The New Nation - Internet Edition

Enjoy Mexican food at El Toro

Farizaa Sabreen

When you enter this restaurant, you'll see poncho, serape, sombrero, Aztec calendar, masks, statues, and photos of bull, bull fight, Mexican revolution and Red Indians.. The attention to detail is pretty good and the whole interior is Mexican.

Here, you'll find nothing but the authentic Mexican cuisine, enchanting Mexican atmosphere and stupendous service.

"El Toro" means "The Bull" in Spanish. The place is cool and the food is hot. The total environment is romantic and idyllic. It is a great place to eat and interact with various people.

According to the manager, Mr. Mahtab, "Our aim is to provide the authentic Mexican food with excellent service at an affordable price to our customers".

The history of Mexican food has been greatly influenced by the Spanish. Mexican cuisine is as vivid and varied as the culture of its country. What make a meal distinctly Mexican, of course, are the seasonings. Some important ingredients of Mexican dishes are annatto seed, cayenne, chilli, vanilla, sesame seeds and tomatoes.

El Toro Mexican Restaurant has been sizzling strong since 1995. Located at Gulshan, they have amazing Mexican experience.

El Toro offers a variety of dishes with an unusual twist. Their unique recipes offer you a taste well out of the ordinary.

Their authentic Mexican dishes, using only the finest and freshest ingredients, are different from what you usually find in a Mexican restaurant. Their most popular dishes like Nachos, Chips and salsa, Mexican rice, Tortilla, and Taco. Foods are fresh every day and they offer a good selection of desserts. Enjoy a unique change of taste at El Toro.

If you want to sit down for a nicely prepared Mexican dinner that will tame your appetite at a hip and eclectic restaurant with comfortable and cosy, then come at El Toro. There is a smoking zine also.

The menu of El Toro Mexican Restaurant offers discriminating consumers a comprehensive lunch and dinner selection, ranging from the traditional to the innovative.

This includes steaks, chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes that blend high-quality ingredients with unique sauces and marinades.

They also serve salads, vegetarian specialities and delightful desserts.

Chicken Fajita Salad is served on a bed of mixed greens and garnished with seasonal vegetables and guacamole.

Enchilada is baked, filled tortillas covered with Enchilada sauce, cheese and sour cream.

Choice of cheese, chicken or beef and served with tortilla chips and salsa or with rice and salad.

You can try Burrito (Tk.120-580). It is made with cilantro lime rice and beans, topped off with salsa and cheese or sour cream.

Chimichanga(large flour tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, onions, blended cheese, deep fried and topped with blended cheese and lettuce. Garnished with sour cream and smothered in burrito sauce) has wonderful taste with subtle flavour.

In the summer, sip iced tea with lemon, regular, apple, orange (Tk. 50-70). During rainy days, munch on chips and salsa and in the winter; warm up yourself by sopa d monterrey.

Start with the Nachos (Corn tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese. Served with refried beans, chicken or beef and priced at Tk.140-230).

One can choose a more familiar entrée, Fajitas (Tk.270-380). It is marinated chicken or beef, charbroiled, then thinly sliced and served on a sizzling skillet of vegetables and served with shredded cheese, lettuce, tortillas.

Veggie lovers delight is guacamole(cheese and avacado salad). Taco salad is equally impressive.

Mouth watering quesadilla come with sides of fresh guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

frijoles,

Fish steak is a marvellously rich dish of fish. If you like Mexican food, don't miss this one.

Another popular dishes on the menu are chili corn carne and bowl o chili.

When you stop by, make sure you try one of their fabulous deep fried Ice-cream (Tk.190).

Apart from the great food, El Toro serves up a great variety of fresh juices (Tk.120). Try also apple buro(Tk.160) for an unmatchable taste.

If you like Mexican food and haven't been on El Toro in a while, plan on a visit for a memorable dining experience.

El Toro

House# 11A, Road# 138

Gulshan-1

Photos: Sharif Khan

Beauty tips for Monsoon

WP Report

A good lashing downpour is the perfect excuse to stay at home with your family members. But if you have to go outside, bring along your umbrella and rainproof makeup on your face.

