write a page of an article for a magazine called a feast for the senses
Answers
Answer:
A silver moon lit the narrow gullies of Old Delhi’s Ballimaran that night. In the courtyard of a haveli as old as time, a young man cleared his throat and began reciting: “Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle…”. Other such memorable couplets and poems enthralled a motley group of poets, gourmands, history buffs and enthusiasts of all things unique and fine. The last recitation ended to much applause, and the first dish of the evening was promptly presented with a short story behind it.
Explanation:
This is Gooler, or fig-like kebab,” announced chef Sadaf Hussain, the curator of the handcrafted dining experience, Dawat-e-Dastarkhwan. “In the old days, chefs often used ingenious techniques to disguise dishes. This is one such recipe of a minced meat kebab, stuffed with caramelised onion, dried fruits and poppy seeds to mimic the texture of a fig.” Seven such lost culinary delights of Old Delhi, and the nuggets of stories behind them, came together beautifully with the session of poetry, to make for an engaging dining experience— unlike any that you’d have at a conventional dine-out.
Much like Hussain, several food experts as well as a number of initiatives in Delhi and Mumbai are now offering dining experiences to the discerning connoisseur that go beyond the plate and the palate. Experiential dining is all about reinventing the idea of eating out—whether through creative collaborations, engaging programming, or sometimes, even through presenting the most mundane in innovative ways at offbeat settings. Each experience is distinct, each table handpicked, and the only common thread is the careful deliberation employed in designing them all.
Experiments of Taste:
A single long table. Twenty-five guests sitting around it. A taster’s menu. And a performed reading of a radical life. That is what an episode of Table Radica looks like—a series of ‘taste-performances’ that brings alive the life, times and food of iconic personalities in Indian theatre. Held at Oddbird Theatre, Delhi’s new collaborative centre for the arts, the first edition of Table Radica is an immersive experience that celebrates the life, work and tastes of noted theatre director and playwright, Habib Tanvir.
“Because of the kind of geographical and cultural terrain he had traversed during his time, Habib’s life offered us a fantastically moving range of taste, not just in food, but also in sensibilities, aesthetics, desires, principles and politics,” says writer Sarah Mariam. The dishes served are chosen from archival material as well as biographical accounts, and craftily woven into the narration. While the text is based on accurate facts, the food is a creative interpretation, adhering to no particular cuisine. “Each dish is integrated into the text of the show so as to let the audience use their sense of taste to imagine and interpret their own life experiences through those of Habib,” says food curator and chef Kaushik Ramaswamy.
With seven sold-out shows held so far, Table Radica offers more than just an experiential dining experience. “The intention of the show was to be at the intersection of biographical theatre, food and design,” says Virkein Dhar, co-creator and producer of Table Radica. The inception of the show came about from wanting to find ways to make the archives a living experience. “All other elements—be it food, design or music, come in to aid that experience. Table Radica takes taste beyond food, and into the realms of life, love, choices, struggles and fears.”