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Harsh Goenka
Are you a foodie ? Yes, I am. I would gladly go the extra mile to engage with good food.  Your food philosophy ?I like to experiment with food… You need to search through a lot of oysters till you finally find the pearl. There is a sense of 'eureka' in discovering the perfect dish. As George Bernard Shaw said, "There is no sincerer love than the love of food". Any dos and donts ? Eat slowly. Engage with all the senses while eating. Do not get taken up by five star restaurants alone - some of the best foods are in dhabas and little known small restaurants. Your favourite food ? All types. But I like Japanese, Burmese, Bengali and Kashmiri. Of course being a vegetarian is limiting. Your best meals - at homes or restaurants ? Many good ones at people's homes. Food cooked with love tastes better. Which is why my mother's cooking is always the tastiest. In Bombay it’s Wasabi, Gallery Café in Colombo and Bukhara in Delhi, in Goa, Nilaya and Le Restaurant stand out. My all time favourites are El Bulli in Spain, Jean Georges in New York and Alinea in Chicago. Do you cook ? No, Not at all. Have tried cooking at some fun 'male cook-outs' but the results have been uniformly disastrous. What do you enjoy drinking ? I do not drink alcohol, a Diet Pepsi will do or a mogra sherbet. Any tips for aspiring gourmands ? Each city has some special restaurants - search for them. Each restaurant has special dishes - look out for them. And go to these places with someone you can make good conversation with - food always tastes better that way. What nourishes you ? The thought - Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet! Harsh Goenka INTERVIEWED BY SHERNAAZ ENGINEER & PHOTOGRAPHED BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR AT his home in malabar hill, BOMBAY. |
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