The Other Side of the High Life

I don’t cook – I can but I don’t, it's just one of the many things that I just don’t feel like doing. However, I love watching anything & everything about food on TV. I am obsessed with watching these master chefs create their mouth-wateringly wonderful dishes with stars in my eyes – especially when I am eating. Because then, my humble boiled egg sandwich tastes like a “Celestial Sunrise Benedict”, my plain dal-chawal converts itself into “Golden Elixir Saffron Rice” and my modest vegetable salad turns into a “Garden of Eden Ratatouille”. This is my secret mantra of living the high life when you actually can’t afford one.

My father, who otherwise hailed from a rural background, always made sure that we went out to the most happening places for our occasional lunches & dinners. In fact, he even took us to the Taj Intercontinental although we all knew that it was not within our means. My mother, on the other hand, who was city bred, had a penchant for street food. She frequently treated us to the famous “Bombay” sandwiches, bhel-puri and pav bhaji especially when my father was out of town. And while my brother & I usually found it taxing to finish our meals at a fine dine restaurant, we could voraciously gobble down plate after plate of the roadside stuff like “man versus food” champions and emerge victorious!

Things haven’t changed much for us since then. When I got back from a tiresome 4 months of stay in the US, my brother who had come to pick me up from the Mumbai airport at 3.00 AM in the morning, directly took me to “Bademiyan’s” in the lane behind the Taj for a hearty meal of Tangdi Kabab and Rumali Roti. He didn’t even need to ask me – he just knew!

While delicately picking at exquisitely crafted gourmet cuisine with forks & knives could feel good at times, gulping down mouthfuls of a rustic meal hastily put together by your mom followed by the compulsive licking of the fingers, even the plate at times or the very vessel it was cooked in, is a pleasure that cannot even remotely be compared with any Michelin starred signature dish stylishly placed in front of you by a Ma?tre d’ well worth his or her salt.

End of the day, the joy that comes from the momos on the crowded streets of Kolkata in front of the Victoria Memorial, the vada pav in Mumbai in front of the Gateway of India and the hot dog in London in front of Westminster Abbey cannot be compared with a legendary afternoon tea in the Savoy or an elegant three course meal in Falaknuma Palace. And while I have been fortunate to get a taste of fine wine across the globe, the undistinguished port wine usually sold in frugal plastic bottles remains my all-time favourite to this day.

The other side of a high life is not restricted to food & drink alone. It can also be experienced in a crowded economy class of an aircraft especially on long international flights. On one such flight from Dubai to Heathrow, I found myself playing an inflight word game against an opponent who happened to be a Pakistani teenager sitting right next to me. Turns out, he was as good as me at word games and we played game after game each taking turns to beat the other. We then decided to team up and play against others and as expected, we won game after game with a huge margin. Through this unique Indo-Pak alliance, I am not sure how many global citizens we beat at their own game – English! This camaraderie is not readily available in the echelons of a business or first class, the occupants of which are too busy experiencing the high life in their own little cocoon of isolated luxury.

I had the pleasure of visiting Venice – the geographically isolated archipelago of islands – twice. The first time was to experience the “high life” – to capture myself against the backdrop of the city’s stunning architecture, colourful buildings and picturesque canals, sampling freshly baked pastries, indulging in the seafood, drinking fine wine, riding a gondola and buying Murano glass souvenirs. The second time around was all about getting lost wandering through the labyrinthine streets and canals, reliving Venice’s history through its ancient Byzantine mosaics & Renaissance masterpieces and just observing the locals & tourists. This second time was all about getting “high on life”. Venice for me is all about these two extremes – on the one hand it’s a world of privilege & exclusivity, while on the other, it’s a stimulating experience of cultural enrichment with a sense of thrilling adventure and unexpected discoveries at every serpentine turn. While this other side for me has always been the one filled with joy, wonder, and a sense of exhilaration, Venice truly embodies a unique amalgamation of immersive experiences in the most unforgettable way.

Questa è Venezia... e il resto del mondo dall'altra parte!

"This is Venice... and the rest of the world is on the other side!".