Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
WSJ: The Singaporean Paradox
Articles > Newspapers > Asian Wall Street Journal > The Singaporean Paradox The Singaporean Paradox - By Shoba Narayan WHEN LEE HSIEN LOONG took office as the third Prime Minister of Singapore last year, one of the first things he did was to announce a fresh and bold approach that would encourage Singaporeans to be less conventional. This would not seem radical but for the fact that since independence, Singaporeans have been trained to be dependent on their government. This presents Singapore's leader with a challenge: To what degree can creativity and efficiency coexist? Singaporeans are told to obey rules, [...]
WSJ: Spas vs. Tradition
Spas versus tradition - By Shoba Narayan Walk into any spa from Bali to Boca Raton, Florida, and the menu is likely to include Chinese reflexology, Tahitian fruit wraps and Thai massages. Such treatments are so commonplace these days that it’s easy to forget that just a few years ago, hardly anyone outside of their native countries had any clue as to what they where. Now, once obscure practices have the spa industry to thank for removing them from the “endangered traditions” list. Ayurveda, virtually unknown outside of India a decade ago, has become the pride of trendy spas [...]
WSJ: Skydiving
Some skydive to confront their fears, some for the thrills, and some, like me, to bond with a sibling.
WSJ: Faith & Exhibits
Growing up in India, I had an intimate but businesslike relationship with Lord Ganesh, the remover of obstacles in the Hindu pantheon of gods.
WSJ: About R. K. Narayan
When I tell people that I am from India, they often ask who my favorite Indian writer is. I have one answer: R.K. Narayan.
WSJ: Electronic greeting cards
How Electronice greeting cards are changing the game of sending wishes.
A Sari for a Month for Newsweek
Was it me or was it my sari PDF here A sari for a month. It shouldn't have been a big deal but it was. After all, I had grown up around sari-clad women in India.My mother even slept in a sari. I occasionally wore saris for weddings, holidays and to the temple. But wearing a sequined silk sari to an Indian party was one thing. Deciding to wear a sari everyday while living in New York, especially after ten years in western clothes carried my whimsy to the realms of the [...]
House Beautiful: Passage to India
What makes Kerala special for a child growing up in India?
House Beautiful: Immutable Madras
Why I love Madras, the land of my youth.
My writings for Gourmet Magazine
Gourmet magazine has a page of my pieces here and here. Pasted below Shoba Narayan dreams of being a stand-up comic and doing cartwheels—both galactically difficult to achieve for one so decidedly unfunny and unathletic. From her base in India, she writes about food and adventure for Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, ForbesLife, Time, and other magazines. She is the author of Monsoon Diary, a memoir with recipes. She writes "The Good Life" column for Hindustan Times’ soon-to-be-launched weekly magazine. SHOBA NARAYAN ON GOURMET.COM FOOD + COOKING GRAINS OF TRADITION In India, where I grew up, rice gains mystical—even mythological—proportions. SHOBA NARAYAN 09.11.08 TRAVEL + CULTURE TAMPERING WITH TRADITION [...]