st out. Think of the best 'anything' you've ever had. It could be - the 'best' black forest cake, the 'best' tandoori chicken, the 'best' karela (bitter gourd) curry or the best silken tofu (yucks!!) you've ever tasted. Got that 'anything' in mind? Now try and remember the time when you had that 'best' 'anything' and recollect the situation under which tasted it. Who was with you, how was the weather, what had you done before that, when was the last time you had that 'anything' - All such things. You will realize that there were many other memorable things from that experience which all contributed to making that 'anything' the best 'anything' you ever had.Case in point - a few years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Waldorf in Bundesrepublik Deutschland - the land of automobiles, autobahns and oktoberfests.
Being one of my first visits outside India for a extended period, after a few weeks I started getting homesick. And I can't say the boiled / baked / fried / mashed potatoes and the cold meats helped the situation. With this background, over one of the weekends a few of my work friends and I decided to take a roadtrip to Munich which was about 550 kms south of Waldorf . So there we were 4 guys with no experience of driving on an autobahn, in the snow, in Germany taking a 550 kms trip. Safe to say we made it without getting anyone bodily injured.Having reached the Munich in one peice and in good spirits, we decided to head off to Hofbrauhaus am Platzl - the place we were directed by well-meaning, jolly hearted locals to taste the best
beer in Munich / Germany. The setting could not have been more rustic - picnic benches and tables, plates full of food and strangers rubbing shoulders over the flowing cold brew served by spirited Bavarian women in their traditional costumes. And the brass band was playing in full flow and everyone was singing in unison. The atmosphere was so infectious that even thought the song was in german, we felt we should sing along. And then there was the the Weissbier - smooth, sweet, smokey, truly a masterpiece. Those two mugs of beer I had there were surely among the best BEER I have ever had. But it was the whole experience of being in a new place, with friends and friendly strangers and a road trip which made the experience truly worth remembering as the BEST BEER I EVER HAD.The point I am trying to make is food and drink in itself is only a part of t
he experience. Its the totality of the experience that makes it so unique, so amazing, so memorable. And all that is then attributed wrongly, thought without malaise or mal-intent, to the food itself. The joy of tasting that truly delectable 'anything' is a combination of the 'anything' itself, the time, the place, the company and the circumstances under which one experiences the moment. That how you get the 'Best' food you have ever eaten.
