Yes, it's That Time Of The Year Again! And in this blessed holiday season, my friend Rupkamal has taken a major leap of faith! He has gone and done something which has been an unspoken fantasy of mine- he has opened a restaurant!! He is still holding on to his day job but, very bravely, he has also acknowledged that life also holds more than the 9 to 5 routine and that something needs to be done to reaffirm this fact! The name is 'Dimsum' and it is located in Koramangala, B'lore. Rup claims that the momos are the best this side of the McMohan line and, even factoring in personal bias, it still remains an impressive claim.
And part of my annual winter rituals is this other friend Biswaroop coming over to my house, spending a couple of days and cooking up a storm in the process! When Biswa is in the kitchen he can swing either of two ways- when he is good, he is a master chef and when he is not then, well, he is not a master chef! This time he decided to be good and the results were memorable!
But more than the food itself, the process of cooking got me thinking about something. Looking at the spread of colors (Exhibit A- the snap with this post), it seemed to me that there is not too much difference between art and food, or not too much difference in the process of creation of the two. There is a line of thought http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/art/2007/05/food_can_be_artistic_but_it_ca.html
And part of my annual winter rituals is this other friend Biswaroop coming over to my house, spending a couple of days and cooking up a storm in the process! When Biswa is in the kitchen he can swing either of two ways- when he is good, he is a master chef and when he is not then, well, he is not a master chef! This time he decided to be good and the results were memorable!
But more than the food itself, the process of cooking got me thinking about something. Looking at the spread of colors (Exhibit A- the snap with this post), it seemed to me that there is not too much difference between art and food, or not too much difference in the process of creation of the two. There is a line of thought http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/art/2007/05/food_can_be_artistic_but_it_ca.html
which holds that food can be artistic, but it can never be ‘art’, but I hold differently. If lack of freedom of artistic expression, having to cook to order, is the only argument extended against assigning the status of art to cooking, then it is no argument at all. One only has to travel the length of the country to understand the glorious and diverse ways in which something as humble as the chicken tikka masala finds artistic expression!
In fact it is my belief that food is in fact more of an art form than ‘art’ itself. Art caters either to the visual senses or the auditory senses. Only sometimes you get a combination of both that is worthy of being called art. Food on the other hand caters to almost all senses- the sense of taste, of touch, of smell and, in some glorious examples, even the sense of sight! And when the elements are balanced perfectly, when each sense is pampered just so, the product is nothing but the most exalted piece of art!
For the moment, I need to find my way to Dimsum !
In fact it is my belief that food is in fact more of an art form than ‘art’ itself. Art caters either to the visual senses or the auditory senses. Only sometimes you get a combination of both that is worthy of being called art. Food on the other hand caters to almost all senses- the sense of taste, of touch, of smell and, in some glorious examples, even the sense of sight! And when the elements are balanced perfectly, when each sense is pampered just so, the product is nothing but the most exalted piece of art!
For the moment, I need to find my way to Dimsum !
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