Scotland...will return soon

Scotland...Must say the first impression lacked spectacle. Slowly the cities and towns melted away and the magnificent panorama emerged as if out of Narnia's secret door. I must admit my tired eyes after eighteen hours behind the wheels stopped in awe.Scotland is all about visuals.The beauty around reminded me of the serenity of the Himalayan ranges where the teeming millions of India have not reached as yet.The majestic lochs with deep blue water. The towering hills staring down at you.Questions raced through my mind. Who lived here? How were their lives? How was community in these vast wilderness.What secret do these Lochs hold? I found the local Scots in the highlands quite secretive about their great local produce. Nobody knew where to find local langoustines when the neighbourhood restaurant by the loch is selling them by dozens! Somebody must know! Maybe I need more trips to this part of the world....

5000 years of culinary history in a 300 Grams Jar

I have toyed with the idea of marinades for a long time. "Vasudhaiwa kutumbakam" Sanskrit: the whole world is one family...My mum used to teach us a children. The fragmented world we live in today with its complexities of beliefs , customs and traditions baffles me sometimes. After all there are certain things which people do irrespective of boundaries and identities. Cooking and enjoying good food is undeniably a major one. How amazing will it be if households in the West use Eastern cooking techniques and households in the East use Western techniques. I feel it will definitely bridge the gap and give us a much better understanding of each other. If I can I would encourage warring nations to hold food festivals showcasing each others cuisines. Israelites and Palestinians, the Koreans countries, Indians and Pakistanis...the list goes on. If nothing it will help bring misunderstood and divided people together. Feasting together is the greatest form of bonding.

Culinary rendezvous in India.

The most memorable destination amongst all in my culinary rendezvous this time was the South Indian City of Hyderabad. It is the I.T hub of South Eastern India and also a mecca for food lovers. I was impressed by the depth and intricacy of flavours and spicing in Hyderabadi cuisine. I had heard a lot about the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. Now was the time to experience it. The scale of production of this delicacy in this city is astronomical. Its something that is seen to be believed. The Biriyani restaurant was almost like a mini food festival! In fact encouraged by my Biriyani adventures, I did something even more radical. I went for a late night food foraging session with some local friends! We got up at four in the morning and visited the old cities’s famous eateries. It was as if time stood still there amongst the imposing and impressive Turkic and Mughal architecture. I felt as if I was transported back 500 years to times of Qutub Shah the founder of the city . All around me were people relishing offal of animals at dawn just before sunrise. I must admit I was impressed and intimidated at the same time. My hosts ordered tongue and sheen followed by kidneys and brain! And all this was being lapped up with thick Hyderabadi bread.We ended the meal with some warm saffron tea...A great aphrodisiac...

I am carrying the spirit of the regal Hyderabadi Biryani back to Margate. Wouldnt it be simply amazing to set up street side eateries with people enjoying warm exotic delicacies!