Don't let rainy days determine what you decide to wear. Try to wear bright pieces of clothing that make you cheerful. Just because the weather outside is dreary doesn't mean your wardrobe or mood has to be.

Monsoon is the time where your skin behaves a little strange and is often unstable; suddenly it's gets oily or become dry and dehydrated. Hence it is very necessary that you take care of your skin during this season in order to look fresh and beautiful. Following are a few skin care tips that you need to follow.

Clothes call

The most difficult part of this season is to hold the look that you started your day with. Your white flowing skirt and your neatly done up ponytail could well be a mangled mess by the time you reach your destination. But, solutions are at hand, as designer

Always go for clothes that are not too long. Capris and knee length skirts which will not get slushy are the best option. Wear cotton as much as possible. It dries up easily even if you get wet. Also, since the weather is very humid the material will keep you cool. Other than cotton one can also try out something in khadi or chiffon but the problem with these fabrics is that they get crinkled very easily.

Monsoon is the time to flaunt the pinks and greens as your bright outfit can off-set the dull skies above you. As far as cuts are concerned, knee length skirts which are very 'in' this season should be teamed up with sleeveless tops or ones with puff sleeves. Light embroidery is fine but don't try out one which is overdone. There is a range of rubber footwear available at various shoe stores and in malls. You could avoid the boring brown and go for some bright colours.

Looking good

Skin care is the other important thing to take note of during monsoon because a good skin can do even without make-up. For a good skin, the first thing to ensure is to eat right during the monsoons and the second thing is to use good natural skin care products.

Cleansing: Your skin will require regular cleansing in order to keep it looking fresh and healthy. Follow these home remedies.

Dry Skin: You can use almond paste or honey cleanser. Take ten crushed almonds and make a paste and add two tsp of honey. Massage on face for 5 to 7 minutes, rinse face and pat dry.

Oily Skin: You need a very mild cleanser to get the dead cells and grime off from skin. Use pure oatmeal scrub to cleanse oily skin or use ripe papaya pulp as a mild exfoliant.

Toning: It's a must at night. During monsoon, a lot of airborne and waterborne microbes are let loose. So a good anti-bacterial toner will go a long way to prevent skin infections and eruptions. It is a good idea to get anti-bacterial face wash too. You need to mildly tone a dry skin since the pore size is small. Use five drops chamomile oil in a one tsp milk to tone dry skin and ten drops Lavender oil in one tsp water to tone an oily skin.

Moisturising: During monsoon, moisturising is as important as it is in summer. Monsoons can mean a de-moisturising effect on dry skin and an over-hydrating effect on oily skin. The skin gets wet often and with the constant wetting and drying, a lot of dehydration (yes, in the rains!) takes place. That explains the itchy feeling one gets during monsoons. Use a non-water based moisturiser, if you happen to get wet often. Otherwise a water- based moisturiser will do.

Dry Skin: Take I tsp honey, I tsp fresh curd and I tsp jojoba oil. Mix all of these together and apply on your face and neck. Leave it on for 10 mins and then wash off with plenty of water.

Oily and Combination Skin: In 2 tsp rose water add 2 drops of strawberry oil and fresh orange oil. Mix and apply on face and neck for 10 mins and then wash off.

Try to apply proper face masks, as per the skin type. Clay masks works better to cleanse the skin completely and prevent clogging of skin pores. Clean your skin regularly with a good cleanser followed by toning and moisturising process suitable to your skin type. Wash your face with fresh water repeatedly to feel fresh. 'Go minimum' is the mantra for make up during monsoon.

The other thing that one has to keep in mind while choosing monsoon makeup is that it should be waterproof.

Foundation should be avoided, and if at all used, it should be just a hint of it. Lots of mascara works well for monsoon and gives a chic and smoky look if you are partying out. Eye shadows should be avoided and as far as lip colour goes, choose bright and young colours like candy pink, orange but not red.

Make skincare your makeup during the monsoon. Clean skin with less makeup is the best way to brace yourself for a rainy day. Mix a few drops of foundation in water-based moisturizer. For a light weight canvas treat foundation like a moisturizer and smooth over clean skin till it completely disappears. The use of loose powders and oil-based products should be kept minimal during the rain.

