127 Hours

Saw one of the most inspirational movies ever which deserves a blog entry of it's own. Based on the experience of one man over a little over 5 days it connects with the audience at different levels.

On one level it is the story of a man who overcomes a significant challenge in order to achieve something incredible. The "rock" in his life is not unlike any challenge we all face in our daily lives. And as anyone who has ever overcome any challenge knows - the feeling is great and it comes only with significant sacrifice. The sacrifice in this case is somewhat more brutal and physical than many but can be compared to losing sleep for passing a tough exam or giving up food to lose weight.

At another level the story talks about destiny and dreams. Aaron best summarises his destiny by saying "the rock had been waiting for him ever since it was a meteor in the sky". Later in the movie as Aaron dreams of being with his loved ones he is inspired into doing one of the most ghastly acts one can imagine. The little Aaron watches the real Aaron do this and those 5 minutes whilst being very "bloody" sent goosebumps and shivers up my spine. What humans are capable of under adverse circumstances is amazing. The opening song best summarises this - "There must be some f**king chemical in our brain. That make us different from animals..". Kudos to Rahman for the music - it is a narrative in itself

The last and most important level of the story is the tansformation that Aaron goes through from being a self-centered, self-driven, self-focussed individual that just requires his music and a canyon to someone who lives for the people he loves. If it were not for this connection the character feels towards the end of the movie he might not have gone through with what he did. The catharsis the character goes through is central to the emotional journey of the character. There is a lesson in that for all of us. Being just focussed on our  own narrow dreams and living for what we believe is important to us and not caring for the people we love (or should love). Well that's not too different from being stuck inside a canyon, below a rock.

As the purpose of the blog was food but am not feeling like writing too much more. Will take a short cut and post on a cornerstone of British cuisine - the full English Breakfast. You require:

- Poached eggs
- Sauted portabella mushrooms (in butter with pepper)
- Hash browns (I use the ones from a supermarket)
- Sausage
- Bacon strips
- Baked beans
- Tomato
- English muffin
- Orange Juice

Not much cooking required beyond tossing the hash browns, sausage, bacon strip and tomatos into an oven for 30 minutes and assembling all of the above on to a plate. Perfect for lazy Sunday's! Next weekend - a Sunday roast!

Dinner and a Movie

A beautiful weekend in London coming to an end. First weekend back from India and we were greeted with lovely sunshine, albeit cold temperatures, whilst Delhi remains shrouded in a cold fog. Spent saturday morning at a local farmer's market where farmer's and fisherman from neighbouring villages sell their fresh produce. Incredibly fresh sea-bass from the Dorset coast grilled for dinner. Despite having the choice to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from a host of supermarkets nearby I always tend to be drawn to the local farmer's market. Something about knowing when the fish was caught (4am on the same day) and buying it directly from the man who caught it makes it worth the extra few pounds.
Recipe for a simple grilled fish:
- Soak some cut garlic and chilli flakes in olive for 3 hours
- Stir-fry some fennel (or onion) in olive oil with some garlic till the fennel has turned soft
- Take a whole raw fish and rub the olive oil marinade all over. Add salt/pepper and a few twigs of thyme
- Lay on the bed of stir-fried fennel and grill for 30-45 min
- Pop in a few potatoes and tomatoes in the baking dish as well. Can rub them with olive oil and rosemary for some extra flavor
Saw "No One Killed Jessica" prior to dinner last night. Having closely followed the murder case back in 1999, was something that I was really looking forward to. And it stood up to my expectations. Whilst the story of the Jessica Lall murder case was portrayed very well so was the character of Delhi and it's many residents. Captured best in the one line "In Delhi everyone is someone big or related to someone big!". Know the feeling given the few times have witnessed a road fight or any such fight have heard the usual "You don't know who are speaking to..." mentioned! I wonder if this case has created a bit of a fear in the minds of people, such as the politician's son, who otherwise would not think twice before exploiting the law.
Switching back to culinary experiences over the coming weeks - hope to try to cook a full live crab next weekend (recipe to follow). My favorite fisherman convinced me this weekend that it is actually not that complicated and well worth the effort.
A German colleague suggested the wife and I go out for a curry with him and his girlfriend. The choice of curry house ofcourse fell on me. After careful thought have decided the Bombay Brasserie weekend buffet is the best bet. Far removed from the usual curry/"balti" restaurants of London that mix tomato puree with some garam masala and honey and add everything from chicken to lamb to veggies in a sauce. It remains my favorite not just for the food but the beautiful art-work and layout of the restaurant. Last weekend of January. Review to come.

