Delhi’s bubbly food writer RUPALI DEAN on her ackward moments, favourite restaurants and worst compliments
If you are active in food and restaurant circle, and especially if you are in the business of food, it’s almost impossible not have to bumped into this enthusiastic lady, Rupali Dean. Her childlike zeal arrests you immediately as much as her passion for food and travel. She was recently awarded as the best food writer at the Annual Chef Awards 2015, hosted by the Indian Culinary Forum. So we chatted with her about her job, eating habits and much more.
If it exists, what is the difficult part of your job?
Eating for a living seems like the best cozy job ever, good meals in fancy restaurants, travelling for food… but at the end of the day, it’s a responsible and relentless job. Also, you may have to sit through some not-so-nice meal and it’s a struggle to lose that weight if you are practically eating all the time. It is certainly not a very high-paying job though the perks of a good meal at a restaurant with a like-minded friend soothes that bit somewhat.
The weirdest incident you ever came across during your food hopping.
I was in Switzerland and I ate a red berry which was used as a decoration on a dining table. My Swiss friend got worried and immediately called the doctor who said, ‘It is very deadly, but eating one will do her no harm, especially as she is from India, she must be used to eating a whole lot of such things’. You know what, I was proud to be an Indian at that time and one lesson that I learnt was that decorations are never to be eaten.
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Did you ever puke after having any dish?
I have never puked after having any dish. But a meal once at ‘Ping Pong’ In Mumbai BKC really ruined my evening. So I had gone for a food review with two journalists friends of mine, thinking we’d have a scrumptious Dimsum meal but the Dimsums were pasty and just so unpalatable. I discovered to my horror that the Dimsums were flown in frozen and just steamed there. Soon tweets on bad food flared up by my friends and I began to trend on Twitter. By the way the restaurant (surprisingly its London Branch is amazing) soon shut down!
The best and the worst compliment you ever got…
Best– That came from Amit Burman. Let me quote him, “Rupali is an excellent writer/journalist as she tries to bring out the true picture and emotion of any situation. Her passion for food and travel can be seen in her writing because as a reader you are transformed into the continent and the food she is immersed in. Rupali’s zest for photography is seen in the real life pictures of the scenery, people and food.”
Worst- People have been polite. So this is yet to come.
Three contemporary food writers you envy, and why. Give us one reason for each writer.
Envy is not my forte because I am in competition with no one. I respect the following.
Harold Mc Gee: An American author, he writes about the chemistry and history of food science, cooking and molecular gastronomy. After reading his book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, I fell in love with his writing which is a result of thorough knowledge and research. Luckily I had the chance to meet him In Belgium at a Gastronomy seminar called ‘Flemish Primitives’.
Vir Sanghvi: He needs no introduction. I just love the way he writes, you want to read his articles till the end as they keep you engrossed, I look forward to HT Brunch every Sunday especially for his column.
MFK fisher: She is no more (passed away in 1992) but her writings are still alive. She is also founder of the Napa Wine library; any connoisseur of food literature would pick up her book.
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What do you do when you overeat?
I drink lots of hot green tea when I overeat as it settles down the food. Another good idea is to have just some lemon in hot water post overeating.
One thing that you really hate about food business and think should not exist.
Erratic long working hours for the staff; There are few restaurants which do follow shift timings but then there are places where the chefs and the restaurant staff have a time to come in for work but there is no time to go back home… and there is no compensation.
The top restaurateurs who has impressed you of late…
AD Singh
Rohit Khattar
Zorawar Kalra
Chef Bakshish Dean, If I may add 🙂 (Rupali’s life partner)
What do you predict about digital food writing in the next ten years?
It’s never easy to predict the future. Many people start food blogging thinking they’d be treated like royalty. But certainly if food writing is done well and you give the readers anything interesting, print or digital, you would have followers.
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Three tips for self-proclaimed bloggers who write without having knowledge.
Once I was at a chef’s table and a so-called food blogger looked at the menu and ordered ‘Eggplant’, when it arrived on the table. He was like ‘I don’t eat Baingan’ (Hindi for eggplant/aubergine/Brinjal). I sympathise with the chefs who have to deal with such so-called ‘Food writers’.
Then there is another website which sends students of Hotel Management to review restaurants, who are happy to write for free for a free meal. Obviously all they do is copy the press release and change a few synonyms and paste the same. It works well for the restaurant too as it gives them free publicity.
Honestly in both the cases the reader is the one who’s losing out and I feel it’s a shame for the ‘Food writing’ industry. My only tip to such self-proclaimed bloggers who write without having any knowledge is ‘Please don’t write as it’s not helping anyone’!!
What keeps you busy when you are not having food?
Spending time with my family over some fun activities or travel.
One last gyan.
There is a distinct skill essential to making food sound exciting on the pages of a book and that means you should pick your food chronicles selectively. Numerous diaries have been chiefly influential. Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential (published in 2000) helped advance the craze of the chef. It’s a realistic account of life in specialised kitchens. Bourdain is an unpretentious talent.
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