Bong much indeed!

starting off from where i left off in my last post.

and my belief in the good things stand affirm post that small 'hiccup' of loss of faith. (and i stand corrected about the name of the show. its david rocco's dolce india.)

fortunately that was not the be all and end all of the 'calcutta' food series. and this time it had the trademark bong in the food and the mix of italian when he cooked. it had the familiarity of "shorshe baata", "posto baata", "kaancha lonka", "holud guro", "shorsher tel", "ilish maach", "bhetki maach", the stinky "maacher bajaar", "bhar'er cha", "motorshutir kochuri", "alu'r torkari", "dhaka parotha", "roshogolla". yes.. now the proud bong in this pseudo frame of mine is happy..

and more than happy, the proud bong is relieved.

p.s i think it all depends and matters the most on the kind and type of guide you have when you're off on a tour to a place unknown.
p.p.s but i still stand by it when i'd said that i expected D.R to be thorough with his research if he's shooting about a new place.

Bong much!

i usually follow food blogs.. both the write and the photo kinds.. have a few favourites.. envy a couple bloggers.. male female all inclusive.. and that has nothing to  do with my personal orientation. (dude! it's food we are talking about here! who cares who makes it as long as it looks delectable and tastes ravishingly brilliant!) so, the blogs.

and this one concerns a tv show. my favourite Italian as the Anchor. David Rocco's Dolce India on Fox Traveller. favourite to the extent that i wait for each new season to be aired.. and also wait for any reruns. and this new season has him back in india, exploring a cuisine he quite fancies himself with. so obviously, my interest level can be expected to be up and high with the drool worty italian cooking on screen and trying out insane foods.

this special episode has him covering street foods of calcutta. (ok! its then calcutta, now kolkata. but it's always going to be Calcutta for me.) and first shock, the local guide is a VEGETARIAN non-bong! a girl that too! complete wannabe looks.. anyway, i figure the hell with the girl i still have david rocco to look at and the food.

so, they begin their journey through street foods. the first one "kati roll".. check!
the next stop, being some dal vada in front victoria. wierd
the next stop, alu ghughni.. check!
the next stop, Jamrul from a thela wala.
and of that was not enough shock already, the next stop was a sure shot pick-axe thorugh the heart! besan chilla! i ask you, me no true bong. but i surely bet my life that no damn bong worth his/her salt will ever say "besan chilla" is 'calcutta special/ authentic calcutta" street food.
followed by Kulfi.. and i have all my reservations as to how bong this dish is!
and finally, when i had given up all hopes, from somewhere some angel prevailed and "phuchka" came in the picture. a huge sigh of relief.. check!

and then it's his turn to cook. so, its ITC sonal bangla kitchen at his highness'  disposal.

and he decides to got he street food way. ok. i know, this episode is going down as one of the wierdest. and of course, nothing to say for my disappointment.

he rustles up jhal muri.
deconstructed chicken kabiraji. utter disappointment, I tell you. trust me. he just destryed the very grandeur of the dish by doing it with dices chicken pieces. the less i say, the better.
and the worst part, the chaat!
not because he decides to make chaat. also, i can forgive him for associating chaat with calcutta.

but i expect a certain amount of research to be done on his part for this show. for the food which you eat or you cook ( taking inspiration from). and there in comes the detail. chaat doesnt have dahi in it. only a dahi chaat will have dahi in it. these are just the details. and i believe in those details.

the whole point of doing a 30 min worth calcutta food special episode seems lost.


turns out that i do a better job of being a Bong inspite of being 'Pseudo' that those who claim to be Bongs but a no less than 'Pseudos' of the highest order.

G(l)oat-y!

A Goat-y Gloat Post or a Gloat-y Goat Post?
Well, I leave it on you.
You decide.
I hog.

Slow roast for the lazy beings.
Sunday dinner, by the Man.

*Bon appétit*

oh the woes!

a girl can never have it easy! i tell you.

that kind of a day, when you have one too many clothes in the wardrobe and not enough earrings. so, you have clothes spilling out of their designated places (yes, i have OCD) and that is enough to spoil your Sunday morning mood.. and when you think that you will put on 'jewellery' to get over the frown, you realise you don't have any befitting the 'mood' (or the lack of it!).

and then again, you don't really need shoes, but you can never have enough of them either. and if that was not enough dilemma already, you are pestered to no end to get yourself a pair of 'runners'! this, as a matter of fact, is actually a good kind of pestering. and then you  realise that you do have shoes in the closet which you haven't worn for a long time (you don't even remember when was the last time you'd taken them out) and you still have them occupying valuable and priceless space in your extremely precious closet because you find them too pretty to throw them out!

oh damn!
it's so not easy being a girl!


so the last resort being the s.o.s call to the girlfriend. she sure knows the current answers all the time!

p.s. : breakfast by the man, helps too!