April 8, 2003 - B.Alter - Wooster OH, USA
* I enjoyed reading your "Winterline Journal" March 2003." I am
sending you...a piece I put together while working on the editing of my mother's letters. These were written weekly (but not always) from India to her mother in Mansfield Ohio, between 1916 and 1950. The link with the frontier that Blackford describes will become obvious as you read it.

A Lad's Kashmir Birth
Born to an American Missionary Mom
Story coming soon!

(Read the original excerpt from Stan Blackford's book)

March 19, 2003 - S.H.Woolever - Oneonta NY, USA
* Your wonderful piece on condensed milk....inspired us to buy a can, punch two holes in it and share it for an afternoon snack. Outstanding! - especially since my husband is going through chemo which causes him to have trouble eating because nothing tastes right. But this did taste right and went down easily; so we have repeated that several times.

It reminded me, too, that when we were first married we entertained my brother and his wife for an Indian meal - for which the dessert was two cans of condensed milk with two holes punched in each ... one for each couple. My very proper sister-in-law was quite horrified!

When we were in boarding school, for my November birthday one brother always gave me a can of sardines and the other brother always gave me a can of condensed milk. What great memories.

March 21, 2003 - B.Brownlow Santa Monica CA, USA
* It looks great! I read the sweetened condensed milk story...sure tastes good on fried plantains, but how shameful to just drink it straight out of the can like that!

March 28, 2003 - F.Cornelius - San Diego CA, USA
* The story by Steve Van Rooy sure brought back memories. That was also a favorite of ours growing up in Woodstock. Even the details about punching the two holes in the can at the top and then upending it to slurp and suck was memorable. I haven't thought about that for years. I think I will run down to the store and buy a can of Borden's Sweetened Condensed Milk and I am sure it will all be gone in one sitting.

(Read Steve's tale)

April 11, 2003 - J.Hamerlee - Meadville PA, USA
* Wow, Cynthia ! Both Betty and I loved ... Winterline , but I read it and reveled with appreciation that only one who actually lived with you and then Vicki and the 'rents in Landour in '53 could muster. And your folks have been our treasured friends ever since. What a joy to spend some time this evening with your website....Someday I hope you and I will meet again. Meantime, to you and your Bill my fond greetings. And yes, I carted back from Durham's Little India shop about 20 pounds of supplies, including ghee, masoor and moong dhals, various pickles and chutneys, teas, papardums (three varieties), and some aged Basmati rice. All I needed was the family dhal recipe from Beverly (which I once had and lost !) Now I have a new copy printed ! And [our friends'] daughter Deepti (Sharon) told me to "do" dhal in the crock pot. Again, wow.

April 13, 2003 - J.Caldwell - Orlando FL, USA
* I know a met you LONG ago when you were a little girl. Beverly is my cousin and Stanley has always been a favorite of relative of mine after they were married. Thank you for sending me the Journal.....I have found it to be most interesting. I even copied down Bev's Dhal recipe and will try it for a veggie dip when I go to my chorus pot luck at the end of May! I get tired of the "same old same old" things.

May 2, 2003 - V.Brush - Brooklyn NY, USA
* Do you remember how much we used to love to sneak out back to
Manoo's house to eat cold saag and chappatis? And how mad Mom would get because she thought it was inappropriate for us to be eating their food?
C.Brush: I remember eating their food occasionally....but I thought Manoo invited us? (Is that a rationalization?) I remember the servants' food always tasted a bit different and extra delicious! And, no....I don't really remember Mom chiding us. I must have an effective mental/sensual adaptation that only permits me to remember pleasantries. <grin>

June 29, 2003 - S.Staub - Tucson AZ, USA
* I love Beverly's recipe for dhal. When I was working in Manhattan (life always a rush), I used to cheat by using Campbell's condensed green pea soup instead of raw lentils. Yellow split peas are particularly good cooked her way.

July 10, 2003 - K.Bade - Manchester CT, USA
* I've printed off your Mom's recipe for Dal, and will try to make it when the weather cools down. Our beloved Indian restaurant in town was sold, and we don't go there anymore. Another one, opened by a former waiter at the old restaurant, has proved a bit disappointing; so reading all the food stuff in the newsletter has me hankerin' to find a new restaurant pronto!

My new boss's wife is a Parsi - and - an accomplished cook and degreed nurse....I'd like to try developing my own cooking skills in Indian cuisine, so I'll look forward to more recipes.

(More recipes)

Reader Reviews of the Winterline Journal

March 19, 2003 - R.M.Farnbach - Curator, Jeremiah Phillips Legacy
* How very, very fun this is. Thank you for including me on your list.

March 20, 2003 - T.Brush - Edinburg TX, USA
* I've just subscribed--even though I've never been to South Asia, it will be fun seeing what's discussed.

March 21, 2003 - C.C.Connell - Hagerstown MD, USA
* Wow! What a creative family! The Journal looks wonderful...attractive and the topics inviting.

March 23, 2003 - S.H.Woolever - Oneonta NY, USA
* Your newsletter is WONDERFUL...LOVED it all!!! We are so delighted you are doing this. What a great way to keep up on things and stay in touch. Thanks again - so very much. I look forward to more.