7 am
I jump out of the bed to make a coffee, I’m too full from yesterday’s dinner for oats today morning. I video call my mom from the kitchen, turning the kettle on for coffee.
She tells me how she has been using my french press at home to make coffee for my nani, and I feel very good. Nobody at my house likes coffee, so it’s nice to share this with my nani.
I sit down with my coffee still chatting to them.
They show me what they’re eating, and my naani very proudly turns the camera towards a fresh batch of turnip, carrot, and cauliflower which is now enriching itself in the Delhi winter sun.
We talk so long, I’ve missed the 9:27 train, I get ready in a rush as I want to get a croissant.
I get to Short Long Black and stare at everything, I know I want something sweet.
I often get confused with food menus, and I am not good at making decisions. It’s between the Pain Suisse and a Pecan thing, I text images of both to S and he helps me decide. I like someone to pick my order sometimes.
We’re both enamoured by the pecan stuff, but I’m craving chocolate so we unanimously decide for the Pain Suisse. I’ve never had it anyway.
I check the time, I still have 15 minutes for my train and it’s too cold to stay still.
I walk to Locavore to pick up a Yogi Tea I had 2 weeks ago, and it has left a flavour on my mind. Currently, I am uninspired with the tea I have in the studio so this excursion would be very helpful. Licorice!
It has cardomom, I love cardomom. It’s such a good herb for the winter
I want all that Yogi tea has to offer, the licorice, the orange peel, the cardamom, the yogi shaped barcode, the yoga exercise, and the motivational messages.
I hold on to the tea and Pain Suisse till I get to the studio.
As soon as I reach, I run down to the kitchen to warm up the Pain Suisse in the oven. I run up, take a bite, take another bite.
It’s cold, I left it in the oven for too short, and my dispute with ovens continues today. I can’t figure their algorithm.
I run down again, and do a longer wait, it’s warm now.
They’re sooo much butter in it, I love it. The layers are so thin it feels like paper. I wipe the plate clean, putting the crumbs in my mouth and licking the chocolate.
I open my drawer and go for customary Vitamin D for the day.
My tongue is too far from my palm, and the Vitamin D lands on my jeans before it lands on my tongue. Second time’s the charm today!
I’m too cold, so I sit next to the heater the whole time and make some drawings. I don’t want to move a lot I get cold. It’s 2 when I realise I should eat now.
I am not so hungry, but I am aware if I don’t eat now my stomach will get grumbly.
I warm up leftovers from yesterday night.
The food didn’t travel well today, the moisture in my box makes everything taste a bit off. The caramelised onions are still fantastic though!
I take stock, sticking to the idea to make a soup might have been nicer. The soup would have aged tastier.
I’m off to meet a friend at Paesano’s, when on my walk I find a clementine in my pocket bulging out to be eaten. I continue with the daily consumption of clementine. I’ve been thinking about clementines a lot lately.
I always thought that Clementines are summer food, because growing up I associated it with sun. Until, a couple of weeks back my friend who is Italian, told me that in her family they eat clementines in winter, and how the vitamins from it are good for the winter. I still believed that I had it in summer in Delhi, and that maybe Italians do clementines differently. I asked my Canadian friend L about it, she says most North Americans associate clementines with the winter because it’s a Christmas food, Maybe Canadians do clementines differently. Oi, maybe Indians do Clementines differently
2+2 = I remembered incorrectly, Delhi has a lot more winter sun than Glasgow, and I eat clementines when the sun is out in winter.
It’s an 18 min walk to Paesano’s where I have realised this truth about Clementines, and the lapse in my memory.
Paesano’s is busy, and loud, and chaotic, all things I really like it for these reasons.
I get a a number 7 with fennel sausage and a second later, switch to number 6 which has roasted pepper. I’m not sure of my choice, I want to have both, argh I always want it all, and I can never decide what I want.
I end the night with a warm cup of oat milk and a warm (no, burning hot) water bottle, GN x
Find Ragini on instagram here.