrived in Cali & as there isn’t MUCH to do there & we only have a couple of weeks left of our trip we wanted to spend most of our days in a place with lots to see & do, we decided to just keep bus-ing through to Medellin. It was a 10 hour bus ride about an hour after we’d just gotten off a 12 hour bus ride- it is occurring to me every day that we are batshit crazy people. But time is of the essence & we wanted to be in Medellin. So off we went. And I’ll explain more on that later. For now, it’s time to wake the old Z boy up (hey, it’s 2.30 & he’s been napping since 12.30pm!) & go find food & perhaps a beer.

Lots of love <3 x

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