Deck the halls with boughs of holly! That’s
right! We are finally in the season of weddings, shows and parties, of late
nights and long drives, of traffic jams and buffet lines, of food, drink and
merriment served with a big dollop of sleep deprivation. Through it all, it is
the music and the people we touch with it that keep us going. That and the
food… oh glorious food!!
From the varied food carts that dot the
highway on the way to and fro from venues to the food at the weddings,
restaurants, clubs where we play, the food is an integral part of our day.
Complimentary food and beverage is a part of our musician work life. Buffets at
weddings and the meals at the restaurants where we perform fuel our performance
and our passion. While it all sounds quite pleasant to the palate, a strict
regimen of what and when to eat is the order of the day. Along with all that
food and sleep deprivation come food poisoning and obesity. That is the battle
we have to fight every day.
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If you are a foodie like me, all this ends
up being more of a struggle than you can imagine. Come season time, near and
dear ones get replaced on my phone’s speed dial by phone numbers of food cart
ladies or highway aunties as I like to call them. This enables me to call and
get my parcel ready for pickup en route to the gig. At a wedding, the most
important meal is the snacks plate or the kazra snacks which the band gets a
double helping off. Before you judge us over our greed for snacks, do remember we
are at the venue way before you and it’s the only form of sustenance we get
until the buffet. Which we end up going to only after the wedding is done due
to time restrictions.
And then there’s the buffet. Every night,
the delicious fare served at weddings is more temptation than a mere mortal
like me can bear. While I try to follow portion control and be selective in
what I eat, having just played an hour and a half straight leaves me ravenous
and let’s face it, I just have to check which caterer serves the best sorpotel,
xacuti, cafreal, prawn curry, etc. The same applies to the many restaurants and
hotels we perform at. If you know the musician that’s performing there, ask him
to recommend something to eat because, trust me, he has been through the entire
menu and has now settled on his favourite dishes. Those of you planning your
weddings, feel free to get in touch with your friend who is in a band to get a
review of which caterer serves what best.
One would think that band dinner
conversations would revolve around their performance or the hotties at the
event but most often, it revolves around whether there was too much vinegar in
the vindalho or if this really is the best caramel custard we’ve tasted. The
food doesn’t end with the show either. Let’s not forget the late night post gig
meet ups over coffee and bites. After a few phone calls and some basic
planning, we meet up with other musicians for what hopefully will be our last
meal for the day. So bring on the festive season and let the food times roll….
