Independence day
My first week back from India in Boston, I went to the Aug. 15th mela (Indian independence day fair) at the Hatch Shell on Charles River where there were seven restaurants featuring supposedly different Indian cuisines. Hungry for a taste of what I had just left behind I cut in every line and got a sample of every thing there was to eat (standing in line is for suckers I learned in India). Well, my haste was unnecessary. All of the food, bar none, sucked.
The menu should have said: "Tasteless vegetable and meat concoctions soaking in cesspools of overspiced liquids, only $6.95". The menus were all different but the food tasted the same: bland with the consistency of pureed mud. I found out later that all seven were owned by the same conglomerate in Boston, One World Cuisine. Funny that the highest priced stuff from a shi-shi club called Mantra tasted as lousy as the lowest priced restaurant there.
In India, after four months, I was getting bored of the food thinking "all the menus are the same" but when I got back I realized how good the stuff there was. Even the cheapest road-side shack in India tasted better than the stuff here (actually, the road-side was often some of the best stuff there too).
I'm sure there are some good Indian restaurants in the US but the fact that so many at the fair were loving this putrid stuff indicated that my tastes had indeed changed dramatically because I remember eating here a year ago and thinking it was alright. Even most non-Indian food in the US seems tasteless now, especially the chicken which seems closer to rubber than meat.
On the flight back to the US I remember a passenger raising a fuss over the food as he demanded more "pickle" to add some flavouring to the swiss food. While not a stereotype for all Indians this man hinted at a fact: Indians are some of the pickiest eaters in the world. But having lived in India now I can see why. The food there really is extraordinary.
Some day I will write about a Rs. 1500 crab, cooked butter-pepper-garlic style in Juhu at Mahesh Lunch Home that made me want to marry the chef's ugly daughter on the spot. And the bhel puri for Rs. 10 on the beach which I knew could kill me from the less than hygenic cooking conditions but was worth every bite. Then there's the amazing Indian-Chinese Manchow soup prepared by our cook, Bimal, so good that I am willing to forgive that bastard for robbing us of nearly Rs. 3000. And the Fish Chettinad by the river in Pune that made me nearly miss a flight. This is what food should do to a man: make him forget life and its injustices for a while.
Somewhere in here is also the reason why Indians fought for independence from the British and their pathetic bangers & mash cuisine. (okay, that was a completely tangential parting shot at the Brits for no real reason. But they probably deserve it.)
The menu should have said: "Tasteless vegetable and meat concoctions soaking in cesspools of overspiced liquids, only $6.95". The menus were all different but the food tasted the same: bland with the consistency of pureed mud. I found out later that all seven were owned by the same conglomerate in Boston, One World Cuisine. Funny that the highest priced stuff from a shi-shi club called Mantra tasted as lousy as the lowest priced restaurant there.
In India, after four months, I was getting bored of the food thinking "all the menus are the same" but when I got back I realized how good the stuff there was. Even the cheapest road-side shack in India tasted better than the stuff here (actually, the road-side was often some of the best stuff there too).
I'm sure there are some good Indian restaurants in the US but the fact that so many at the fair were loving this putrid stuff indicated that my tastes had indeed changed dramatically because I remember eating here a year ago and thinking it was alright. Even most non-Indian food in the US seems tasteless now, especially the chicken which seems closer to rubber than meat.
On the flight back to the US I remember a passenger raising a fuss over the food as he demanded more "pickle" to add some flavouring to the swiss food. While not a stereotype for all Indians this man hinted at a fact: Indians are some of the pickiest eaters in the world. But having lived in India now I can see why. The food there really is extraordinary.
Some day I will write about a Rs. 1500 crab, cooked butter-pepper-garlic style in Juhu at Mahesh Lunch Home that made me want to marry the chef's ugly daughter on the spot. And the bhel puri for Rs. 10 on the beach which I knew could kill me from the less than hygenic cooking conditions but was worth every bite. Then there's the amazing Indian-Chinese Manchow soup prepared by our cook, Bimal, so good that I am willing to forgive that bastard for robbing us of nearly Rs. 3000. And the Fish Chettinad by the river in Pune that made me nearly miss a flight. This is what food should do to a man: make him forget life and its injustices for a while.
Somewhere in here is also the reason why Indians fought for independence from the British and their pathetic bangers & mash cuisine. (okay, that was a completely tangential parting shot at the Brits for no real reason. But they probably deserve it.)
3 Comments:
Just had the best burger ever last night: The Ronnie Burger at the Miracle Of Science Pub. Ground beef, with jalepeno peppers ground into the meat, medium cooked to perfection, topped with pepperjack cheese (more jalapenos!) with roasted red potatoes on the side. Heaven I tell you. The US definitely has something to offer in world cuisine.
Is this the same Arjun Moorthy that went to North Park in Brantford?
I read over your blog, and i found it inquisitive, you may find My Blog interesting. My blog is just about my day to day life, as a park ranger. So please Click Here To Read My Blog
http://www.juicyfruiter.blogspot.com
Post a Comment
<< Home