Tweak, pluck or thread your eyebrows in the correct shape, as an eyebrow pencil is not recommended during a downpour. Keep eye makeup light and moisturize lips with lip conditioner at regular intervals.

Tress tale

If you like to flaunt your tresses, then this is not the season. Monsoon is the season that calls for extreme care and if you really want to have good quality hair, you need to tie it up for at least two months from the onset of monsoon.

The first bad effect of monsoon is on your hair and therefore it is essential that one should start taking good hair care immediately after initial downpour begins. . A regular hair care routine will go a long way in insuring you against tangles, wet and messy hair.

Firstly, choose a sensible hairstyle. Though short hair is easier to maintain in the rains, select a style that can bounce back into place easily after being wet. Avoid hairstyles that require your hair to be straightened, crimped or curled since the high levels of humidity in the air will make the hair go limp.

Try not to use hair sprays and gels as the lacquers and gums can stick to the scalp causing dandruff.

No matter how much trouble you take to keep your head dry, a heavy Mumbai shower is sure to leave you soaking. Proper drying of hair can help in minimizing the damage of excessive wetting of hair. If you dry your hair with a towel, avoid rough back and forth motions. The proper technique to pat-dry gently before using an electric blower and make sure that the temperature is not too high or you may burn your hair.

Do not leave your hair wet or tie it while it is still wet, as this could cause dandruff.

Make sure you tie your tresses before you head out.

Use a good shampoo as per your hair type at least thrice a week as the hair becomes really messy and oily because of the humid weather.

Shampooing should be followed by conditioning. Your hair actually needs some extra care, so it is always better to go for some natural hair therapies that would give sheen to the hair and let it breathe freely.

A high ponytail is the best option. No matter where you are going, but this hair do is manageable.

For your feet

Muddy splash of monsoon may harm a lot in your feet. When you feel your leg fatigue then dip your legs in warm water. To remove bad smells from your feet you can mix lavender oil, rose oil with the milky water. It also makes your feet smooth and clean and utter comfortable.

Trading History : 400 years of commercial Dhaka

Sayeda Akter

Big coal engine wooden ships leaving the jetty on Buriganga, filled with famous fine Muslin cloths, jutes, blue and soaps to the way from Mediterranean Sea to Europe, Indian Sub-Continent to Jeddah and Basra in Middle East via Padma, Meghna river.

Not only through the river, Muslin, jutes, blue and soap were also exported through terrain routes, alias 'Silk Line' route through the mountains of China and India to Europe via Lebon, today's Lebanon, with using camels, horses and donkeys as vehicles.

People were then used to do business either in trading, meaning goods against goods or in gold, silver and cowry, the shell of the cowries formerly used as money in parts of Africa and Asia.

It's no tale. All about the ancient Dhaka.

This year Dhaka observes its 400th anniversary and Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI), in association with Bangladesh Asiatic Society, have taken an initiative to write down the Commercial History of Dhaka.

An 11- member committee has been formed on this regard to oversee the regular activities of the project and arrange regular seminar and workshop to review the history written so far.

Professor Dr. Sirajul Islam, president of Bangladesh Asiatic Society, said, 400 years ago, while Dhaka started growing the attention of the rulers as an important city, it was already a famous city for Muslin and jutes, leather, cotton, bell metal, pewter and brass.

Dhaka grew as a metropolitan in 1608 under the Mughal rule, the city was then known as Jahangir Nagar, named by Mughal Emperor Jahangir and was a commercially important city of that time.

Afterwards, day came when Muslin was no longer in existence in the world except in museums and the city's golden fiber jute also lost its good days.

Prof Islam said, after witnessing lots of political and economical adversity, the 400 years old city is now the center of political, economic and cultural life in Bangladesh.

He said now the city has the most diverse economy amongst Bangladeshi cities and has seen a modernization of industrialization, transport, communications and public works.

With huge transformations, Dhaka has grown accustomed to be a commercial city with leather industry, cotton, bell metal and pewter, button, glasses, printing and publication, ceramics tiles and most importantly ready made garments (RMG).

