Archive for October, 2005
Goli soda and Lamune
I subscribe to the “Herro from Japan podcast” (http://feeds.feedburner.com/hfj_podcast). One of the recent episodes talked about a soda in Japan called Lamune (or Ramune) that comes in this unique bottle.
(image from www.nitto-ramune.co.jp/)
The bottle is sealed by a small glass ball. The get to the drink, you got to push the ball. The ball then falls into the gap in the neck of the bottle and the drink fizzes out.
Josh in Japan has more on Lamune.
I remembered Goli Soda - a similar drink from India. The Indian version used a goli (marble) as a seal. Again you had to press the marble into the neck to get to the drink.
I found this “goli soda” image on Raji’s blog.
I had never seen Goli Soda in Bangalore or Bombay or any other bigger cities. The 80s was dominated by Thumbs Up and Limca. Delhi had a drink called “Double Seven” (1977 was the year that Coke was chased away from India and local cola makers took over the market. Hence the name). Coke returned to India in the 90s. We would only see Goli Soda when we went to Mangalore- a smaller town on western coast. I think they were more popular in the South. I was just googling for some pictures of Goli Soda and I found this picture of a vendor in Banglore.
Picture by G.R.N. Somashekar/ Hindu Businessline
Seems like Goli Soda is now taking on the bigger brands.
`Goli’ soda, the bottled drink with a marble stopper, for long a rural favourite, is increasingly seen at Bangalore street corners holding its own against the onslaught of majors such as Cola-Cola, Pepsi. Priced at Rs 3, it is offered as an instant concoction of wholesome herbs such as ginger, pepper, fresh lime etc.
Online research – how to tell a good source from a not so good one
Recently, I was at a talk about online media where the speakers were a online journalist and a sci-fi writer. They were saying that one of the most important skills students have to pickup is the skill of information descrimination. We got to be able to look at webs, blogs, wikis, forums and figure out what piece of info can be relied upon.
So how do I make sure that the website or the blog I am getting my info from is indeed reliable? How do I make sure that the author of that site has done his/her own research? How do I make sure that the guy who calls himself an expert is actually referred to by other professionals in that particular field?
Following are some of the techniques I use whenever I refer to a site.
Read the rest of this entry »
Qilai pengyoumen !! - Happy Chinese National Day
Must wish Happy National Day and happy holidays to our xiao pengyoumen (and not so xiao yet forever young) pengyoumen in China.
In China a child is a xiao (small) pengyou (friend). An apt phrase if you ask me as most kids are very friendly like these kids I once met in a small town in Jiansu province. To make the plural, you just add a “men”. So children = xiao pengyoumen.
Some lines from the Chinese National Anthem
qilai!
qilai!
qilai!
women wanzhongyixing,
maozhe dirende paohuo qianjin!
maozhe dirende paohuo qianjin!
Qianjin!
Qianjin!
Jin!
(Arise!
Arise!Â
Arise!Â
Millions of hearts with one mind,Â
Brave the enemy’s gunfire, March on!Â
Brave the enemy’s gunfire, March on!Â
March on!
March on!Â
on! )