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There are books that make you happy—books that are the equivalent of a warm, comforting hug, stories that make you believe everything will be okay despite the odds. ‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl is that book for me. This is one of the books, and perhaps the first book, I gravitate towards when I need a little pick me up. 

When I was in school, I got my hands on a tattered copy of Matilda. I had come across it at the Awon library in Kupondole, Lalitpur. I loved it—read it on a balmy Saturday devouring the two Perk chocolate bars that I was allowed on the weekends. I renewed it during my next visit to the library because I couldn’t part with it. 

Soon enough, I bought my copy from Ekta Bookstore in Jawalakhel. At almost Rs 400, it was a pricey book during those days. I’m talking about the 90s here. My parents used to give me money to buy books, mostly the Famous Five or the Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton and the occasional Archie comics. Blyton’s books used to cost around Rs 140, with slimmer volumes priced as low as Rs 98. An Archie comic was Rs 68. So, I had to save up to buy Matilda. I bought one book at the combined cost of several. 

Over the years, I have read Matilda many times. I have bought more copies than I can recollect because I’m always giving them to people. Right now, I have two copies (with different covers) on my bookshelf. Sometimes, I just sit with the book, letting memories of a happier time wash over me. 

Matilda is about a girl named, well, Matilda. She’s a genius. By the age of three, she could do what most adults take a lifetime to learn—take care of herself. By four, her reading list had Hemingway, Dickens, and Orwell among many other prolific, highly celebrated authors. But Mr and Mrs Wormwood, Matilda’s parents, think she’s a nuisance. They think she should watch more TV and read fewer books. Her school principal, Miss Trunchbull, is another terror who despises children. But Matilda isn’t an ordinary girl. She has a few tricks up her sleeves that just might save her and her amazing teacher, Miss Honey.  

It might seem like a simple story when you first read it. But it’s also a brilliant reminder of what the human mind is capable of and how you can often turn your life around with the right attitude. Peppered with Dahl’s signature wit and Blake’s fun illustrations, Matilda keeps you entertained and allows you to forget your worries for a little while. 

Fiction

Matilda 

Roald Dahl

Illustrated by Quentin Blake

Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd 

Published: 1988

Pages: 232, Paperback

“Does airplane food taste different from food on the ground?” During my 16-year career in airline catering, I’ve been asked this question numerous times. The answer is yes, it tastes different, and the reason behind this difference lies in air pressure. 

Celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay and the late Anthony Bourdain often criticized airplane food. But the truth is it’s not that bad. The quality of airplane food has improved significantly over the years.

Airline catering has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1970s. Back then, airlines primarily focused on providing basic meals to passengers, often lacking culinary appeal. 

However, significant changes and advancements have taken place in airline catering. One notable change is the collaboration with chefs to enhance the quality of in-flight dining. These chefs bring their expertise and creativity to design menus that offer a higher level of culinary sophistication, transforming airline meals from basic to gourmet.

In the world of airplane food and catering, one popular choice stands out—curry. This choice is not only a favorite but also holds a connection to Nepali cuisine. A common practice in airline catering is the chilled-reheat process. This method is used to ensure food safety and maintain quality during transportation and storage. It enables a wider variety of meal options and ensures that food can be prepared in advance. 

The process involves cooking the meals, quickly chilling them, and then reheating them on board, preserving their flavors and textures. But this process is more challenging than preparing à la carte meals at a restaurant.

Curry has earned its place as a popular choice for airline meals for several reasons. First, curries are known for their bold and intense flavors, which can hold their own even at high altitudes, where taste perceptions can be muted. The spices and aromatic ingredients in curries add depth and complexity to the meal.

Also, many curry dishes can maintain their textures even after reheating, making them ideal for the chilled-reheat process used in airline catering. Some even argue that curry tastes better on an airplane.

Additionally, curries are highly versatile and can be adapted to accommodate various dietary preferences and restrictions. This versatility allows airlines to offer a range of options to passengers.

Curries are beloved by people from diverse cultural backgrounds, making them a menu item with broad appeal to a global passenger base. Curry dishes come in a wide range of flavors and ingredients, catering to various taste preferences. The sauce in curry dishes helps retain moisture in the food, which is essential for airline catering. This prevents dishes from becoming dry during the reheating process, which can sometimes be necessary for in-flight meals.

Umami, often described as the savory fifth taste, plays a crucial role in enhancing the enjoyment of many culinary experiences, including curry dishes. This rich, savory flavor not only elevates the taste of these dishes but also proves valuable at high altitudes, where our taste buds become less sensitive. 

Airlines recognize the challenge of maintaining flavor in the sky and strategically incorporate umami-rich ingredients like meat, cheese, and tomatoes to counter the taste-altering effects of altitude and low humidity. It’s worth noting that despite these efforts, the perception of in-flight food can still vary among passengers due to individual preferences and expectations.

Airlines can easily customize curry dishes to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions since everything is pre-booked in advance with fixed allocated seating. This flexibility allows airlines to offer vegetarian, vegan, or meat-based curry options, catering to a wide range of passengers.

Curry dishes are known for their aromatic spices and herbs, which can add a pleasant and enticing aroma to the cabin when the food is being served. This aromatic enhancement enhances the overall dining experience for passengers.

But while curry dishes offer numerous advantages, they also present some challenges. The enticing aroma of curry can be strong and pervasive. Airlines must manage the smell to ensure it doesn’t overwhelm passengers or linger in the cabin. Preparing and reheating curry dishes consistently and to high standards can be challenging in the limited space and with the equipment available on an airplane. Ensuring that the sauce retains its texture and flavor is crucial.

