Lab Lunch!!!

Yesterday my lab-mates and I took a well-deserved break from the lab for a couple of hours to go together for a lab lunch. Mamta (a post-doc in the lab) had suggested that we try to get away from lab a bit more, so I organized the first official Hasan Lab Outing. We went to a nice little restaurant called Neels, which turns out to be just off of Sanjaynagar, the street on which Eric and I live. The entre lab went expect for Gaiti (aka Dr. Hasan) and Mamta, who was busy not taking her own advice about having a life outside of lab (she was preparing for Saturday's lab meeting). The lunch buffet was very good, it is quite a bit different than the Indian lunch buffets back home though (much better, obviously). My most favorite dish of all is one called gajar halva (a dessert naturally). It is a dessert that is made of carrots (gajar) cooked in butter with dates and sugar and topped with almonds. It may not sound like it, but it is delicious. The restaurant also served it with homemade vanilla ice cream, and it was absolutely to die for. I can't wait to go back with Eric and have it again! The lunch was such fun that we have already scheduled the next a couple of weeks from now. I have also included a couple of pictures so that you can all meet my new (and totally crazy) lab-mates. In the picture taken at the table, starting at the left, from front to back is: Senthil, Shalima, Gayatri, Neha, Rashmi. On the right, from front to back: Gayathri, Shantala, Me, Mani, Sandeep.