Delwar Hasan, editor of the 600 pages book, said the job of accumulating all the oral history and information from other historical references is very tough.

"It is tough to accumulate information from different sources, many of which are oral sources, but it will be very useful for the people interested to know about the rich commercial history of Dhaka and obviously the next generation," he said.

"The project has another objective to make a guideline for future entrepreneurs and business initiators of the country to make their plan using this resources," he added.

Hossain Khaled, president of DCCI, said the initiative was taken to remark the 400 anniversary of Dhaka and 50th anniversary of DCCI.

"We found that there is no such written history on Dhaka's commerce and industry, which could help people to know about the rich history of the city," he said.

"DCCI decided to take an initiative to record all the written histories that we found in different history books and the histories we heard from pioneer businessmen and entrepreneurs," he added.

He said the project of writing the history was started in November 2007 and DCCI has allocated an amount of Tk 20 lakh for its English version, and the Bengali version-that is yet to start-would get the same budget.

The commercial history of Dhaka would be uncovered this October.

Skip yourself fit - the ultimate fitness workout

If you're tired of the treadmill and bored with the gym it's time to grab yourself a rope and get skipping. It might sound like an easy option at first but you'll soon discover that it's a lot tougher than you think. Continuous skipping will give you a high intensity workout, and it's great for the muscles of the upper and lower body. Just 20 minutes skipping will burn 250 calories.

A High Energy Workout

Skipping is an excellent cardiovascular workout and is comparable to running at 12kph when you consider the number of calories burned per minute. Skipping targets the calves, thighs, bottom, and shoulders, helping to keep these areas toned. It is a lower impact activity than running, is kinder to the joints and consequently, carries a smaller risk of injury.

Exercise On The Move

Skipping is a convenient, great value for money workout. It requires very little room and even less storage space. You can carry your rope with you for a workout anytime, anywhere! Skip in the park, in your garden, or any room with a high ceiling - it's an exercise for all-weathers.

Correct Rope Length

The length of the rope should be right for your height. Stand on the centre of the rope, and lift the handles upward. The point where the handles meet the rope should be level with your armpits. Some types of rope allow you to cut them down to size but if your rope is the wrong length don't despair! Tie knots near the handles to make alterations - a good idea if more than one person is going to be using the same rope.

The Basics- Guidelines

Wear soft-soled shoes. Jump on softer surfaces where possible (e.g. wooden floor would take preference over concrete)

The Basics -How To Skip

1. Stand tall but relaxed - breathing naturally

2. Elbows remain at waist level with arms extended sideways at about a 90 degree angle

3. Use a circular wrist motion to turn the rope

4. Hold the rope loosely, using thumb and index finder for control

5. Jump on the balls of the feet landing softly

6. Jump just high enough for the rope to pass under the feet

Sixty to seventy turns per minute is a good starting pace (roughly 1 turn per second).

Skills & Tricks

There are well over one hundred skipping tricks you can learn. A full list is available on the International Rope Skipping Federation website which also lists a 'skill of the month'. Skills and tricks can add variety to your workouts, as well as the chance to show off a little!

The Cross-Over

Keep the elbows at waist level and bent at roughly 90 degrees. Turn the rope as normal and as soon as it passes over your head, cross your arms as far across the front of the body as possible, jumping through the gap and over the rope.

Double Unders

In this trick, the rope passes under the feet twice with every jump. You can try just one or do few in a row if you want to look really flash! Jump a little higher and use your wrists to whip the rope around as fast as you can.

Other Basic Moves

These include jumping forward and back (bell jump), side to side (skier), knees up in front (running step), rotate body from the hips from side to side (twist), feet apart then together (straddle).

Techniques To Target Different Muscles

Changing your grip will emphasise different muscles of the upper body; holding the rope will focus more on the shoulders, whereas holding the handles works the forearms. Jumping from side to side (skier) will target the inner thighs, and jumping forwards and back (bell jump) increases the work of the front of the thighs. To focus on the lower stomach try the running step. To work the inner and outer thighs try the straddle.

