Good morning, Bangalore!
Everyone I know is busy sneezing, coughing and hacking into the sunset. Of course, as Indians, we have a birthright to cough violently without covering our germ-laden mouths and sneeze unapologetically into someone’s face and, better still, leave globs of sputum on the sidewalks where unsuspecting people get infected. Enclosed places like lifts, check-out counters and doctor’s offices are breeding grounds for bird, swine or cockle-doodle flu… nowhere to run and hide as ‘one flu into the cuckoo’s nest’!
As it is very evident, I am down with a bout of ‘the flu blues’. My hubby caught the first strains and followed me around with a sad puppy face. I tried to tell him that he needed to wear a face mask and sleep in the guest bedroom but he looked truly bewildered at the suggestion, like I was sending him off to some sanatorium for infected adults. Of course, I didn’t press the ‘banishment clause’ so I ended up getting infected. Go figure!
Luckily for me, my weekend was infection free so I managed to do a couple of fun things. I remember singing Christmas carols at our neighbours’ gates when we were kids. Big, small and indifferent, caste and creed was no bar, but knowing the words of the carols was important. We would gather in a group, excited to be out in the cold winter air of namma ooru and thrilled to be allowed out after bedtime.
Accompanied by one or two adults and a gaggle of older kids we would go from house to house, singing our hearts out. The lights would go on inside the house and we would always be greeted with a slice of cake or kal-kals and a hot cocoa drink. Sigh! I do miss those simple pleasures…
I know we often compare the ‘what was’ to the ‘what is.’ And surely, change is the bedrock of every civilised society. Everything familiar alters changes and morphs into the unfamiliar. Topography, values and even our taste buds undergo a metamorphosis! No change means there is no growth, which further translates into fossilisation. There you go… QED!
Keeping my altered taste buds in mind, I was so looking forward to dining at Sanchez at the invitation of chef Vikas Seth, who was collaborating with the talented Mexican chef Colibri Jimenez for a four-course meal at the restaurant. I just love the vibrancy of hosting visiting chefs which, in turn, opens us up to different tastes and cultures, and puts our city on the culinary map. Needless to say, the guests were over-awed and delighted with the experience, and the fresh and piquant flavours – a runaway hit on our table. Big and noisy events where people are left holding onto their plates (literally) are so passé. Give me an intimate sit-down ambiance, with plated meals and civilised dinner conversations any day!
Gourmand entrepreneur, author and good friend, Rocky Mohan, flew into town to host a ‘Dine with Rocky’ at Marriott Whitefield. Only an invitation from the man behind ‘Gourmet Passport’, the successful fine-dining app, and Aslam Gafoor, my amiable good friend and director of Luxury Dining, could prevail upon me (and my aching bones) to make a two-hour trek to Whitefield! It is always such a pleasure to meet the suave gentleman from Delhi. His anecdotes and expertise on all things edible make for some scintillating conversation. The al fresco dining area, with flaming grills and tables laden with every conceivable cuisine, was quite an awe-inspiring sight. With a fabulous crooner to boost the mood, a well-stocked bar and Rocky Mohan to boot… it was a starry, starry night for sure.
My city is a dichotomy. Beautiful and elegant, with crumbling infrastructure and bad governance… the question is, can she survive? Till then, eat, love and pray!
Rubi Chakravarti
writer, actor and funny girl