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Reading Books Keeps the Mind Ticking

By Sudhir Nair

You know you have read a good book, when you turn the last page and feel you have lost a friend – an avid reader

Reading books have always transported me to places I never thought I could be in, middle of a war to peak of a mountain to the deep mysteries of the ocean or kitchens of royal household in an era gone by. I have always been a seeker with a lot of questions; my colleagues would often get irritated with my questions. They would tease me by saying, here goes the why-man. I frankly wouldn’t interest myself in studies, but I would be intrigued by origin of practices, traditions and rituals. I was once asked to move out of a ceremony by my father when I started asking many questions.

Early in my life I found solace in the quietness of my travel and constant company of books. I did try digital reading but somehow it didn’t give me the warmth and feel of reading. As a matter of fact, I keep myself updated with different news apps but I would never miss a chance to read a physical newspaper whenever I have a chance.

I read a wide range of subjects. Being a chef I have decent collection of cookery related, theory and science of food books. But a major part of my books are devoted to the past in one form or the other. Be it in form of history, biographies, wars, evolution or travel. I do also indulge in psychology and management texts.

Reading started as a medium to pass time; today I make time to read. It keeps me charged and opens possibilities in life and work. I don’t know if it is normal for others to do but I usually read two books at a time and try to keep the subjects as

different as possible. Doing this forces me to think and recollect the read part of the book and revises the entire context in my mind every time I pick the book to read.

When I started my career as a Kitchen trainee, I was training to be a cook. I learnt the basics of cutting vegetables, meat and making stocks, sauces. I had to follow recipes and make as per standard. I would be in awe of my Chef who would recite recipes of so many dishes even without looking at a book or file. So I went and asked him; how he remembered 100s of recipes. It didn’t seem humanely possible. He laughed and told me to understand a recipe, know the ingredient then you don’t have to remember it.

I didn’t realize it then, now I know. If we read and have enough knowledge of the ingredient, their properties and the effect of time and temperature, you can make any dish. So I read about pH values, time, pressure, temperature, elasticity, coagulation, gelatinization, structure of bones and tissue, salt, sugar, lipids, osmosis, etc. Today when I read a recipe I can visualize the role of each ingredient and how the final dish should be like.

There a few books like “What Einstein told his cook” part 1 and 2 by Robert Wolke and Kitchen mysteries: Revealing the science of cooking by Hervé This; it stimulates the brain and solves a lot of queries. It also helps a chef understand the amazing chemistry involved in food and its effects on Human body. All books by Harold McGee are a kind of Holy grail for the budding Chef.

Back in my management days, I was once working on a 5 slide presentation of a 350 page book as an assignment. I was repulsed with the idea of a book with so many numbers and graphs but the project took me to a different dimension. Within a few hours I was hooked. The book was “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. The jumble of numbers started making sense, I learnt about patterns and trends. The graphs spoke to me and depicted how minor adjustments could give major changes in the outcome.

I read upon a book by Richard Koch “The 80- 20 Principle”. Till date I use this in my kitchen wherein I organize my staffing rosters based on peaks and valleys of business. I plot graphs of my sales and

compare it to my costs. The results have surprised me and my bosses when I would tell them that costly dishes don’t give high profit but popular ones do, most of times they are the cheapest of the lot. It is not the expensive lamb chop that makes my restaurant profitable but it’s the humble French fries which rule the roost.

There was this magazine called “Competition success Review” which I would get second hand from the Kabadiya’s. It used to be cheap and had a lot of General knowledge reading available. The issues would have a chapter on ‘Body language’ by Allan Pease. It once spoke about how a mother instinctively knows what her baby wants just by the gibberish talk and the look in the eyes. It is an art of reading nonverbal gestures and identifying patterns.

There are times when a guest is absolutely unreasonable or seems annoying. Most of us would normally avoid such clients, but a lot us have managed to make great friends out of such guests and even after years continue to be in touch with them. We mostly assume what the guests want, we try to listen to their words but not hear them out. We assume that we understood them. But that may not be the case always.

We fail to respond to the influence of their culture and traditions on their communication. But when you are able to read nonverbal signals and body language it becomes easier to comprehend. Most it comes by meeting different people. Subconsciously we learn to read signs; almost all humans have the same basic body language. But it can also be learned and practiced. Allan Pease and his books taught precisely that. It has proved to be a great help in an industry like mine wherein interacting with people and understanding their needs and wants is what we strive for.

