Brown Motion

 Reynolds was and is a bastion in the business world today.  Eponymously named for its founder it is second largest cigarette company in America. Today it is owned by a British entity that in turn was founded by merging the American Tobacco Co (whose founder was another business giant in the south called Duke and Imperial Tobacco of UK). What all this means is that the town of Winston-Salem, NC for which cigarette brands were named became a massive economic engine all through the 20th century America. We re-visited this town with our kid, back from college to enjoy some local Chinese dumplings of all things housed in Reynolda village (named for the family compound of the founders). Red bean dumplings (sweet treat after some spicy noodle soup, all delicious) This time we toured their mansion which Katherine (wife of RJR) affectionately referred to as the bungalow (all 34,000 sft of it).  This extravaganza of a house shows you what money can buy in America or anywhere for t...

 This time late spring we decided to travel through some eastern states to take in some scenery, relearn some history and relax seaside. To that end our travel took us into Gettysburg PA.  Famous for Lincoln's address to America in the middle of the Civil War that won freedom for the union it was poignant to reflect on it in the middle of the cemetery where 3,500 soldiers died for protecting the government of the people. Some visuals from the cemetery below. Obelisk to honor a particular regiment stands against a setting sun spot close to where Lincoln might have stood to address his audience From here we headed further east and south passing through a town where they honor a saint called Lourdes. Then onto the SE shore of the state of Virginia to witness the amazing bridge tunnel complex connecting DelMarVa peninsula with Virginia shores. south end of the Chesapeake Bridge complex Boardwalk at Virginia Beach VA a rooftop bar After spending a night here we drove on to the barr...

 Social life for us has gotten new leaves.  Back in California the pace of life did not allow for much carefree interaction post work, household chores, kid's logistics of events and races and so on. The move east certainly slowed the pace down.  Add to that a community where new faces from different parts of the country and some legacy ones too have added to natural curiosity of getting to know each other.  This past weekend a dear friend who we acquainted recently and owns a property on a lakeshore invited some in the neighborhood to come and chill. Cinco de Mayo served as the inspiration but it was really a good old kick back, eat, drink and relax and chat type of evening. The weather cooperated tremendously given the vagaries of Carolina weather that can pop up in an instant storm at the onset of summer. Mexican inspired cuisine was laid out catered by a local chain and it did not disappoint. The host's iced margarita machine decided to stay frozen and repeated t...

 Literally. Well one of our neighbors - an energetic young couple decided to treat their neighbors to what sounded like a southern delicacy.  Roasting meat on fire. This turned out to be a whole hog cooked in a box lined with ceramic and covered with charcoal.  Turn on the heat and wait six hours or so the promotion went. Below are some pic of this epic event. The crowd was enjoyable and the evening was mild.  Sides and dessert came courtesy of the other neighbors - we brought some Red Velvet given our sweet tooth. Now the pig in my head was going to be pulled pork given how it would get dismembered post cooking, with varieties of barbeque sauce to liven up the taste buds. But it was my misconception.  The animal was only primed with an injection of OJ and Beer.  The syringe the pit master advised me would get blocked if salt and pepper were in the mix.  But then I was not quite sure why the meat was not dry rubbed with either or packed with Garlic and...

 As new Carolinians after being Californians for almost two decades, we are taking in the sights and smells of the southeastern United States one weekend at a time. This time we drove about 100 miles north to the city of Greensboro NC, established as a result of the old cotton and tobacco economy just 50 years back. Lee Jeans owner VF is among the brands still in the area.  Although a much smaller form of the erstwhile boom town when tobacco was king there is still marginal presence of ITG the company that represents brands like Salem, Kool which were cool once. Today there is the UNC Greensboro campus just outside downtown followed by some manufacturing that supports the economy.  Volvo Trucks has a presence as do some other light industries.  There is also legacy retail money here. The founder of Tanger outlets a chain of outlet stores was from here and has bequeathed large sums to the city for its beautification. We took advantage of such generosity that truly mak...

 In all the tales you read about a no one becoming a someone, there are some similarities. They are just born lucky.  As in to win the lottery first you have to buy a ticket kind of luck. So being born is number 1. Then where you birth is equally important.  If you were born in a war torn nation your chance of reaping the harvest are dwindling already.   Who procreates you can be another important variable. Silver spoons notwithstanding a culture that promotes education and gung ho spirit or a love for reading or great outdoors are some classic tells that might aid the growth of someone unique in the future. But all those clichés aside there is also another element of the rag to riches type stories that I found intriguing.  Many of these so called made men and women happen to have run a paper route in their childhood.  This to a foreigner is a task that a young adult say in their early teens might undertake with a local newsprint distributor (all forei...

 I am not a fan of any sort of production whether Indian  or American.  But one series that became part of American pop culture in the late 90s was a comedy called Seinfeld.  That became my only real favorite show that I watch to this day (on DVD) and sometimes on Netflix although I still prefer the DVD - not sure why.  Maybe it is so I can re-watch the behind the scenes banter on the disc. I only discovered the show when I saw the re-runs on some TV station in early 2000's.  Perhaps because our first few years in America were spent simply acclimating to the new culture and getting ahead in our (wife and I) respective professions.  No time for watching TV really. What appealed to me personally was that the comedy was clean yet relatable even though I come from a very different cultural background.  One common aspect was the presence of cranky and idiosyncratic parents in our lives.  Aunts and uncles add to the mix. Recently the actors who pla...