Food -- School and Otherwise

If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you will probably think I am obsessed with food. Well, maybe I am!

When we first came to Woodstock in 1968, we ate most of our meals at the staff dining room for several months until our sea baggage arrived. The food was quite awful, including the pastiest pasta you can imagine (or not), and lots of fried food that wasn't readily identifiable.

Over the years the food has improved a lot, although boarding school students always like to criticize it. One day last week this was the menu in the daily announcements:

breakfast
cornflakes
veg & paneer cutlet
stuffed french toast
toast/butter/jam/peanut butter/cheese slice
tea/coffee/milk
fresh fruit

morning snack
assorted cookies

lunch
green salad
chicken curry
sindhi curry [note: mixed vegetables in a soupy gravy]
steamed rice
masala dal
fresh fruit

evening snack (tea time)
cheese straw

dinner
carrot & cucumber stick
vegetable curry
paneer jalfrezi
tava roti
jeera rice
monng dal tadka
phirni [note: creamy rice dessert]

The pictures below are from lunch in the staff dining room: the salad and a steam table with the rice, chicken curry, and dal. (The veg curry had to be obtained from the student food line.)



One day last week we decided to try the pizza at Dev Dar Woods, a boarding house cum restaurant on the back side of the Chukker, owned by Mr. Prakash of the Sisters' Bazaar provision store. We had half chicken, half veg, and it was delicious. The leftovers heated up nicely, too.


Our regular trek to the bazaar for poori khana on the weekend was somewhat thwarted this week as our Agarwal restaurant was closed. So we ate at Green Vegetarian instead, only a very short distance away. The pooris were a little thicker but it was a good lunch.

On Sunday we visited friends in Dehra Dun and Rajpur. When we left on Monday morning we stopped at the Chayya Cafe in Rajpur. Chayya has a branch in Mussoorie at the top of Mullingar Hill. We love their home-made bread and cookies. They have a nice small restaurant, too. The entry way has a lovely garden area.


The whimsical painted entry way.


Interior of the restaurant with nice views.


After Chayya, we stopped at the Moravian Institute to look at their Tibetan rugs. The school has been there since 1963. For many years, they trained women to make Tibetan rugs as a money-making venture. A few years ago most of their export sources dried up and they have stopped making them. But we did get to see what they had left. Rev. Kundan, the principal, is on the Woodstock School Board and we got to visit with him while we were there.

This bougainvillea was only one of many on the grounds.


A close-up of a flame-of-the-forest tree and its blooms.


More pretty flowers.


Some of the rugs in the storeroom.


Part of the road heading up toward the main Mussoorie Road.

Lunch at Wolfs Burn

On Saturday we were invited for lunch at my friend Immu's house. Her home is at the top of the ridge at the western end of the Chukker. We went past Char Dukaan to the hawa ghar, then up the path. We were greeted by these lovely petunias.


The house, named Wolf's Burn, consists of several buildings, including rental units where Language School students often stay. This is the main house.


The views are spectacular in every direction, this one to the northwest.


We sat at a table in the sun, but grateful for the shade. It was a lovely day.


Immu's grandson Tariku was visiting again. His parents Tim and Archna were here volunteering in the PE department last fall when we were here. They spent much of the winter in Ethiopia, Immu's homeland and Archna's childhood home. They are here on their way back home to Australia.


Immu's husband, the Professor, stopped by to greet us.


Immu served a delicious meal combining some Ethiopian and Indian foods.


Immu shared this photo of Wolf's Burn from years ago after a winter storm.

More from Friday

A common sight all over India is the way shopkeepers display their wares. Two of the shops on the path down to Kempty Falls are good examples -- bangles and chappals (sandals).



On the way home, we stopped at an old restaurant that used to be a favorite, Whispering Windows. They were undergoing renovations and we were about the only people there. The location is good; the restaurant is upstairs overlooking a scenic view.


This is the gate at Library Bazaar. The open area where several roads intersect is called Gandhi Chowk. A chowk is like a plaza and these days is often filled with parked and moving vehicles of all kinds.


At the top of the hill above our house is Elcott Lodge. For many years, this was the home of the Buchanan sisters, who were poets and artists.



Friday evening we had dinner at Momo and Tsering's house. This home was originally named Shanty, now called Shanti (meaning peace, a nicer image).



Since we were here last they have added a nice guest room seen at the top of the picture above. here is a view of the room, very comfortable quarters.

Trip to Kempty Falls

Woodstock School's Quarter Break began Thursday afternoon. On Friday we took the scooter to Kempty Falls. This landmark tourist spot is about 15 kilometers to the west of Mussoorie, and several thousand feet below. The place was developed as a tourist destination by John Mekinan, sometime after 1835. The name Kempty is derived from 'Camp-tea', as the Britishers would organise their tea parties here.

We visited Kempty Falls a number of times when we lived here in the 60s and 70s. It was quite idyllic at that time, a lovely picnic spot. Things have changed with the explosion of tourism in this area.

The road down is actually two lanes with markings all the way. Other than the occasional cow or vehicle standing in the road, it felt quite safe.


A sample of the hairpin turns on the road.


Often the turns have tea stalls or other miscellaneous structures along the way. This turn had some retaining wall construction going on.


Once at the entrance to the falls, there was a huge traffic jam.


The top of the path heading down to the falls. Shops line the sides most of the way down.


I'm always tempted to photograph the snack shops!


You can see the steps are quite pukka.


The falls had more water than we expected at this time of year.


Looking down on the center of activity, including the lower terminus for the ropeway.


Plenty of swimmers were in the pool at the bottom of the falls. I can't imagine how cold that mountain stream water must have been!

Houses

On our drive west of Library bazaar on Sunday we saw lots of interesting buildings. The first is quite a fancy newly built (or rebuilt) house.


Not sure if this is a house or a water/electric facility, but it was right at the top of the hill.


Another older house on the top.


The facade of a maharajah's hillside home. Years ago we looked into the windows from the garden with our friends the Powells. Alfred remembered going to dances here when he was young; he commented that the ballroom had a double floor to keep the dancers' feet from tiring.


Along the New Road, the Lind Cottage. Couldn't resist!


Landour Bazaar from below; notice the Clock Tower with the scaffolding on the left side. For those who have never been here, these buildings are quite amazing. Only about the top two stories are visible from the street in the bazaar; the others are below, clinging to the hillside.


More hillside buildings.


And the last, a view of Midlands and Alter Ridge from the New Road.

Last year I wrote about our favorite Sunday lunch place -- Aggarwal's Vegetarian Restaurant in Kulri. They serve a great poori khana -- two enormous fresh hot pooris, potato curry, pumpkin curry, and onions and pickle (for Dan). We were pleased this year to find that they've done some renovations during the winter. It looks quite spiffy now.


This view is looking down the stairs from the upper floor where we prefer to sit. The walls have been tiled.

A short distance away from Aggarwal's is the Banaras House, one of the older shops where the finest silk saris could be found. It hasn't been opened since we've come and looks like it won't be coming back.


Next door to Banaras is the wave of the future of retailing here -- a fancy new Benetton store. Shopping in Mussoorie is definitely different than when we lived here!