Pasta (Macaroni) Salad

Serves                         : 4/5 adults
Time for preparation : 40-45 minutes 
Could serve as a side dish or a salad/dessert

Ingredients:

1. Macaroni (200 g)
2. Mayonaise (150 g)
3. Cucumber (1 No.s medium sized)
4. Green capsicum (small sized/half big sized)
5. Red capsicum ( -- " --)
6. Yellow capsicum ( -- " --)
7. Carrots (2 small sized)
8. Black Olives (80 g) (preferred, but could rid them if not available)
9. Mushroom (3 big ones or 4-5 small ones)
10. Ripe tomatoes (150 g / 2-3 medium sized)
11. Paneer (80 g)
12. Cheese (80 g / Two standard cheese cubes)
13. Sugar (100 g/ Add to taste)
14. Green peas (Optional. 80 g)
15. Cauliflower (Optional. About 50g by weight)
    
16. Purple capsicum (Optional. Half small sized)
17. Baby corn (Optional. 4-5 small sized)

Procedure:
Dice the cucumber, Green/Red/Yellow/Purple capsicum, mushroom, babycorn, tomato, paneer, cheese to small size (cubes of about 1/2 cm size). Cut olives into rings/pieces of medium dimensions. Pour in 1 1/2 L tap water into a vessel. Vessel should be large enough to leave half of it empty after pouring in the water. Add ample amount of salt to it (40-50 g). Bring the water to a boil. Add macaroni to the boiling water. Stir it once and cover it partially with a lid. Do not cover the vessel completely at any time, or else it will spill. Stir it twice at an interval of a minute between each stir. Macaroni tends to stick  to the bottom of the vessel initially. Stirring will avoid that. Once it begins to cook, stirring is not required. Cook the macaroni in boiling water on medium flame for about 15 minutes. Turn off the flame once the macaroni becomes (as they say in Italian) 'al dente', that is, cooked enough not to feel hard to break with teeth, but not boiled fluffy. Macaroni start breaking into boiled pieces, if overcooked, so if you see a few cooked and broken inside the vessel, that is a sure sign to turn off the flame.

Now take a large enough sieve and pour the contents from the vessel into it, and do not forget to collect the hot water in a separate container. Hold the sieve under running cold water (to stop further cooking of pasta instantly by lowering their temperature).  Now put the previously diced baby corn (optional), cauliflower (optional) and carrots, green peas (if are not frozen ones) (mushrooms as well, if preferred) into the hot water drained from the macaroni. and cover it with lid. Let it be for another 10 minutes or so.

In the meantime, take a large enough bowl that could carry all these ingredients and you could be used to mix them. Dump the 'al dente' macaroni into this bowl along with other diced ingredients (the diced capsicums, cucumber, tomato, paneer, cheese, cut olives) and add the mayonnaise to it. Mix it initially for 10-20 sec adding 3-4 medium sized spoons of sugar. By this time carrot, diced mushroom, (cauliflower, baby corn,) green peas, will be semi boiled. Remove them from hot water using the sieve, and put them inside the mix. Add some more sugar and begin mixing it. More mayonnaise could be added if one likes. Mix it for a minute or two (the bottoms up way) thoroughly. Let it stand for more minute or so, then taste the mix. Add sugar if desired and mix again then.

Once it tastes alright to you, place this bowl inside the refrigerator for about 20 minutes and let it cool. Serve chilled (do not over cool of freeze it).

It forms a great and delightful dessert/salad.

Above quantity could easily serve 4-5 adults.

TIPS:
No need to add any salt while or after mixing, since macaroni is salty enough already.
Addition of basil (तुळस) leaves while serving, adds a different taste to the salad.

SUGGESTION:
DO NOT add onion/garlic to any of its variants, since their flavour will be too strong, giving it a complete onion/garlic taste. (Suggestion comes from someone who loves garlic very much himself).

Air'tale'

This sad story begins the day I bought  a USB modem (micromax MMX 300G) from an Airtail ( you know who) outlet (Telesoft) worth Rs. 3500/- (+ Rs. 300/- deposit for new post paid.  Invoice No. 798 and 1313 on 13th Apr 2010).

Company quoted maximum speed of Internet was 256 kbps, while I was provided a verbal assurance by employees that within PMC limits, normally one can get ~140-150 kbps speed, with which I was okay.


But once I took the modem home, I realized that there was no way average
speeds in any session were to cross 20 kbps. This implied that the
connection was no  good even to check my mail !

