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ISBN-I3: 978-0-19-806219-6
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lYpeset in Joanna MT 10.5/13

by Eleven Arts, Keshav Puram, Delhi 110 035
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Contents

Acknowledgements xiii

INTRODUCTION xvii

PROLEGOMENON
Food for Thought: Towards an Anthology of Hindu Food-images
AK. Ramanujan

FASTING, FEASTING AND FAMINE

Fasting 27
Mohandus K. Gandhi
Nombu 30
Fakir Muhammed Katpadi
Grandfather 46
Jayanta Mahapatra
From Nabanna 48
Bijan Bhattacharya
The Hunger of Death 60
Jean Arasanayagarn

l:-IUNGER AND APPETITE

The Trellis 65
Bibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay

•
viii Contents
I Contents ix

Poovan Banana 78 Order Cancel 182

Vaikom Mohammed Basheer Preetish Acharya
A Devoted Son 90 The Waiters 189
Anita Desai Adil JussawalJa
The Rock 100
Ismat Chughtai KITCHENS AND COOKS

Deceit 113 'Cook's Joy', from Reef 191

Anamika Romesh Gunesekera

From The Tiger Ladies: A Memoir of Kashmir lIS From Mai 210
Sudha Koul Geetanjali Shree
Of Kitchens and Goddesses 215
,
RITES, CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS i Shashi Deshpande
Nibaran Chandra's Last Rites 119 Girl in the Kitchen 220
Ashapurna Devi Vaidehi
Bhua 128 From The Bus Stopped 223
Nanak Singh Tabish Khair
Eleventh Day 136
Thummeti Raghothama Reddi HERBS AND SPICES

A Cup of Coffee 152 The Stinking Rose 227

Indira Parthasarathi Sujata Bhatt

A Butcher 163
I
m (Russown) 229
Agha Shahid Ali SUjataBhatt

From The Mystic Masseur 165 A Touch of Coriander 232

V.S. NaipauJ
. SUjataBhatt
From The Mistress of Spices 233
MEALS AND RESTAURANTS Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Irani Restaurant Instructions
Nissim El£kieJ
Fish Mayonnaise
Kishori Charan Das
171

172
1 Patoler Ma
Chitrita Banerji

FRUITS AND DESSERTS

237

Family Dinner
Dom Momes
181
J Mango Fever
Jean Arasanayagam
243
x Contents Contents xi

From Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard 245 11: From Salt and Saffron 329
Kiran Desai
Kamila Shamsie
Fruit 250 I From Meatless Days 333
AJamgir Hashmi Sara Suleri
Orange
K.Satchidanandan
252 I CASTE, COMMUNITY, AND CULTURE
From The Vendor of Sweets From Such a Long Journey 341
254 I
R.K.Narayan Rohinton Mistry
Gajar Halwa 'Son, Eat your Fill' 350
260 I
Githa Hariharan Daya Pawar
From Twice Cursed 357
DISCOURSES OF DESIRE Kausalya Baisantri
Sweetmeat 265 Ie From Midnight's Children 364
Bama Charan Mitra
Salman Rushdie
A Drop of Milk 273 I From The God of Small Things 368
Narendra Mitra
Arundhati Roy
Drink to Me only with Thine Eyes 282 I Bosom Friend 377
Kaiser Haq
Him Bansode
Cake 283 I 379
Asghar Wajahat Glassary of Food Terms
I
The Curse 298
Pratibha Ray
The She-Cat 312
Sanjukta Bandopadhyay

NOSTALGIA, MEMORY AND DIASPORA

Of Memories and Meals 313
Attia Hosain
The Picnic in Jammu 319
Zulfikar Ghose
From The HungryTide 321
Amitav Ghosh
Remembering Kedgeree 325
Adrian Carton