Lost in time

The other day while having lunch in cafeteria conversation turned to traditional food dishes.
There was a time when this girl had sipped fresh froth of vats cooking jaggery sometime mixing it with fresh 'imli". The gentleman on left was lamenting those barley concoctions that villages once used to cement social ties.
I remember there used to be those bonfires at my place where we kids would strategically bury sweet-potatoes under ground putting loose soil over it. The fire was kindled over this slowly roasting them and voila a yummy breakfast.
The mango parties in gardens where mangoes by the bucket (immersed in cold water) were ravished by foodies. Mango had so many things being made out of it. Aam pana, kalonji, various chutneys used to make the torrid summers fun. Then there were other coolers like the 'faalse' sherbet, I don't even see the berries around any more. Mint sherbets, the 'kala khatta' sherbet and ice crush all seem an almost lost delight.
There were pakoris wrapped in colocasia leaves (called patri also in west of India) which were made fresh typically in rainy seasons. In fact that whole tradition of food and tea under some porch while rain washes the trees around you is such a lamentable loss.
With the loss those long leisure days of summers and grannies not really living with grandkids any more with the whammy of flat living has ensured that those delicately prepared delights are getting lost. There is hardly any time and energy left to spend time in doing all this. Besides lifestyles are such that most find it advisable to stay away from anything that might have hint of oil/sweet in it.
I believe there is a market for food resorts which recreate these old cuisine practices. Current generation will come to relive nostalgia and future for the novelty. Any capitalist looking for investments?

More About education

Economist makes an interesting case for a voucher based education subsidy. Given our own state of absymal education system (see my cribs on the poverty pushing jhoolawallah, that blight on our nation, I think this should come as an eye opener to those who decry any private initiative while simply burying their heads in sand about the shocking failures of policy past 60 years.
I wonder if we would keep going to same doctor prescribing same treatment for a malady that keeps getting worse when other treatment exists (some as shown here, even work). Somehow its so ingrained in our psyche that we must take it as gospel truth what our rulers spew.
Maybe system needs to answer
1. What has been the investment in education till now?
2. What is the annual expenditure on education today?
3. If this expense was instead directly given to students free to choose a public or private school in fees subsidy, how many kids could it have financed?
4. What is the quality of education been given in our public schools, measured in terms of success in objective exams by independent agencies over a period of time?

Ways to live

This is the time of the year when we think of life and times ahead. The kind of time when even timid like me start thinking of changing the ways we live. Accordingly I have been thinking of some exciting careers. Some of the fun/adventurous/ no-work work lines I can suggest are:
1. Professional Protester
2. Photographer with National Geographic
3. Active Volcano hiker
4. Storm Chaser (with free plane and rides)
5. Scuba diver
6. Sky Diver
7. School Teacher
8. Wine / beer taster
9. Day Watchman in a night club
10. Food Critic
11. Stock Market commentator
12. Free fall train operator? (does (s)he get to ride the train too? )

You can add your ideas