Thus, I was supposed to pay Airtail Rs 600/- per month for an Internet
service that would not even allow me to check my email during any sessions.

A complaint regarding low speeds was launched (complaint no.: 31855814),
whose resolution status remains unclear to this day (and till end of story).

Secondly, Airtail sells its (micromax) USB modems at about Rs. 1200/- more than its competitors (Reliance: ~Rs. 2300,  Tata Photon+: ~Rs. 2400/-).
There was a reason for me to buy USB modem from Airtail in spite of being
around 50% costlier.

The data card case mentioned it could be used on Linux Operating Systems as well. I was given reiterated assurances of technical assistance to make it work on Linux.

But since 13th Apr, I have wasted at least 20-25 hours of my work time (~2 hrs everyday) visiting the Airtail outlet and waiting for something to happen,
and wasted at least a few hundred rupees on my petrol and telephone calls
(let aside the torment of travelling in scorching heat of 40 deg. and overcrowded roads of Pune).

They tested (!) for speed online some evening and nothing happened (wasted
another 3 hours there).
Employees "only promised" to call back/set up conference calls etc., but it
was I who had to call them back shamelessly, each and every time.

I was shifted to this technical person called Mukesh regarding the Linux
issue. I called him daily, without fail, twice a day in order to see if there was any solution to my problem of operating the modem on Linux (as promised verbally AND on paper).

He simply kept dodging me with sweet talk for more than a week. He never
bothered meeting me even once in person.

After a week of uninterrupted follow up from my side, he suggested me for a reimbursement.

After 3 days of waiting time, thanks to their inactivity, I again approached them,  and that evening, received a call from their "customer care(!)" (:D) I, however, suspect that it was because of me nagging them, but was a result of the fact that there was a bill generated and pending against my name. (Last week of April)

On the phone, A guy named Prasad tried very hard to convince me to continue using the SIM card for voice usage, which I politely and clearly denied, and demanded complete reimbursement of my money. He promised me to call back in 15 min, and true to their impression, did not call me for another 3 days.

On calling me the 4th day, he assured me that the complaint/s will be resolved in next 10 working days, prior to which I had make the pending payment of bill! (Of what? Unprovided services?)

I asked him to discontinue my number, and he said it will be discontinued since 3rd of May, and I shall get back my money in less that 30 working days.
(S.R. No. 32082560)

Three weeks passed  by, and I again received an email on 26th May, about billing. So again I had to approach them enquiring about the reimbursement and the new bill.

This time they shocked me saying Airtail will waiver off the bills, but reimburse  only the deposit of Rs. 300/-, and that a whopping Rs. 3500/- (cost of USB modem) cannot be reimbursed !!! They said there was a rule about no reimbursement of cost of modem.

I still do not know if this rule actually existed, and my hitch is it was invented by the outlet to dodge me off. I had to quarrel with these people one complete hour on 27th May, and they asked me to call them in the evening. I did so, and they painted the same picture of 'no reimbursement' on my face. The guy again promised to call me back after an hour and (now as expected) did not call back.

The next day I yet again went and yelled at them. Then there was a call made by the guy. He offered me I shall receive only 50% reimbursement after 15 days. (Strange, how rules suddenly change! Isn't it? :-o)
I repeated my trauma, and another call was made. This time they offered me 90% reimbursement. At that point of time it was clear that they were simply playing with me, and I let loose onto them.

Another call was made. I sat there for 1 and a half hour (sort of gotten used
it by now) and finally, to my absolute and graaaaand surprise, the person
handed me over a cash of Rs. 3500/-. I had already returned the mode to them,  and so did not need a receipt from my side.

For a minute, I could not believe that they had actually returned me what I deserved.It was a delightful moment! (Tears of joy rolling in my eyes, in the film, that if and ever is made on this episode.)

Until this time I had already made up my mind of resorting to 'consumer redressal forum', and had demanded receipts of complaints made till this point. They had saved their skin from it by giving me my money.

But still, issues of money and mainly my office time, that I spent behind these people, are left unaddressed.

    1. Why write down and promise things that company cannot provide?
    2. What reimbursement do I get for resources and personal time I spent
        hunting these people?
    3. Where do I make these people pay through their noses so that they learn
        how to handle complaints?
    4. What can be done at the consumers grievances forum about it?

Its been a horrible horrrrible experience, believe me.

Moral of the story: Do not buy services from Airtail.


P.S. : Anyone who wishes to take a different view, based on their personal experiences, are welcome to comment.