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From the acknowledgments section of my book, The Travelling Belly. |
Did you hear the news about Tony?
Going there was a quasi-pilgrimage for me just as was going to Tian Tian, the chicken rice place at Singapore’s Maxwell Centre, was earlier on that trip.
Anthony Bourdain, food and travel writer, TV show host, ‘enthusiast’ (as his Twitter bio said), was no more. He had taken his life, said reports.
Which was rather ironic as Bourdain and I didn’t know each other. You will hopefully realise why they did so once you read this post.
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A toast to Tony Karthik Coffee House, Mangalore |
The joys of eating with No Reservations
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First of the two amazing Konkani spreads that Shobha Kamath had cooked for us at her house during my Mangalore trip |
This was the second meal that she had cooked for us. The previous night’s dinner the was a vegetarian one and was all about seasonal leaves, herbs, shoots, mushrooms and roots.
Both meals were anchored around the values of eat local, seasonal eating, nose to tail eating and both featured dishes that were from grandma’s kitchen…things that made Bourdain gurgle like a happy baby.
Their company helped dull the pain I felt that evening a bit.
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That’s Shobha in green, her husband Girish in black. Pradeep is in the striped tee and with him is his wife Chetna and children, Rhea and Prannav |
Parts Unknown. Mangalore
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Breakfast at the new Taj Mahal Cafe, Mangalore. The biscuit roti (one o’ clock) and tuppa dosa (bottom centre) were revelations to me |
We tried an array of south Indian vegetarian dishes there which were new to me. These were Konkani dishes which Pradeep ordered and then talked me through as they were native to his community.
I made two lip smacking discoveries that morning. The khasta kachori like biscuit roti and the ghee soaked, pan fried, ‘deep dish’ tuppa dosa.
Both were dishes that I had not heard of till that morning and which, since then, have made it to my list of favourite dishes. This was my first ever trip to Mangalore.
The lunch was the stuff legends were made of. Each dish spoke of the complexity of the masalas used locally. The curries were sublime. The ghee roasts intense and unforgettable. Interestingly, the beauty of the seafood shone through, despite the liberal use of spices. The fishing season is over with the rains setting in and yet the crabs, the prawns, the sardines, the squids and the kingfish tasted so vibrant and full of life thanks to the tender love and care with which they had been sent out of the kitchen. The gaboli (fish roe) ghee roast, with its inherent butteriness, made me stop in my tracks and now features right up with grilled foie gras among the most indulgent dishes that I have had had in my life.
Happiness in this world
Pradeep is a friend I had made through my blog years back. We had planned this trip for long.
Joining us for lunch that day was his wife and children. And his cousin, Shobha, who had fed us the brilliant dinner at her house the previous night. Joining us also for for lunch, were Shriya and Varun, a young couple whom I had met that morning for coffee after they had messaged me on Instagram. They told me that plan to one day bring in a slightly more contemporary eating experience, rooted firmly in the traditions of this land, to the sleepy town of Mangalore.
They were not the only readers I had met for the first time on this trip. The previous evening, I met Vikram Bondal, who was one of the earliest readers of my blog and continues to be one. He introduced me to the addictive ‘Mangalore buns’ (fried puris with a thick bhatoore like doughy heart) over filter kaapi at New Taj Mahal and then the gadbad ice cream at Pabbah’s, first of the many dishes I had on this trip and had never had before. He told me about his love for the easygoing pace of Mangalore and that he can’t think of going anywhere else.
Anthony Bourdain. Medium Raw.
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Reading my copy of Bourdain’s Medium Raw which I had picked up in Sydney. Candies, Bandra, 2010 |
I reflected on my trip to Mangalore and suddenly felt very grateful with the life I lead. I realised that I should treasure the fact that I am not stuck in a dreary corner office but am doing what makes me truly happy instead.
That’s when the penny dropped. It struck me I am where I am today thanks largely to one man, Anthony Bourdain.
It is inspired by Bourdain I had embarked on a journey more than a decade back which has brought me where I am today. It is thanks to him that I took a path which was completely unknown to me back then, and was unthinkable too.
He didn’t let anyone or anything, including food, define him. He was all heart, or so it seemed, and that was enough for us.
A fan boy acknowledges a debt of gratitude
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Catching some serious ghee roast action Shetty Lunch Home, Kundapura, June 2018 |
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The tribute to Bourdain Pork Feast at Mangala, Mangalore First row: Pork masala/ bafad, pork chilli fry Second row: Pork sorpotel, roast |