Why is nobody doing smaller, cute-sized Burger Armies as a PLATTER option?

This came to mind when viewing the list of usual suspects that make it to a vegetarian platter these days. From a lounge to a club, the platter choices are essentially the same with little room for customization. However, I feel that this is an under-served niche, i.e. platters that can be somewhat personalized and are more creative. This is about re-inventing and recreating the lost burger. Yes, the contemporary burger is pretty much losing its identity with fake, less-than-soulful patties and an overload of sauces. The result is a mess that is dry, too munchy and leaves a huge room for improvement. This can be done by creating a burger platter. You can line-up small burger, each dressed to deliver a different type of taste. Ingredients hand-picked to deliver the unique flavor can vary from heavy lettuce, overtly tomato, zero veggies, soya patty, no-patty-only-eggs, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese only, macaroni filling, layers of salads with fresh mint layering, finger fry as patty version and those that use fruit sauces, sauteed vegetables, sweet fillings, multiple types of dried fruits and nuts, etc.

Motel visuals - when our minds are trained to recreate typical images for a word!

I came across this image when sieving the imagery database maintained by Canva.com. Immediately, I realized that this is the exact manner in which my mind interprets and recreates an image whenever the word "motel" is spoken, heard or read. Why is that? This is the typical American imagery and we have seen it in countless movies and TV soaps. Still, why can't we think of an actual motel building, a room, any accommodation facility rather than this type of signage? I asked a couple of friends if this happens to them too and yes, things are very similar. The only difference lies in the signage of Motel surfacing lighted-up during the night or just like the image here. Sometimes, as people shared, their mind recreates the Motel imagery with a broken, slightly tattered, M or T.

Beer in a Glass versus Drinking Beer from the Bottle: why is the house so divided?

Don’t pour it, he says with the look of a seasoned campaigner, someone who has paid his dues in the murky landscape of having laid your senses to waste with unending pints, pegs and kegs. This is the usual sentiment when it comes to lashing-out instructions when ordering beer. For some reason, most folks, including me, look down upon the supposed eliteness associated with having an alcoholic beverage served in a glass. Let us get one thing straight – beer glassware is a niche of serving glasses dedicated to how brew is served. From shaker pints to pint glasses, from bigger beer mugs to steins and pilsner glasses, there are many types of beer glasses doing duty across the world. Yes, I did my homework on this! So, why are some people so uncomfortable with beer poured in glassware?

15 minutes of Stardust, Highway Moments, Cutting Wind at 105kms/hr

You must have already guessed it if you have been somewhat regular in checking-out my blog. If not, and even if you do, let me clarify this – my daily commute to the office gets me around 15 minutes on a non-stop flyover that allows me to really press on the accelerator. While I did share this earlier, I never knew that even this experience would change. Lately, this is not just about having wind in my hair. It is not just about breaking my own speed barriers. This is truly liberating. For this short duration, I feel like a rockstar.

Don't complicate social media - it is more human than you think!

Recently a friend of mine had this moment when all the corporate terminology he had imbibed along with the social media acumen gained via hearsay was blended into one contorted viewpoint about how social media was getting so tough to score for branding professionals. I don't argue that Social Media outreach is getting more methodical, more massively interpreted and difficult to categorize. However, there is one very simple thing that most online marketeers don't seem to realize - social media channels are not your content publishing or syndication platforms - they are fueled by content but thrive via interaction. If your branding approach cannot converse on social media, if you cannot make small talk about the simple things and important events that happen every day, you are looking at a hopelessly skewed relationship with your social media presence where your digital agency will alienate you from what should be something simple and present all the social numbers with layers of intentional complexity.

Try to Push-up Towards Better Mental Health - When Exercising is about the MIND!

This isn’t just another article about positive thinking. This discussion is essentially a condensed narrative of how I have struggled, fought, and also won on some occasions, small battles en route to trying to create a better lifestyle, especially something that can help me improve my mental health. You might think that push-ups are meant for pectoral gains only. Believe me, the connection between push-ups and mental health is very real, easy to understand, and can be pursued by anyone who is above 15 years of age…the image captures the essence of a push-up regimen. What seems like a long flight of empty stairs can be the challenge of a lifetime for someone chasing cardio gains. All of a sudden the dead, cold steel and concrete seem to have all the weapons to break your resolve. But, you must persist...!

Owning a Beagle...am ready for the dope-eyed canine to crawl all over!

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

I keep wondering about when I will get to keep a pet. Attempts so far have been thwarted by life, my schedule and the uncanny ability of destiny to ring a surprise just when I think that everything I want is back on track, at least along the track and moving in the right direction. One recurring thought is about owning a beagle. These dogs are more than just cute companions. I call them a breed with "proper eyes". You have to Google-up to realize what I am saying. Beagles have really expressive eyes. They tend to have reasonably recognizable facial expressions too. The look, overall, is not inherently angry or submissive - a beautiful midway that seems like a personality that can go either ways depending upon the circumstances. This humility and the  vulnerability of this behavioral thing makes them perhaps a more human-ified species. Reasonably smart, as I have been told, Beagles don't tend to put on weight like their Labrador friends who are a genetic recipe for contracting lifestyle conditions like diabetes or cardiac problems. You don't want to be stuck with a dog challenging you for checking on the weighing scale!

Working in an Unprovisioned Team: Management Skills that Business Schools Always Forget to Teach You!

Somewhat innocent but eternally hopeful faces in the team often ask me - Sir, will we get this for the team? - sometimes, I just blink and act like not caring, trying to look my ignorant best and yes, the poker-face talent really helps. Little do they realize that every team is not leveraged with a manager who can make actionable decisions. MBA classes won't preach about how teams positioned vaguely need to perform every day. They cannot afford bad days, let alone a poor week of production. While globally-trending workplaces insulate their team with on-the-floor amenities, some live to survive, hustling a bit, always performing out of their comfort zones. There are better-positioned managers who can take the time to sit down with a cup of coffee, perhaps stare at a wall that is bare-naked like an unpainted canvas, and get the time to recollect their thoughts, fully aware that they have sufficient people in the desired roles to execute a project.

Honey Chilly Potato on Your Platter? Your Need Serious Help!

Ugly cooking standards make mediocre cooking look Great!

Honey chilly potato is not a real food item, it not Chinese, it is not oriental - it is a drab, stupid and hopelessly twisted preparation! Why?

There is no real flavor or texture being created. All ingredients are coated with heavy sauces. There is no real intermingling of flavors. The guy in that shady kitchen has just pumped a million types of cheap sauces into the wok and made it look like something exotic. This is not real cooking. Getting hold of something as basic as French finger fries and dipping them like a maniac in overtly citric, sour and sweet sauces and then calling it a true Asian, oriental preparation? This is blasphemy.

Paying Homage to Food Art called Grilling - RIP!!

Pretentious Chefs, Falling Dietary Standards are Killing Grilling Holiness

It is pretty clear that the purity of barbecues is being molested, almost raped, by eating joints that are polarizing online coupon engagement with the promise of being charcoal grilling or open grilling specialists. I am not talking about suburban American communities and neighborhoods where grilling is still a thriving art that continues to being discovered by newbies, patronized by the seasoned BBQ maestros and signifies an alternate lifestyle choice. Everywhere else, the story is not that good. In fact, things are deteriorating with tandoori and grilling being used as parallel terms to describe what is nothing but an eyewash with partially fried foods being hung inside small pits to add some smokey flavor before being served on plastic plates with a stupid smile.