Meme : Table Talk

I was surprised to see this tag from Nandita as I have been really keeping away from the blogger’s community, events and an award though I was posting regularly. There are just a handful of blogs I visit regularly and Doctor’s (as I like to call her) is one such. Thanks Nandita for pulling me out of the slumber.

What’s your favorite table?

picture: www.Chopa.com

I love the Kotatsu, the Japanese tea table. At work we sit on a chair for long hours, so once home I love to squat on the floor. This square table is ideal for a family of four. It can be surrounded by futons or soft cushions depending where I am, in Bangalore the cushion is a must but in Mumbai futon is the right choice. I had wanted it but never ended up owning it after the carpenter created a fuss.

I tend to use my dinning/ tea table for almost everything like writing/ cleaning the veggies and almost always it become an all purpose table. I also love it because it allows me to spend quality time with my near and dear ones.

In Mumbai, the dining table is a six seater with a swing in the same room so I can chat up while serving the guests.

What would you have for your last supper?
Aww this keeps changing with my mood. Currently Bangalore style curd rice.

Let me think of it again, may be death by a Durian is what I’d like.

What’s your poison?
Currently ice tea poured into a tall glass with a perfect slice of lime slid on the edge.

Name your three desert island ingredients.
A toothpick ;)! need to stay off deserts.....but chocolate drip, Hapoos aamras and cubes on vanilla ice cream and fruits to lessen the guilt when I am allowed to have it.

What would you put in Room 101?
a nice perfume...no food...

Which book gets you cooking?
e-cookbooks when I am specifically looking for some restaurant style cooking.

What’s your dream dinner party line-up?
Family it’s been a long time since all of us met up together for dinner. Bal, Somu if you are reading this give us an opportunity soon.

What was your childhood teatime treat?
Maska pav/ brun sliced horizontally and buttered generously, then sliced into fingers just about to hold all digits together. Oh I need to make a pictorial on that one.

Gol Khari/ Butter or Bhavanagari soaked in tea for evenings. Butter is the stiff bread seen in the picture and Bhavanagari is the shev there.

Why childhood, it is still a treat for me and that is what family gets for me all the way from Mumbai, and they get dirty looks at the airport for carrying such stuff separately in large bags with handle with care labels on it, lest the Butters~~ get crushed. :) LOL. V Bhau thank you! I'm still enjoying the last packet.

What was your most memorable meal?
The one I have described here of garlic naans, made extra crisp, stuffed tomato curry and dal makhani with jeera rice. We licked our fingers, ain't that true desi way of appreciating food? It was special also because we were in a special place.

What was your biggest food disaster?
Cooking for Blr 5.5 viz Anand, Asawari, Alok, Varsha and Gauri. We decided to make Pudina rice with corn and I made so much that we could have eaten it for 2 full days. They were witness to the disaster. Anand could not stop joking about it as both he and Alok are meager eaters and lanky guys, he kept saying, "Did we give you the impressions that we could eat that much". I packed boxes for distributing to the poor after our dinner and handed it over to them when they left.

What’s the worst meal you’ve ever had?
My only aunt (Aatya) invited me for lunch and served me stir fried greens and rice when I was young. I don’t complain much about simple food served by simple people but this memory refuses to be erased. For me the meal can be tagged worst only when it is served without a care.

Who’s your food hero/food villain?
Hero: Tony Bourdain for his open mind for all kinds of food he tries on his travels across the world, since I am pretty conservative, Indian vegetarianism is my style.

Food Villain: I'll look out for one now that you ask. It's a strong emotion not associated with food, I'm talking of villainy

Nigella or Delia?
Nigella!! She is for real, with real food habit issues like any of us.

Vegetarians: genius or madness?
None. Just a choice.

Fast food or fresh food?
Most time fresh foods yet on the road its fast food ofcourse.

Who would you most like to cook for?
Someone whom I can convert from eat to live to a live to eat. Sounds evil, ain’t it?

What would you cook to impress a date?
May be a story! Food would be the last thing on the mind. What say?

Make a wish.
Shhh…..Just blew the eyelash away.

With that I am throwing this Meme open to all. Take it up and share your stories.

Enjoy Maadi!