Analytic gastronomy

My tryst with the culinary arts:

Growing up in a lower middle-class Bengali family in Kolkata, food had been quasi-magic to me. By quasi-magic, I mean that I had little idea about what happens before the food is served, as it had always been prepared by someone else.

Like most self-proclaimed foodies, I always had strong opinions about what is good and what is not. Looking around, it is difficult to find people who do not think of themselves as connoisseurs of food. For most people, the so-called 'personal' taste is nothing but a reflection of 'popular' taste and/or habit. Life, however, taught me that hard work and persistence is indispensable for developing a decent to good taste in food.

My conscious involvement with food started in 2001, when I moved to Bangalore for the final year of my master's degree. The food served in the hostel was appalling to say the least, prepared by salaried persons whose livelihood did not depend on the quality of food served. To make things better, we fought hard to start the practice of serving meat for lunch on Sundays. It goes without saying that the Sunday lunches did not go well, thanks to the culinary expertise (or lack, thereof) of the vegetarian cooks. So, I decided that I would rather be responsible for the bad food myself, if I do have to endure it. That way, there would at least be a slim chance of improving the quality of food.

In hindsight, starting my culinary journey with cooking mutton (goat meat) for a crowd of fifty, was one of the better ways of doing it, as red meat is perhaps one of the most forgiving ingredients one would ever come across. Preparing a large quantity of food also helped to fudge minor deviations.

My foray into the culinary arts, thus stimulated by the basic need for palatable food, evolved into a rich culinary and gastronomical experience during my long stay in the US and travels to other countries around the world. I should probably write a few lines about my own style of cooking and a generic overview of the kind of food I like. If I have to pick one cuisine, I am absolutely head over heels for, that would be the Japanese cuisine. South-East Asian and French cuisine follow that top preference not very far behind. As for my style of cooking, most of my ingredients are Bengali, South-East Asian, and some Continental, with style of execution that is deeply influenced by French cuisine. Carefully selected ingredients with cooking that is honest with the ingredients is my style.

Gastronomy analytique (Analytic gastronomy):

Most articles, blogs, or other similar writings on food, focus on recipes and techniques. Let me make an attempt to explain my approach to gastronomy in this blog, using an analogy: if I may compare gastronomy to literature, then I will focus less on the grammar, and try to explore the linguistics and comparative aspects of it. And I used French just to sound more intellectual and pretentious.

I might add, that this blog is not meant for those who:

1. Are just looking for a recipe.

2. Believe that the food they grew up having, is the best in the world.

3. Think that their mother is the best chef in the world (purely by the designation of being his/her mother, and not by her culinary skills).

4. Have religious and other prejudices towards food.