Biographies of some outstanding personalities inspire and act as beacon for times when we feel low or lost. Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s the Iron man of India depict how the most challenging tasks can be accomplished with grit and perseverance

“Beyond the Last Blue Mountain” by R M Lala is a Biography of JRD Tata; the man who proved that passion can move mountains and conquer unchartered territories.

These book help you gain experiences of decades in a few pages. It makes me marvel how in today’s time and ages of free data and fast travel people make excuses of not having enough to succeed when all it requires is the will and patience to do it. Each biography be it of Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi tells us that you always don’t get what you want but you will surely get what you deserve….always.

Time and life is the biggest equalizer it is fair and square. It may sound very cliché but there are times when everything comes crashing down and nothing seems to work right. I just compare my plight with those of the successful ones I have read about; my troubles feel feather light. My drawing board comes out again and I start over.

Travel is the best way to learn new things about a place, its culture and history; Books is the next best. But travel books are second to none. Not surprisingly some foreigners have written some eye opening books on Indian culture and food. One of the few gems is Colleen Taylor Sen’s ‘Feasts and Fast- A history of Food in India’. It is a discovery of food in the backdrop of religion, moral and social traditions, vegetarianism, influence and innovations.

More than the recipes it’s the stories that excite me. There is also this less known book by Pamela Timms, “Korma Kheer & Kismet – Five seasons in Old Delhi”. It is pure passion in print. I have been to each of those places mentioned in the book and experienced the delight in the dishes mentioned. As I enjoyed each morsel I reminisced the author’s journey and relished it even more.

I have to mention Neha Prasada and her outstanding book ‘Dining with the Maharajas: A thousand years of Culinary Tradition’. It is a wonderful book replete with stories, anecdotes and traditions woven in the Royal fabric of food. Princely states, their kitchens, influence of Veds and Hakims in food all in a grand big book. The recipes reflect the effluence, high taste of the families and their state, and their dedication to keep centuries old traditions alive. As a chef it is essential to note the attention to detail, sourcing of ingredients and commitment to quality that is clearly evident in these recipes. Only the best dishes survive the test of time and change.

Late K T Achaya was an eminent food scientist from Karnataka, India and authored innumerable research papers and articles for publications. His books on food are a revelation of sorts. His narration has no stories or anecdotes but crisp facts. His books state the kind of food that the Indian subcontinent cultivated in the Harrapan civilization, the Vedic period and the influence of various travelers and invasions over the centuries. He wrote of the kind of meat and grains we consumed during the time of Mahabharat and Ramayana. The books talk about the effect of various inter-continent trade, invasions, settlements and more that have facilitated evolution of Indian food to what it was to what it is today. I have read and refer to his books like ‘Theillustrated Foods of India’, ‘A historical dictionary of Indian Food’, ‘Indian Food – A historical companion’ and ‘The story of our food’. It is essential to know our past to plan our future. The past regales us with the losses and mistakes committed and ways it could have been avoided, be it food shortages or nutritional facts. It stresses the importance of seasonal produce and traditional ways to consume food. It offers solutions to grow crops which do not require high water tables but nutritious at the same time.

Some exciting young Indian authors like Sanjeev Sanyal whose books like ‘The Indian Renaissance’, ‘Incredible history of India’s Geography’ and ‘Land of Seven rivers’ educate us on the past and present. While scholars like B M Hegde open our minds to keep ourselves healthy and safe. He breaks common myths on cardiac health and lifestyle diseases. They teach us how common sense prevails over agenda backed surveys and studies. ‘A history of India as it happened’ by Francois Gautier is another work of brilliance. It throws light on some of the aspects of Indian history that have not been told so often.

I am currently reading the English translation of ‘Shriman Yogi’ by Ranjitdesai and ‘Let me say it now’ by Rakesh Maria. Both books tell us more about the past, one fairly recent and the other a few centuries back.

My love for books is insatiable; the more I read, the more is the want to read, It is an addition I can be proud of. I have close to 150 odd books that I have collected over the last two decades. While I have read many more than that by borrowing from friends or from libraries, but the list of books I have yet to read is longer than that. These are my most prized asset and every time I move jobs and cities this is the largest and heaviest part of my luggage. I enjoy great company, especially when my company is a good book and a glass of Single malt.

The author is Executive Chef at Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru ORR