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MOSAIC

THE BEST STORIES ARE IN THE DETAILS

BOOKS
Life of Pi

Now available in almost every bookshop around the world, Life of Pi is a fictional book that won the Man Booker Prize in 2002, and has made an appearance once again in a special hardbound, illustrated edition (available at Borders at Muscat City Centre) that comes in a much larger format than the usual paperback. Pick it up: the illustrations are fantastic and the story is good enough to have piqued the world’s interest.

Pi is a boy from the Indian town of Pondicherry, interested in philosophy and with a zookeeper for a father. Given the current political situation in the subcontinent, Pi Patel’s family decides to move to Canada. But the ship sinks somewhere in the Pacific, and Pi is the lone survivor, alone for most part of the book except for a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker, who shares the lifeboat as he tells his story and drifts across the ocean. It’s an interesting idea, and a great excuse for a story. And while it is a good book, it might not live up to its hyped-up international status. Canadian author Yann Martel is clever, but Life of Pi isn’t much more. The first part �where Pi takes us through his childhood fascination with animals, his family and his experiments with religion �can get to be a bit too long drawn out, although it deserves points for background research that lets the author faultlessly recreate life in a little south Indian town. Everything is spot on, and the author is big on the details.

Things immediately get a lot more interesting once Pi gets shipwrecked, and, while this book has its paragraphs on the metaphysical, we’re glad the author didn’t saturate this part with them, when he quite easily could have jumped on the excuse. Instead, you get an interesting tale of animal psychology, and the most real part of the book as you’re taken through an agonising journey across the Pacific.

Towards the end, the boat washes up on a fantastic island that Pi will leave very quickly, and this is the most surreal part of the tale, remarkably held together, so outrageous that you actually follow it through. Martel doesn’t let you down later, holding it together with just the right balance of enough geographical reality and fantastical story. He could have gone overboard at the end �he’d earned the license by then �but the book comes to a close without much fanfare except for a last, masterful suggestion of a twist of a tale. And that’s very, very good.

Still, Life of Pi may not be remembered long, and it might probably never graduate into the shelves of classics. Instead, read it to be engrossed, and enjoy the excellent art.

Photographer Rodolfo Alfonso never expected to come across a wild cat when he drove down to Dhofar for the khareef. He was shooting a meadow when he spotted the cat, which was walking through the grass. Although quite far away he knew this was too big, long-tailed and muscular to be the usual household kind. It paused as he raised his camera, looking straight through him, and walked away unhurriedly as he tried to get closer.

With the start of the holy month of Ramadan, it is time to plan the hosting of iftars and the hospitality industry has come out with special offers and discounts. We bring you details of some of them.

Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa is offering special delights for the festival season. Al Tanoor’s iftar buffet offers traditional Middle Eastern dishes and desserts as well as popular Ramadan beverages like sahlab, kamar din, karkade and julab. The buffet is priced at RO13.5 plus taxes per person or RO20 plus taxes per person inclusive of unlimited soft drinks. A special iftar discount of 30 per cent is offered to all residents of Oman. The buffet is available daily during Ramadan from 6pm to 8pm. Shahrazad restaurant offers an authentic Moroccan iftar, featuring a select menu of traditional dishes, with live instrumental music. The Shahrazad’s iftar is priced at RO18 plus taxes per person. A ten per cent discount is offered on set menus for groups of more than ten people and the buffet is available daily during Ramadan from 6-8pm. For reservations, call 24 776565.

Crowne Plaza Muscat, during the Ramadan season, is offering private dining for groups �from as small as ten people to up to a gathering of 350 in their banqueting facilities. Prices start from RO12 plus taxes per person. For reservations,call 24660600.
Much, much more

Sohour can be enjoyed in the exclusive setting of a luxurious VIP tent at Al Bandar’s Sabhlah area where guests can savour traditional Ramadan delicacies with an array of hot and cold refreshments. Time-honoured delights including halwa, umm ali, basbousa and other Omani favourites will be available. Each tent can accommodate a maximum of six people and portable air-conditioning units and partitions are available for additional comfort and privacy. A large screen television, live Arabic music and attractive raffle draw prizes offer added excitement. The VIP tents can be hired daily starting from RO80 plus taxes, and are available during Ramadan, from 8pm onwards. For reservations, call 24 776565.

There are also offers for private iftar gatherings. A minimum of ten guests can enjoy an iftar gathering in one of the resort’s elegant function rooms with a selection of menus to choose from. For more information, call 24 776241.

Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa is offering guests special room rates during Ramadan. Rates in Al Waha hotel start from RO72, and in Al Bandar hotel from RO100 per room, per night. Rates quoted are based on single or double occupancy and include tax and service. For reservations, call 24 776262.

