Chai Time Recs Fall 2023

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love watching the leaves change color and two of my favorite holidays are celebrated in the fall (Diwali and Halloween). I also have a huge sweet tooth and love dressing up in costumes. This year I was President Barbie and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas (my favorite movie). 

I've been very busy lately with a few work related projects and some personal projects as well. I have also started taking lessons in Kathak, which is a classical Indian dance that I have always wanted to learn. Outside of these lessons I am also always looking for new routines to learn online. I am going to start sharing videos from dancers and choreographers that I have been learning from and hope to share some of my own videos with you at some point. Please see my book, tv, movie, music, food and travel recs below. Reviews coming soon! Hope everyone has a safe and warm holiday season and is able to spend time with their loved ones!

-chaitime

What I'm Reading (reviews coming soon)

• A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
• The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
• Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai 
• Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal 
• Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston
• Babel by R.F. Kuang

What I'm Watching 

• Reservation Dogs (HIGHLY RECOMMEND - review coming soon)
• Only Murders in the Building 
• Nightmare Before Christmas 
• Made in Heaven  (Hindi) 
• Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani (Hindi) 
• Barbie
• Killers of the Flower Moon

What I'm Listening To and What I'm Dancing To

• Unholy Carnatic (amazing dance routine set to an Indian remix of Unholy by Sam Smith) 
• This is Halloween
• Spiritfarer -Daria's Theme (this is from a game I recently played - highly recommended!)
• Bulleya (Asim Azhar and Shae Gill)
• Sanson Ki Mala (instrumental version by the Leo Twins) 
• Calm Down (Indian dance routine) 

Restaurants (reviews coming soon) 

• Jinya Ramen (Maryland) 
• Luv2Eat Thai Bistro (Los Angeles) 
• Planta (Maryland location) 

Travels

• Philadelphia
• Los Angeles

Comment below and tell me what you've been up to!

Book Review: The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

I am a sucker for romantic comedies and I recently finished The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa, which is a follow up to The Worst Best Man. The Wedding Crasher focuses on free spirited Solange and work obsessed Dean, who first cross paths at Dean's wedding. Solange (who is assisting the wedding planner) overhears a conversation between Dean's bride to be and another man, and ends up crashing the wedding. Later, for other reasons, the two of them have to pretend to be in a relationship and end up falling for each other. 

This book is definitely a fun read! I enjoyed reading about Solange and her close knit family. It was hilarious that her mom, aunts and cousins continuously stuck their noses in her business. I also appreciated that things were not overexplained to the audience. The family speaks in Portuguese at times in the book and the phrases are not always translated, which is refreshing. My family comes from India and often when I am reading books or watching shows with South Asian characters, the writers tend to explain every phrase or custom and it takes away from my ability to enjoy the story. It's nice that Sosa puts the onus on the reader here to figure some of it out. 

While the female lead from the first book knew what she wanted, Solange is still finding herself, and I really enjoyed following along as she discovered what she is passionate about. I also ended up liking Dean way more than I expected. Sometimes in romances, the male lead just ends up being a generic (usually white) guy, and we learn nothing about him other than how much he loves the female lead. In this case, Dean has a well written character arc and grows over the course of the book, as he realizes that life is not all about work and making partner. 

I will say that in the second half of the book, the couple finds themselves in a few unrealistic situations. For example, why on earth are Dean's bosses so obsessed with his personal life? It drove me a little crazy. The ending was well done - things weren't wrapped up too perfectly, but just enough so that I was satisfied. There were also some hints about a potential couple who will hopefully be in a future book! Overall I would recommend this book if you are looking for a lighthearted and fun romance. This is a quick read, the type of book you can enjoy on a beach vacation. I am looking forward to reading more of Mia Sosa's work. 

Have you read any good romances lately? Leave a comment below to tell me what I should read next!