Curry dishes may contain allergens such as nuts, dairy, or gluten. Airlines must clearly label and accommodate passengers with food allergies. Curry dishes prove to be a viable option for airline catering due to their flavor, moisture retention, umami, and versatility. However, airlines must carefully manage odors, maintain consistency, and address dietary restrictions to provide a satisfying dining experience for passengers. 

The evolution of airline catering has seen a shift towards offering high-quality, gourmet meals, particularly in premium classes. While curry remains a popular choice, airlines now provide a wide range of meal options, including local and regional dishes made from fresh, seasonal ingredients, ensuring that passengers enjoy a more delightful and satisfying dining experience while traveling.

For me, curry isn’t limited to Indian cuisine. It encompasses various styles from around the world, including Nepali, Thai, Burmese, Indonesian, and Malaysian. I take pleasure in incorporating spices such as Timur berry and Himalayan chives or jimbu into Nepali curries.

Born in the Jain Marwadi family, Kajol Sethia, a 28-year-old entrepreneur and animal rights activist, has always been a vegetarian. But she only came to know and understand veganism when she went to university in Singapore. Most of the people she met and went on to become friends with were staunch vegans. 

In 2015, she began her vegan journey by consciously choosing to eliminate everything that was animal-based from her diet. She claims that becoming a vegan improved her stamina. “I felt stronger than before,” she says. Today, she regularly participates in running events and trekking has become one of her favorite activities. She believes switching to veganism has helped her stay physically as well as mentally fit. In 2018, she launched Vegan Dairy Nepal, a plant-based dairy company that provides nutrient-rich alternatives for animal-based products. 

As both her parents had successful entrepreneurial careers, Sethia believes she was born with the genes to become an entrepreneur. She was an aerospace engineering student at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). But her university offered entrepreneurial courses which gave her a good opportunity for a side hustle. She worked at Rolls Royce as an intern during the day and worked on her online business till two in the morning. She was just 21 when she began her first business venture of selling vegan items online in Singapore.

After graduation, Sethia returned to Nepal for a two-month break. She realized it was difficult to find vegan food items in Nepal. Viewing the crisis as an opportunity, she decided to continue with the project that she was working on in Singapore. To start with, she invited a few people to sample the soy milk and yogurt that her mother used to make at home. They all liked it and she soon started receiving orders too.

“I wasn’t as passionate about engineering as I was about business and I decided to stay in Nepal to build my brand rather than work for someone else,” she says. She knew it would be difficult but she also knew this was what she wanted to do. She wasn’t just going to run a business, she was also going to use the platform as a way to promote animal rights. 

Sethia always loved animals. Even as a child, she used to feed puppies and cows. If she saw a stray animal in a bad condition, she would reach out to animal shelters and vet clinics to try and help them. When she was 24, she started participating in activities organized by PETA Asia. Back then, the Chitwan Elephant Festival used to happen annually in Nepal. The organizers used elephants for polo games. They were chained, beaten, and brutally treated. That’s when PETA reached out to her to step in and see what could be done to stop the exploitation. 

Sethia gathered all of Chitwan municipality’s officials and issued a press release as well. Many locals came together to support her campaign after her team released a video on how elephants were being abused. The festival is canceled now and it was only possible because of her persistent efforts. 

Vegan Dairy Nepal’s products are targeted not just for vegans. They also have non-vegan customers. The company has been offering different flavors of milk, including soy, coconut, almond, oats, and millet. They also have vegan cheese made with cashew and nutritional yeast which are being supplied to various restaurants in Nepal like the Roadhouse Cafe, Fire and Ice Pizzeria, and more. 

Vegan Dairy Nepal offers authentic vegan options without compromising on nutrient quality. Their products are free from preservatives. Sethia says most of the ingredients are sourced from local farmers in Nepal and only a few unavailable items are imported from India. 

Sethia is also mindful of sustainability. Vegan Dairy Nepal encourages its customers to either return the jars the products come packaged in or reuse them for various things around the house rather than throwing them out. The company’s co-founder also intends to invest in and collaborate with Climeworks, a Swedish company that eliminates carbon dioxide from the air, to rebrand her business as carbon neutral.

Apart from the business aspect, Sethia has been advocating veganism by educating others about its importance, not just for the environment but also for one’s health. But it comes with a fair share of challenges, she says. Nonetheless, she has been collaborating with the World Vegan Organization to do whatever she can to familiarize people with the concept and importance of veganism. 

Sethia intends to make plant-based products more accessible in the local market. She is working to grow her brand and product line and make it affordable for all. She says when people buy vegan items they are taking a conscious step towards reducing animal cruelty, and making the world a better place to live in. 

The country’s first bus rapid transit lane, between Bhaktpur’s Suryabinayak and Kathmandu’s Ratnapark, was inaugurated on Sept 20. It was introduced with an aim of providing express passenger transfer service during office-time rush hour, from 9–11 am and 4–6 pm.

Authorities claim with the BRT, the 13.5 km commute between Suryabinayak and Ratnapark, which usually takes up to two hours under normal traffic conditions, will take just 45 minutes.   

During the service hour, vehicles other than designated buses, ambulances, fire brigade, and emergency vehicles are not allowed to drive on the lane, marked with red paint. 

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has planned to deploy 25 buses on the BRT lane, and they will depart at an interval of every five minutes.

I recently decided to hop on one of the express buses and experience the service, and I was surprised to see that many motorists are still unaware of the BRT. Non-designated vehicles were still traveling on the lane during the service hours. 

I asked my bus driver if he had noticed any changes with the BRT service. “Barely,” he told me. “In the initial days traffic, police personnel were deployed to clear the lane, but they have stopped doing so.”

The problem of traffic congestion remains unchanged.“What’s the point of introducing this service if it cannot be implemented,” the driver said. I wondered the same thing after getting off on my stop.