MasterChef With a Spicy Punch

MasterChef Australia is on and I am drooling again (Well, Partly at the food but mostly at the contestants!). It is one of the best cooking shows in the history of shows and it was back with a new and exhilarating idea- bringing back the top contestants from all the three previous years and making them fight it out. The money raised through their wins would go to their chosen charity. It was perfect. There was Gary and his charming smile, there was George and his childish hands-flailing while talking, there was the burly Mat Preston, most of all, there were the most amazing contestants from 2009, 2010 and 2011 fighting it out in "MasterChef Australia All stars."

 

2010 is a personal favourite and Callum is the ultimate cook. To see Callum back again in the MasterChef set was heaven! He was everything that a cook would dream to be- Calm, composed, childish, cute, mesmerizing, methodical, witty.

 

There was Jonathan, the Eliminator, my next favourite. The thing I loved about Jono was the fact that he was chilled out but at the same time very cautious. He plays it cool till the end but when it was time to step up, he always pushed himself and gave his best. Marion was another lethal contestant from the same year and watching her back in the kitchen was a pleasure. She was funny, she loved what she was doing, she was a master when it came to the mystery box and nailed it almost all the time. She gave this positive vibe in the sets and was loved by the whole lot. Aaron, the Pasta specialist was a part of All stars as well and cooked some brilliant dishes in this series.

 

 

I did not personally watch the 2011 season of MasterChef but I have heard a lot about that season from my sister, a major MasterChef fan. She used to keep updating me about the top performers and making me watch Youtube videos of interesting episodes. I have heard so much about the best friend combo of Hayden and Michael that I very much wanted to see them again during this season. I was in for some luck as Hayden, the blond and totally hot looking chef came out of that MasterChef door. There was also Dani, a bubbly and inspiring person who loved cooking and created so much joy in the MasterChef arena. Kumar holds a special spot in my heart as he is from Sri Lanka. He cooked delightful Indian food and was loved and respected by millions of people for his designing skills. He is currently designing his own cook book. Kate, the Winner of that season, is an amazing cook. Dessert cooking was her strong point and she used it greatly to her advantage.
 

 

2009, the original MasterChef contestants were a fantastic bunch. Chris kind of grew on me as I watched the season and he is now easily my most favourite cook after Callum. Poh and her 32 teeth smile was beautiful to watch as she cooked away to glory. Justine grew a lot as the season progressed and was a valuable asset to the All Stars season. Julie, though the winner of the 2009 edition, always came across as somebody who takes too much pressure and puts strain before cooking. She never comes across as a person who enjoyed what she did though she has cooked some really marvelous dishes.

 

All stars is a baby that the MasterChef brains came up with this year. It is one of the most innovative and awe-inspiring season I have ever watched. Seeing the top chefs of Australia cooking away and loving their dishes is something I had always wanted to watch. The episode of Curtis Stone was my personal favourite. The pace at which they were cooking was extraordinary and it was brilliant to see that most of them came out pretty successful. The Adriano Zumbo Chrquembouche challenge was one of the toughest and I loved the way the All stars handled the pressure. The concept of the participants taking their revenge on the Mystery box by breaking it apart and making a fire out of it and cooking was also a very innovative and delightful episode to watch. They had such a thrill in breaking apart the box with the hatchel and making a fire out of it.

 

 

When they brought their dishes for the judges to taste, all I wanted to do was get my hands on those dishes. It looked superb, sophisticated and above all classy.

 

One person who stood out in the whole competition was Chris. His helping nature and his honest cooking was inspiring and this was what took him to a totally different level. He looked very calm, sipped his beer and made sure that the judges loved what he presented. He always plated well before time and helped his fellow contestants at crucial stages. I remember this one time when he helped Justine plate up her dish, early on in the season. She had burnt her hand during the last few minutes of the challenge and he came up and helped her plate all her stuff. This act was beautiful and went down well among a lot of people.

 

Callum picked up pace in the later stages of the season and proved that he was the youngest and most amazing cook. His beer dessert in the lead up to the finale swash buckled the judges and all the three tapped the table thrice, depicting that the dish was the best ever.

“This is the best dessert I have tasted this year,” said Mat Preston. The three judges cleared the entire dish and looked like they could eat it every day of their lives. This was the turning point in Callum’s innings (Sorry about the cricketing term, but it just keeps cropping up!). He was propelled into the Finals by that dish and he would have been mighty proud.

I am yet to watch the finals but my nerves just got the better of me. I checked out the winner in Wikipedia and-BOOM, it was Callum. I was so happy and I am waiting to watch the finale and watch Callum’s eyebrows go up and down in worry/happiness, one last time.

The MasterChef All Stars is an amazing concept and I loved watching every single episode of the season. Some contestants grew on, some contestants irritated me, some contestants put me off. But above all this show is one brilliant effort by the makers.

