Maut Ka Kuwaan (Well of Death)

shirinjee you have me hooked...onto vimto.:0).i went to the store I`d mentioned but wahaan nahi thee...a lil while ago grocery shopping with my ma I saw this suspicious looking bottle and promptly bought 2 litres...am sipping it right now…its this discreet see galee mae near the bahadurabad wala roundabout…near universal…``imtiaz store`` …if you don`t know what I`m talking about tell me…I`ll give specific directions…I think Aghas par bhi miltee hae…and please have your men come over…my brothers will be delighted beyond belief to have more of the same species ;)…ohhhh falsaeh ka juice! Will you make me some? I love it but my mother refuses to indulge me saying bohat mehnat hae aur itna sa banta hae :0( kaeree ka I don`t quite like..its too khatta…do you like lychee? aajkal full blast bharmaar hae uss kee..the biggest fattest roundest juciest meeethiest lychees…mae shayed 4 dozen kha chukee hoon subah sae…have u had the Pakola lychee? Its not anywhere close to the real thing…don`t remember benz…how long ago was this? you know what...these past few months a very big majority of people (or rather a vast majority of people I am acquainted with) have stopped drinking black soft drinks here in khi …its not about the great big jewish conspiracy…apparently they`re terrible for ones intestines or something like that…a cousin who`s pregnant was told by her doctor to refrain from all black soft drinks...aur jo khaana peena ho khair hae…do you know if this might be true?…u like mangoes? succulent ones on the scene…but I don`t like them all that much and thank god for that coz every time I indulge in even the tiniest bit I have a painful zit on my face the next morning…therefore I refrain but the entire variety is available…all those funny names…do you know what aamdoodh is? I don`t think I know of anyplace that serves the dessert u mentioned...can u give details about it? As for chocolate mousse, the best is served at the New York Café...the food there is theek thaak but the chocolate mousse will kill you...its out of this world…just perfect…gulshan sweets I havent been to…u like gulaab jamun? What about chum chum? Rasmalai `rehmat-e-shireen` kee bohat achee hae…its somewhere near sunshine only I think...i`m not sure exactly kahan hae but somewhere on tariq road …phase one kee defence market that u mention has the best chicken role in all of karachi…the place is called A-1 and the paratha is incredible…the chicken is incredibly spicy and soo juicy…that`s one place you must go…theres a whole lot of eating places opened that side and a new KFC ka branch also opened sometime last year…

okay WHAT is it with shaahi supari and slims? All my previously sane friends studying abroad discovered their love for slims and all kinds of supari (tulsi, shahi, sunny, the whole nine yards) the minute they got there…and also shaan masalahs? are u a shaan masalah person too? my khalaz spread all over the world are obsessed with these...absolutely positively obsessed…one says she will die if the company closes since she doesn`t have a clue as to how to cook without them…I think I know the place u are mentioning with the montessori…where the tailor is…is it very close to indus? Where nacho nana`s was some time back? also what is koh kaaf? I`m presuming its where u are but am not aware of any place by that name..:0) the lil boys u talk about are a favorite with my best friend and mother…they will stop them at the oddest place (like the weekly Sunday bazaar, outside places we will have eaten, gulf kae bahar) and start talking to them, cracking jokes, lecturing them endlessly…everytime we go to itwaar bazaar now there are close to some 17 young afghani pathan bachaas who will carry a book each for my friend and a kilo of pyaaz for mum and get paid the biggest amounts while generally most of them carry heavy loads and get paid 10 or 20 rupees...why do they do this? ``good company`` and ``because I feel like it, please shuttup`` are some answers :0)… I on the other hand feel ajeeb sa and don`t any longer talk too much with these kids…try as I might I can`t make a bit of a difference in their sorry lives and this feeling over time has intensified…kya faida do mint baat karnae ka aur 10 rupae daekar? we just walk of feeling good about ourselves not having done anything substantial…a sad story id rather not get into…and the chota kameez I mentioned is not very like what was in style a few decades ago...and no chotta painchaaz at all…the lo0o0osest, longest, most flowing shalwar with the tiniest kameez…looks funky but then I`m obsessed :0) scouty love, take New Yaaark by storm…and send me a tasweer:)