As part of its Ramdan celebrations, Crowne Plaza Muscat, in association with Al Madina Art Gallery, is showcasing an exhibition of Omani art highlighting Oman’s culture and heritage. On display will be paintings and sculptures of famed Omani artist and member of the Omani Society for Fine Arts, Saleem Sakhi. Saleem has already exhibited in Paris, Rome, Brussels, Holland, Jakarta, Tunisia, Iran, Egypt and Lebanon. He has also won the first place in the Exhibition of Fine Arts in the GCC for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991. Saleem will be present at the venue to explain the intricacies of his art to interested clientele. Paintings can also be purchased at the venue. The display of Saleem’s paintings is on from September 8 to September 21, 7�pm, at the Lower Lobby of Crowne Plaza Muscat. Entry to the exhibition is free.

THE TWIST
Kajal recreates the ma’moul

Kajal Tejsinghani, a pastry chef and blogger who flits between Africa and the Far East, sent in her take on the ma’moul, the famous Middle Eastern cookie that is perfect for a light snack this Ramadan. “Made from semolina and stuffed with dates, they are hard not to like,�she says. “Traditionally, they are made in wooden stamp moulds, and are available with fillings that revolve around dates and nuts. I bought some from a Lebanese supermarket the other day, and realised how much I loved them �and just had to make my own. Of course, like every creative cook, I had to give it my twist. I didn’t have any moulds either, so I hand-rolled them instead. The texture is just perfect and crumbly, and when you bite into them you discover the hidden treasure of sweet dates inside �pure bliss. It’s difficult to stop at just one.�

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 cups semolina
230g butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4tsp baking powder
2tbsp orange blossom water
1/4 cup water
A pinch of salt
1.5 cups pitted dates
100g unsalted pistachios

Start with mixing the flour, semolina, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugar together till light and creamy. Slowly fold in the dry mixture and then lightly knead with the orange blossom water and plain type. Don’t be afraid of adding too much water �the semolina will soak it all up. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes at the least �though 2� hours is even better. Chop the dates with a heavy cleaver and mash them together till pasty. Make elongated rolls and keep them ready to stuff into the cookies. Roughly chop pistachios and spread them on a plate. To make the cookies, take an ample amount of dough in your hand, roll and push in the date filling and cover it with the cookie dough; roll in the pistachios and put the cookie on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 180ºC. They taste amazing a few hours after baking. See more of her work at Aapplemint.com, nominated for the best food blog awards. n

The Noodle House at Muscat City Centre unveiled the latest additions to its menu, and a new head chef: Ades Syafruddin, from Indonesia. Ades has given the menu an overhaul, introducing dishes such as prawn bags (pastry bundles of prawns flavoured with spices, served with sweet chilli sauce); Singaporean black pepper beef, made with tenderloin; and sweet pineapple spring rolls with creamy custard sauce.

A newcomer to Muscat, Ades has worked in various hotels round the world over the course of his 20-year career, including a stint at the Borobodur InterContinental in Jakarta, where he began as an apprentice and ended up in charge of the fine dining restaurant, Toba Rotisserie; and at the Dai Chi Hotel, also in Jakarta.

In 2006 Ades was a judge of a culinary competition in Brunei, and this �as well as his experience gained working for the Raffles Group in Cambodia �will no doubt stand him in good stead at The Noodle House, where his aim is to offer visitors food that reflects a variety of Asian tastes. Cooking styles differ from region to region across Asia, he pointed out; Ades aims to hand-pick some of the best elements from Malay, Singapore, Indonesia and so on, to give diners an exciting but satisfying culinary experience. Ades, who lists his own favourite foods as noodles and escargots, is keen to emphasise the importance of cooking with top-quality ingredients, and is enthusiastic about locally grown produce. For example, his spicy vegetable bolado features aubergines that are grown in Salalah. Much of the cooking is on show for visitors �The Noodle House has an open kitchen that makes for entertaining viewing �as is one of the kitchen’s most important ingredients: ducks, plump and golden and destined for pancakes and plum sauce, are hung up in a case.

DAY FOURTEEN
Karankashoo on the Baranda

“Children from three to 18 years of age are invited to join in celebrations at the Bait al Baranda on the 14th day of Ramadan, when Muscat’s visitor’s centre will host Karankashoo. Also the name of the traditional sweet comprised of almonds, pistachio, peanuts and honey that will be served here, Karankashoo will be an evening of culture and entertainment that will include shows by a fire eater and stilt walker, in addition to games and raffles draws.

During Karankashoo, children traditionally go from house to house, holding lanterns and singing songs, and are rewarded with sweets for their participation in the fasting. The old song goes like this: ‘Karankashoo, / Oh people / Give us a little bit of sweets / Bang, bang on the mandoos (wooden chest) / Oh villagers, oh villagers, in the mandoos.�br>
If the neighbours don’t open their doors and offer sweets, a different version is sung: ‘In front of your house an empty tray / behind your house, a ghost.�br>
To be a part of the celebrations, call the Bait al Baranda on 24 714262. The centre hosts cultural and educational events for its young members, Friends of Baranda, already numbering more than 400. The Baranda will remain open during Ramadan from Saturday to Thursday, 9am to 1pm on all days except Friday. And everyone’s invited.