14 June,2011 08:44 AM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
"I am a bonafide, certified, card-carrying foodie," boasts Rahul Khanna. The actor, who digs Japanese food, talks to CS about what makes his taste buds zing:
Small bites
The best memory that I have of indulging in food is that of eating a basketfull of tadgolas with my brother and cousins at our family beachhouse during holidays. My grandfather would hire professional coconut pickers to shimmy up the tadgola palms and then hack open the hard shell of the fruit with their machetes to get to the jelly-like fruit filled with sweet water. We would make such a mess with the water and skins that my grandfather would insist we eat them only in the garden. He'd then hose us down before allowing us back into the house!
An artist's take
On the rare occasions I do cook, I find the process creative and relaxing, almost meditative. I am not a great cook, but I can make decent steamed fish, roasted vegetables and a basic marinara pasta sauce. But I'll admit shamelessly that my scrambled eggs and omelets are great. Cooking is definitely an art and I deeplyu00a0 admire and appreciate the great cooks.
Straight from heart
There's this tiny Afghani hole-in-the-wall in Hell's Kitchen in New York City, which serves delicious, hearty, home-style food from Afghanistan. My family, friends and I have been going there for years. When the 9/11 tragedy occurred, the proprietors of this restaurant feared a backlash from the public. Instead, all the local residents came out in a great show of solidarity towards the understandably concerned proprietors and staff. I remember eating there shortly afterwards with the window facing the street completely covered with cards and ribbons of support from regulars and neighbours. It was quite an incredible experience.
Excuse not accepted
I often give into my cravings. Life's too short to deprive yourself of something you love. My motto is: balance. Be vigilant and aware of what you're putting in your body and make sure you balance the calories going in with the calories you're burning via activity and exercise. With the plethora information and knowledge readily available nowadays, there's really no excuse to eat unhealthy food.
