Happy Diwali

Electric proms

The BBC electric proms start today and runs on till Sunday. I registered to buy tickets but it was not to be ( yes you need to register in order to buy tickets!) .

I am now doing the next best thing sitting up and catching these melodies on BBC2 as it takes place live at the Roundhouse. I am looking forward to listening to Adele, Jamie Cullen, Beth Rowley, Oasis, African Express, Razorlight, Nitin Sawhney and many many more artist perform in one big musical melting pot spread over 4 days.

I shall now retire to my telly as Burt Bacharach creates magic on the piano. I leave you with a bit of Adele to make you feel my love.

Staying alive

I now have research to back this up, Saturday night fever helps you stay alive.

"Link

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- A dose of ``Saturday Night Fever'' might help mend a broken heart.

The Bee Gees' disco anthem ``Stayin' Alive'' from 1977 has 103 beats a minute, close to the number of chest compressions needed for cardiopulmonary resuscitation to work, according to a study at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. Students who listened to the tune while practicing CPR on a dummy learned to give the right number of pumps, an abstract of the research in the Annals of Emergency Medicine said.

The rhythm stayed in their heads. Five weeks later, the participants delivered compressions at 113 beats a minute, still an acceptable range. Ten doctors and five medical students took part in the experiment.

``This was a small study, but the results are encouraging enough that a further study, using a larger and more diverse population, is warranted,'' said David Matlock, one of the researchers, in a statement distributed by the American College of Emergency Physicians. The results will be presented at a meeting of the Dallas-based group later this month, in Chicago.

Merkato Cravings

I first discovered Merkato thanks to a foodie couple M&M. They asked us to meet them at Kings cross 2 years ago for an Ethiopian meal, which was how our love affair with this little mama & papa joint began.

Merkato is amharic for market, it lies on Caledonian road nestled between a kebab takeaway and a bookie shop. We entered and were surprised to find most of the 6-7 tables at this joint full. The smell of spices and incense wafting through the room filled my nostrils and I knew at that moment we were going to enjoy this meal.

My best memories of Merkato apart from the food is the service, we are always served by this beautiful tall elegant Ethiopian lady with cheekbones to die for. She is warm, attentive and makes the meal a better experience. I don't know if she recognises us but we are always treated like regulars, special. I am guessing she uses this charm on all her patrons.

We start our meal with ayib- spiced cottage cheese with spinach. Ethiopian food is eaten out of a single plate lined with injera bread. Its communal eating at its best, you use your fingers much like Indian food. This sour dough bread which reminds me of a well fermented kal dosa is about 20 inches in diameter and lines a large plate. This bread is dipped in delicious stews called w0ts- my favourtie is the tibs wot ( beef ) and doro wot ( chicken) . They do very nice vegetarian wats and a spicy rich slow cooked split pea dal called shiro. The secret of the wots lies in the sauce which has a distinctive flavour of berbere a potent combination of various spices.All this is usually washed down with Bati Bira. Both S and I love spicy food, our Indian palate has been singed for decades with spices, Ethiopian cuisine was made for us.



We have dragged every friend, visiting relative, neighbour, colleagues from work, willing to experiment to this little joint. We have spent many Friday nights there with friends enjoying the warm service and the delicious food. We all get Merkato cravings, once you have had a taste of soul food you keep going back for more.