Tendulkar recalls gourmet delights
SachinTendulkar took a trip down memory lane and for a change, it was not cricketthat he talked about.
The veteran batsman, instead, spoke of his gastronomic experienceswhile travelling with the team all over the country and the world in his overtwo-decade career.
And the interesting trivia included how he skipped lunch andpolished off a large bowl of ice-cream before facing the pace attack fromPakistani trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar at the highvoltage match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in 2003 World Cup.
India had won the match by six wickets and Tendulkar, who hadsome cramps while batting, was adjudged man of the match for the game after hisknock of 98 runs from 75 balls.
Revealing his fascination for good food, the veteran batsmanshared his 'delicious' tour memories at a cook book launch event here lastnight.
"At lunch time I only had ice-cream. I didn't have anythingelse. I had my headphones on, and didn't want to listen to anyone. I knew whatwas wanted at that particular moment. All I did was grab a huge bowl ofice-cream and finished it. I had told when the umpires walk out please let meknow. The umpires walked out and I removed my headphones and walked out to bat.In the meanwhile the ice-cream was delicious," he said.
He said the team had street food in South Africa to celebratethe victory.
"Immediately after the match, we decided wherever we gothis evening, we have to be together. It was a big day and we needed tocelebrate together. So we went and had street food together. We enjoyedourselves. That match was one of the most important games of that tournament.
"People had told me a year before the match, that come whatmay, you need to win this match. So after that, the whole team decided whereverwe go, whatever we do we will be together. This was one of those big nightswhere every little thing we remember and we cherish those moments because it doesn'thappen again," he said.
The senior cricketer further said he gorged on Pakistani foodand had piled on a few kilos on his debut tour there.
"The first tour of Pakistan was a memorable one. I usedto have a heavy breakfast which was kheema paratha and then have a glass oflassi and then think of dinner. After practice sessions there was no lunchbecause it was heavy but also at the same time delicious.I wouldn't think ofhaving lunch or snack in the afternoon.I was only 16 and I was growing," Tendulkarrecalled.
"It was a phenomenal experience, because when I gotback to Mumbai and got on the weighing scale I couldn't believe myself. Butwhenever we have been to Pakistan, the food has been delicious. It is tasty andI have to be careful for putting on weight," he said.
The leading run scorer in world cricket added that cookingrelaxes him and he had once cooked for the entire team, something none of histeammates have done so far.
"In 1997 or 1998, we were in Delhi. The entire team wasat Ajay Jadeja's place for dinner and I had gone there half an hour earlier toprepare baingan bharta for the whole team," he said.
A self-proclaimed foodie, Tendulkar said he cooks for his familyon special occasions and his wife enjoys the fish curry he makes.
"I have cooked for her (wife Anjali). I still do sometimes.Not on a regular basis but sometimes I do cook breakfast for Sara (daughter),Arjun (son) and Anjali. Earlier it was on a regular basis but now only onspecial occasions.
"I cook various things like fish curry and prawnmasala, which I obviously learnt from my mother. She taught me couple of thingsages ago and I experimented with it and made Anjali try, which wasn't too bad.She says it is the best fish curry she has had in her life," he said.
The veteran batsman said in his pre-teen years, he only hadMaharashtrian food and once he started travelling, he learnt to try newcuisines.
"I travelled to England and that was the first time I heardthat cold chicken was also meant to be eaten. I got used to that. As the timewent by I learnt to deal with all these things and develop a taste forthat," Tendulkar said.
"I think cricket was so important and so exciting thatwe used to forget about food. The evening was a little difficult.
Those days you could afford to eat burgers but not at this stage."
"With traveling and more exposure, I was open to tryingout new things. In the 25 years of traveling I have tasted all kinds of cuisineand have enjoyed it. I appreciate good food and good taste. Sometimes it isgood to eat whatever you like and not think about the diet," he saidadding that London is one of his favourite places in terms of variety ofcuisines available.
The 39-year-old said he is a big fan of Japanese cuisine andhad taken Suresh Raina once with him to a restaurant though unsure about theend result.
"I remember three years ago, I took Suresh Raina to a Japaneserestaurant, which wasn't too bad. I don't know whether he was pretendingbecause I was so excited. I said let me introduce you to Japanese food. Heliked it.
"I am not sure if he tried Japanese food after that or not.At least at that stage he enjoyed sashimi and sushi. I also ordered for burntgarlic fried rice, which wasn't difficult for him," he said.
On his cooking memories, he said, "in 2000, we went to Zimbabweand we went to one of these game reserves. We were out in the jungle and wecooked our food. We had a beautifully lit barbecue and we ate good barbecuechicken and sausages. That experience of being in jungle and cooking your ownfood and mingling around with teammates was an experience. Those early bondingswent far. That whole experience was truly a memorable one."
His Mumbai teammates Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar normallyaccompany him to new restaurants or try new cuisine, Tendulkar said.
"Along with me, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar, we trynew restaurants and different cuisines. But most of the guys prefer eitherItalian or Thai or at the most Chinese. But we three and maybe Yuvraj Singh trydifferent things," he said.
He added that he enjoys 'varan bhaat' (Maharashtrian dalchawal) when he comes from long overseas tours.
"I like varan bhaat, when I am back from long tours. Itis not something you get outside India. Varan bhaat with little bit of ghee andlemon squeezed on top of it," he said.
On his worst food experience, he quipped, "I have triedsnails, which was little bit difficult to digest. It was with garlic sauce andI forced my wife to try. It wasn't too good. I wouldn't try it again."
Asked if he has tried to become a vegetarian, Tendulkar said,"there have been patches where I have tried to be vegetarian, to see howone feels. It is difficult for me because I have been brought up with nonvegetarian food. It is not I need to have non-veg every meal. I don't mind goodquality vegetarian meal, because it is healthy and keeps you light."
He further said he is avoiding oily food in a bid to preparefor the upcoming home series against England.
"I am avoiding fatty stuff, which you need to know whennot to eat. This is the time when I have to follow a particular diet, which isgoing to help me prepare for upcoming series as well. It is not something whichhappens overnight.
"You need to follow a routine and I try and do that. Afterbeing around for a long time, I know when I can afford to eat and when I shouldstay away from fatty stuff," he said.
Tendulkar gave an example of how he prepares himself beforea match and said, "it depends on conditions that we play in. During WorldCup (2011), we played in Ahmedabad against Australia.
"It was really really hot. So for two three days I wenton vegetarian diet with bland food like curd rice, just to not have any spicein my system, which was there from earlier matches, just to flush it out. Andhad lots of coconut water.
You just go by gut feel. I felt that in those conditions,the spicy food wouldn’t suit.
On what kind of diet plan he will have in the Test series againstEngland, as the conditions would be different from the kind he faced in 2011March, the right-hand batsman said, "I will go there and assess, and let’ssee what the conditions are. It is about what I feel."
Asked if he is superstitious about food before a match, hesaid, "now you have put one more thing in my mind. I am not thatbad."