south indian dinner / the "grape" incident 8/6/07

In August of 2006, I visited South India with my family. On this amazing trip, we toured Chennai, Mysore, Bangalore, Kerla/Allepy, and Kanyakumari. We ate lots of delicious foods including, poori, dhosai, paratha, gobi manchuri and an assortment of chutneys, my favorite of which was daal-coconut-ginger-chile. One year later, I set off to Jackson Heights, with my buddy and fellow cook, Chung Chow of per se, to source some ingredients to make some South Indian dishes for a dinner party.








Foraging in Jackson Heights, Queens, we found some interesting products like fresh curry leaves and angled luffa.





































































I drank a glass of spirulina seaweed mixed with water to give me strength for a long cooking day.












Chung made a potato filling for the dhosai. Here he toasts black mustard seeds.















Braised chicken wings with angled luffa















We fit nine people into my tiny Chinatown apartment. It was a lively crowd and the atmosphere raucous.



































Salad of kirby cucumbers and watermelon.
























This was the famous "grape" incident. We held a contest to see who could fit the most grapes in one's mouth.















































Chung stuffs grapes in his mouth.








































Michel tried the speed technique and the grapes flew out as fast as the went in.



































Dave Guay won without breaking a sweat. We lost count, but it is certain that he got over twenty five grapes into his gaping maw!