He was a master. But
he was also a child of melancholy. He cooked but he also created. He was
reticent. He was powerful. He was aloof and alone. And yet, rejoiced in the
coming together of different aspects of food, and cuisine into a universe of
unchartered expectations.
Anthony Bourdain comes into the
picture because he was born and he passed away in the month of June. A 3 D
cuisine man, he was as was much about his culinary creations and his
observations on people and cultures. And his imprint moved folks from Indiana
to India.
So when students of one of Goa’s top
rated culinary institutes in Verna decided to observe his birth anniversary as
Bourdain Day, the impact of the this impresario on a tiny coastal spot in
India, was symbolic of his reach.
But there’s a twist to this tale. And
we will slow cook this tale. On the high tables at noon, on Bourdain day at
IIHM Verna, sat a few of Goa’s A listers, handpicked with the belief that
Bourdain meant something to them. And he perhaps did. Perhaps the lemon and
thyme roast chicken with wilted red spinach, the sea-bass with asparagus and
the rose petal sorbet between the entrée and the main course, was a throwback
to quintessential Bourdain. Young talent need icons, and perhaps Bordain earned
his stripes to be inspirational in corners of the world which have not sampled
his cooking.
But the twist comes here. Bourdain’s
best work was perhaps outside the kitchen, His was a journey of exploration
where he would sit on a stool and have bao in Indonesia or walk the streets in
Thailand waltzing to the medley of noodles and sauce and scintillating stories.
Bourdain was a master of his own cooking and an ardent student of recipes
preserved, traditions maintained, the best local spices , flavous and
ingredients protected (and at times hidden) like Red Rackham’s treasures
(Tintin fans will figure this). There’s something about the street. It’s a
theatre of experience. Your street is your refuge, it’s your get away. And the
flavours of the streets, whether cooked on the pavements or in the homes and
restaurants, are props for that theatre and the chefs are the actors. Bourdain
went to meet those actors and the world saw them though his experiences.
As we sat there on the high tables,
toasting Bourdain and feasting on creations inspired by him, should we just ask
(if this isn’t a spoiler), are we doing enough to keep the theatre of
experience on the streets of Goa running? The world of mothers and grannies
working on their masalas and guarding the secret of the recipes, of food cooked
at home in Savordem and Quepem made available in that form, locally and not in
bastardised versions in fine dining Goan restaurants in Panjim. It’s a pity
there’s no punishment and retribution for blasphemy of local cooking or else
the bastardisation of Goan cooking and its regular pitiable break from
tradition in every plate would have met with a riposte.
As our fork rested gently on the sea
bass, waiting for the knife to carve out a thin slice and twirl it with the
asparagus, yours truly paused, to ask if the real foot soldiers of Goan cooking
deserved to be toasted, acknowledged and remembered as sentinels of arguably
the finest cuisines in the world marinated with Goan and other influences.
There’s Pinto of Pintos bar in St Inez, the lady who used to run a small fish
restaurant near the Rachol seminary, Linda of Viva Panjim, buddy Lloyd of House
of Lloyds whose mother’s masala are her secret ingredient. She has
singlehandedly managed her son and his institution which is moving to other
parts of India. This is just a speck. There are battalions and regiments of
home grown chefs, each of whom deserve to be an icon and inspiration, worthy of
Anthony Bourdain’s attention.
Hence, while we toasted the great
master on his anniversary, what we should aim to toast are the guardians of
Goa’s culinary lighthouses, the likes of whom were subjects of Bourdain’s’
travels and research.
And do remember that with each passing of a homegrown chef, the
next generation is poorer if local cuisine hasn’t been passed down. Toast
instead to the local chefs who keep the universe of excellence churning and
spices and meats, vegetables and fish do their own complex culinary algorithm
to keep the essence of mankind in motion- good local home cooked food.
