Friends,
We discuss here foodies who are ultimate. An Australian website defines "foodie"
as under.
http://www.campionandcurtis.com/foodies.html
This is our 'official' defination of what it means to be a foodie
foodie /'fu;di/,foody (plural -ies) n. Informal
1. A person who takes an enthusiastic interest in the preparation or consumption of good food.
2. A person who typically plans dinner while eating breakfast and/or lunch.
3. food lover.
4. A person always searching for the newest and best food shops, restaurants, takeaways and ingredients.
5. A person with an insatiable craving for good food and wine.
6. one who plans holidays around food festivals, winery walkabouts or regional cuisines.
7. a person dedicated to the pleasures of the table.
8. a person who thinks that blue is a type of cheese.
9. habitat; in and around Any kitchen in Any Country survival dependant on having the latest Foodies' Guide and proximity to good food and/or wine; cannot go for more than three hours for a fix.
10. See also glutton for pleasure, gourmet, epicurean and connoisseur.
Borrowed from above website with a little alteration.
SR The ulimate runner up foodie I know
When I was transfered to Bangalore in 1996, I was introduced to a potbellied young man of 30 something called Venkatesh.
He was a Telugu Brahmin from poojari family of a well to do clan.
He was supposed to be my assistant in Marketing a swiss product.
(Only later I came to know that he was transfered to this job straight from his temple at Gandhinagar by our associates)
I had reached the office at 9.30 sharp. After the introduction was over, he occupied a seat opposite of mine in the hall.
After about five minutes, he asked me,
"Sir, would you like to join me for Breakfast?"
I was surprised since we are supposed to finish such things in the morning before we leave for office.
I declined but added,
"If you want to have, please go ahead"
He bent down and produced a steel tiffin carrier of largish size.
He opened it and out came about ten Idlies of king size and about four or five dosais.
No need to say that there was chutney and sambar along with it.
We had a kitchen in our office. He settled down there and took about 45 minutes to finish his breakfast.
I asked him if he had breakfast daily at this time or early.
"Sir, I have my breakfast at 9 Am daily.
Lunch time was at sharp 1 pm.
I asked him if there were any hotels nearby.
"Yes sir, come I will take you there."
He took me near Lavanya theatre and we settled in a hotel .
"Plate meals or Unlimited?" He asked me.
I said Plate meals for me.
"I will have unlimited" He said,
I said "Go ahead",
and got us two meals.
I completed my meal in ten minutes.
But Venkatesh got himself rice four times(Really huge quantities) with liberal helpings of Palaya and rasam , sambar etc.
He declared that,
"One must never hurry in taking food. He must relish his food at every morsel"
He took about 45 minutes for this process.
I had never seen anybody eating so much rice so far.
I thought this was the limit.
I thought he would not be able to eat anything any more.
He asked me "Don't you want Mosara?"
He pointed at my plate,
I asked what was that?
Curd sir"
I declined."I don't like outside curds.
He just helped himself to my curd katora.
"Don't waste it sir, they will throw this in garbage ."
I was really surprised at this man's actions.
He had the last helping of rice with curd and finally I thought that he had enough.
But he was made of stranger stuff.
I heard him say,
"Don't you want any sweet sir?"
I said "No I can't take anymore"
He asked me if he can order for himself,
I said go ahead.
He had his fill of sweet and then said ok sir Meals over,
"I thank lord Ganesha for the meals he has provided to day"
He declared with his hands folded and eyes closed.
We got up and came to the cashier table to pay, he got two Bananas which come with meals.
One for me and one for himself.
I said, I can't take anything.
"He asked me, "Sir don't return it sir, I will eat if you don't."
Saying he finished off the Bananas.
Then we returned to the office, It was about 2.15 pm.
At about 4.30 , he asked me, sir
"Do you care for some evening refreshments?"
I said "No"
Ok sir, I need to take some thing at about 5 pm."
Saying so, he sent the office boy to the hotel for Dosai.
This day, In my life, I will never forget.
Nor will I forget SR(sappadu Raman or SR) I had named him so.
There are some more hilarious and ugly incidents about SR which I will post later.
Then there is one Murali the master con man who conned me of many a meals....but that will come later on.
incident #2
Within a month of My joining Bangalore operations, I invited top officials of BWSSB which is the water and sewrage board of Bangalore to a working lunch after we inspected some supply tanks in Indira Nagar area.
We were about eight people including SR.
I distinctly remember it was Shanti Sagar on CMH Road.
I requested the guests to their preference for ordering food.
Unanimously, they said that wanted regular south Indian meals.
I told them to opt for special meals which had a lot of extra fare.
They were gracious and declined my offer.
I told the waiter to bring regular meals for all of us.
"WAIT A MINUTE" , I heard SR tell the waiter.
"Please bring for me SPECIAL MEALS" he ordered.
I was stunned.
As I have been totally trained by Japanese in the art of entertaining the guests, it was unthinkable that any host can order for more expensive TABE RYORI than the guests.
I looked at SR and told him that let us order for what others are having.
"Sir, I prefer special meals " was his reply.
I ignored him and waved the waiter away.
"No sir, I want to order for special meals only" was his adamant statement.
"Vandu special meals Kodi " he ordered the waiter.
I was seething with rage by now.
I asked him to come with me.
I took him away to a far spot and exploded.
"Mr. Venkatesh, it is very impolite to order for better food than your guests. Please stop this nonsense and order usual food only.
"Sir....food is a matter of PERSONAL CHOICE" were his words which I still remember.
I told him to either shut up or go away without taking meals but he was not going to have his way.
At last he understood that I meant business.
He , in his usual fashion , was the last to finish food.
No need to tell that I had to blast him at the office on return.
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