The Incorrigible Foodie

I love to cook and eat. While my home food is simple and easy to make with lots of short cuts, the outcome somehow satiates my palate.

It goes without saying that I like to watch cookery shows on You Tube. Replicate them in my kitchen while adding some ingenuous means. However, post Corona I am heavily dependent on Zomato for outside home food.

To my unease, I find they have become costlier and quantity heavily compromised. I have, therefore, become very choosy while selecting outlets from where to order.

Shameless though it may sound, exotic meals have mostly been courtesy either my family or friends. However, there have been special occasions, when I too have gone extravagant dining or lunching out with family.

But one experience I still remember to be the best. Before embarking on that story let me tell you a little bit about my roots. I belong to the State of West Bengal. Bengalis are known to be foodies. Their salivation over non-vegetarian food is well known. Less is known about their vegetarian cuisine which is also very large and varied.

We are basically fish, egg, chicken and mutton lovers. Many do venture into pork, duck, crab, deer and beef but I am a conservative eater and have not tasted anything beyond the first four options. Lately, I have developed a preference for vegetarian diet but that’s later.

Amongst fish, the most tasty and expensive is Hilsa (Tenualosa Ilisha – ₹1400/- to ₹ 1500/- a kilo and on festive seasons the price can go up to even ₹ 2000/- and more). It’s found in seas as well as rivers. River fish is tastier and more in demand. It’s a soft, delicate fish with lots of oil. There are various ways of preparing it. Needless to say it’s a delicacy.

On the flipside, those who are not habituated to this fish may find it rather difficult to eat as it is full of very soft and small bones. The technique of mastering it is to first empty your plate of the gravy and then attack the fish. While doing so, it’s preferable to concentrate totally on eating by separating the bones one by one. It’s best not to get distracted while consuming , not even talk, as the bones have a tendency to get stuck in the most inaccessible parts of the mouth. Once my mother had to be hospitalized when a Hilsa bone got caught in her throat. Doctors were about to operate her but fortunately she could at last cough it out.

Not to scare but I am going into the details so that the readers can appreciate what I am going to tell now. As a birthday treat I had taken my family to Oh Calcutta which is a famous restaurant for its extensive Bengali cuisine. It’s also a fine example of Bengali entrepreneurship more so because as a race we are infamous for not possessing adequate business acumen.

The buffet of this restaurant is enormous in variety. You can also have e-la-carte. After having a taste of the buffet, the chef requested us to partake a special dish made for the day. Our jaws dropped when he told us what it was – Hilsa Boneless! We immediately ordered ignoring the astronomical price tag. It was kind of a lifetime experience to have Hilsa without bones. And oh! What a delight it was!!! So well cooked. We had thought perhaps the fish would be all mashed up to clean it off the bones. But no it was one huge piece floating in mustard gravy deliciously cooked. I asked the chef how he managed this magical feat but I was told that there were some secrets to be just enjoyed and not let out. So true!

Though, we had promised the chef that we will come again, however unfortunately, I have not got a second opportunity to do so. But some gorgeous day I shall freak out without worrying about my pocket.

Till then…

Ciao