u/Consistent_Ad5511

I live in the UK now, and one food trend I keep seeing here is these expensive “rice bowls.”

Growing up in Tamil Nadu, rice was usually simple. Rice with sambar and poriyal on the side. Then maybe rasam. Then curd rice. Everything had its own place.

But here in the UK, I keep seeing bowls with rice, 4 different vegetables, beans, some protein, pickles, seeds, crunchy stuff and 2 or 3 different sauces, all dumped into one bowl.

Every time I see one, it reminds me of those old-school beggar plates in Kumbakonam 😭 Someone gets a little sambar from one house, poriyal from another, some rice somewhere else, another curry from the next house, and everything eventually ends up on the same plate.

Except here they call it a “Nourish Buddha Power Bowl” and charge £15 for it. 😂

Maybe Kumbakonam was decades ahead of the trend.

Hi everyone,
I’m travelling from London to Newcastle by train on Wednesday, then driving from Newcastle to Hawkhope Car Park that evening specifically to experience the Perseid meteor shower. I’ll probably arrive around 11 pm and stay until after midnight.
This will be my first proper dark sky experience, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Is anyone else planning to be there on Wednesday night? Based on previous years, does Hawkhope usually attract a decent number of people during the Perseids, or is it generally quite quiet?
I’m also hoping the weather and cloud cover cooperate. Fingers crossed!
Any tips for a first-time visitor to Kielder/Northumberland Dark Sky Park would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Edit

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I’ve taken your advice and here’s what I’m bringing:
✅ Smidge
✅ Bite cream
✅ Warm hoodie (long sleeves), jeans and gloves
✅ Torch
✅ Water
✅ Monster or Coke Zero
Hopefully that’s enough to keep me comfortable while I spend a few hours under the stars.
I have to admit I’m still a little nervous that I’ll get there and be the only person in the middle of the darkest spot in Northumberland! 😅 Hopefully a few fellow stargazers will be around.

I see many people on Reddit claiming that TVK became successful only because Vijay fans desperately wanted to see their cinema hero become Chief Minister.
I think that explanation is completely disconnected from why a lot of ordinary people actually voted for TVK.
Of course Vijay has fans, and obviously some percentage of people voted for him purely because they like him as an actor. Nobody is denying that.
But saying TVK won mainly because of cinema fandom is an easy excuse for people who don’t want to accept why DMK lost.
A lot of people simply wanted change.
I am one of them.
I voted for TVK. I am not a Vijay fan. I am not an Ajith fan either. I hardly watch movies nowadays. I didn’t vote for Vijay because I wanted to see my “Thalapathy” sitting in the CM chair.
I voted for him because I wanted to give a completely new government a chance.
DMK has achievements. That doesn’t give them permanent ownership of Tamil Nadu.
Let me make one thing clear. I am not someone who believes DMK has contributed nothing to Tamil Nadu.
DMK and AIADMK have governed Tamil Nadu for roughly five decades. Both parties have contributed significantly to the Tamil Nadu we have today. There have been major achievements in education, healthcare, infrastructure, industries, social welfare and many other areas.
I will happily acknowledge that.
But here is the problem:
Doing good things while governing doesn’t give you a lifetime licence to rule.
It certainly doesn’t give you a free pass for corruption, arrogance, poor governance or dynasty politics.
You were elected to govern. Doing your job is not charity to the people of Tamil Nadu.
Look at the image the previous DMK government created among ordinary people.
Forget party spokespersons, statistics and Twitter warriors for a minute.
Look at it from the perspective of an ordinary voter.
What was the public image of many ministers by the end of the term?
Ponmudy, Senthil Balaji and several others were constantly surrounded by controversies, allegations or negative public perception.
There was also an arrogance surrounding several people in power. The impression many ordinary people got was that some ministers and local power centres behaved as if they were untouchable.
There was a growing perception that Stalin had lost control over parts of his own government, ministers and various power centres.
And corruption wasn’t perceived as something happening only at the very top. Ordinary people increasingly felt it when dealing with parts of the system and officials as well.
Now, whether every allegation against every individual can ultimately be proved in court is a different discussion.
I am talking about public perception.
And elections are heavily influenced by public perception.
If your government spends five years creating the impression that ministers can behave however they want, you cannot suddenly arrive during election season with a PowerPoint presentation of achievements and ask:
“Why aren’t these idiots voting for us?”
Mate, politics doesn’t work like that.
Then there is the elephant in the room: dynasty politics.
Why exactly should Udhayanidhi Stalin automatically become the future Chief Minister?
What qualification makes him the natural successor to Stalin other than the fact that he is Stalin’s son and Karunanidhi’s grandson?
And then we already hear discussions surrounding the next generation.
Where does this end?
Karunanidhi → Stalin → Udhayanidhi → eventually another family member?
Is the Chief Minister’s chair some ancestral property being transferred through a family settlement deed?
DMK has plenty of intelligent and capable people outside the Karunanidhi family.
Take PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan.
Why shouldn’t someone like PTR be considered and developed as a future CM candidate?
Why shouldn’t DMK create a genuine internal leadership contest where talented people can rise based on ability?
Why does the road to the top always seem to end at the same family’s doorstep?
This is one of the reasons people like me wanted something different.
Voting for Vijay was a gamble. We knew that.
I didn’t vote for TVK thinking Vijay was some magical saviour who would fix Tamil Nadu overnight.
I voted knowing perfectly well that he was untested.
The thought process was much simpler:
“We have already seen the previous government. I don’t like where this is going. There is finally a new alternative. Fine. Give this guy five years and see what he can do.”
That’s it.
That is very different from:
“OMG Vijay is my hero! I need to see him become CM!”
Reducing millions of voters to cinema fanboys is intellectually lazy.
And Vijay absolutely does NOT deserve a free pass now.
This is equally important.
I voted for TVK. That doesn’t mean TVK owns my vote forever.
If Vijay governs well, excellent.
If his ministers become corrupt, arrogant or incompetent, question them.
If Vijay starts surrounding himself with yes-men, question him.
If TVK fails to deliver what it promised, expose it.
If Vijay starts behaving like the very politicians he criticised, vote him out.
Simple.
The opposition’s job now is not to cry that Tamil Nadu voters were hypnotised by a movie star.
Their job is to scrutinise every decision this government makes and hold Vijay accountable.
And voters should do exactly the same.
Politics has also changed because social media changed everything.
Politicians need to understand something that perhaps worked differently 20 or 30 years ago.
People are watching now.
A minister says something arrogant today, someone records it.
A politician humiliates somebody publicly, the video circulates everywhere.
Someone makes a ridiculous statement, it becomes a clip.
A scandal happens, people discuss it for months.
Old videos come back during elections.
You cannot behave however you want for four years and suddenly distribute advertisements about government achievements during the fifth year expecting everyone to forget everything else.
That era is dying.
So instead of blaming Vijay fans, DMK should ask itself one uncomfortable question.
What did we do badly enough that so many people were willing to gamble on a completely untested first-time CM rather than give us another term?
That is the question DMK should be asking.
Because if your answer is:
“Nothing was wrong with us. People are simply stupid Vijay fanboys.”
then congratulations.
You have learned absolutely nothing from your defeat.
I voted for TVK because I wanted change.
I gave Vijay a chance.
If he performs well, he deserves another chance.
If he doesn’t, vote him out.
That should apply to Vijay, Stalin, Udhayanidhi or anybody else.
No politician owns Tamil Nadu.
No political party owns our votes.
And most importantly:
No family is entitled to the Chief Minister’s chair.

