Saturday, September 25, 2010

Hungry kya? Take a walk! (Article in Times of India today)

The Times of India featured our Matunga Food Walk in this article today in the Wine and Dine section of Crest. OK, so they got the prices wrong, but all publicity is good, right? :)

There's also a photo of me in a red saree, looking like a little blimp. I swear I am not this fat! It's the *others* who were tall and slim, dammit!

Hungry Kya? Take a Walk!
by Mahafreed Irani
Sep 25, 2010
Times of India

For tourists who want to skip the clichêd tours of Mumbai, culinary walks are an interesting alternative. "Food is one of the most interesting ways of understanding a culture, " says Deepa Krishnan of Mumbai Magic, a tour company that organises food walks in the city. "Tourists are increasingly looking for more insightful and interesting experiences than merely visiting monuments.

Bazaar walks and cuisine trails help to showcase some very rich aspects of Indian society. " The Mumbai Magic food walk starts with a guided tour around Matunga market and ends with a cooking demo and tasting of traditional food at an Indian home. While at the market, a culinary expert guides tourists around various food-speciality shops. Even though Matunga isn't a tourist area, Krishnan chose the market as it has a number of eateries and stores that sell regional ingredients. "Most foreigners have limited knowledge about Indian cuisine and may have only tasted Punjabi fare like butter chicken, " she says pointing out how they are surprised that Indian food is not as spicy as they have been led to believe. "Regional food is a pleasant discovery for them."

The package which costs Rs 1, 000 per person for a guided tour for six includes a visit to a Gujarati, Parsi, Goan or South Indian home. During the visit, tourists can choose to participate in the cooking process of a traditional meal or sip on some Indian wine and observe the cooking. The demonstrators have been flooded with queries like, "Can we peep into your fridge?" and "Please explain the use of these unfamiliar cooking gadgets", says Krishnan referring to tourists who were curious about metal tongs.

Krishnan also organises food trails in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Chennai and Kottayam. In Kerala, the walk includes visits to a private spice plantation, paddy fields and toddy shops and in Jaipur, tourists learn how Rajasthani cuisine has been influenced by the hot climate and scarcity of water.

12 comments:

Aadil Desai said...

Interesting to see you are dwarfed among the tall guys but you are still standing out amongst them!!!

Aabha Vatsa said...

Congrats on being featured in TOI Deepa!

Mahafreed said...

We got the prices wrong? :/

Deepa said...

The price of the bazaar walk is correct, Mahafreed, Rs 1000 per person for 4-6 persons, and it includes a knowledgeable guide, a personalised walk, and a tasting session for several different varieties of snacks and treats and filter coffee if people want it :) But the home visit / lunch and wine cost is extra.

Anuradha Shankar said...

Congrats!! saw the piece first thing in the morning... at least the pic was clear enough. We could recognise u :)

Unknown said...

Nice article. I would love to try some of these tours when I'm visiting India again.

Ananva said...

Congratulations! And you look great!

Prachi said...

Hey Deepa! Delurking for the first time in 2 years. Was super excited to see your coverage in Brunch too...You look great...Is that a sambalpuri saree in this snap?

Mahafreed said...

ok o_O

Haddock said...

Congrats on that additional publicity.
How come I missed this. Or was it not in the Pune edition of TOI ?

joey said...

Hi Deepa
your blog reads so good!! would like to get in touch with you with regard to writing for us. Please drop a line to me at
deepa@mediavoicemag.com

also you could check the magazine out at www.mediavoicemag.com
rgds
Deepa

Supriya said...

Hi Deepa,

Could you please give me an email address I could write to you at? How do I sign up for your food walk?

Supriya