Book Review - Remarkably Bright Creatures

I just finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This book has been on my to read list for awhile. It is about a widow who forms a remarkable bond with a giant Pacific octopus. After losing both her husband and her son, Tova takes a job as a cleaner at the local aquarium, and there she meets the octopus, named Marcellus. Tova and Marcellus are drawn to each other due to their loneliness. I LOVED this book honestly. I really empathized with the character of Tova. She has spent a lot of time alone after losing her loved ones, and over the course of the book, she learns several important lessons. Most importantly she learns that it is alright to lean on others, and that for those who love you, you will never be a burden. The parts of the book that were written from the point of view of Marcellus were particularly well done. I felt so sad for him as he talked about how he felt being trapped in the tank and his distant memories of the sea. This made me think of my own pet birds and how they must feel, spending their lives in a house, rather than the grasslands of Australia. Unlike Marcellus, they've at least got an entire room and an enclosed porch where they can sing to all the local birds! I sometimes wish I could take them back to their homeland, but that, of course would be a very bad idea as they wouldn't survive in the wild. 

I also loved reading about the other inhabitants of Sowell Bay and their lives. I do wish, however, that they had been written in a more nuanced way, particularly the character of Ethan. I felt that at times the supporting characters were very stereotypically "small town busybodies" and that made not like them at times.  When I finished reading, I felt sad for Marcellus and all the other animals that we humans have stolen from their homes. I also felt joy however, knowing that his bond with Tova was a bright spot in his life. I also loved that this book was about an older person and that it showed that it is never too late to change your life. At the beginning of the book, Tova is adrift, used to years of being alone, and feeling that she doesn't want to be a burden on others. I work with older patients and many of them are like Tova, stubbornly independent and very lonely, especially as they have been isolating during the pandemic. Sadly the support system for older adults in the US is lacking, and many of my patients find themselves either in a state run nursing facility or paying an exorbitant sum for 24 hour care or an assisted living facility. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It hooks you from the very beginning and keeps you interested. Be prepared to feel a lot of feelings, and bring a tissue!

Have you read this book? If so, leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

-chaitime 

Local Eats: Urban Hot Pot

I recently visited Urban Hot Pot in Rockville and can honestly say I had one of the best meals of my life! My husband is Chinese and he has been hesitant to eat Hot Pot with me as he eats meat and often there is a communal pot for the broth. Not at this place! I was able to get my own personal broth. There are three vegetarian broths available: miso, tomato, or vegetable. I chose the tomato base. You can order food from an iPad at your table, and there is also a conveyer belt, and you can pick up additional items to cook in your broth. Traditionally, you don't usually drink the broth, but honestly it was delicious. It reminded me of rasam, which is a tomato based Indian soup. There is also a sauce counter, where you can mix different sauces and spices together to customize! My meal was very satisfying. As a tofu lover, there were tons of options such as fried tofu, ice tofu (which is very porous), shredded tofu, and firm tofu. There were also SO MANY vegetable options, from mushrooms and corn, to lotus root and taro. For noodle lovers, there are many varieties of noodles, including udon and shirataki. 

I loved the ease of ordering with the tablet and the sheer number of options. You pay one base price and when you order, the tablet makes it clear what is included and what is not. Most things are included in the price with the exception of a few specialty items. You can also refill your broth or try a different flavored broth at no added cost. On weekdays, there is a separate lunch and dinner price, and on weekends and holidays, you pay the dinner price at any time of day. However, it is very affordable! 

Things to know before you go: there is a 90 minute seating limit for each table and a food waste surcharge is applied if you leave a lot of food. I love this honestly as it encourages us to be mindful, and its hard to get to the point where the surcharge is applied - you need to fill up two plates before they apply the fee. Also, make reservations as this place can get packed! 

Overall, I loved my experience and am planning on going back very soon as not only is it delicious, but its very close to my house! I apologize for not taking pictures on my first visit, because I was too busy eating, but I will take many photos when I return very soon! 10/10 would recommend!

-chaitime