one last thing...does anyone know a good paye place in karachi? I`v just recently developed a taste for it and cant for the life of me find a good place that serves it...have tried everything from the hoity toity brunch at sheraton to the ghetto`s of kharadar…it all tastes like bones mixed with water…id appreciate anyone who can tell me a good place…

rozaiba have u had the bhujji kae paye by hira mandi? friends who were there a few weeks ago say theres nothing overestimated about it and that they`re the best…I`d kill to have em...maybe you can fed ex me some? :P

anNy

P.S: shrinjeeeeeeeeeeee its raining!!!!!!!! like crazy…ghalib said in a letter to a bud ``yahaan dhoondnae ko mussalmaan nahin milta``… yahan dhoondnae ko bhuttae wala nahin milta :-( but hopefully it`ll do the city good...we needed this desperately

anNy and Shirin!

Ladies, aap ne to yahan Karachi ka dastarkhwaan saja rakaha hai, I didn`t notice and wasted time fighting the dhoti clads on other boards :-(

So tell me, Is Bundu Khan still around? Does Tooso in Bahadurabad still sell the best Halwa Puri on earth? Is Khan Broast kicking Col. Sanders` Kentucky ass_ ? Does Noorani still make the most tender and shapely seekh kebabs possible? Does Cafe De Khan still sell the crispiest poori parathas? (are their waiters still over 400lbs each?), Does Cafe Liberty still make the sexiest possible fried eggs, sunny side up? Does Avari still have the best Cantonese food outside china? Is Village still as noisy? Does Silver Spoon still make their mouth watering pani puri? Can you get parathas and malai at the sabzi mandi truck stop at 3 am? But I guess this is more of a guys eating spot than ladies.... which reminds me of Bhuray Khan ki nihari in Lalukhet and karahi kaleji of Dehli Muslim Resturant and Abdur Rehman`s Balti Gosht in Golimar.... ahh Karachi!

Last but not the least, does MPA Jagdish Lal`s liquor shop on Korangi Road still sell openly to Muslims? (Abbasi Shaheed Road now, I heard?)

Sorry for the ranting, but like Naheed Akhter sings: Gaon ki GalyaN, Ghar ke raste aaj humaiN yaad aaye bahut!

rozaiba: You should have interacted more often. There are few people from Lahore bout they seem to be more interested in national socio-political issues. People from Karachi appear to have more love for their city than any other group. Even I am, from Islamabad, more interested in talking about socio-political-ethnic-cultural issues. If you notice, the discussion also depends on aggressiveness (number of posts) by some individuals. Basically, an individual can turn any discussion into a match between Gandhi and Jinnah souls (though I do not believe in souls after death) and also notice a large number of posts about military and military history. This has frustrated many chowkwallas and whole groups of very talented intellectual people including Bilal Ahmad and Zeemax have disappeared. Even I have thought about limiting myself to only matters that are near and dear to my heart (Punjab) or the matters that I dislike with passion because I fear their huge negative long term negative impacts on the society (Islam and military spending w.r.t. poor state of economy). Some people do not like criticizing sensitive issues. They would keep the personal attacks (attacking family members, religion, stereotyping). I tend to disagree with them. If I dislike smoking, no one can tell me tp please not criticize because they are in the business of tobacco. Similarly if I fear/ dislike from Islam and Urstruly fear/ dislike Hinduism, it is a fair game to criticize no matter how sensitive people are, to these religions. It is also true in the case of fear/ implications of military/ military spending in Pakistan. It does not matter if people come from military, bureaucratic, educational, feudal, mullah background. You can not keep all areas off-limit to discussion because some people feel it personal. The personal attack to me is to criticize or abuse family members who are irrelevant to any discussion.

Stereotyping is not the best approach but fair game. If harimau feels that Islam is responsible for great injustices to Indians, he has the right to say so. If Urstruly feels that Hindus and India are dangerous to the weel being of Pakistanis and Pakistan, he is right in saying it in a variety of ways. I seriously feel threatened by Islam and believe that it is dangerous to the well being and long term interest of Pakistan and Pakistanis ( nothing to do with mullahism, good mullahs, bad mullahs, sectarianism, jehadis etc. It is Islam, period), I say it in openly. Those who can not stand the heat, must stay away from fire. It is very easy to sroll down, without reading any number of posts. People should use it, read and reply selectively. No reason to respond with ignorance about Lahore or any other place, guessing the gender or religion of any chowkwalla etc.

