Cucumber Chirstmas Tree & Destination -Broadway, Kochi - a flashback...

 "R" for Recipes..."R" for ramble writes...and those who are "R" for Regular here...will know..that I keep these two separate, in my two twin blogs - QP and PQ respectively. Unlikely this post, for a change,..thought of having both together.

 

A simple "green" edible Christmas tree inter woven with some flashbacks of the Christmas season still bright "red" in memories.

 

  

Christmas ? That's Jingle Bells....Carols....Christmas Tree...Crib...Cakes... 

 

Come December, and these are the typical thoughts that comes first to mind.

Well..for me...going a bit more hearty, to about a decade back.....

The busstop was right in front of my home, yet the almost 1 km walk to Vytilla junction (Kochi, Kerala) was the most common thing that I used to do, need I take a bus plying into the city centrals. In a way, this was also a guarantee that I did get a seat in the other wise crowded buses. Vytilla to Menaka buspoint -  my standard route. Could very well say that my GPS during those days had just these two locations ..the min-max limits. (on self-travel mode that is).

For the Cucumber Chirstmas Tree centre-piece, you need :

 

Cucumbers - sliced dialgonally (as shown)

A small sized onion bulb

A slice of carrot

Tomato ketchup
A bamboo skewer
 

(my Father gets me these custom made knives and my eldest son insisted that it sported a green coloured handle in it, coz its be to used for cutting "green" vegetables !...some matching matching concept ! )

          Destination One  - the most happening place that was then..The Convent Junction. 

  

Goodwill Collections (getting drowned in the tonnes of accessories).... Tops (some casual yet cheap outfit picks).... Steps/Heels ?? (forgot the name of that footwear shop, esp for the cute chettans who owned the shop..hope they don't see this post ;)...Eloor Lending Library....anything and everything from embroidery threads to oil pastels...need anything...it was Destination Convent Junction !!! 

Giving/ taking Christmas cards was soo much a part of  Christmas times then...and come any function, the first haven for any greetings and gifts was The Archies Gallery.  Browsing....browsing.....and browsing  through the endless rows of greetings cards, was kindof a Christmas tradition as well...something, which is getting extinct, by now...sadly.

To assemble the Christmas Tree

  

Cut the head and tail off of a small onion bulb and lay on the base plate - to form the base of the Tree.

 

 

Insert the base of a bamboo skewer into the onion base and get dragging down the cut cucumber slices round the pole.

 

Destination Two - Broadway..the most ironically named street now existant in our Namma Metro.

 

Being a crafty then, my main supplier for art work rawmaterials, was Jose & Co; towards the end of the street, and don't remember the countless number of times I have walked up and down the street. The tiny cowded way...with absolutely cramped parking spaces...but ironically, called "The Broadway ".

The wholesale shops used to look like this...fully adorned with stars, stars and stars in all shapes, sizes and colours.

 

 

 meanwhile...let the cucumber slices do a pole dance round the skewer ;)

 

 

During Christmas, the sale overflows even into the street which will be thickly packed with vendors and shoppers alike..and I was always a part of that crowd....

( image courtesy - Mr. Cochin Blogger -who whole-heartedly agreed to me borrowing one of his images from his blog. Thanks very much, Sir !)  

                       

                                  push the slices down in an inclined angle, as shown above

 

 

A drop of Tomato Ketchup on each of the Cucumber slice to resember some decoration.

A carrot-star cut out for the tip..and bingo !!!

 Nov 2013 - 10 years had made a world of difference in ME...but not a speck of difference to this world I was looking at right now. Got to walk the same busy wholesale section of the Street during my small one week vacation back home last month . The buildings looked the same....the crowd looked the same....the festive feel was the same....and for a moment....did wonder....

                                                              Am I the only person that has changed in the entire crowd ???                                              Will these old buildings recognize me ?                                               Breathed life into them...may be...maybe...one or two of them would...                                    necessarily not....

Anyways.... with wishes for a very Merry Christmas and an even Blessed New Year .....





  ...let this "another wise woman" take leave for the time being....till then....have a great December !!!

 


 

Stay Happy...Keep Smiling !!! ;)

   

(the general images courtesy Award goes to.... most loyal, Google Search)



 (Let me put the blame on my new Canon for the negligence that howered around my blogs over the last few months. Was clicking more of places and people for my FB page and there was literally, no cooking happening at all. This, is my first post with clicks taken using my DSLR, and got to admit..I am pretty happy with the outcome. In a way..this also means, now..I get no more excuse to be staying away from my blogworld. Inshallah...i stay commited to my spaces. )