The Hindu : Front Page : A taste of India for the President and his men

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 02, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

A taste of India for the President and his men

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

The hotel will be closed to the public for half a day on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: On Thursday, when U.S. President George W. Bush takes his lunch break at Hotel Taj Palace here, serving him and the 200-odd guests will be a group of 25 to 30 specially trained chefs.

Leading the team will be Hemant Oberoi, Head Executive Chef of the Luxury Division of Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces whose long list of high-profile guests includes Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf; former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Senior, and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

In fact, another former British Prime Minister, John Major, liked one of his curries so much that Chef Oberoi had to send the recipe to Bombay Brasserie, the Taj group's restaurant in London, where Mr. Major was a regular patron. The curry is now called John Major Curry.

Giving details of the spread, Chef Oberoi said on Wednesday, "The idea is to offer to the guests a taste of India. We will present to him a spread of regional food items from across the country."

Though no special "food request" was received from the U.S. side and they gave the hotel a free hand, Chef Oberoi said the idea was to give the visiting President a meal that he would remember.

"Work is on to finalise the menu. What we can tell you is the fact that there will definitely be seafood and alphonse mangoes brought in from Mumbai. We will also offer fresh fruit juices with a twist."

On what he had offered the visiting guest's father, Chef Oberoi said: "I remember we had given a Western spread to his father in Mumbai. However, this time round we want to ensure that it is the varied tastes and flavours of authentic Indian food that Bush Junior takes back with him."

"Special guests"

Meanwhile, the newly revamped Le Meridien in New Delhi has some "special guests".

The hotel is playing host to an "important delegation" from the United States — the K9 dog squad. But the word "dog" is never mentioned in front of these elite canines: they are referred to as "officers".

"There are 80 rooms occupied by the American delegation. There are Secret Service officers and there are about five rooms for the squad," sources said. Kennels have been flown in specially for them.

Having arrived in the Capital before President Bush on Wednesday evening, the squad is being used to sanitise all the areas he is to visit.

`Best sniffers'

A squad has been flown to Hyderabad to ensure that things are in order before his visit.

K9 always selects the "best sniffers" in the business. The "officers", who have been decorated for their service, have their own private area in Le Meridien.

"They are inside the hotel, but in an area where they will not be seen by everyone. Apart from the unprecedented media attention, most people in the hotel are unaware that they are even there,'' said a hotel official.

The K9 squad are not known for their friendliness or affection; they are trained for special purposes such as detecting bombs and drugs or for investigation.

Afghanistan also has a large contingent of these "officers" serving in the United Nations' Mine Dog Programme.

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