In New Delhi. Arrived early this morning. Here to attend the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control — the most important tobacco meeting in the world, held every other year, last time in Moscow (COP6) (see most recently 5.285 Red Mullet Fillets …) — today thru Saturday.
According to a report by CNN this morning : “New Delhi is the most polluted city on Earth right now.” The visibility was so bad that the bus could only go up to 20 kph, like driving through dense fog.The irony of discussing tobacco control in the midst of such air pollution was lost on nobody.
For dinner, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare hosted an outdoor reception on the grounds of the meeting venue. A combination of buffet/marketplace/cocktail party, showcasing a wide range of local dishes — surely but a glimpse of what the country’s vast culinary tradition has to offer. Great food, great times.
Still a bit hazy, but miraculously clear by local standards.Finger foods to get started, though chicken nuggets wouldn’t have been my first choice for my first dinner on my first visit to India.Nor would falafal, which were fine but not Indian.Getting closer, though seekh/shish kabab/kebab (grilled minced meat) also lean more to the west than India.Once had a dumbass argument with MtG at an Indian restaurant — at long last, I get to explain (see 2.055 Mutton Masala with Naan)!! — when someone asked what kind of booze Indians drink, and he replied that they don’t drink because they’re Hindu, and I said, even if all the Hindus in the country didn’t drink (80%), and all the Muslims didn’t drink (15%), that would still leave a potential 65 million people who still could (5% of a 1.30 billion population), more people than in Korea, then he was like, “Well, my friend lived there for two years, and he never once found so much as a beer,” and I was like, “Then he’s a fucking asshole, and so are you.”Dumb and dumber, the restaurant actually had Kingfisher on the menu, which would seem to prove my point, but they were out of stock, so MtG was like, “Exactly.”Hand-rolled flatbreads!Stone-grilled!Hand-mashed chutney!Curry!Cauliflower!Lamb!Khimchi (1.0) : just white cabbage in vinegar, presumably some sugar, maybe salt — Indians undoubtedly find so-called “Indian” dishes in Korea just as absurd (see for example 1.125 Beef Demi Curry …; 1.227 Dal Makhani …).Can’t remember what these were called …… but they were comprised of cornmeal cupcakes, filled with minced lamb and onion and spices, crispy basmati rice, cheese, pomegranates, awesomeness.Deep-fried potato pancakes …… topped with yogurt, mint sauce, tomato jam, awesomeness.
Panipuri is an Indian snack. Consists of a small flour cake (puri) that’s deep-fried into a thin crispy hollow puff, which is then filled with various ingredients, such as minced potatoes, rice, onion, lentils, etc., then topped with flavored/spiced syrup/chuntey (pani).
The panipuri stand.Here, filled with a tangy tamarind-based syrup.As demonstrated by staff from the country office, panipuri is best eaten in a single bite.
I adore these photos. Great job with the photography for this particular blog page! I feel like I could smell all of the Indian dishes as I was looking at the photos… I want some of that hand-made chutney, curry, and bring on the authentic buttery, smoky, soft naan!
I adore these photos. Great job with the photography for this particular blog page! I feel like I could smell all of the Indian dishes as I was looking at the photos… I want some of that hand-made chutney, curry, and bring on the authentic buttery, smoky, soft naan!
quite overwhelming at the time, wouldn’t remember a thing, if not for the photos….