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Post by spindrift on Mar 25, 2009 9:45:15 GMT
Malabar coast! Mmmmmm....I took this picture several years ago when I was at Cannanore, Kerala on the Malabar coast.  The beach appears to be deserted. Nevertheless day after day I was pestered by Indian men who climbed down the cliffs and around the headland just to latch onto me. I wasn't even exposing my legs...I had a pair of trousers covering the bottom half of my swimsuit. I wasn't in a tourist area, it wasnt the tourist season (I was alone and didn't see another white face in nearly 4 weeks) and I was staying in a tiny guesthouse in the middle of a coconut plantation. I had driven over the Western Ghats...what beautiful countryside. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2009 10:54:58 GMT
 This is as close as most Europeans get to the Malabar coast. |
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Post by bazfaz on Mar 25, 2009 11:21:53 GMT
You'll probably think I am boasting but I don't care. I am about to have a glass of tap water with lunch.
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Post by gyro on Mar 26, 2009 5:50:40 GMT
Huh ? why boasting ?
One man's rubbish is another man's dinner, etc. etc.
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Post by BigIain on Mar 26, 2009 12:02:57 GMT
I am off in 10 mins for lunch and for a change some good quality red wine. I hope my system can handle the good stuff.
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Post by auntieannie on Mar 27, 2009 20:49:51 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2009 20:55:25 GMT
I love Kriek, but it seems really expensive to me in France. I must remember to stock up the next time I go to Begium.
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Post by gyro on Mar 28, 2009 0:23:03 GMT
Kriek is overrated. Especially at something close to 3 pounds a bottle in the UK. And that's not even a pint !
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Post by BigIain on Mar 28, 2009 8:00:03 GMT
A night on the Kriek gives you one hell of a headache BTW. Liefmans has always been my favourite.
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Post by imec on Jun 6, 2009 1:20:16 GMT
Inspired by Gyro's "I drank one of these last night" thread, I'd like to propose a new thread where you tell us what you're drinking today. Doesn't matter whether it's a wine, beer, soft drink, cocktail, tea, coffee, whatever... It can be something treasured from your collection or something you just bought for 50 cents (pence, pesos, hallalah etc). As soon as Mrs. IMEC gets home, I'm opening this:  |
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Post by traveler63 on Jun 6, 2009 1:54:53 GMT
In my glass is Duval Leroy 1998 Champagne. This is my last bottle. Boo Hoo!! I do have some Moet Chandon White Star. Tomorrow my best friend forever and her husband are coming to dinner, so I will post what my husband and I pull from our cellar to drink with appetizers and dinner.  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 6, 2009 2:24:24 GMT
Y'all's lives are elegant and delightful.
I'm having a half cup of tepid coffee.
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Post by imec on Jun 6, 2009 2:41:48 GMT
Why not heat it up?
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Post by hwinpp on Jun 6, 2009 3:21:42 GMT
At the office, I've got a big KFC mug half full of nescafe. But this evening there'll be cocktails here: www.river108.com/ |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 4:25:19 GMT
What's with the nescafe? I hear and read in novels people drinking nescafe. Seems to be the preferred caffeinated drink of alot of people overseas.  I fully acknowledge being a coffee/tea snob. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 6, 2009 4:36:11 GMT
Because then it would be re-heated coffee, Imec.  Glamorous place, HW! What's the occasion? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 4:45:49 GMT
Nescafé being the #1 instant coffee in the world, it is normal for it to be mentioned all the time. What I really find bizarre, however is that just about everywhere in the world, if you just order a tea without any additional details, you are going to get a teabag of Lipton Yellow, even if you are sitting on a beautiful terrace overlooking a tea plantation.
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Post by BigIain on Jun 6, 2009 9:53:00 GMT
Bixa joins the cold coffee gang? I am having my traditional cup of the cold coffee right now. Strong and black. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 10:01:58 GMT
People who drink cold coffee should be rounded up and put in a camp somewhere, maybe Iceland.
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Post by BigIain on Jun 6, 2009 10:04:26 GMT
I will appease you by mentioning the bottle of claret that I shall be enjoying with lunch?
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Post by bjd on Jun 6, 2009 12:41:07 GMT
We just tasted (drank it all actually) the bottle I brought home last Monday. Gaillac Mas de Doat 2006. Red wine produced 50 km from where I live. Being local stuff, it went well with the duck breast (magret) we had for lunch.
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Post by imec on Jun 6, 2009 13:17:37 GMT
bjd, as I'll be in the Gaillac region for the first week in July, are there any wines that I should especially seek out? Any particular vineyards I should visit?
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Post by rikita on Jun 6, 2009 15:44:31 GMT
in the glass i just finished was tap water with a multivitamin tablet.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 16:58:29 GMT
I just had rum + violet syrup + diet lemon Coke so your indignation may now rain down on me.
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Post by imec on Jun 6, 2009 17:24:11 GMT
Actually, I can't be indignant because I'm simply ignorant - what IS violet syrup?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 17:44:36 GMT
It is exactly what the name implies -- syrup flavoured with violets.
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Post by imec on Jun 6, 2009 17:58:49 GMT
Never heard of it. Is it popular in France? Do others drink it with their rum and coke or is this your own creation?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 18:28:11 GMT
It was a sudden whim. Violet syrup is not one of the most common types, but it seems to be easier to find in the warm months of the year.
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Post by bjd on Jun 6, 2009 18:41:48 GMT
Violets are a specialty of Toulouse -- you can get violet syrup, candies, jam, candied violets...
Imec, in the centre of Gaillac, near Abbaye St Michel, there is a wine centre for Gaillac wines. I don't know if they give samples but you can buy local wines to give you an idea. And at the tourist office you can information about the "route du vin".
If you have a car and drive towards Cordes (worth a visit), there are vineyards on the way -- all over the area in fact -- that advertise that you can come and taste and buy on the spot.
Some producers make Gaillac Perlé, which is a slightly fizzy white wine. Also the Gaillac vin doux, is a bit sweet but not too sweet and is a good apéritif or dessert wine.
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Post by rikita on Jun 6, 2009 21:25:20 GMT
at my dad's i had some rosé, can't tell details though as i forgot.
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