So this post was due to be posted on 5thSeptember; it was filed, dated and everything.
All I was waiting was for some time to test out one
of the dishes from the Book- The Mango kheer. I even had 2 mangoes in the
fridge and promises made to my Mom about the new recipe. Unfortunately though,
after the meet, I was NOT Enthused enough to try it. Then, came the wonderful
holiday, and of course, by now, it’s too late to try out a mango recipe. Sorry
Mr Bal, Better Luck next time- I wish there was something in the book to
inspire me to instantly test out a recipe. The original post is as follows.
The Bloggers Table has had a hectic 2 weeks; and
along with that my life has been extremely social. With a packed 10 days over 3
events, I’m amazed how I didn’t know this existed till a while back. Although
the first time was a bit intimidating- especially meeting people who are so
good at what they do, I finally loosened up a bit at the second event. Having
met this wonderful group of people, I feel there is a lot to learn, a lot to
explore and a lot to discover.
This meet was at Veda, Connaught place, a fine
dining Indian restaurant, run by the ever so popular Rohit Bal. The event was
organized by West Midland Publishing
House that has recently launched the Book Chakh Le India by Aditya Bal (Coincidentally Rohit Bal’s nephew).
The event was organized for the Bloggers
Table to have a tete-a-tete with Aditya on his new book. As much as we were
given the book a week earlier, to be able to make a more informed review, I
didn’t manage to try out a recipe before we actually met. However, I did make
do by going over it from back to front.
My first thoughts were that the book is simple,
intended for easy reading, and Aditya’s casual style of writing makes him
really reach out to the reader. Also, the fact that it is based on a TV show,
my initial reaction was that it would be a good buy for people who follow the
show regularly. The introductory chapters are fun to read, But, on going through
it in detail, The photographs were not enticing enough and the recipes- well,
without the photographs, I am not sure how many I would end up trying. Hailing
from a publishing background, where I do this on a daily basis, I do feel that
the real reason why pick up books, especially cookbooks are for their glossiness
and the tempting photographs which would entice one to try out the recipe. In
this case, there was none. It seems to be just another book off the shelf,
which may actually just get lost in a bookshop, unless Mr Bal decides to
actively promote it on his show!
The event though, was fun; he is a simple man, a
novice at this, who found himself amidst a few people, who really knew what
they were talking about. The chat over some wonderful, famous Palak Chaat and Kurkuri Bhindi at Vedaa, went beyond the book itself. I think the
evening was a great reality check for all of us- some of the people on the
table I assume would be writing books soon! It was good reminder for all of us
- to keep that Quality check in control, rather not do it, than do it without
your heart. Aditya however was extremely positive about feedback, and I would
want to wish him luck. The publishing business is a tough one- and I experience
that daily- it’s a pity, but if I was to go ahead, I would just self-publish.
But that’s a personal opinion. Wonder though, if out of the many books I plan
to write- will a cook book be one?
Sadly though, beyond the above mentioned dishes-
the food was not worth talking about. In fact, the Gobhi Manchurian- Well, it
tasted of ‘more flour than cauliflower.’ Hats off to Aditya and the Bloggers
Table to keep the conversation going- and to create an event that was a lot of
fun and learning. Looking forward to a few more. The book is kinda lost on me now; am not so
enthused to try a recipe, but maybe will test out one sometime in the future.
Good Luck Mr Bal.
p.s Apologies for the shaky photographs- The
lighting @veda was extremely dim!