Consumerism's Children

Distracting away from the core theme of the blog - and it’s only the second entry! On my flight back to London saw “Haazaron Khwaishein Aisi”, for the second time. For those who haven’t seen this movie yet – it is a must watch. It is based on the lives of three college friends in the early 70’s, with the politically turbulent India as the back-drop. The character played by Shiney Ahuja (“Vikram”) is capitalism’s child – an upwardly mobile middle class boy keen to make a quick buck by exploiting political inefficiencies and a corrupt bureaucracy. The second lead, played by KK Menon (“Siddharth”), is an idealist. Born into an affluent family and heavily influenced by the Marxism, Cuba, naxalism, caste struggles etc. An idealist who gave up his comfortable life in a plush Lutyen’s delhi neighbourhood for the villages of Bihar. The constant clashes between these two leads makes for an interesting narrative. Vikram constantly mocks Siddharth, given he is born with a silver spoon and wants to achieve something completely intangible and impossible. His feelings are best described in a statement – “While all of you are trying to get out, I am trying to get in”. Point noted – I guess it’s easy to philosophise when one is not obsessed with just trying to improve one’s lot. Based on the movie and innumerable stories from my parent’s generations about those days it is fair to say that there were quite a few people in that generation who were actually moved my something more than just making money. They romanticized political ideologies, alternative societal frameworks and were willing to give up a lot for that. World-over people felt there was something fundamentally wrong with society and that they could actually change something. Regardless of whether it actually led to something people were fundamentally moved.

That got me thinking to who the “Vikram’s” and “Siddharth’s” of my generation are. It is fair to say I could think of innumerable Virkam’s but no Siddharth’s. It is tough to think of people I have known in school or college who have actually taken the path less travelled. The most risk-taking peers of mine were probably those that decided to be entrepreneurs. However, even this was largely driven by a good idea and the belief that it could be monetised as opposed to being a social change agent. I guess if the generation of the 70’s were the “flower children” we are “consumerism’s children” armed with a fair degree of pragmatism and ready to pursue wealth creation. We are far too busy striving for the next promotion, discussing real estate prices and frankly updating our profile pics on facebook to worry about which political party is better for the future of India. Is that good or bad – I guess that can be the topic of another blog.

In order to try to maintain the core theme of the blog – will mention a restaurant in London that I plan to try out in the coming weeks – “Dishoom”. Inspired by the original Irani cafes of Mumbai, which I have visited a few times, seems to have caught the attention of the desi expat community in London. Review to come.

The changing landscape of India

Have debated this a number of times with friends and family. Each time I travel back to India (which is quite frequently) am amazed to see the constant evolution of everything from roads, prices, products etc. Sticking to the theme of the blog - the evolution of eating out options in India has been amazing. If I dial back the clock to the start of this decade eating out in Delhi largely revolved around 2 options. The quintessential "Mughlai" meal focused on spicy curries and dry tandoor (clay-oven) based dry dishes served with either chicken/mutton/paneer. The Chinese meal, a blend of what are staple Chinese ingredients (Soya Sauce, Vinegar, garlic, Ajino-Moto) served in an Indian "curry-like" fashion with prawns/chicken. Most restaurants in the city seemed to be franchises of these two schools of cuisine and depending on where you ate it you could spend anywhere from INR 300-1000 for a meal for two. A restaurant like "Big Chill" was a rave back when I was in college as an exception where you got a taste of Italy and a glimpse of college life. Roll the clock forward and the options to eat out in Delhi could compete with London both on variety and frankly on prices. Sashimi flown in fresh from Japan, handcrafted har-giu and char siu dim-sums, panna-cotta, mezze platters, olives and houmous etc etc. If you want to have an international dining experience you are spoilt for choice! So when I come back to India now - what do I look for when I eat out? I seek out the tastes and flavors of the old Delhi that I knew back in college. The butter chicken of "Punjabi by Nature", the chinese of "Mainland China", the mustard fish of "Oh Calcutta". I steer clear of Chinese restaurants whose menu reads like a Royal China or Ping Pong in London. I side-step Indian restaurants promoted by fashion designers (aren't most people in that industry under-weight?). I avoid restaurants that offer everything from a dim-sum to a dosa to a dum-biriyani under one roof with a 15% service charge slapped on for good measure. And I am a big believer in the "cattle theory" of restaurants. Humans like cattle tend to huddle around a good experience - be it a movie, a meal or a lady. So if you see an empty restaurant - chances are that something is not quite right and that you have a higher likelihood of getting the good ole microwaved meal. Till next time - happy chewing!