One thing that I have often complained about but now accepted is my severe inability to remember stuff… A glaring manifestation of that happened just now as I was browsing through my computer's search records looking for a file. Happenstance however, I ended up finding something else I had written. I am fairly certain this was in the last four years but for what end, I really cannot even imagine.
Nonetheless, I thought I will post it here for another day when another memory lapse might lead me to yet another rediscovery.
"As I sit here
almost 8000 miles away from home, trying to pen down an article on request,
there are many things that are flooding my mind. But since I have been asked to
talk about food, I am going to try and restrict myself to it. I am not a
connoisseur or a gastronome. I am a simple person who eats to live (and not the
lives to eat kind) and who believes in cooking well to eat well. I have very
few preferences in terms of food and as Phoebe once said, I can eat almost
anything without a face (being brought up as a vegetarian does leave you a
little disadvantaged in that one arena that faces become unappetising…). I have
also almost always had a very high threshold for taste and smell perceptions
and that just means that I need a lot of salt to taste the saltiness, a lot of
spice to taste the spiciness, a lot of sugar to get the sweetness, I am sure
you get the drift by now which is that, I basically needed a lot of anything to
sense it, one way or another. I was a survivor in some sense. Quite unlike the
gourmet friends of mine, I could eat almost any food and not complain – be it
the mess food or the food at some other unmentionable places (unmentionable
because I am still not rich enough to spend money on libel cases, you see!).
My introduction
to food as an art and an experience happened after my introduction to IISc and
a few people (unmentionable now, because of privacy issues than the fear of
libel) who surrounded me and who kept talking about the texture of food, the
smells, the looks, the subtle tastes and a whole lot of such stuff which was
completely unpalatable (pun intended) to someone like me. More often than not,
I was left amazed at the sensory acuity of my friends… (one of them could
actually smell food and tell if the salt was right.. !!! (Wowo… and at this
point you should imagine me staring at her with my not so very well-known
“jaw-dropping look”)
But that was the
beginning and from that shaky beginning I have now evolved to see the very many
pleasures of food. I have started to explore diverse cuisines and to note the
finer points of the entire culinary expedition. I find it fascinating to now
eat a morsel of food and to try and discern the components that built it… I
mean, the spices, the herbs, the vegetables that went in… The subtle flavour of
oregano or pepper, salt or mustard, basil or cumin, garlic or ginger etc etc….
I find it fascinating that people can actually do that !! I have also started
noticing the kind of food that I like more than a few others, I have started
paying attention to the texture of food, the amount of oil, the possible variations
etc (the fact that I didn’t have an on-going PhD to pay attention to did help
enormously). I assure you that it would have seemed like a lot of indulgence
and vanity to me too perhaps a few years ago but now I can see the art and the
craft underneath. I have started to appreciate the view of the connoisseurs.
Afterall no pursuit can be trivial and while books interest me, food could
interest someone else. And more often than not having food could kill you while
not having a book will only upset you a little.
I also realize
now that my unbridled spirit in dealing with ingredients was kind of kept in
check by the fear that I could have others consuming (and perhaps commenting)
on the fruits of my labour. A physical distance from such daunting
responsibility and a solitary existence in distant lands, has now truly liberated me from the bonds of
tradition and cuilinary shows. I now cook for myself knowing fully well that I
will still love myself no matter how the food turns out and I experiment with
gay abandon. I mix ingredients just because they appeal to me and I match
recipes. The fact that I have to cook for myself has only opened up a new
journey and I am loving it so far. Cooking can be therapeutic in some ways.
Coming back from a crazy day at work with a disastrous experiments, pushy
bosses and dumb colleagues, cooking can be a relaxing activity. One atleast
gets a good meal at the end of the day and the joy of creating something new is
an added bonus. It is an experience that I treasure and look forward to. I am
exploring a whole new world and as McDonalds says it “I’m lovin it”.
But then through
all these years, there has been one thing that has been a constant in my life –
my sweet tooth (I didn’t lose it when I lost my milk teeth and grew the
permanent set !!). While, I was quite unaffected by most food and not really
choosy about what I put in my mouth (well, there is a child in me still ;));
there was one thing which really got me dreaming and drooling. Desserts!!! Oooo
wonderful desserts!! Through the more physiological endorphin and dopamine
release the desserts – cakes, pastries, cheesecakes, mousse, muffins,
chocolates… have made many a rotten day feel better. I have often craved for
some simple sugar and chocolate combination when things have been going far
from good and my friends have pampered me through. From a cheesecake at Amma’s
to the ganashe tart at Freska’s to sometimes the Tiramisu at Miller’s, I have
relished many a fine desserts. I have also realised that my weakness lies in
the combination of a bitter-sweet taste of dark chocolate or coffee and sugar,
like life as it is (well… I knew there was a philosopher in me all along). I
love the chocolate melting in my mouth even as the nuts give me something to chew
upon. I love the warmth of the molten chocolate as it seeps through the cold
vanilla ice cream and I love the sweet mascarpone cheese even as the coffee
soaked sponge cake crumbles in my mouth. If there were a heaven, I would say
that I have seen glimpses of it and I am very happy with it too… J
But then, here
lies the challenge for the future, through my culinary explorations, I have
still not ventured into the land of desserts, simply because it sounds like a
sacrilege to me!!! But one day I do hope to make a leap of faith and try my
hand at some of these bits of heaven accessible to ordinary mortals like us…
Till then I console myself saying that there should be something in man’s reach
but just out of his grasp. After all it gives us something to look forward to.
So as I prepare myself for my giant leap (sometime in the future) I continue to
dabble with smells, textures, colours and tastes as I explore the world of
culinary perfection though my own humble means.
As a sincere
advice, I would say “the devil lies in the details” and one must watch out for
what one puts into their mouth… it is a rewarding experience…
Happy eating and
happier cooking to you all!!
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