40 Japanese women learn to cook South Indian savouries 'in style' to curry favour with their husbands posted in Bangalore
40 Japanese women learn to cook South Indian savouries 'in style' to curry favour with their husbands posted in Bangalore
In any part of the world, the way to a man's heart is always through his stomach.
Forty Japanese women, whose husbands are employed as software engineers and technicians with MNCs in Bangalore, are putting this much-touted theory to test.
They have flown down to Bangalore to learn South Indian delicacies, that their men say they have begun to relish.u00a0
The women, who came to the city a fortnight ago and are put up at Hotel Ista in Ulsoor, have already tried their hand at making dosas, steaming idlis, frying vadas, churning creamy thayir saadam (curd rice) and concoting a perfect bisi bele bath. They've also learnt to dish out decent pulavs and kurmas, which also seem to be favourites with their husbands.
What's more, they've acquired the mastery over brewing South Indian filter coffee, Kerala special 'CTC' tea and hot badam milk all thanks to hotel chef Manav Kaul.
Their visit has been organised by India Japan Initiative (IJI) from Kirloskaru00a0 Group an organisation that aims to nurture ties between the two countries, through the exchange of views, interests and learning programmes.
|
|
Fast to cook, yummy to eat: Japanese women are assisted by the chef at Ista, Bangalore, as they learn the art of cooking South Indian food |
EateriesThe group, however, doesn't want their culinary experience to benefit their husbands alone, and so when they get back to Japan, they plan to open South Indian eateries.
Kauru Panaka, part of the group from Japan, said, "Though I find South Indian food very spicy, my partner likes it a lot. We have many South Indian restaurants in Japan, but I have never visited them. But I will definitely visit them when I go home. I will try my hand at the cuisine and teach my friends as well. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning to cook these dishes."u00a0
During their stay in the city, they also want to experience South India's traditions and cultures like wearing a saree, living in a joint family and taking part in temple prayers. IJI organiser Kaveri Mandanna said, "We are showing these women the culture of Bangaloreans, and will organise a programme to teach them how to wear a typical South Indian saree."
IJI also plans to send a group of Indian women to Japan to learn their culture and cuisine.
|
|
It's new, but we need to learn: Japanese wives taste some of their creations at Ista, after a session in South Indian cooking |
4,172u00a0 crore The sum Japanese spend on training related to etiquette and protocol per year
India-Japan ties
The student wings of Indo-Japan Association and Bharat Japan Mitra Parishad (BJMP) have been meeting since two years in India to discuss youth issues, environment issues and bilateral relations, etc.
The 11th Japan India Student Conference took place in Delhi, Kolkata and Pune. The Conference was held in collaboration with BJMP in Delhi, Association of Friendship with Japan in Pune, and Nihongo Kaiwa Kyokai in Kolkata.
Etiquette a must!There are many etiquette-training institutes all over India, including Pria Warrick Finishing Academy in New Delhi, Ecole Solitaire in Pune, Institute of HRD in Bangalore and websites like softskillsinternational.com, that help train clients to understand different cultures to conduct business overseas and build lasting relationships.
Etiquette training groups say working in a new culture or team can be challenging, and the manner of interaction therefore, is most important.u00a0 Cross-cultural communication skill courses are designed to show participants how to avoid cultural faux pas and pitfalls, as well as how to connect with others from different cultures. Clients may be going abroad for business meetings, negotiations, trade fairs, information gathering or on short-term contracts.
Japanese tea vs South Indian coffee THE essence of the Japanese tea ceremony is harmony. Five hundred years ago founder Sen No Rikkyu began to hone the simple tea ceremony practised by the monks into a ritual. The guests kneel down on mats and the host arranges the tea tools in a ritualistic manner that reflects the tea values of harmony. The participants drift into the spirit of the tea ceremony itself. Zen Buddhism was integral to the ceremony's development.
COFFEE came to south India through a Sufi saint called Baba Budan in the 16th century. Coffee is grown in Baba Budangiri Hills in the Chikmagalur area,u00a0Coorg or Kodagu district both in Karnataka and parts of The Nilgiris and Salem districts in Tamil Nadu. Coffee has since become the iconic drink of South India and 'filter coffee' a style of brewing exclusive to the area was first brewed here. The claims to the discovery of filter coffee are many, but the earliest presence has been recorded in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Filter coffee is a brewed coffee that is made from a decoction that is prepared earlier.