I do not want to be a “good Muslim” spending X number of hours per day, per week or per year in performing rituals. I will, then, have to work harder (average+X) compared to rest of the people who would be equally good/ productive by just working (average) number of hours. A good Sikh, a good Hindu or a good Christian must also take this factor into account.

Sorry, rozaiba, I have to say it in one shot instead of breaking it down and posting it on various threads.

Shah # 100.

I whole heartedly agree with your thoughts !

................

Aamir .... it really is not about who or where a person is .... more on ... what a person is like ? [ trying to put it as briefly as possible here ] do u read me or not ?

take care ,

sa:)

Sameer JB,

you startled me for a moment ! good disguise though ! i think everyone excells at that here :)

sa:)

Dear anNY,

Good to hear from you .Hope your assignment went well.Your post as usual is filled with all the juiciest possible of Karachi!what a great treat this is ! i really appreciate you writing such detailness despite your busy schedule studying ! i really and truly mean it :)now lets start talking ....

[[``Shireenjee I think your men and mine are going to be very happy ``]]

anNY, while the junior men in my family are too busy watching their waist lines ,its me and my husband who are really chatoras .He would probably be the leader of the band when we go for our indulgences !

all i can remember from your post is the food bit in greater detail, though i think we have pretty much covered everything now ! well i have not had the soup at PIDC. Is it not amazing how much that fellow has gone up market? I remember the small little place he had for just paans , and all his chottas , including a very cute Albino boy , who used to come running to our car .We had struck a good friendship with the chotas there . I adore talking to such people .can talk for hours .they are so genuine and simple .I always used to lecture them on pursuing studies , while they wanted to jump in the back seat and would die to come and work for me .Poor little souls ! We had become great friends with quite a few , they would come running ``Salaam Bajee abhi laya aap ka sadha khusbodaar aur katee hwee suparee key saath``, ... we did have a telepathy going ! they must have all grown up now ! funny how sometimes we like to mAke our memories Still .... just let time freeze . growth just remain stunted , age preserved ....but then on the other hand life has to move on .... so i should stop being a dreamer , which i very much am !

Pleaseeeeee tell me exactly the name of the store where i can find Vimto .I will be indebted to u for life anNY !! the drink of heaven . i have yet to compare it to any better tasting drink in the brown family .anNY , do you remember the drink ``Benz ``? it was a sickly sweet mango drink. people were crazy about it .... i somehow found it too sweet so never did have a passion for it ! it too has been discontinued , but no regrets .

Re : Polka ! but why ? i thought it was doing pretty good business .i loved their chockbars and mango icecream !

now the season for all the exotic fruits must be starting .Kaccha green Amrood`s , Jammuns , Falsaas , bers ... gosh ... can`t carry on .I love getting the gadra green amruds with the spicy mix they give in an akhbar kee poriya !

Have you had falsa ka sharbat ? my mother makes it a lot at home .it is very refreshing .Also kairee ka sharbat ?.I love that .if u want recipes i will gladly give them to u . they are served in tall glasses with lots of crushed ice ! Even Anaar ka juice is very popular in my parents house ! love it !

I havent tried the deserts at Dynasty.Bake n Take at Avari towers was considered very good at some point .i wonder how it is now ? In our days ``Mama Mia `` , the pitza placein sheraton used to be booming .The deserts there were great .There chocolate mousse was out of this world .Do you like mousse ? I love it .It is so light , and fluffy .One can go for seconds on it .There is another desert i love ``Tiramisu ``.However i have discovered it has gelatin in it ![as u know gelatin here is a derivative from beef +pork ] , i had to stop. I hope someone in karachi serves it .If you do know let me know pleasee .[thanks ]

Have you tried `` gulshan sweets `` in defence market [ phase 1 ] ... their gulab jamuns are to die for ! waisey i love habshi halwa also. that is my farmaish whenever anyone comes from karachi. Abdul khalique ka Habshi halwa , and shahee suparee. Paans cant take that long a journey , so i have stopped for those .One of the hazards of Koh Kaaf .

