The Hindu : National : Flavour of India, minus chicken, on the table

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Friday, Mar 03, 2006

National

National

Flavour of India, minus chicken, on the table

Staff Reporter

I had a fabulous meal, Bush tells chefs

— PHOTO: PTI

THREE CHEERS FOR TWO DEMOCRACIES: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam plays host to the visiting U.S. President George Bush at a banquet hosted in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: U.S. President George Bush and his wife Laura Bush savoured the "flavour of India'' along with a virtual who's who of the country at the lunch hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Hotel Taj Palace here on Thursday.

The four-course meal incorporated cuisines and flavours from almost every part of the country. On offer were curries, seafood and prawns besides tangy `biryanis' from Hyderabad. However, chicken items were given a miss.

"The best in authentic Indian food formed part of the menu. Mr. Bush tried all the items and told the chefs that he had a fabulous meal. Though he was pressed for time, we were touched by the fact that he posed for pictures with us and even congratulated every member of the team,'' said Head Corporate Chef of Taj Luxury Hotels, Hemant Oberoi, who was specially flown in to supervise the menu.

Dishes served in the main course included "Dum Ka Zaffrani Gosht'', "Tandoori Pink Salmon'' and "Doodhiya Makai Palak'', topping off with "Masala Chai Crème Brulee'', "Alphonso Mango Kulfi'' and fresh fruits.

The hotel had laid out 21 tables for the high-profile lunch with the head table being occupied by the host and the visiting dignitary and their families. All tables were named after Indian rivers. While the head table was christened Ganga, other tables were named Jhelum, Teesta, Gomti, Kaveri, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Saraswati, Saryu, Sutlej, Yamuna and Ravi.

Besides the Prime Minister's Cabinet colleagues, invitees from the political spectrum included former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and I. K. Gujral; United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi; Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee; Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani; his BJP colleagues Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh; Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda; his Punjab counterpart Amrinder Singh; and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Another grand banquet was in store for the visiting dignitaries in the sprawling Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening hosted by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The sumptuous spread included "Broccoli — Almond Soup'', "Fish Tandoori'', "Ginger Prawns'', "Neer Dosa'' and "Methi Parantha.'' "Peach Melba'' and "Moong Dal Halwa'' were served as desserts.

A band in attendance played popular musical scores including the song "Dik De Key Dekho'' picturised on charismatic actor Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh. Later, Mr. Bush shook hands with members of the Naval Band who also played out a couple of American folk tunes.

The curtain was rung down with a spectacular fireworks show that lit up the night sky above Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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