Gourmet

The cleaning of the leaf is symbolic. Now you are ready to receive what the chef’s prepared since the wee hours of the morning. Kalan, Olan, Aviyal, Kootukari just to name a few. You don’t have an exact translation in English. These are traditional dishes and they are not made elsewhere other than the southern part of India. All vegetarian. A good feast will have not less than 16 different items. Perhaps the only dish that Europeans can relate to is Sambar. A curry made of lentils. And yes Mulligatawny, which got into the lexicon during the early 20^th century. Mulligatawny is that soup which you have after a sumptuous spicy meal and before getting on to the desserts. It helps to rejuvenate the otherwise drugged taste buds on your tongue.

By and large people who go for these feasts are connoisseurs of food. There was a time when everyone was but things have changed. People now enjoy their food all right but they keep an eye on their waistlines. In other words, they eat to live. So does that mean that there are no more people who live to eat?  Well there are! Don’t get me wrong I am referring to the professional food tasters. They eat everything and also enjoy what they eat. Otherwise they cannot be in that profession.

When I was a kid my mom used to say, “never eat like a pig”. I didn’t know what that meant. I had not seen a pig, leave alone how a pig ate. I presumed it meant not to eat too much. So when my uncle talked about a guy who ate everything that was served on his banana leaf including a banana peel, I was fascinated. It turned out that this guy was a gourmet, an epicure. He would eat at feasts and give feedback not just about the taste but how it could be improved.  Have you had a good meal and then belched? A heart-wrenching belch is a compliment to the chef according to the gourmet. If you think that is repulsive, watch a wine taster in action. He or she will slurp the wine to air it and then swirl it in the mouth before drinking. That is how they analyse the texture of the wine. And according to Mathew, the wine specialist at Hayman Islands in Australia, that is the best way to enjoy your wine!

Being a connoisseur of food has no stigma attached to it especially in developing countries. You are not expected to know the recipe. All you have to do is eat to your heart’s content and give feedback. And if you are a man of few words, belching will also do. So long as you vary the tone, it is up to the clients to figure out the difference.

I met our gourmet on several occasions later on. It would be right to say that his presence was always “heard!” He was quite an unassuming guy. Rotund but not overweight. He gave some tips about his profession. Always have mulligatawny before dessert. And after dessert, have some rice with curd. That way you will be ready for the next tasting session. When at home, do not eat your food with relish. You will gain weight. And never eat the banana peel. That is his signature and he intends patenting it! Does he fear competition? Absolutely not. There is plenty of room. The more the merrier.

So next time when you see food, be a gourmet. Eat with relish and belch unabashedly. If you can lay your hands on a banana peel, devour it on the sly. It will flush everything out of your system and give you weak tummy for the next couple of days. You are guaranteed not to gain weight!!