What about baisin key laddo ? do u like those anNY ?i adore them , better than motee choor key ladoo .And if you want the best Rasmalai , its gotta be ``Sunshine sweets ``! well things have changed so much anNY , and i inevitably drift in the past when i talk of those golden days . keep updating me , in case you have a better place for any of the stuff mentioned !

The cricket at your place sounds just too good .I think i will send the men of my family to camp in your playfield ! yes ! night cricket in flood lights , and cricket on the road .Last time when we went to pakistan , my husband and the boys played cricket on the street .A totally new concept and xperience for the juniors ! sarey ghar key naukar , aur aas paas key jama kar letey they , for want of players .Luckily where my parents in law stay is a quiet lane , so i was not worried about street traffic .

now the fashion bit ..... yes i heard mini kameezes and choti painchawalee shalwars were back .Somehow this teddy look is not me .

I will tell you of a very good tailor .Master sahib, is superb. he works in a boutique called ``Dhanak ``, run by Niggi Nur Khan .He is a perfectionist .Can make eastern as well as westen clothes with just as much ease . He is located in Clifton, close to bhutos house .I can`t remember the address off hand , but it is like ahuge building , with a huge courtyard .the building is sectioned into apts. and even has a montessori going on in it .for the life of me i cannot remember the name of the montessori right now . will do it .

so sarees are making a comeback .they do look elegant , but half the battle is getting the blouse stitched well , otherwise the attire looks very dowdy .

well so much for now ... take care , and lets keep the momentum of our posts going , before the thread is shunted back :)

and anNY ,i dont have a pierced nose !

lots of love ,

take care ,

sa:)

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Hello Rozaiba , so glad you joined in ... i love ``Banu Bazaar ki Fruit chaat ``.... unfortunately dont go to lahore on my trips , as no one from either sides of the family lives there , and time is so short on visits !

shopping in lahore is so much better than kchi .It is true , lahore is for pakistan, what paris is for the west , as far as fashion goes !

and .... thanks for being so generous with your board .... we have murdered the original theme , but oh heck! the name of the game is having fun ... and u did set the stage for it !

love ,

sa :)

i must say, no one here seems to be from Lahore- the food capital of this solar system (as one should not exxagerate by claiming it to be the food capital of the galaxy or the universe).

Anny #97,

Wow, that was a great synopsis of the Pakistani fashion scene. Glad to see saris are back, simple elegance in an unsewn six yard fabric.

For some reason, in my family, saris have been a thing for married ladies. I`ve never worn one, but I`m thinking about changing that this summer.

As for the pierced nose, my sister said she`d kill me if I ever did it. Unfortunately, nose rings/studs are associated with ghetto mamasitas here, especially in NY.

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sa: That was a satire, a joke, in response to someone else using the term momin for no reason. I know you meant people like me; hehehe

Your characterization of pakistani men was a kind of exception. Normally in Ist generation diaspora Pakistanis and Pakistani students, there is no great appreciation of each other (male and female) as presented in few articles at chowk.

SameerJB # 89

No Sir! not that variety pleassssse ! [ LoL ] !!

sa:)

i posted this a few hours back..either was lost in the cyber drain or then dear ol chowk staff decided to axe it..trying again

Shireenjee I think your men and mine are going to be very happy with each other while we eat the town empty…your husband sounds as obsessed as my father and brothers...have you too seen these men act like dribbling 3 year olds when theres a chhakka on the other side, cursing the past and future generations of the batsman with the audacity to marroe it? And the steady commentary? My kid brother literally gives a live commentary and says the most retarded things… that child just jumps all over the place refusing to rest till the game is over…my father and other siblings are not far behind…yesterday when we won England sae they insisted on going for ice cream with a whole battalion of equally ecstatic friends…I live in my great granddads haveli and thus there is a huge big opening at the back of the house…a porch cum patio…there the mad men have made a pitch and we have these wicket stands and white chalkings…one of my older cousins wanted to have a whole bunch of seats made for an audience…that`s where my father drew the line thank god…ramzans are maddening...every single night these males drive everyone crazy till sehri time..their shrieks and high fiving would penetrate any wall…and ofcourse the neighbors cant complain since all their men are plonked at our place too…at times, mostly on weekends there are close to 40 to 50 males of all ages, sizez, colors going out of their minds in delight…once introduced to a young man he exclaimed.. ``heyyy! I play cricket at your place``…kuch aisa haal hae… somebody here on chowk said cricket retards male intelligence…no wiser words have been spoken