Jumping For Gold

There are a number of skipping clubs around the UK, check out the British Rope Skipping Association for more information. The Rope Skipping World Championships take place every two years. The next one is in 2008, so you've got plenty of time to practice!

20 minute Skipping Programme

This workout incorporates all of the techniques and tricks that we have outlined. Skipping for 20 minutes will elevate the heart rate, working the heart and lungs, improving fitness and burning calories. Each of the different skipping moves focuses on a different area of the body, giving you an all round workout, which you can do anytime, anywhere!

Warm Up

Begin by marching on the spot for thirty seconds, bringing your knees up to hip level and swinging your arms.Gradually increase the speed of your march until you are jogging, and jog on the spot for 1 minute. Perform stretches of the quads, hamstrings, and calves, holding each for thirty seconds. Rotate the ankles, 5 times clockwise and anti-clockwise on each side, then 10 arm circles forwards and backwards.

Frustration in children

Frustration could sound like an unimportant, short time thing that comes and goes on its own. This is way far from the truth. If not handled properly, it could become a monster of a problem and could go a really long way in hampering a proper growth of your child's personality. It is a very important lesson that we need to give to our children at a very early age - not just to handle and manage their own frustration but also to respond and cope with other people's frustration that could affect them.

As early as birth and infancy, children use their frustration or anger (by screaming or crying) to get the proper attention from adults since they can not speak. Thus we deduce that it is an emotion that comes naturally to everybody. The key however, is to learn to control and manage it right from the beginning. Even though the emotion comes naturally, the ability to manage it well is really an art and is learnt through a very long time.

If you notice, only children around an year display the ability to pretend emotions like fear, happiness, sadness. Meaning that they are not really feeling them but only pretending them as in a game. Which shows that it is fruitful to teach anger management only once the child is an year old and not before that.

Once the child is in an age where he can understand the management of emotions, the first thing to make him understand is that there is nothing wrong in feeling any kind of emotion. The only thing that's important is to learn to control the emotions and their expression. If you're feeling angry, it does not mean that you have to express it by yelling, crying or creating a huge scene about it. To learn that, is the key to anger management.

When a toddler learns to walk, he wants to explore the whole world and we adults keep him from doing this. It could be the first example of frustrating the child and it is from right here that we need to teach him to control his anger and learn to behave in a good manner instead of throwing a fit.

It a very good and essential habit to learn and must be taught right from the beginning. Once your child is able to learn it he is sure to grow into a calm, matured and rational adult.

How to kill Stomach Worms

If one is showing symptoms like loss of appetite, diarrhea, anemia and rectal itching, then one might be suffering from the problem of stomach worms. Worms are parasites that live in the gastrointestinal tract and are caused primarily by walking barefoot on contaminated soil and by indigestion of the eggs or larvae from uncooked or partially cooked meat. These worms can be tapeworms, threadworms, hookworms or roundworms and are more common in children. Worms must be treated as they can lead to various health problems due to their ability to secrete toxins which can empty the body of its vital nutrients.

There are various ways of killing worms to ensure a healthy living. Drinking a lot of water along with increasing one's consumption of fiber can help a great deal in the elimination of worms from our body. Another way to ensure the killing of worms is to avoid the intake of carbohydrates which are found in refined foods, fruits and in juices. Instead one should increase the consumption of raw garlic, pumpkin seeds, pomegranates, beets and carrots. An old tried and tested home remedy for the treatment of worms includes cutting an onion and soaking it for 12 hours in a quart of water. One should then squeeze the juice out and take it for 4 days. This juice helps in the killing and expelling of worms from one's body. In addition, pumpkin extract contains zinc which in turn aids in the removal of worms from one's body. Pumpkin seeds and onions mixed with soy milk can prove to be an effective remedy. To prevent the formation of worms in one's body, one should mix one or two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in one glass of water and drink it.

To prevent your body from the attack of worms, one should take extra care and precautions which involves thorough washing of fruits and vegetables before their intake, drinking pure water, avoiding the intake of raw or uncooked meat and following personal hygiene. By taking simple care, one can prevent the body from attack of worms to live a happy and healthy life.

Cooking tips for beginners

Tips for Puddings

Add a tsp. of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chilli, along with salt to make it last longer and taste fresher.

