Random Ramblings of a Reluctant Blogger

If variety is the spice of life, then there is hardly a spicier place than our country. Spread across the length and breadth of the country the cuisine comes in as many varieties as its people. Even as each region or place can boast of its special food, there are a few items that bind us all. And as the world shrinks its food naturally gets a makeover. However, one wonders how much of a makeover does it take to make it over the top!

I am by no means a purist, and do swear on innovations and creativity. After all the one who added the masala to the dosa (no matter how it is pronounced) has given it a pan India character. But there is, in my humble opinion, a no-go zone when it comes to experimenting. I am OK with versions of vegetable dosa (after all the potato is a vegetable) and maybe once in a while even with cheese dosa. In fact, cheese dosa sits very shakily on the verge of the no-go zone, beyond which lies the neo versions _ the noodle dosa, the schezwan dosa, the dosa sandwich, the chocolate dosa and even the icecream dosa. Why?! If I like my ice cream I can as well eat one after the dosa why mix it up. And what message does it give to your confused palate? 

It isn’t just the dosa which is subjected to unimaginable horrors, the humble yet ever-loved samosa too is a prey. An absolute pure, simple potato-filling, floating in oil (ok diets specialist please keep away) is a delight, especially with chai, be it any season. The small onion version too is within the boundary, but then someone has to destroy it and out comes the maggi samosa, the pasta samosa,, chowmein samosa, fried rice samosa and once again chocolate and gulab jamun samosa!  Gulab jamun is gulab jamun and samosa is samosa and the twain should never meet. 

 The Mumbai’s most staple food the vada pav is equally tortured with its schezwan variety and even an idly vada pav. The less said about the bhel puri  version, the better. And if one thought the pani puri (or call it puchka or gol gappa) was beyond the ken  of innovations,  one is grossly mistaken. Not just vodka pani puri (though one wonders how high is one going to get with just a spoonful of vodka in the puri), the maggi version makes its mark here too apart from ice cream pani puri and even chai pani puri.! It is as if an anarchist has decided to destroy every subtlety each dish has of its own and ring in an all-taste same-taste culture.

It is not that just the likeable fast foods and snacks are the guinea pigs of the food fusionists, the sweets too fall prey to it. While folks from Bengal and Odisha may well get at each other’s’ throats when it comes to claiming the rights to the roshagulla, wonder how they react to chilli roshagulla?

The liberally-minded might come forth shouting “my stomach, my palate, my food, my wish” and might even throw in the Brahmanical patriarchy bit to dis my objections to this fusion mania. To them I tell, take a chill pill along with a cold biryani-Faluda!