Hi everyone,

We’re three adults from London and have a rental car booked from Friday morning until Sunday night. We’re looking for ideas for a relaxing 2 to 3 day road trip anywhere in the UK.
We’re not interested in hiking or trying to see lots of attractions. The goal is simply to unwind.

What we’re looking for:

- Scenic drives with beautiful views
- Quiet countryside or mountain roads
- Lakes, rivers, forests, or coastal scenery
- Budget accommodation such as hostels or simple B&Bs (we’re not looking for luxury)
Short walks are fine, but no proper trekking

The Lake District is currently at the top of our list, but we’re completely open to other suggestions if you think there’s somewhere better. It could be anywhere that’s realistic for a weekend from London.

If you had one relaxing UK road trip to recommend, where would you go and why?
Thanks! 😊

My opinion: DMK and AIADMK probably don’t want a re-election right now, even if they dislike Vijay becoming CM.

If another election happens immediately after TVK emerged as the largest force, Vijay would likely gain massive sympathy votes. The narrative would become “they didn’t allow the people’s mandate,” and that could easily push TVK into a full majority next time.

A re-election would also be expensive, politically unstable, and risky for the established parties. So from a strategic point of view, allowing Vijay to form a coalition government now may actually be the safer option for them.

That’s probably why Stalin is urging the Governor to allow Vijay to form the government. I don’t think this suddenly means he has a soft corner for Vijay. Politically, it simply helps DMK avoid the risk of a sympathy wave and a stronger TVK comeback in a re-election.

At the same time, coalition politics comes with strings attached. Parties like VCK, Congress, and the Left may support TVK, but they will naturally expect influence in return. VCK has historically been aligned closer to DMK, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is indirect pressure on Vijay to avoid aggressively targeting DMK leaders or reopening corruption-related issues.

That puts Vijay in a difficult position. If he compromises too much, people will say he became part of the same old system. If he goes too aggressive, coalition partners may pull support midway and destabilize the government.

Winning the election was the easy part. Running a coalition government without losing his outsider image is the real challenge.