Blend all ingredients together and keep overnight in a cool place. Use with any savoury dishes like pastas, minestrones, bakes, etc.

Always sprinkle gelatine over the water. Never put in dry pan, then add water and heat. Never boil gelatine. Only warm to dissolve. Safest is to heat the container over a hot griddle (tawa). Stir always.

While whipping cream never overdo it or butter will form. Always whip over a tray of iced water or ice cubes. Whip in sharp upward strokes till soft peaks form. Keep in refrigerator till used. Puddings (at least of my kind) are a no hassles beauty. No hard and fast rules about ingredients. Don't grimace if any of the ingredients is missing. Just substitute, compromise and eureka! You'll come up with an original. Just stick to general norms for mixing of jellies, gelatine, whipped cream etc. You cannot go wrong.

You can top with any sauce of your choice, if you like while serving or accompany it and let the guests pour to their liking. Ideal sauces may be chocolate, custard, orange, grape, caramel or just basic coloured sauce.

Cadbury's nutties & gems, gluced cherries, whipped cream, crumbled biscuits, dry fruits used inside, coloured sugar etc. make excellent decorations for party puddings.

Day old bread slices can be substituted for cake if cake is not available at hand.

Tips for Naans & Rotis

A good thing about most rotis is that you can half roast and pile them and do the final roast just before serving.

Many variations can be got from the basic roti recipes by using your own imagination.

Eg. layered roti can be made with a filling or dry masalas mixeds, or kasoori methi or paneer or thick spicy chutney. This must be spread before folding the roti and after applying the ghee. All triangles may be prepared first but sprinkle dry flour over each before piling. Roll and shallow-fry as required.

Puri may be rolled and place between well-rinsed wet muslin cloth at least an hour ahead. Fry before serving.

Other Cooking Tips

l When you soak rice and urad dal for idlis and dosas, wash everything thoroughly before soaking. Later use the soaked water while grinding. If you wash rice and dal after soaking you will lose most of the vitamins.

l Excess salt in any dish can be brought down by adding diced potatoes, tomatoes or a teaspoon of sugar.

l When you are making vadas, if the batter is watery - you will have the problem of oil splattering when you fry it. Add a tablespoon of ghee to the batter and your problem will be solved.

l Don't salt meat before you cook it. Always salt meat halfway through cooking. (Little less than what is required). Then taste the meat when it is done and then add salt as needed.

l To thicken any gravy or soup add corn flour to it. It is an excellent thickening agent. Remember to mix it in good water before adding to avoid lumps.

l While making any pasta add salt to the boiling water in which you are cooking it. That will be the only chance you get to salt it. Add salt after the water boils. If you add it before, it will take a longer time to boil.

l To avoid sticky rice, soak washed rice in water for at least ten minutes before cooking. A teaspoon of oil can be added to get separate grains of cooked rice.

l While make any deep fried dish, if the hot oil starts foaming and rises in the pan, add a small piece of tamarind to the oil. This will prevent foaming and spill over.

l If you want to have soft idlis, do not beat the batter before pouring idlis. The air bubble sin the batter helps you to get soft idlis. Beating the batter removes these air bubbles.

l Chill onion is refrigerator before cutting to avoid tears. One other way to avoid tears is to soak peeled onion is water before cutting.

l To get crisp, golden dosas add a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds to the urad dal and grind it.

l To make a healthy chicken dish remove the skin from the chicken. This will remove the major fat content on the chicken.

l Add a pinch of sugar while cooking any green leaf vegetables. This will help maintain the bright green color.

l For maintaining the bright color of any vegetable don't forget to put it in ice cold water as soon as you blanch them.

l To keep apples from turning brown, add little citrus juice like the juice of a lemon or orange and toss apples in it.

l A pinch of turmeric powder added to all kinds of dal when cooking hastens the cooking process.

l Remove the stems from chilies before storing them. This will keep them fresher for a long time.

l It is better to use round dishes in the microwave oven rather than square or rectangular dishes as round dishes spread heat faster.

l Oil applied to dal before it is cooked helps it to cook faster by softening the proteins.