Foodies on the Loose

I first discovered NDTV good times sometime last year when I was in one of my rather rare I-wanna-watch-television-now-and-chill-out-even-if-I-dont-really-feel-like-it" moods. Hence, it was not surprising that apart from a few pretty chicks, some scenic locales and a bit of good background music, I found nothing special about the channel.

That was until my mom asked me to tune in to H.O.M.P (Highway On My Plate for the uninitiated). Now, my mom, by virtue of being my mom, knows the foodie in me better than any one else. So I decided to give her the benefit of doubt, and watch the programme despite being in one of my rather depressed (hence hungry), bored and particularly listless moods.

Half-an hour later, I was anything but that. That particular episode had Rocky and Mayur dawdle around a small dusty town off NH-8 near the Rajasthan-Haryana border. Having had some of my lets-just-say "foodie Nirvana" moments in that region, I loved that episode. And the one after that. And the next one too. It has been over six months since, and I am proud to admit, I have rarely missed a show.

So whats it about HOMP that is special? If you watch an episode, you're likely to find yourself asking..what isn't??!! Rarely do you find a show with hosts that are so involved in what they are doing. Here are two articulate guys, whose love for food is so genuine (only a true foodie would recognise the signs: that glint in the eyes, that passion..) whose gag-a-minute witticisms are so naturally brilliant, and whose enthusiasm is simply infectious. But whats most endearing (apart from the food of course) about the show, is its character. Today's television is flooded with a host of reality shows covering every possible genre from the adventurous to the outrageous to the outright dumb. But if there is one thing that I find missing from every show, it is character.

H.O.M.P is down-to earth to a T. That is largely due to what Rocky & Mayur bring on-board. They represent the quintessential urban foodie- intelligent and sophisticated, yet devoid of all the snobbery that in inherent in most of the so-called connoissuers. For someone like me who has grown up eating off pani puri bandis in Hyderabad, roadside Dhabas in Rajasthan, and tiffin centres in southern India, these places on the show represent more than just food. They represent the taste of India that few of us know, or care for. That few of us may ever get a chance to explore.

From the dustiest bhojanaylays in the north to obscure pottu kadais down south HOMP always leaves you with some lovely "foodie moments". And of course, the food quotes, which only seem to be getting better with every passing week.

Sample Rocky's pearls of wisdom on the recession for instance:

"The only place you will find a bull now is at a Dhaba. That is why you should be eating out only in dhabas in 2009" :D

Rocky and Mayur are well and truly the rock-stars of this genre. You've the foodie's word for it.

NDTV Good Times. Tuesdays at 10.

Find of the Month

Never really doubted the ability of the English to tickle the funny bone, but this is certainly in a league of its own.

Blessed with delectable writing skills and a profound love for the game, Zaltzman is also capable of some insightful analysis. Read the piece about the statistics and the Duckworth-Lewis method to see it for yourself.

Good Times and Bad Times

Reminiscing on the weeks gone by is both painful and tiring to say the least. Apart from the Mumbai massacre which left us all shocked, angry and helpless, enough has been happening in my own life to add to the gloom. But then, cheer came from various, sometimes unexpected quarters. Heres an effort to list a few:

1. Cricket: First the one-day whitewash and now the Chennai test victory with a delectable Sachin Special. Could cricket buffs have it any better?

2. The BITSAA meet-up: No- not for the networking opportunities and blah. But for getting to see some real dudes from the 70s teach us a thing or two about performing on-stage. A genuine blast from the past.

3. Unwind Center's Unplugged 2008 festival- Ah what an evening!

4. Rocky and Mayur's highway on my plate. For those who know the show, need I say more!

5. Friends who matter

6. Last, but above the rest by a looooong way, the special someone who is the reason I look to the future with hope

:) :) :)

Of Winters, Jams and Gajar ka Halwa

Overheard someone saying its winter in Madras these days

Ironically, that is what got me thinking about Pilani winters.

The bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures, the fog, the 8 '0' clock tests (the occasional classes too), the 9 '0' clock comprees, an occasional bright day with just enough sunshine, the piping hot gaajar ka halwa and last but not the least-the warm comforts of sleeping under a thick razai..aaaaaargh :D

Those were headily lazy days. Technically, one didn't have to bathe for 2 days at a stretch (the ever-buyable "we dont have geysers" phrase almost always worked provided one didnt have the BO of a yeti). The fog-filled mornings sometimes make me wonder if this movie was secretly shot in Pilani. On days that one cared (read: DARED) enough to walk into a class with four layers on, vague lectures on probability theory, structure and properties of materials, and much later, pharmacology worked very effectively in inducing sleep. The biggest challenge however, was to be able to hold a pen deftly enough to write a 50 minute test. The best of the best test crackers had issues with this and at the risk of sounding immodest, I have to admit this is one skill I did master (although it took me all of three winters and the course of my time there). And I can safely say that three years in Madras have put an end to whatever little mastery I had of this highly ignored and underrated art.

Evenings spent freezing our asses off on those narrow parapets in Connaught will rate as the best though. Music was almost always in the air, and what made it more special was Pilani's very own Manna-piping hot gajar ka halwa from Blue Moon. And the customary hot coffees, badam milks only added to that list of winter specials.

..and someone says Madras has winters!!! Enna anniyayam ya idhu??

Comfort Zones

We all live in them. Well, atleast most of us do. I am just making an attempt to bring myself out of mine. It has not been an easy process so far, and nor will it be, going forward. But then, when the wind of change comes, I want to be prepared. And this, I know, is a step in the right direction.

As a certain someone would agree, nothing ventured, nothing gained.