At a recent event, Sanjeev Kapoor, India’s first ever television celebrity chef and now owner of a restaurant in the Porvorim mall, stated that Goa is not just known for its beaches but for its food too. The master chef, who did the smart thing by staying true to the Indian cuisine that he started cooking with, just served up a very perceptive dish.
Tick off the styles and cuisines available in Goa “ Continental “ French, Italian, Greek, Spanish and others. There’s South East Asian, Japanese and Middle Eastern. Some restaurants experiment with South American dishes, while there are also restaurants, well-hidden, which cater to the large African community that resides here. You’ll also find delightful Tibetan and Nepali cuisine too, in little hideaways. This is just one part of it. There are also restaurants that serve cuisine from the different parts of India. Punjabi and other North Indian food is available in abundance, in addition to Gujarati, Andhra, South Indian delicacies from Coorg and parts of Kerala, as well as Bengali and North Eastern cuisine. It’s all available here, as well as the ubiquitous Goan cuisine. The disciples of Dionysus ensure that there is food for all, and why not? Goa is a tourist state and as such needs to be able to cater to a variety of palettes and preferences, when it comes to food.
What is a bit disconcerting though, is the slow decline of food quality when it comes to Goan food and the fact that ‘Chinese’ food can be found on most menus. This is not delectable Thai, Malaysian or other food from the South East Asian countries, but the ‘Indo-Chinese’ food like chicken munchurian, chilly chicken and other such dishes that take precedence even on the menus of the beach shacks. The experience there must be centered around Goan food, with fresh seafood standing out. Of course, if a Russian, British or French tourist wants something a little close to home, that’s alright. But ‘Chinese’ food is just a calamitous choice.
What this also boils down to is a standardisation of food and this comes with certification and a system aimed at ensuring that customers are not taken for a ride, either by cuisine or by the price. In other countries there are Michelin stars, or the system of ‘hats’ in Australia, that certifies a chef or an establishment. This is how customers know that they are getting not just value for their money, but also proper cuisine that isn’t just a series of ingredients put together and passed off as exotic.
If Goa needs to really be known as a food state, then it has to get its act together and begin to create a system of checks and balances. It’s not impossible, mind you.
