If you are going to spend any time at all in Kashmir it pays to do a little homework on the subject of the local cuisine, otherwise you may be intimidated by its appearance, its aroma, and the presentation. Without knowing what you are looking for in advance you may find yourself reduced to eating the same old standards, missing out on a truly interesting epicurean experience.
I made the mistake of not following my own advice and arrived blindly in Srinagar, without the slightest idea of how I was going to happily load my feedbag. As a result I was forced to experiment with several dubious meals, and frankly, the general stench in Srinagar did not stimulate my appetite in any positive manner. Furthermore, I learned pretty quickly that the main protein ingredient is mutton, a meat I find totally unappealing.
Do yourself a favor and consult the following websites, or risk eating meals of vegetable mash and rice, or worse, biscuits and soda.
Cuisines of Jammu and Kashmir
Wazwan - The Heart and Soul of Kashmiri Cuisine by Bindiya
Photo credit: John Carolin
ORIGINAL POST: 20 FEB 2008
EATING & DRINKING IN KASHMIR
THE HOTEL ALPINE RIDGE, PT. THREE
Due to hit the shelves in the fall of 2008: Snowboard Canada, with a full-feature trip report, shot on location in Kashmir. SBC is a great magazine that too few American or European riders recognize; it is hard to find on sale outside Canada, and it is not available online. To my knowledge, when published this would be the first article on Gulmarg for a snowboard magazine in North America. Kudos!
Shooting stills for the piece is BC lens guy John Scarth, in Gulmarg with Carlo Wein as part of the Alterna Films crew, shooting a film (rumored to be named after an over-proof beverage) for release in the fall of 2008. In Transit, and Apples & Oranges are two of their previous films. Both are excellent, so in their new film look for the best high-quality footage of Gulmarg since the Warren Miller crew was in town.
We watched as they arrived at the taxi drop and they looked as bewildered as our crew did when we arrived. After all the traveling to get to Gulmarg, you may find yourself at arrival in the fading light, a hundred yards from your hotel, with a hundred pounds of gear, looking at narrow pathways stamped in the hip-deep snow. Pile your stuff on a sledge and have it hauled to your digs.
When we desperately needed entertainment, Carlo gave Sam a copy of Apples & Oranges, which went directly to heavy rotation on the laptops at the Hotel Alpine Ridge for the remainder of the season. Here is the banger trailer:
UPDATE: Alterna Action Films Knockout! premieres in Vancouver, 9 October 2008, and Snowboard Canada opens its winter run with a full-feature article on Gulmarg. Read this post from the blog Gulmarg '08/09.
ORIGINAL POST: 23 FEB 2008
BLAST RIPS THROUGH SRINAGAR
Blast Rips Through City Centre, Breaks Lull, Wounds 16 - Kashmir Observer, 19 March 2008.
UPDATE: Fire in Gulmarg's High Altitude Warfare School - Kashmir Observer, 24 March 2008.
UPDATE: 15 Soldiers, 64 Militants Killed in 2008 - Kashmir Observer, 24 March 2008.
ORIGINAL POST: 19 MAR 2008
GULMARG: THE YOUTUBE VIDEO BAR
Thank you to the producers and contributors for the following videos:
