A big bunch of fans waited eagerly for its favourite players to walk in. The men of the hour were warmly welcomed in the traditional Indian way, with colourful flower garlands.
They were at the Vasanta Bhavan Signature restaurant, the official hospitality sponsors of the Chennayin Football Club team, for an afternoon of learning about south Indian cuisine, its rich culture and traditions.
The intention was that as they play for Chennai, they must know a little about the city. “Even though the players stay here, they don’t get to taste South Indian cuisine, as they are on a specific diet. The foreign players usually find the food in India spicy,” says Amoy Ghoshal, the player scout and media manager of the team. The chefs at the restaurant decide to start with the classic filter coffee. But there was a twist: the players had to make their own brew.
In three simple steps, they made their coffee, and not surprisingly, appreciated the taste.
They then had dragon smoke popcorn, made with liquid nitrogen, Marina milagaibajji (big green chillies stuffed with potato and cheese), cheese parantha (a crowd favourite), and to end, they were served Milan to Madras, a south Indian version of tiramisu.
As they tasted the various dishes, myriad expressions flit across their faces.
Each of them ranked the dishes according to how much they liked the taste. Dudu Omagbemi mentioned his love for biryani, which he had tasted in Tiruchi.
Jamaican Duwayne Kerr is also fond of Indian food and looks forward to tasting more. “I really enjoyed the cheese parantha today; I also like the different varieties of chicken and fish in India,” he said.
Indian professional footballer Jayesh Rane recounted his taste for crispy hot dosas and vadas.
“The purpose of the whole event is to portray the true feel of Chennai among the players,” said Anand Krishnan, the owner of the restaurant, as the players gave out autographs and clicked photographs with their fans.
At the end of the event, it looked like the mission was accomplished.
