VEGETABLES ARE GOOD FOR YOU

We’ve seen giant broccoli terrorising little children in cartoons. They were scary on screen; just imagine them in real life. Well, not broccoli, but a giant onion, that’s quite heavy to hold, is making news. After bagging the World’s Largest Onion title by Guinness World Book of Records, this vegetable achieved stardom and did well to please its owner, as tears of joy were seen streaming down Peter Glazebrook’s face. And not exactly because he was chopping them onions!!

After years, 25 to be precise, of hard work and struggle to win the honour, Peter’s onion finally made it through at the Harrogate flower show this year. The monster onion, weighing in at 7 kgs, 155 gms is a whopper veggie which was raised with the utmost care and precision since it took seed last year. Peter has been growing onion plants for a quarter of a century now and missed the record each time. This time however, he invested more time and money into growing the plants, including automatic venting and heating. Moreover, concentrating on a batch of just 10 plants to pick a winner instead of his usual 50 proved successful. He grew them in plant pots big enough for a large tree and of course, the secret to nurturing them is talking. “I have been talking to them for nearly 12 months,” Peter stated. “I always asked them if they wanted more water and food.” As prize vegetables lose their weight if kept on display overnight, Peter waited till the night before the big showdown, then wrapped his big baby tightly in towels, loaded it gently into his car and drove the midnight drive, reaching early the next morning.

Peter, who lives near Newark, England, is a 67-year-old retired chartered building surveyor who has been following his hobby for years, which proved to be extremely “fruitful.” Certainly not new to the Guinness Book, the man has broken 10 records in his 30 years of farming, including one for Longest Carrot, which now belongs to his friend. Peter currently holds the record for World’s Longest Beetroot, Heaviest Parsnip and Heaviest Potato.

“My wife, Carmel, with her nimble fingers is 100% part of my success,” claims the famed gardener. Growing giant veggies requires dedication and tremendous effort. It takes long hours and high investments. Gardeners spend an entire year nurturing a “promising contender” and the coveted prize is a true certification of achievement.

Just imagine the mouths these giant greens could feed if allowed to? Peter quips, “The onion could feed a 1000 people and would certainly do for a large number of hotdogs. But I will take it home, take care of it and seed it. It is much too valuable.”

EAT AND BE GRATEFUL

Had the idea worked, it would have been a coup of sorts. Always ahead of the pack, the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai decided to offer a menu to its patrons of the newly opened Zodiac Grill, the French cuisine restaurant, where prices were not mentioned. A 'pay what you can' offer was made. Not as in 'pay what you can afford,' but 'pay what you think the meal is worth.' An idea such as this works well as a short-term marketing ploy but does not go in one’s favour, long-term. While it may have given a Rs. 200 pay maker a chance to relish and savour a meal worth Rs. 8000, it certainly spelt doom for the establishment. While the Mumbaikars were left stuffed and happy, the restaurant was left with heavy losses. Sensibly, the idea was terminated soon enough.

Now, years later, looks like history is repeating itself in the American city of New Jersey. Soul Kitchen, the community restaurant by the uber cool rockstar, Jon Bon Jovi, has followed suit. What is unique though is the no-prices menu, which works to serve customers from all walks of life. The idea is based on charity, it would seem.

A programme of the JBJ Soul Foundation, Soul Kitchen offers customers a chance to volunteer or donate as a form of payment for a meal along with the cash payment option. Two years ago, inspired by the SAME (So All May Eat) café in Denver, Colarado, Bon Jovi decided to put his money and efforts to good use by starting a free meal service out of the Foundation, which catered to customers such as senior citizens, residents in the area who were supporting the homeless and disabled, clients of a non-profit organisation dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence in the community as well as local working families and members of the clergy. Interestingly, about 60% of customers who dined here were people in need. Two years later, Soul Kitchen was born as an old mechanic shop’s new avatar, and a gravel driveway is now a beautiful vegetable garden. Serving nutritious and wholesome meals for all to dig into, it soon emerged as Bon Jovi’s dream project. And now, he’s taking this further to whip up gourmet meals and present it to those hungry for divine food.  If you fancy a high-end meal and a few dollars is all you have on you, fret not. Head to Soul Kitchen and pay what you can afford.

The skepticism creeps in! How would they dissuade those who can afford a good meal from devouring for free? Back home, the question still remains whether a concept like this can work, given Taj’s past defeat. Head honchos of some of Mumbai’s popular eateries such as AD Singh of Olive and Nikhil Chib of Busaba voice their opinions. Singh feels it's an admirable atempt, but it all depends on the goodness of the human being, to avoid any downfall in business. Nikhil, on the other hand, believes it is not a viable option, more so as the Indian population, as opposed to the American population, is price-conscious and would most probably not respect this concept. Well, there you have it. The pros and the cons which stem from the baseline of trusting the customer. Guess only time will tell!

“DEGUSTIFYING” TRAPICHE

“DEGUSTIFYING” TRAPICHE
When wine and friends come together, a magical night is born! There could be no greater truth. Trapiche Wines rendered the perfect flavour to a degustation dinner inclusive of outsanding fare, all within the beautiful ambience of plush Colaba restaurant, The Table. Mumbai’s trendy SoBo restaurant played host to the launch of Argentinian wine brand Trapiche by premium wine company, Sula Vineyards. The dinner showcased Argentinian wines paired with a five course meal, as guests interacted with Sommelier and International Business Head of Sula, Cecilia Oldne as well as Chef Alex Sanchez of The Table to learn more of that perfect blend. They say if you haven’t tasted Argentinian wine, then you haven’t tasted much. True! Six Trapiche wines were laid out for the night, each with a distinct flavour and very easy on the palate. Beginning with the Single Varietal Pinot Grigio, followed by the Single Varietal Sauvignon Blanc, both of earthy flavours, then on to the drier and one of their best- Astica Torrontes followed by Single Varietal Malbec and strong Oak Cask Malbec and ending with Late Harvest Chardonnay- a sweetdessert wine; the Trapiche bouquet was a varied pleasure.      

Seated at a private dining table were guests, inclusive of VIPs such as Pompeyo Carlos Layus- the Deputy Consul General of Argentina, Consul General of Brazil- Luis Antonio, Rajeev Samant- Founder and CEO, Sula Vineyards, Mr Ramiro Barrios- Regional Export Manager, Trapiche Winery and Ms Gauri Devidayal- Owner, The Table. Over fine wine and splendid food, the guests interacted with each other and were constantly attended to by the Sommelier, who defined the various pairings made and the characteristic of each wine. Guests shared the food from a menu which was concise and well presented. Pairings included Asparagus and Creamy Egg Yolk; a rare merge which is heavy, hence goes well with Single Varietal Pinot Grigio; Chevre Salad, purely scrumptious Pumpkin Ravioli, and Chicken Liver Mousse with Single Varietal Sauvignon Blanc; Spicy Grilled Calamari, perfect with Astica Torrontes, Porcini Bolognese, Gnocchi and Boneless Chicken Wings in Ginger Glaze with Single Varietal Malbec, Braised beef in Malbec and Chocolate Sauce with Oak Cask Malbec and lastly, Lumberjack Cake and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Late Harvest Chardonnay. Such fine wine deserved equally fine food and the pair was an exquisite combination. The wines are affordable as well and can work suitably with the Indian palate, especially the Astica Torrontes.

Trapiche, Argentina’s largest premium export brand could not have asked for a better launch and now that India has a taste of Trapiche, they will only be asking for more. High culinary art and good company spelt degustation at its finest.