Abu Dhabi Diary: Travel Blogging, Shiraz and Mezze

Fueling the Journey with food

I’ve blogged in many places, from the crowded New York subway to an equally crowded train ride to Pune, India.  Food is always important as fuel for my brain – and stomach. When hunger pangs hit, I sometimes carried a slice of NY pizza or a bag of  Cheetos on the subway and managed to write, munch and not miss my stop – all at the same time. That is if I was lucky enough to find a seat on the crowded F train and didn’t have to strap-hang!

On the train ride to Pune from Mumbai some years back, it was a meal ordered on the packed train – a childhood tradition – vegetable cutlets and Amul cheese sandwiches, with a Limca to wash it down. And then at the next station stop there was  a swarm of vendors at the train windows, calling their enticing wares – pakoras, vada pau, chai and of course, chikki – that wondrous mix of nuts and sugar which was always my dessert.

Now on my way to India from UAE, I blogged from the big blue beyond in luxury– an Ethiad flight from Abu Dhabi to Delhi. It was quite a delight to pull out my laptop and work in-flight with a glass of Shiraz, a bowlful of roasted almonds and cashews, followed by a very satisfying meal.

I chose Arabic Mezze as my starter and got a selection of hot and cold  appetizers including hummus, falafel and pita. For lunch I had the choice of  roasted chicken breast, Tandoori lamb or Zaafrani paneer tikka  with green pea rice, Jaipuri stuffed potatoes and makhani daal. You know what this vegetarian opted for!

The meal was accompanied by Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, Australia, 2019.Here’s the back-story: “The 2019 vintage shows lightly ripe blackberries and dark plums, along with gorgeous accents of sweet herbs, eucalyptus and chocolate. The palate is full bodied with soft tannins, balancing acidity that complements those rich, ripe fruit notes. Finish is smooth with a hint of pepper.”

Food certainly made slogging at blogging a pleasure. By the time I finished my meal and worked on my blog, there was a little time left to switch between movie and TV channels before the pilot announced that we’d be landing in Delhi shortly. Abu Dhabi to Delhi in three hours. That was quick! In New York, I’d probably be stuck on the famous traffic jam on the Long Island Expressway for three hours, blogging and dreaming of a non-existent lunch – wishing I’d had the foresight to carry a packet of chips or even an apple with me as I sat in a never-ending sea of hardly moving cars for hours…