Summer of yesteryears

It was hot that sunday afternoon! 105 F to be precise! Sultry as hell..and sweaty in Omaha! I am a hot coffee person always. But that day, I was tempted to try a new drink by 'Starbucks' called as "Tangerine Fruit Blend". It was OK. Though it tasted good, it was full of ICE SLUSH! That just anesthesizes your nerve! Then me and Wolf were talking about how many different kinds of simple yet exotic drinks we got back in India. Ideally, the summer coolers! Mumbai, with its hot and humid climate offered a vivid range of 'bhaiiyas'always ready to provide the tired due to sweat office n school goers with some refreshing drink! Few which were the top in my list include: Gola: Dont know the other slang for this. But this was a ice candy stick dipped in sherbets such as orange, kala khatta, some red sharbat!! topped with rock salt and lemon..WOW! With the bhaiiyas sweat included..it tasted yummiee..(OK! that was gross:D) Secondly, Mango Lassi: ROYAL drink and none can ever match the taste of 'Alphonso mango'. I recollect: One of my friends was coming back from India and carried some alphonso mangoes in his suitcase while coming back to US. Although its illegal (I suppose) but he managed to. The customs people asked him what it was. He said they were 'raw mangoes' and when he finally opens the suitcase, 4 mangoes were misssing!!!! That shows even US people love to eat INDIAN mangoes.So what if they were illegally bought!!!! Nimbu Juice: The drink of the poor. Affordable and a thirst quencher. Topped with salt and freshly squeezed!! Im sure Lemonade mein woh baat kahan:)) Jaljira:Made out of cumin, lemom juice, mint, rock salt! Totally cool!! Then comes this Raw Mango juice called as "Panha" in marathi. This recipe is summed up here. One drink that I used to wait for my mom to make and I would finish it off in less than a week!!! Lastly, Falooda: Man..that huge glass was always filling. With some strawberry essence, icecream, and some vermicelli..and god knows what all. But, it tasted divine! Those were the summers of India. Hot yet special in its own way. Although USA has a blend of fruit juice and Frappucinos to boast about, these refreshing drinks will hold a special place forever!