The Xoom Lunch

The grub at Ad shoots is usually phenomenal. And depending on the production house, the food is served. Most of the khana served on ad shoots sets is usually continental or Italian cuisine.  

But if you are shooting with R.Balki, expect Southern fare prepared fresh by the famous Muthuswamy Caterers. From piping hot dosas and wadas, to chettinad chicken.. if it is Pradeep Sarkar, apart from the normal fare, there is a robust Bengali spread and one lands up literally licking the last morsel with your fingers.

Yesterday we shot with Mr Amitabh Bachchan for a money service called Xoom. Lunch was served at 2 pm. From tandoori tangdis to seekh kababs, fried fish to mutton biryani was laid out. The veg food did not deserve my attention after feasting my eyes on the non vegetarian delicacies. 

A working lunch was announced and the crew, who had been hard at work since 7 am, dug in. I took my plate of mutton biryani and fried fish to one corner, with a can of Diet Coke. I am told that the pesticides digests the rich food instantly. That's why on all shoot sets, Diet Coke is a must for the catering crew.

Anyways, after the sumptuous meal, we sweetened our palette with some deliciously chilled rasmalai. Lunch hour over, we all trooped in to continue our shoot.

Casting my eye around, I noticed that the unit members including me were all walking sluggishly, while Mr Bachchan was going about his shot in his customary brisk and efficient manner...

The penny dropped. Just like his ghaas phoos character in Cheeni Kam, he is a vegetarian and eats home cooked food. No wonder he was chosen to endorse a product which used lightning as a metaphor to describe it's financial services. 

So whilst the biryani settled lovingly in our bellies, the aam junta including me, crawled around like tortoises, going about our shooting business. No wonder the saying goes, never mix business with pleasure.

Detox Time

After some crazy eating over the weekend, the time to detox has finally arrived. The menu for lunch was a simple palak curry with fish and of course, rice... But the  gods had to differ...

The cricket season in the sub continent has kickstarted today with the Asia Cup, and two of the best teams, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are fighting it out in Bangladesh. India starts her campaign tomorrow against minnows, Afghanistan. 

So what's with cricket and food? Cricket played in the sub continent is more to my palette. My boys look better, stand taller, win more games and strut around like champions. The food settles in my stomach better. No gut clenching fears of a terrible collapse, and even if the batting order fails, the bowlers are there... the spinners are on familiar pitches, the pacers know the bounce and the wicket keeper looks like a pro.

I am a true cricket fan. India has to win. Come hell or high water. Then there is the celebratory dinner... that is the connection my dear friends between cricket and food. Tomorrow is a good day for a feast in my house as we are bound to win... but if anybody is looking g to EAT and EAT well, come on 2nd March, when we take on Pakistan... mutton biryani and kababs ... and Bobby will be cooking...

The Saturday Night Turn On…

I feel guilty…of not spending quality time with my daughter. For working moms and dads, the weekend is great to spend time with their kids. But unfortunately for me and Bobby, my better half, most of our ad and film shoots take place on weekends. Taking our 3 year old daughter, Zehn, to kiddie places like Kidzania is always on our to-do, must-do list, which is almost always pushed to the next weekend.

This Saturday was no exception. We just wrapped our shoot with Subhash Ghai who is shooting his Kaanchi at Film City and headed back home around 5 in the evening. On our way back, I got a call from my friend Vrushali who told me that she is taking her daughter out to Smaaash, a great place for children. Seized with sudden fervour, Bobby and I decided to take Zehn there. It would mean, Zehn playing and me catching up with Vrush, who is on a sabbatical from society as she is penning her book.

An excited Zehn had no idea that her parents were actually planning to take her out for some fun and games, she was just happy to be with us. At Smaaash, Zehn had the time of her life jumping on the trampoline, rushing down slides, playing ball and the works.

After having put in almost 8 hours at work, the weary couple, ours truly, decided to grab a bite, while our zero figure daughter burned her calories off… We ordered a thin crust pepperoni pizza. The pizza came drizzled with oodles of gooey cheese, thick slices of pepperoni. I added a dash of green pepper sauce, sprinkled chilli flakes and oregano. And then we sank our teeth in. After the first few bites, I turned around to check the ambience as the decibel levels had suddenly increased.

Television sets, with big screen videos were all over the place and a soccer match was on between Everton and Chelsea. 25 hunks (including the referees) were chasing one mean ball, sweaty and hungry, while I took another bite of my cheesy pizza. There is something sinfully decadent when you get a mouthful and eyeful of something delicious…ummm..not to forget the mind and the imagination…

As I licked my lips, my indulgent husband gave me a warm smile. He had no idea why I was licking my lips.. or rather for more reasons than one, was I doing it… Bliss…Saturdays can be a turn on…

The Magnum Idea to lose weight…

“I married a female wrestler and look at the mess I am in…” This was a famous ditty that we sang in Mt Carmel School, and I always feared that my hubby would land up singing this in the private confines of the john… Luck was in store for me…my hubby loves me fat…he loves my bulging arms and luscious tyres around my middle… He calls them his assets… But after 8 years of marriage and 3 weeks short of my 42^nd birthday, I decided to lose weight…

Soups for dinner, go easy on fried food and no dessert… That was my master plan. So I looked up Sanjeev Kapoor’s soup recipes and zeroed in on a simple masoor dal soup. Roast tomatoes and onion, add the soaked red masoor dal with some peppercorns and salt. Two whistles in the pressure cooker and with some lemon juice, voila…a meal fit for a woman trying to lose the bulge.

Enter the devil aka my hubby dearest. He decided to cook for me lal maas… a fiery mutton dish which I succumb to like a lamb being led to the slaughter house. At 8pm, I slink into the kitchen and slurp away the masoor dal soup poured in my hugest soup bowl. I thought that if my tummy is full, how could I devour the lal maas. 

I underestimated my appetite. I underestimated my love for steaming hot rice and lal maas. I dug in…and I dug in deep. Fiery hot lal maas melted in my mouth as I closed my eyes and let the spices and curry take me to nirvana land. The stomach slowly expanded to let the food settle in deep and good. I then took the left over rice and swiped the bowl clean of the curry. There was no need to wash the dish, it was clean as a Vim wash.

After I opened my eyes to see the aftermath of my eating…I see the piece de la resistance…a Magnum bar of chocolate truffle ice cream bathed in a layer of Belgian chocolate. To soothe the fire in my belly, I take a bite of the crunchy frozen dessert… It helped… Another bite followed. Soon I was licking the wooden stick clean of all traces of chocolate.

This is the story of my first day diet. Red meat, white rice and Magnum chocolate truffle ice cream. Welcome to my world of good food and good intentions to lose weight. Tomorrow, is another day… Bring on the Classic Magnum bar of Belgian chocolate swathed over some awesome vanilla ice cream…