Restaurant Review: Chili's Grill And Bar, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Chili’s Grill and Bar is a little place that offers an interesting mix of a variety of cuisines to suit just about everyone’s taste. They have Mexican food, Italian, and they also have burgers.
The general ambience of the place is quiet and peaceful, even on a weekend. The staff is friendly and cheerful. On my first visit, the waitress patiently explained everything we wanted to know about every appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Each dish that we tried was done nicely and a treat for the taste buds. Their Kickin’ Jack Nachos appetizer had just the right amount of seasoning and jalapenos, so that it was neither too mild nor too hot.
Their Cajun chicken pasta, in particular, was not like any other pasta dish I’ve had before. They have pasta in Alfredo sauce with Cajun seasoned chicken breast slices. The seasoning was, again, just right and flavourful. They top their pasta with diced tomatoes and onions and shredded cheese, which gives it a bit of a Mexican touch. Kind of like pasta with salsa. It’s a treat for those of us who are fond of both the Southwest and the Italian cuisines.
They also have a wider selection of tempting and decadent desserts than most other restaurants of their league in the neighbourhood. There’s nothing quite like their molten chocolate cake, but they also have something that they call “sweet shots,” which is a small helping of dessert served in a shot glass. Perfect if your tongue wants dessert, but your stomach doesn’t.
I found the place very reasonably priced, especially with the package deal that they sometimes offer – a meal for two for $20. That includes an appetizer, two entrées, and a dessert to share. The service is great, as is the ambience. It’s a great place for family dinners and dates alike.
Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns, By Khaled Hosseini
This is Khaled Hosseini's second novel, after The Kite Runner. Never before have I been so enthralled, so glued to a book.
Khaled Hosseini has done a brilliant job at describing the terror inflicted upon the people of Afghanistan by the Mujahideen, the Taliban, and later, briefly, the American army. He has done an equally great job at describing the emotional turmoil the people went through in that time, the shattered hopes, the lost love, the separation from loved ones, the complete agony of it all.
The story revolves around two women, Mariam and Laila, who, by a twist of fate, end up being married to the same man, even though Mariam is old enough to have been Laila's mother, by the standards of the time. Both women have experienced the loss of loved ones. Initially, they are rather hostile to each other, but eventually, a strong bond forms between them, out of their shared abhorrence for their husband, and the fact that both have seen so much anguish in their lives, and don't have much to be happy about in life, other than each other's company, and, later, Laila's daughter Aziza, who brings into their lives the love, the joy, the fulfillment they lacked. The two rebuild their lives around each other and Aziza, and rediscover happiness.
The powerful narrative makes the reader feel the tragedy, the hopelessness, the ecstasy, with the characters. It gives the reader a glimpse into what life in times of war is like. I actually wept through some of the more agonizing parts. And I was quite shaken up during some of the more gruesome parts.
The Taliban forbade women from getting an education, from taking up jobs, even from going out on the street without a burqa and a male relative to escort them. They forbade people from writing books, from painting, from watching films. It makes one think how lucky one is, to be living in a time and place where one has the freedom of creative expression, where the women have the same educational opportunities as the men and an opportunity to work in the same workplace as them, and to be treated in the same way. Makes you feel thankful that we are not living in a time and place where one constantly lives in fear of death, of impending doom. That we do not have to flee from our own homes in order to live.