Aicha behen, apna tailor batta doe kahan hae…mae aap kae aur aap kae boyfriend kae liyae bohat saree duain karoon gee…all my 20 years on this earth have been spent trying to catch hold of someone who can sew with his eyes open and with `some` proportion to my measurements...but no…its either a potato bag or then something so fitted it gets hard to eat without fear of tearing them…your family tailor sounds…lol…funny? I wont laugh coz I have to go pick up some clothes in a few hours myself…our family tailor is in bombay and the rest of the year when here, I make do with either sacks or then skin tight about to tear clothes…the family tailor is this ancient ancient man who insists on making one stand on a pillow and taking measurements…I enjoy these pedestalish experiences immensely but it causes oodles of embarrassment for my aunts and `oh so propah` sisters n cuzins…but what fitting...just perfect man…I tell him every year he should move to Pakistan and stop short of begging but he just carries on with his measurements (which by the way he is very nonchalant about) since heez as deaf as a post…I`d love to meet your poor embarrassed tailor…;)

Now the fashion trends… *let the drrrrrummms roollllll *…okay just one little thing…throughout the course of this please remember this is somebody who a few times ended up at uni. in her P.J`s…(Winnie the Pooh walae…nothing scandalous)…and also I`m terrible at making efforts to doll up and have to literally be manhandled to be convinced to apply any gook on my face…tau if I`m somewhat (read: downright) condescending towards dressed to kill females, please excuse me impertinence…I have no patience with chaar ton ka make up and pink silk shalwaar kameeziz…

the latest trend aajkal would be the sari…limited to engagements and weddings till a few months ago, last night I saw close to 6 females wearing the loveliest sari`s at a semi formal dinner…not aunties…girls…and the very pretty kind, nothing ostentatious just a plain sari with a border on the palluu…almost all the females I saw looked good…theres something about the sari, makes even the fattest and skinny woman look graceful…and on the whole theres a whole lot of people wearing sari`s now as compared to just a few months ago…other than this theres the increasingly short kameeziz...they`ve reached somewhere in the top region of the thigh…I think they look superb…nothing quite like it…with the loose shalwar and a pair of kola puris, its as comfortable as it comfortable…the kind of fashions our mothers would employ has come back…desi hip :P pierced noses and the funkiest stilettos have made a come back…shirinjee have u got a pierced nose? I remember a madness taking over all my friends a few years ago wherein everybody got their noses pierced, some wearing lovely rings and others the more common yet as lovely studs…one friend insists on wearing a bloody peace sign in her nose and another a chunky silver ugly cube in attempts at expressing their individuality…I wear a ring …anyone who got it done in the non-traditional way i.e. with the gun and not wire would know how it is to be standing at deaths door…theres nothing like sitting with a gun shoved in to your nose waiting for a needle to come piercing through your skin...and the pain after kills...but its worth all that pain…Were any of you here some 4 years ago when the ugliest thing ever made an appearance? The bell sleeves?...incredibly ungraceful with the silliest flying of material in faces at the slightest breeze I don`t think theres been anything as bad…aaj kal the shalwars have gone increasingly high (not the loose pulled up type of a few years ago) they`re pulled up above the ankles with a lil button or without it, showing off the prettiest feet…a big majority of ladies at hip places are wearing these with the nicest chapleeez...the shoe business here has picked up like anything…from the most delicate kola puris (dela wala behind dunkin donuts) that are as good as those in lahore and india to the funkiest sandals (at perigee)..even EBH is making nice shoes now...and they stock a small amount of designer chapleez too…C.K kee itnee khoobsoorat theen…black flats with these slinkyish straps running across the toes...theyr`e from between 3k to 8 I think...not sure since I try and steer clear of that area…and walkman has very very pretty shoes…formal bhi and the nicest nicest sandals…but the best place is della wala, dunkin aur nando`s kae peechae…`we make the ugliest feet look pretty` the old man there says and he doesn`t bother if the fair ladies walk off in a huff…then theres sole and a few other hoity toity places at zamzama that have nice stuff but very very pricey going up to 13 thou for a made to order pair…yae tau digression (everybodys using this word I wanted to also) ho gya…another annoying trend is the formal wear that`s taken over the goddamned churi daars..one evil replacing the other…its these horrible cigarette pants with the craziest slits in the kameez (if we can call it that) and in the pants too…matlab ya seedhae sae slacks pehen lain ya phir insaan kee tarah shalwar…gross distortions of the shalwar kameez I say…im also sadly, the only one saying so...everybody else has gone wild…these are accompanied with the funniest dupattas that resemble lil hankies…net dupattas were all the rage a few months back…wisps of net with a lil embroidery here and there…they look kinda nice at weddings and all but a very scary amount of females started wearing these to school…of course it kind of defeats the purpose of the dupatta with a lil wee bit string see hanging from the neck…that`s all there is to shalwar kameeziz that I can rember for now..ill keep an eye out when im out now and report straight to you scouty and shirinjee ;) as for western attire a whole bunch of places have opened up from local to the big names…c.k, old navy, nike, giordano, benetton, levis et all …theres this place at zamzama in the same lane as Déjà vu that has the nicest clothes…no such trends as such save overalls that some people females on wearing everywhere and ofcourse the sadion purana tight asss pants and skimpy tshirts…like the chotee kameez this doesn`t go :0)