I have to talk about the three most inspiring people in the MasterChef Kitchen- George, Gary and Mat. Their inputs, their timely comments, their dead stares and above all their knowledge of cooking and their years of experience in this field has definitely made them the people to look out for in the competition.

 

 

George has and will always be the most brilliant cook, friend and host I have ever seen.

 

One other thing I really loved about MasterChef is the family feel that it has to it. The contestants are always there to support and help each other out. The judges also have to be mentioned here. Their "Can we have hugs too" is a joyous scene to watch. There is always this connect that they establish and carry forth as the series progresses. There are tears, of both happiness and sorrow when participants leave the competition or when they win a challenge.

I have and will always continue to love this show, thanks to my sister, Pooja, who pushed me into it.

Aishwarya Kumar.

 

The Path of Life

Life is a mystery. It takes us to places which we can hardly imagine. One and a half years ago, I never thought I would be what I am today. A matter of 16 months can make life changing alterations, a revolution some may call it. That is what life is capable of doing.

One day she was there and the next day she was gone. It was like magic. Life is so unpredictable. Life is a mystery. Life is like magic which can never be completely understood, which can never be comprehended.

We meet people for a reason. I have always believed in that.

There is one person about whom I have been wanting to write for quite some time now. He is one person who I became close to so gradually over the past 16 months. The path, when tread upon is so beautiful, so gradual. He barely looked at me the first day I went to his house. He just nodded his head when his sister (who also happens to be my best friend) introduced me to him. He looked so uncomfortable, so out of place. I wanted to help him. I wanted to bring him out of the shell, I wanted to make him feel comfortable around people, wanted around people. But this is something which needs his co-operation as well. So I knew that it would take some time, for him to open up and for him to talk his mind. I gave him that time. I did not push him. He slowly started acknowledging my presence. He would wave when I came and left. That was it, but that was such a huge step when you look at it from his angle.

Then there would be occasions where he would want to take part in the conversation that the whole family and I used to have but his shyness and timidity used to get the better of him and he used to remain silent. He never knew that I observed, but I did.

After about 2 months, he would slowly smile and after a lot of pushing, talk.

"Hey Shriram, how are you? How is school?"

"Ya, school is good. I am fine."

That was all. Basic courtesy questions and answers.

It made me smile on the inside that I had made this improvement.

After staying there for 2-3 times, I could see that he was opening up. He would talk in group conversations, he would give his opinions and so on. But never would he involve in a one to one conversation. If he was stuck with me for more than 1 minute at a stretch with nobody around to help him out, he would turn around and pelt. He would run full speed and never look back. I used to find it hilarious.

Then there came T20 world cup 2012. I was there at home when the event took place and we watched all the matches together. He would comment, give his opinions, engage in a one on one with me, even jump up and down (though not as enthusiastically as me) with me during one of the crunch balls. I saw the difference and I loved it.

Now we gossip, we talk, we have fun and we play together. You have gone through so much at such a young age. Please do know that I am always here for you, if you need support, if you need a person to listen to you, if you need anything at all.

Whenever we have a family argument or discussion and when the noise level goes out of control, he would get up, stand in the middle of the house and yell "Om. Om. Don't be so loud. Calm down," with both his hand stretched out in the front, like that of a traffic inspector trying to stop traffic.

I don't know if our relationship means anything to you, but it means the world to me. I have always wanted a younger brother and I am so happy that you opened up and included me in your life, however small the role I play in your life may be.




-Aishwarya Kumar

Hope is such a powerful feeling

I have seen nothing like it. I have never encountered something so powerful as that. Everything else seems petty. I have always heard people say "hope is the only thing that is more powerful than fear." Now I know what it means.

My mind knows that the chance is gone. My heart screams out that reaching the semi-finals is impossible. They had to score 10 runs in the last 4 overs with 4 wickets in hand. It was a cake. It was as simple as breathing. But still, when a wicket was taken, when the batsman was beaten, the heart jumps up till the throat, does a somersault and leaps into the mouth. Something comes alive inside. A light in the darkest of times. A small ray of hope. A fragment of positive energy. This energy over powers every other feeling, this feeling over takes all others and takes such a deep root inside of us that shattering it is close to impossible.



When 121 was crossed, when Virat Kohli rubbed the tears off his face, when Yuvraj screamed out in joy after picking up two wickets, when we knew that the inevitable was going to happen, that feeling, that energy, that ray of hope, just turns into a heavy ache and presses us down, makes us feel like we are carrying the burden of the whole world. This is what hope does and this is what the final acceptance of truth and the inevitable does.

Till 121 was reached, till I heard the commentators say the words "...And Pakistan are through to the Semis", that bubble of feeling, that fragment of positive energy was jumping up and down, telling me that it was possible, we would make it.

And that is what hope does to us. That is what positive vibe does to us. It overpowers all the other feelings, all the other possibilities.

Aishwarya Kumar.