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A Taste of Indian Festivals
| Article
# : |
10741 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1986 |
1,651 Words |
| Author
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Alexandra Greeley
Alexandra Greeley was food editor of the South China Morning
Post, Hong Kong, and staff writer for the Time-Life cooking
series "Great Meals in Minutes." |
"To be Indian," says Julie Sahni, noted chef, author and teacher, "is to celebrate and ardently observe festivals. that is our way of life." Whether the celebrant is Hindu, Moslem, Christian, or Jain, wealthy or poor, the day and its events will be glittering, exuberant, and most certainly memorable: boisterous, happy crowds, joyous gatherings of family and friends, and ancient--often vivid--rituals.
No matter how local or minor, no festival is complete without its special foods. Regarded with awe even in the course of daily life, food assumes almost mystic qualities during an Indian festival, and the generous offering of food to family and friends (and possibly deities and animals as well) is universal. "Festival foods," observes Ms. Sahni, "keep the wheel of life going for the average person"
To Americans who observe few feast days, such preoccupation with food may seem puzzling. To introduce Americans to, and delight them with, Indian foods (and perhaps to demystify some native customs, too) has become Julie Sahni's vocation, hobby, or as she says, mission. "If Americans can only understand India and its foods, they will love India as passionately as I do," she says.
Truly, few Indians are as dedicated to this task, or as qualified for the required culinary guidance. A diminutive lady with Moghul-art charm, Julie Sahni, a resident of New York, abandoned two careers--as a classic dancer and a city planner--to cook, to teach, and to write.
In her husky voice, she describes her North Indian childhood in New Delhi; her hybrid culinary
... (1995 of 9822 Characters)
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