Amma - March 5, 2011

As a firm believer in the deadliness of high temperature (100 degree Celsius) and my very own gastric acid, I am willing to close one eye toward bacteria and germs in relation to the quality of the food: Tastier food, higher tolerance. However, at the same time, I abhor vehemently the excess oil from culinary and wellness perspective: I refuse to suffer the consequence caused by someone else’ lack of thought or concern whether in the form of a stomach ache or more hours in the gym – the latter is a torture for someone who considers even one minute spent in the collegiate environment among the happily sweaty, or odorously joyful, is too long. Good cooking is made of one part good skill and one part good ingredients, with the former occupying heavier weight. Doubtlessly, some dishes require large amount of oil, but moderation and reservation are equally important concepts as indulgence and luxury, however, much more often neglected.

* I will qualify since I do not know what true Indian food is like in India; just like Chinese is bad in New York, the food in India may have almost no resemblance to what they serve in New York.

Taj Mahal - December 29, 2010

Blessed with a stomach made of stainless steel – well, in this age and era, probably some kind of polysyllable polycarbonate something, I never have to worry whether I should take the offered spoonful of fishcake curry at a pier in Bangkok from a toothless, but for a few, old man with a grin; or whether I should sit on a low stool crouching over a bowl of rice crepes with fermented shrimp sauce, which appeared mildly gaseous (a couple of policemen were shaking their heads and giving us a few sideway glances while one of them appeared to chastise the matron for the gaseous shrimp paste – not very encouraging). I have never had a problem when the issue is pure sanitation: They are biodegradable and, perhaps, organic, too. Nonetheless, even such a strong stomach has its limits: Pollution and bad oil – the former tested in China and the latter in the Indian restaurants in New York. Despite the general intolerance toward Indian food, I was drawn into this restaurant because of the aroma emanating over the sidewalk one afternoon (and also because the original destination was closed for no discernible reason).