If charity could be fun, then the Battle of the Buffet event held in Chennai on Tuesday would be a prime example. The event, which saw a crowd of over 2,000 participants, brought forth a staggering array of tastes from across the world.
“Since this event is part of the Joy of Giving, we wanted to do it well. All the food was contributed for free by hotels and we wanted to give a unique experience for the participants. That’s why we put together cuisines from across Asia, be it Mongol cuisine or Singaporean or Thai,” said the Nishanth Duvoor from one of the participant hotels.
Sure enough, the effort put together by the hotels and restaurants was evident at the Buffet, not only from the aroma and taste of the food, but also from the serpentine queues in front of each of the stalls. Chinese and Asian cuisines became a hit at the event with a whole range of items like Thai Stir fried fish, Chicken balls of fire and Wahabi Mousse. Meanwhile, from the West, it was Fish and Chips and an array of Italian delicacies – all of which had takers till the vessels were very nearly empty.
To add to all the fun was the soothing musical concert led by singers like Sriram, Vijay Yesudas and Srilekha Parthasarathy among others.
The donors for the event were not only from every part of Chennai and Tamil Nadu but from across the country and beyond. “Many NRIs and corporate bodies contributed. But in many cases, contributions came from people who had given away their food coupons to others who were less privileged as an expression of their Joy of Giving,” said Marie Banu, one of the coordinators of the event.
One of the most touching of the contributions were from the students of Lady Andal School, who had bought 200 tickets for the Buffet, each costing Rs 5,000. All the tickets were given away to the staff from the school.
The event raised about Rs 2 crore, which would be distributed to various NGOs around the city.