Explore exciting new recipes from the streets of India's four biggest cities.

Experience the cultural history of Indian tea production; journey across this rich and fascinating country, to discover ancient landscapes, the natural environments of tea cultivation, the passions and the human story behind one of the most celebrated and sought after beverages.

If India has always beckoned, but something held you back -- or if you have traveled to India and feel a longing in your heart to return -- make the Chai Pilgrimage through the pages of this book. Patrick Shaw and Jenny Kostecki-Shaw spent four months in northern India, steeping themselves in chai culture. They kept journals, made paintings and took pictures. Using chai as their compass, they also made friends, worshiped at remote temples, and drank a lot of chai. Firsthand, they learned from the extraordinary hospitality of the Indian people that "Guest is God," being treated as family members in many homes. Inspired by the pungent spice palette, they returned to their northern New Mexico home and created this ecstatic book of art. Every page is a song of praise to the Indian people and the Hindu gods, to the healing chai spices, to the small farmers who grow tea, to every chai wallah in every stand along their journey. Patrick and Jenny captured and translated not just the Hindi language and the sweetness of the people but the spirit of love itself. Every word, painting and recipe is suffused with the pure flavor of devotion.

Fifty-four rabbis, from all branches of Judaism, tell their favorite stories--classic Bible stories, rabbinic and modern commentaries, folktales, and legends. Each story, ranging in length from one to seven pages, reflects a Jewish ideal or value and is told in the individual rabbi's unique speaking style. Each concludes with a note from the contributor explaining the story's lesson and why it is the rabbi's favorite. CONTENTS: The book is divided into four sections: Section One: Community -- Stories about relationships, tzedakah, and tikun olam, our responsibility to heal the world Section Two: Religion -- Stories about Jewish identity, practices, and spirituality Section Three: God's World --Stories about the ways in which we relate to God and live according to God's plan Section Four: Outlook -- Stories about our attitudes, choices, and quests for truth, honesty, wisdom, and courage

Discover the rich flavors, unique traditions, and healing powers of chai. This heady mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cloves transforms black tea into a full-bodied elixir that has been enjoyed in India for centuries. Tea expert Diana Rosen explores the fascinating history of chai and offers 22 recipes for a variety of chai spice blends that can be used in both teas and baked goods. You’re sure to find exciting and new ways to enjoy chai’s spicy and rejuvenating qualities.

Amira Khan has no plans to break her no-dating rule. Thirty-year-old engineer Amira Khan has set one rule for herself: no dating until her grad-school thesis is done. Nothing can distract her from completing a paper that is so good her boss will give her the promotion she deserves when she returns to work in the city. Amira leaves campus early, planning to work in the quiet basement apartment of her family’s house. But she arrives home to find that her grandmother has rented the basement to . . . a barbershop quartet. Seriously? The living situation is awkward: Amira needs silence; the quartet needs to rehearse for a competition; and Duncan, the small-town baritone with the flannel shirts, is driving her up the wall. As Amira and Duncan clash, she is surprised to feel a simmering attraction for him. How can she be interested in someone who doesn’t get her, or her family’s culture? This is not a complication she needs when her future is at stake. But when intolerance rears its ugly head and people who are close to Amira get hurt, she learns that there is more to Duncan than meets the eye. Now she must decide what she is willing to fight for. In the end, it may be that this small-town singer is the only person who sees her at all.

The ritual of chai offers a moment to stop, to inhale, to feel awakened by the heady concoction of tea leaves and spices, to look out of the window and observe, to sit and let thoughts waft into thin air like the steam from the chai, a moment to breathe and sigh, to feel the heat of the spices absorb into the body, to feel the senses awaken from the tea, and for the sweetness to send a rush of energy to the brain. This book is a celebration of chai, the delicious, spicy drink that is woven into the fabric of life in India, now rapidly growing in popularity and enjoyed across the world. The Book of Chai presents 65 delicious recipes for chai, including recipes using chai spices and dishes to accompany chai. As well as explaining the health benefits and different techniques for making chai, this book contains chais for different seasons, times of day and moods. There are chais to wake you up, chais to soothe you after a stressful day and chais to help you sleep, as well as dirty chai, chocolate chai, and chais mixed with citrus and rosewater. More delicious recipes include lassis, chai spiced carrot cake, crispy pakoras and warming crumbles. The Book of Chai also explores the fascinating history of the beverage and its role in Indian life and culture. Evocative 'chai stories' of the author's personal chai memories are blended throughout, bringing to life the importance of this drink and the way it brings family, history and culture together.