Monica Bhide

I did not realize this was addressed to me. Sorry. I think Heritage India and Indique are very different and equally good in their own right. Indiques flavors are true to the hard core south Indian style of cooking seafood. Heritage India is traditional food and very good. I really like Woodlands. Did not like the food at Udipi on the two occasions I tried it. I dont thinks scores or stars are needed. These restaurants are all very different in what they are offering.

Just read this. Excellent work both of you. I really liked the format. it is as interesting as his recipes are. What fantastic pictures. Nicely done

Peppertrail - Welcome. i am so glad you decided to join the discussion. i know your knowledge will enrich us all

I have enjoyed Shobha Narayan's book. I am reading Jhumpa's new work right now.

I have not heard of that... which type of gourd is it.. man all this food talk is making me really hungry!

I think I need to remake the shrimp to retake the shot!! Too close.

You are right! How did I forget that. I think there is a scene where he is asked to cook something from .. oh what was it.. some exotic vegetable.. and he prepares something fantastic and surprises the whole house.. yes?

That does sound nice. I think we will rent it for the weekend. In many of the (ahem) bollywood movies, some things to ponder -- 1. The pregnant woman hankering for pickles and raw mangoes. i never had that in any of my pregnancies. Perhaps I am an anamoly! 2. I have wondered about the custom of feeding someone a spoon of yogurt with sugar just as they are leaving the house for an important task. My mom would do that for me .. does anyone know where it originated 3. the bad guys always eat non vegetarian food. That always tickles me. Why does a bad guy not want dosa!! Amitabh Bachan is one of my favorite actors and yes, his movie that Mongo mentioned does have a fun scene with his new bride tryiing to feed him and his six siblings like human beings. too funny! There is a lot of mention of alcohol in the movies. Always.

it isn't just a "technicality"--for one thing for us to call gurinder chadha or her movies "indian" is to participate in the same narrative that right-wing british politicians do when they say indian immigrants are not really "british" but "indian". she is a south asian brit and her films reflect that. for another thing, it is important not to substitute the diaspora for india. with these distinctions made we can consider the ways in which films by diasporic indian directors, films by bollywood directors, and films by directors from other indian cinematic traditions do or don't represent food (or anything else). if we don't make these distinctions we disrespect both the cultures in question and the intelligence of those we might seek to educate. i'm tempted to make the hypothesis that the mass bombay cinema does not harp on food imagery because this would be extremely alienating for a large part of its audience that doesn't eat well every day. it is one thing to show wealth as aspirational but another to show actual food. but i won't make this hypothesis just yet because i suspect that the minute i do i'll remember tons of movies that do show food being lavishly cooked, eaten and thrown away (as i say that i remember "jaane bhi do yaaron" and the "thoda khao, thoda phenko" scene--suman will know what i am talking about). Interesting perspective

I have not seen this movie. What is it about?

How do you make it Jason - do you use any Indian techinques or spices?

I think what makes it a real global site is the fact that people take pains to explain what things are. We have come a long way from explaining Naans and Lassi -- but specific things should be explained. I think you caught the techinicality on the movie scene. I was refering to movies, bollywood or otherwise, that reflect the indian culture and food. i resonate with the culture in Bend it Like B since I was raised abroad. Point taken regardless

Has got to be one of my favorite dishes. Shrimp is marinated in a ginger garlic paste, a bit of salt, red chili powder, turmeric and a touch of tandoori spice mix. Grilled in the broiler. Easy as can be. I am learning to take pictures so bear with me! We had this a few nights ago for dinner. What you see in the back is a papaya salad I made with cilantro lime dressing and some crushed red pepper What recipes do others use for making a simple grilled shrimp dish??

Its old news so no longer on online

Neither am I, I guess their woof is worse than their barf. Just when I was beginning to like you I love Bollywood movies, the new ones in particular. Most of my memories of the old ones, around food, are the mother making Indian rice pudding (Kheer)

Episure -- you are too funny. i think for the benefit of the non Indian speaking eGer (about 90 percent of the site) Tell us what Maa Ki Dal and Raajma are -- please

This discussion should be good since so many of us have just returned from India. What did you all think. My son loved the Aloo Tikki (Potato Pattie) Burger.... did anyone try McDonald's? My dad was telling me that the Indian Subway sandwiches are wonderful. Has anyone tried those? What did you think?

Well now we have Bend it Like Beckham that does talk about the food. Any others to add to this list??

Excellent information. How about the regular grocery stores -- are they starting to carry Indian groceries?

I think it would be great if you could post recipes and pics in time. For now how about describing these drinks for eGulleeters ...

My question still stands. So is Indian going to become popular if it gets more "homogenized" like a PF Changs or a Olive Garden or if we start to see regional variations? or both? What about the availablity of Indian spices in regular grocery stores -- Gaint, Safeway, Whole Foods and Wegmans in DC are carrying an array of Indian foods and spices. .. is this an indicator.. is this true in other major cities like NYC and LA? I guess I am asking what the signs are?

I think also movies like Bend it like Beckham are making the culture less exotic and more real. its funny I get asked for an Aloo Gobi recipe more than for any other one!

I think you were referring to Nirvana

Dark rum with anything is good in my books What are some typical drinks from Bengal Mongo??

I was at a meeting recently with a very influential book editor recently. "Indian food is really heating up," I tell her and swear up and down about it. I quoted six trends, seven hot new restaurants, celebrity chefs, emails from The Food Channel Trendwire saying that its here. The editor looked at me and said -- well you may be right but I have heard this same story in 1998. Is it really happening this time So is it??