Food4Thought | Jaffna Snack Attack!!

Look at his face! He thinks he's so special, I don't like him!

He's so arrogant! Such an ass!

Well.. these are common phrases that we use, when we watch Virat Kohli play a cricket match. This also explains our sentiment towards all Indians for some reason. We as Sri Lankans have a sense of animosity towards Indians specially when watching cricket matches. 

But I feel like the few lucky ones who had the opportunity to travel to India few times and meet Indians. This exposure provided the space to create great friendships over the years with Indians. Now, I can safely say that I managed to get rid of my animosity and appreciate the Indians. Because who are we kidding, we are more Indian than we think!

When you analyze the course of history, you may observe that we have been influenced by Indians with technology, fashion, language, culture, education, literature, politics and most importantly food. I can talk about Indian food all day because its that damn good. But today I'm going to stick to 'Murukku', a snack with its origins in Tamil Nadu, which gets its name from the Tamil word for 'twist'. To make this snack, a semi-solid dough primarily made from rice is passed through a murukku-maker and then it is deep-fried.

My friend Sugi told me the inspiring story of Ebiron, the place that sells exceptional murukku you can find in Sri Lanka - the absolute best! He told me that few years ago, an old lady (owner of Ebiron) used to sell homemade murukku and variety of snacks by the main road in Jaffna. The important thing to observe was that she would be sold out within couple of hours every single day. The popularity and quality led to expand her business faster than her competition. Apparently now, she has provided employment opportunities for over 100 individuals and has two shopping malls in the Northern province.

You may attempt to make murukku on your own or if that doesn't work, maybe you might opt to find some brand that is available in the super market but my friends it is nothing compared to what Ebiron has to offer. It is very fresh, easy on the teeth (not hard and chewy), spices used are very well balanced, not oily and most importantly 1/3rd of the cost compared to what is available in the market (500g was bought at Rs. 280/- in December 2022). 

Try it and let me know your thoughts! 

P.S. Also talk to Sugi he can explain the story better!

Location:

 Visiting Ebiron outlet in Jaffna

Food4Thought | Underrated Queen of the Hills 'Matale'

Matale is a very special place to me. I had the opportunity to work with Thevuni for about a year and a half (during 2017-2018) in different parts of Matale, trying to elevate the capacities of community leaders in 5 chosen locations within the district. 

As far as I'm concerned, Matale has a lot to offer in terms of places to visit in comparison to the other two districts in the central province. We did our fair share of taking a hike in the mountains and visiting lakes and water falls, these places were not considered commercial sites therefore, it was in the most natural state. 

Well... I'm not going to talk about my work  or the hikes we did but I'm going to talk about the place that made us survive for a year and half to do all these things that I mentioned. This gem of a place is a wonderful discovery as it had so many food options to choose from Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, etc. Most of the time we get to 'Ape Bojun' - starving with the ability to eat the entire buffet but we never even gotten close to it at all, it is good to be ambitious though!

Almost every dish we tried was pretty amazing, specially the Sri Lankan cuisine and the Sri Lankan sweets they had to offer. The sesame products are my favorite! 

Most importantly the friendly and polite nature of the staff made us visit this place on a daily basis, just to sustain the relationship and most importantly for the prioritized service. 

Last year we both went back to this place after 4 years and the manager still remembered us, he greeted us with a million dollar smile and started his familiar chat. 

If you go pass Matale do not miss Ape Bojun! It will be your loss!

Location - Ape Bojun

#food #travel #foodie 

Food4Thought | Best Mutton Biriyani in Jaffna

Its true that I drove all the way to Jaffna from Pasikudah just to grab some samosas, but this story is not about that. 

On the way to Jaffna I was bummed that the samosas that I was targeting had all disappeared so I had to find an alternative food options to survive one day; and this Gem was found right opposite to Thaj Hotel. 

Ordering the Mutton Biriyani was an after-thought but what an after-thought it was! Simply brilliant! It is not too harsh with flavors but enough to blow my mind; and the Mutton portion was reasonable considering the price of mutton these days in the market. The important part is that there were real edible pieces of mutton rather than chewy parts, where I get all frustrated right from the start of the meal. It had a nice Jaffna and South Indian tone to it, which I specially liked. Since it was shared with three people it disappeared in couple of minutes. 

Head down to Kabris and order one Mutton Biriyani for yourself because it is not practical to share food that is amazing as this! But be open to share your thoughts!

Location - Kabris Kingdom

#travel #food #srilanka 

Leaders are made not born - An analysis

Definition of Leadership 

Many experts have defined leadership to possess multiple dimensions over the years, Sorensen (2000) provides an insight into the origin of the term “leader”, having first appeared in English language in the 1300’s, and its meaning was “to travel” or “to show the way”. So inherently, at minimum, leaders must show a new way towards a common goal. Furthermore Mullins, (2002) define it as a relationship through which one person influences the behavior or actions of other people. Thereby considering both concepts leadership can be understood as an action where people influenced and captivated through inspiration or a motivation, to proceed through a shared vision. 

Leaders are Born 

Understanding the lives of key leaders in the past, by reviewing their behavior and biography is way of analyzing the characteristics of the leader so that the conceptualization can be comprehended. This form of study has been called “Great Man Theory” explained by Richard & Marcic (2003) where the author explains that a person is born with the eligibility that is created to be a leader. For an example Prince Charles is considered a leader because he was born to the British Monarchy, Namal Rajapakse is considered a leader because he’s born to Rajapakse family and for his inherited wealth and political stature. Another scenario is where, a school teacher appointing a class monitor considering the size and height of the student with the assumption of the capacity to be a leader, judging by the appearance.

