Describing Food – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

At the outset, may all the food prepared by you with love be extremely good and highly appreciated.

My previous article was on Indian Cuisines. I wrote of how I got opportunities to taste a large variety of food all over our country and at few places abroad, and that I love to do so. Here I would like to mention that I encourage and participate in creating such variety of food at our house…regular followers of my blog are aware of this fact. My philosophy is that any food from any region, well prepared and appreciated by others should be tasted and I have always liked any such food, however bizarre (except that which is prohibited by my religion). And we always try to create some of these specialties at home for fun and taste.

Recipes can go bad, even regularly cooked food may sometimes look or taste bad due to various reasons like a little negligence by us or bad ingredients. But according to me a very high percentage of preparations rarely go bad. The good food is always very openly appreciated and some recipes that go bad are secretly criticized. Surprisingly the terms used for describing food, the good, the bad and the ugly are very large and here are some of those words to refresh your memory and amuse you:   

The Good:

Amazing	Lip Smacking
Appealing	Luscious
Appetizing	Marvelous
Delectable	Mouthwatering
Delicious	Palatable
Delightful	Pleasant
Divine	Pleasing
Enjoyable	Satisfying
Enticing	Scrumptious
Excellent	Superb
Exquisite	Tantalizing
Extraordinary	Tasty
Fantastic	Terrific
Finger Licking	Wonderful
Heavenly	Yummy

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly:

Acrid	Greasy	Sautéed
Aged	Gooey	Savory
Bitter	Gritty	Seared
Bittersweet	Harsh	Seasoned
Bland	Hearty	Sharp
Burnt	Heavy	Silky
Buttery	Herbal	Slimy
Chalky	Hot	Smokey
Cheesy	Icy	Smothered
Chewy	Infused	Smooth
Chocolaty	Juicy	Soggy
Citrusy	Lean	Soupy
Cool	Light	Sour
Creamy	Lemony	Spicy
Crispy	Malty	Spongy
Crumbly	Mashed	Stale
Crunchy	Meaty	Sticky
Crusty	Mellow	Stale
Doughy	Mild	Stringy
Dry	Minty	Strong
Earthy	Moist	Sugary or sweet
Eggy	Mushy	Sweet-and-sour
Fatty	Nutty	Syrupy
Fermented	Oily	Tangy
Fiery	Oniony	Tart
Fishy	Overripe	Tasteless
Fizzy	Pasty	Tender
Flakey	Peppery	Toasted
Flat	Pickled	Tough
Flavorful	Plain	Unflavored
Fresh	Powdery	Unseasoned
Fried	Raw	Velvety
Fruity	Refreshing	Vinegary
Full-bodied	Rich	Watery
Gamey	Ripe	Whipped
Garlicky	Roasted	Woody
Gelatinous	Robust	Yeasty
Gingery	Rubbery	Zesty
Glazed	Runny	Zingy
Grainy	Salty

Cuisines of India.

The above poster has prompted me to write on Indian Cuisines, of course not exactly because it would require several experts and several books to cover the subject, even that not entirely. It is just about my experience with some Indian Cuisines.

There are so many provinces in our Country and so many communities with distinct Cuisines and countless recipes that would astonish anyone. I visited Cities in almost every State and Union Territory of our Country for 16 years, as part of my official work dealing with supplying, commissioning and servicing of CNC Machines. During these visits I got to taste a number of speciality items mentioned against each province in the above poster and also many other, either at the houses of colleagues stationed there, or at parties by customers or at local eateries. It was a wonderful opportunity and I looked forward to such occasions and enjoyed the experience. Of course I do this even now but less frequently and at local restaurants.

The above poster prompted me to refresh my memory on these experiences and look for some brief description of popular cuisines of our Country. In this quest, I found two articles very interesting. I am providing links to these two articles, so that readers of my blog would benefit from them during their travel to different parts of our Country:

Indian Cuisines - Wikipedia.

Indian Cuisines _ Vahrehvah Chef.

Remembering Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

The beautiful pictures you see here; are of the famous and awesome Temple of Goddess Kali at Dakshineswar, Kolkata. I have offered obeisance at Dakshineswar fewer times compared to my visits to Goddess Kali Temple at Kalighat, despite my desire to go to Dakshineswar more often. This was mainly due to my stay in South Kolkata, closer to Kalighat during my several official visits to Kolkata. During this particular visit along with my wife, I took pictures of this beautiful Temple, though photography is banned because I saw many others clicking pictures freely.

Dakshineswar Temple Complex was constructed by Rani Rashmoni between 1847 and 1855. It is built on a 20-acre plot by the side of the Hooghly River. The Temple is built in the traditional Nava Ratna architecture of Bengal, which is the Nine-Spires style. It is a three-storied, south-facing Temple standing on a high platform, with a flight of stairs on all four sides leading to the Temple entrances. The sanctum sanctorum houses the idol of Goddess Kali also known as Bhavatharini. You can see an image of the idol immediately below this article. The main Temple is 14 X 14 Mtrs. square and is 30 Mtrs. high. Close to the main Temple is a row of twelve identical Temples of Lord Shiva. There is also a Radha-Krishna Temple here. The attached photographs will give you a fairly good idea of this huge and beautiful Temple Complex.

The idol of Goddess Kali was consecrated on 31st May 1855, with rituals being led by the head priest Sri Ramkumar Chattopadhyay. Soon his brother Sri Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (later known as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) joined him. A year later Sri Ramkumar Chattopadhyay died, and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and his wife Sarada Devi were put in charge of the Temple. They lived in the Temple Complex, where a shrine has now come up for Sarada Devi. Sri Ramakrishna remained in charge of the Temple for 30 years, until his death in 1886. He was responsible for bringing fame and pilgrims to the Temple. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the famous and worldwide present Ramakrishna Mission, first established by his chief disciple Sri Swami Vivekananda.

The Temple is now under the control of a Board of Trustees. It is a must-visit, pious and historical place in Kolkata.