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How to take a good picture of a chicken

HAVE you ever wondered how one takes a good picture of a chicken? This question popped up during a social gathering last week, and I've been pondering on the answer.

First I did what any DIZITAL Bangladeshi guy should do. I Googled “How to take a good picture of a chicken?” and soon realized that nobody is interested in the subject. Most people prefer to search for “How to make deep fried chicken (Pictures included)” After being let down by Google, I decided to go into my manual mode. I took out my camera and started my fieldwork.

As I was planning my strategy, I was plagued by the very question that has stumped scientists and philosophers for centuries: What came first? Egg, chicken, egg laying chicken. You can think it is not important but that's where you are wrong. Natural history is important. So again I decided to take picture of an egg. I went to the one and only shop in our residential area. These shopkeepers are like magician's hat. They can pull out almost anything from the little corner. When the shop owner realized that my real intention was to take photographs, not make a purchase, twitch of contempt on his forehead made his point crystal clear. Ignoring his facial expression (which translated to “I officially hate you”) I took some picture of the eggs. But the bubble of imagination burst when the shopkeeper informed me that these eggs do not yield any chicken. Apparently they are not fertilized.

Cursing the modern hybrid technology I started walking toward the infamous town hall market. It was not too difficult to find the chicken section of that place, given the distinct smell of bird poop. I told myself, “All I have to do is to make a chicken look good.”

In Bangladesh anything attracts people. From the high definition flower in the HDTV at the Rangs showroom to the road digging activity of WASA you can see people watching with avid expressions. And there I was taking picture of an avian species which can't fly. Within a few moments the spectators outnumbered the chickens in the market. Again ignoring their mixed expressions of curiosity and disbelief, I started taking pictures of chickens.

Do you know chickens are a REAL warmongering species? As soon as I started clicking my camera two incredible black roosters started fighting like Chinese ninjas. And the rest of them were clucking encouragement in the background, like the bloodthirsty audience at the arena. So much for models standing still to allow me to make them look photogenic. Finally after spending a considerable amount of time I managed some good shots and headed back home.

But an uncanny feeling was still rattling inside me. May be it wasn't the GOOD picture I was searching all along. The light of the day faded and darkness welled up, and I finally found my answer on the dining table. Chicken really looks good when deep-fried!

By Zabir Hasan
Photos: Zabir Hasan

 

Doing Cola

It was one of those awful days. You were over-cumbered by the stress and the heat of day. As you stepped into the safety of your home, the only thing going through your burdened mind was to unwind, to release tension.

What you needed to do was to chill with buddies, and you had just the thing to help you do that. Yes, it would give you the energy boost that you needed. Yes, it would add flavour to everything you did, but was it worth it? All the chemicals mixed in that concoction was sure to take a slice out of your lifespan.

However, you couldn’t help but realise that taking the shot would spiral you into an almost never ending roller coaster to the kingdom of euphoria. Colours bloomed in your head as you absorbed the experience, while energy surged through the body, revitalising the mind. Thus you came to the conclusion of doing something that you kept on promising yourself that you would stop the next time. You decided on having a good time with your friends, and enjoying an awesome World Cup match, you had to stop and think if you had the right product to take you to the next level. Would it be Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Royal Crown, Mojo or Virgin cola that would help you enjoy the match better?

First and foremost was the brand that marks the drink which started off from being an innocent herbal amalgamation in Columbia, to become the goose that laid the golden egg for the namesake company, and arch nemesis for health enthusiasts and doctors, especially nephrologists (the ones who specialise in kidneys). Since the company first started marketing the drink to the public, it was only natural that they held the hearts and minds of the soft-drinkers in terms of the taste and quality of the product.

Coke tastes particularly smooth, giving off a slight wisp of caramel. It has a considerable amount of fizz, and thus completes the fist criteria of being a fizzy carbonated drink. Even Goldilocks would agree that coke is not too sweet and not too bland, but just right. It departs with the perfect melted caramel-like after taste, leaving you wearing a sophisticatedly satisfied facial expression.

Some argue, and with justifiable reasons as well, that Pepsi Cola is a better soft drink than the pioneer of the industry, Coca-Cola. Even though Beckham, Henry, Dravid and even Sharukh go about stating that Pepsi is awesome, and is sure to help you score from a mile away from the beach on surfboards, help you fit in with the young crowd and also help you with your synchronised dancing, it all falls upon you the consumer to determine if it is really up to the mark. And so, only by tasting it side by side with its competitors can you tell the difference. Pepsi has a relatively sharper smell, which may be considered better, although it lacks in fizz when compared to Coke. The taste is definitely less sweet and tangy than Coke.

Royal Crown Cola, or RC Cola as it is called, is quite famous in our country, probably because of its reasonable price and quality. As the majority of its fizz is dispensed the minute the bottle is opened, its smell and taste are both invitingly subtle. RC has that tangy taste- sweet and smooth.

Mojo Cola stands out to be the nationalist's drink. Manufactured by none other than the very Bangladeshi Akij Food and Beverages Co., it became popular through intelligent advertisements and even more intelligent bottling. Mojo Cola has taken its place as one of the major soft drinks in the motherland.

With the heat in the motherland going up, it is necessary to keep oneself cool and chilled with a good cola drink as long as one's health and weight is in check. So drink what your taste-buds respond to, and not that which is stated by an awesome Thursday's supplement.

By M. Fayaad Islam
And test subjects:
Efaz Ahmed Chowdhury & Sudipto Debnath

 


 

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