Friday 12 September 2014

Book Review - Korma, Kheer and Kismet by Pamela Timms


Food has been a favourite topic for writers and bloggers lately. There are reasons for it; it’s easy to connect with food, everyone has a food memory to share and it’s something that people can never get enough of. Food writing is now not limited to just blogs, there are regular newspaper columns and books with people writing about their favourite food memory, their cooking preferences, their kitchen essentials etc. etc. More and more bloggers/food journalists are publishing their books. The question is, is the content good enough to deserve it’s own book? My opinion would be no, not in all cases. Especially not when there are random memories which do not add anything to my reading experience.

Thankfully, Pamela Timms’ Korma, Kheer and Kismet doesn’t fall in that category. Pamela, a food blogger writes a column in Mint Lounge and the book is about her street food experiences in Old Delhi. It starts with a ghee laden, spicy mutton korma at Ashok and Ashok - the description of the food leaves you hungry and ends with the mysterious daulat ki chat - I faintly remember eating its Lucknowi version makkhan malai as a kid. The book is studded with recipes which is a bonus.

Every street food shop, dish comes with a back story or a memory which is fascinating. The best two chapters are the ones about mutton korma and daulat ki chat because of all the mystery surrounding these two legendary dishes of Delhi. The chapters with food and its history make for a more interesting read. Rest of it sounds like a day in the life of a regular small town Indian. Whether it’s celebrating Diwali in a joint family or buying vegetables from a market instead of a mall. A younger, mall loving urban generation will definitely find these stories exotic.

Old Delhi has always made for a charming premise for a book, be it food or history. Authors have always loved describing the old city’s dusty roads, crowd and chaos. So does Pamela when she visits the street side shops to try her favourite food. But she bumps into a cart, avoids kids running after a kite, almost steps into a puddle a little too much making it a tedious read at times. And one element that’s missing is humour. While there are glimpses of it she never goes all out to make you chuckle. I understand that it’s not the genre she is looking for but we can all do with good food and good laugh.

Ignore the few repetitions and Korma, Kheer And Kismet is a good, light read. Especially for the food lovers.

17 comments:

  1. Either you simply can't read or you're just an idiot. I'm going to go for both...you jealous witch.

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    1. wow! you should’ve had guts to post with your name. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. "Rest of it sounds like a day in the life of a regular small town Indian."

    Oh, how very dull and tedious. For elitists such as yourself.

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    1. you think I am an elitist? I come from a small town, buy vegetables from the local sabziwala, so nothing new for me in those chapters. Also, why focus on the negative points only? There’re positive points too and are mentioned in the review. I loved where the focus is on a dish and its history. I love that she went all the way to find out about daulat ki chat. Whoever you are, why are you trying to make this review something its not. As a reader I like pondering over both good and bad. Why not take the criticism graciously?

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    2. Also, the book’s sale does not depend on this review. This is my personal opinion and hence is on my personal blog.

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  3. Bit surprised at how mean spirited you are.

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  4. To be honest you could have at least taken the time to spell her name right.. It's Pamela.

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    1. at least I am not doing it anonymously. And genuinely thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake. Please feel free to not visit my blog again. You realize you do have a choice. I hope this will be the end of this conversation.

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  5. My first time commenting here, interesting you think all the comments above are from the same person. I would guess not...anyway, you should read Seema Goswami's review in HT Brunch. Puts your comments, which I must say I disagree with, rather in the shade.

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    1. I have read her review and I like what she has written. But my reviews (of movies, books or restaurants) are never inspired by other reviews. They are based on my personal experience. It’s sad that every ’anonymous’ has picked the negatives simply because I am not raving about it.

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  6. Some of the comments here are too harsh. You're entitled to your opinion and you weren't entirely negative. 'Tedious' though is an adjective too far and probably why you've had such a negative response. I've not read it yet but have heard from many friends that it's both well written and compelling.

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    1. to the last anonymous - thanks for a reasonable comment. I do not dislike the book. There are so many parts that I liked and were well written. Only few parts were tedious and I actually skipped a few paras. I like writing about all aspects and that’s what I’ve done. Also, people abusing me behind anonymity shows something about them.

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  7. You review is tedious, ponderous, grammatically questionable, and an all round waste of any reader's time. The comments are, however, most enjoyable. Which is why I was recommended to visit by a dear friend this morning. Looking elsewhere on your pitiful blog it's clear that this is your most successful missive yet. Congratulations.

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    1. Please point out the grammatical mistakes. Unlike many, I am always willing to learn. And no, I am not being sarcastic. Other than that I think I pretty much spoke my mind on what I liked and what I didn’t like. Also, thanks for looking ’elsewhere’ on my blog. And I wish to know if the blog is pitiful then why bother commenting?

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  8. Some of the comments here are just plain offensive - if you have something to say at least put your name to it. Which is what Shirin did in reviewing my book in the first place. All the best. Pamela

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Thanks for the comment Pamela. I loved the stories that you worked so hard for. As mentioned in my post, they were fascinating. I pointed out the parts that I didn’t like too and sadly only that bit invited attention. I am fine when people disagree with me logically but they chose to abuse me instead.

      Anyway, I hope you write many more books and each is better than the previous one. Wish you luck.

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