shirinjee…yep dynasty is incredible..have you tried the chocolate flake pastries? Its like this crunchy corn flakish thing covered in thanda, hard chocolate…I havent been in a few years tau I don`t remember about the other stuff…oh you like vimto too? Just yesterday a friend who`s terribly homesick was saying she wanted 5 litres of vimto to make her sorrows fly away..and the poor child was so sad to hear that…wait, brace your heart…polka is no more..yes..that is the sad truth..no more polka ice cream…gone forever…vimto bohat kumn jagon par miltee hae..theres a store in clifton near `the shop` that sells it..i`ll let you know the specific location…P.I.D.C!! have you had the soup there? Its so good…really the best place to have soup..we eat there on the way to the beach since it`s a meeting point where everyone gathers to carry on together…and pan at marriott? lol I think ill stay away ;) theres a man at boat basin ..baboo ka paan they say…his paan is the biggest most juicy paan ever..its just filled with khopra and other sweet things and drowns the horrible taste of the leaf…you must try it…somewhere towards the beginning near mottas I think..nimko kae samosae aur pakorae khae nahin dabba kae khain hain..bachpun sae dabba rahee hoon :0) aap nae bohri kae samosae khain hain? The one near quaidooz mazaar? Delicious steaming samosas with the spiciest aloo inside…the big fat ones…waisae if we both don`t take care now we`ll turn into big fat phoola hoa samosas ourselves at the rate at which we`re going ;)

much love,

anNy

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Don`t those words fall like a ton of pearls?

:)

I am not sure if the emphasis is on ``2`` or ``goras`` but either way it si called - excersizing ones prerogative : ) just as men do - women also have the same freedom. It is extremely hypocritical to think otherwise.

aicha

Aamir #83

And, Sir, your point is??

anNY,

CORRECTION TO MY POST # 71[i think ]

The wonderful chinese restaurant is not in Taj Mahal, but in Avari Towers ``Dynasty ``. do try it . it is our all time favourite !everything is good there , so i cannot recommend anything in particular. just a very funny incident happened once when we were eating there .These huge burly guys in white starched shalwar Kameez`s came and sat next to our tables.When their server brought them their drinks they said ``Thoree see isnow bhi la do ``. The server was extremely puzzled. He started laughing jee isnow yahan nahin hotee .one of them got really mad and said `` maniegier [manager ] ko bulao .The poor cheenee guy came . they said `` kaisa bewaqoof aadmee hai, isnow mang rahaey hain, nahin janta kiya hai. kaisey log rakh letey ho bhai ?`` the manager turned to the server and said `` they want ice ``!! :)

One lives and learns daily , in the Great University of Life !