Later on “Trait Theory” was introduced to understand the concept of leadership where certain natural abilities have created leaders (Blake & Mouton, 1964). Throughout history it is observed that some great leaders emerge over time and there are many evidences that indicate their overall impact to the people around the world. In more recent times, Leaders such as like Mahatma Gandhi, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King can be considered as impactful personalities, where natural abilities such as self-drive, ambition and integrity have been the base to identify them.

Leaders are Made

“You must admit that the genesis of a great man depends on the long series of complex influences which has produced the race in which he appears, and the social state into which that race has slowly grown, before he can remake his society, his society must make him” - Spencer, 1896. 

Therefore, by this statement it can be derived that the society or the environment in which the leader has lived or has grown up in, fosters him/her to be a leader, and only then he/she can take all his/her experiences and lead and transform the society for a positive change. Furthermore, Lewin, Lippitt, & White (1939) explains that behavior of people can be transcribed to 3 dimensions; Authoritarian, Participative and Delegative, where leadership is evaluated. 

                                          

                                   Figure 1.1 – 3 styles model (Lewin, Lippitt, & White, 1939)

This model leads to the argument that each leader who is created by their own society and their behaviors can be transformed into a perfect leader by creating a hybrid of all three dimensions. 

Considering the previous model it’s inevitable that leadership is a skill that needs to be practiced and harnessed, which is intertwined with other skills such as effective communication and innovation. This argument further amplifies with the 5 practices for exemplary leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 2003);

1. Model the way – Being a role model to the team.

2. Inspire a shared vision – Facilitating a shared vision.  

3. Challenge the process – Encouraging new ideas and innovation.

4. Enable others to act – Empowering the team members.

5. Encourage the heart – Recognition and acknowledgement.

                                

Figure 1.2 – The level 5 leadership hierarchy (Collins, 2019)

With the introduction of 5 levels of leadership hierarchy, Collins (2019), explains the simple fact that each person in the world can be considered as a highly capable individual but this individual gradually becomes a competent leader by acquiring skills and capabilities to make progress in the hierarchy with reference to the diagram  shown in figure 1.2.  

Personal Reflection and Conclusion

Furthermore, reflecting personal experience of being the National Director of a youth organization named Sri Lanka Unites (SLU) has provided me the experience in working with youth volunteers who were the largest stakeholders in the organization.  Unlike other organizations, where employees are driven for compensation or monetary rewards, volunteers are solely driven by passion for the cause and for the feeling of comradery, therefore, leadership is an integral part of sustaining the volunteer contribution to the organization. Thereby, to be an effective leader, I had to adapt to certain values that would match the team, which required skill development. Considering the 5-level leadership hierarchy (Collins, 2019) I was at level-3 where my skill level was being a competent manager. To gain the trust and to ensure effective leadership at the highest level, I enrolled myself to skills development programs that would strengthen my ability to direct a team towards a collective vision, while enhancing my facilitating skills to be an effective communicator. This transformation I gained through acquiring skills and applying the learning on a daily-basis, enabled me to be a leader for over a network of 200 volunteers around the country. The process led me to acquire attributes such as fearlessness, discipline and confidence coupled with emotional intelligence, ensuring that I had the innate ability to identify needs of the volunteers, while attempting to be an effective leader.

These leadership principles provide an encouraging platform for the team to be motivated and to perform at the highest level. Looking closely at each reference and theories explained by academics and professionals, and connecting them with the personal experience provides an indication that 'leadership' is a skill that I have harnessed over the years through practice and application. Although the statement 'Leaders are born' has its own perspective and relevance in the world, the statement 'Leaders are made, not born' has a greater personal reference and experience that solidifies the argument for me. 

Food4Thought | Chicken Cheese Koththu anyone?

I'm a Sri Lankan. A Sri Lankan Malay.

I'm also a Wattala wanker, I'll always be a Wattala wanker where ever I live in the world. 

Therefore ladies and gentleman, Iit is my duty to talk about the stuff that makes me proud when it comes to Wattala. Yes it is true - Wattala is known for its diversity of people and the culture. We have Kandy Sinhalese, upcountry Sinhalese, Matara Sinhalese, Anuradhapura Sinhalese, Hill country Tamils, Jaffna Tamils, Indian Tamils, East Tamils, East Moors, South Moors, Kandy Moors, Beruwela Moors, Middle-east Moors, Indonesian Malays, Malaysian Malays, Sri Lankan Malays, Dutch Burghers, Portuguese Burghers, English Burghers and Sri Lankan Burghers - I'm not even kidding, Wattala has them all. 

Wattala is also known for its horrible traffic, which I thought, has no leverage to bring out any positivity. 

But Today it is all about the food I found in Wattala that we all can enjoy and be proud about. I have to say it is almost impossible to find a decent Chicken Cheese Koththu in Colombo except unless we go to Negombo to find the best Chicken Cheese Koththu in the world - Sameeha (I will feature it soon, when I get there one of these days). Shifana Hotel in Mabole, Wattala also produces one heck of a Chicken Cheese Koththu which is as good as Sameeha. Yes, I said it, maybe because I'm a Wattala Wanker. But if you don't trust me, try it and let me know what you thoughts are. It is definitely the best alternative to the Best Chicken Cheese Koththu in the world. 

When I make the order I make sure I request an extra chicken portion because I don't eat alone and I can't be fighting for the chicken midway of the meal. Also, on the other hand in my opinion this particular Chicken Cheese Koththu cannot be eaten alone even if you are ambitious enough to be the President of the country, but of course, it just an opinion, many have proved me wrong including myself.

Location - Shifana Hotel Mabole Wattala