Objective of this Sub-Forum

house smells of sambar and sambrani

Hi ladies,

Nice to see this discussion. I also have this problem and as Kamla says, the coats and scraves hanging in the doorway get particularly affected. Often, not just us, but colleagues can also guess the samayal at home. In London, we were once refused a house in the Mews since the Brit landlord did not want Indian cooking smells to waft down to the regals who might pass that way.
But here in Holland, everyone seems to love the way our house smells. I do feel embarassed and keep the house well-aired, with bathi, pot-purri, aromatic candles. Sometimes, I feel the plain cooking smells are better.My husband says that even if I live in a desert, in a few hours, there will be an air of sambar and sambrani around me.

 

How can I not butt in ?

As a present Chennaite ( though basically Maduraite) , let me share my experiences here. There are 4 floors in our building & cosmopolitan with regard to inmates.
When I enter from outside, the flavour of basmathi cooking in coconut milk greets me, everyday - the residents are from Indonesia.
As I go to the first floor, Syrian Christians live there & everyday fish is fried just when we sit for lunch.
Opposite our flat is U P Agarwals & the predominant smell is masalas.
Third floor is occupied by Bohra Muslims & everyday they cook mutton.
I always feel our apartment has a " national flavour" ! I also keep agarbathis in the foyer twice daily without fail. Anybody who enters my flat first enquire, what brand I use. So in all probability all smells are diffused due to good ventilation in all the flats & in ours, only agarbathi smell permeates !
Ah, advantages of living in our own country !
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Am I glad or what for starting this Cooking smell question.... Its so nice to read through everyone's experience. National flavour from chitra is the highlight..

:-D

 

Decorating Styles.

Dear ILites,

I was wondering if we could shares ideas on decorating our homes in various styles. For eg: most of us Indians decorate our homes in the traditional ethnic style, by having brass or gun metal figuries, durries, traditional furniture etc.. Some might like to go contemporary by having glass and metal giving the Space age look. The other styles could be Victorian or African or Moroccan or Javanese or whatever, it could even be our own invention or an amalgam of different cultures.

Please let ideas pour in. I shall share some of mine too.

Regards
Vidya

 

Dear Mrs. Chitra,

May I also ask...what brand of bathi do u use? :mrgreen:

Love n regards,
Jay

 

My brand is ....

Dear Jay,
I use Ambika Heaven always. This is totally allergy free, always available & has a pleasant smell ! Most brands induce cough !
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

cooking smell

hi all ,
try this one.hang a wet towel in the kitchen while you are cooking.it absorbs all the smell.believe it or not it really works for me. i do it especially while doing fish fry or any veg or non veg items.

sofia