Thursday, March 19, 2009

Pizza

It was the year of 1998, the place was the capital of India. The co-actors were my elder sister and her boyfriend (now better known as Jambo urf Brother(Big B)-in-law).
The stage was set for a great day, apart from me being the bone in the perfect setting.
Yes, I proudly state that I intruded their date and made it a formal meeting. Ha ha ha. It feels so good to smell something burning ain’t it!
We went to Priya’s..a famous movie theater in Delhi. To watch Godzilla( didn’t understand why they needed to watch that movie, when they could have just glanced at me !)
But the part after the movie was a better one. We all went to eat at Nirula’s a restaurant chain like McDonalds. And there I tried something different. Some crispy stuff..with lot of white semi-solid or rather jelly(reminded me of something else) thing with lots of capsicum and slices of chicken in it. And they said, its name is “Pizza”. And instantly I though these guys have a liking to things with “I”,”z” and “a” in it( irrespective of the order).
Though I didn’t like it at the first go, but thought of it as a food which can be had when all options have been exhausted.
Year 2001. I had already moved to Kolkata for my studies. And by this time a Pizza restaurant chain was making waves in the city. The name was “Pizza Hut”. I had a notion that it would be like a dhaba serving Pizza with lassi! Man the name “Hut” confused me.
And one of my roommate was a Pizza fanatic (though think the fanaticism has died after his marriage). So, we ventured into the “Hut” unknown.
The only thing that resembled “Hut” was me……. Nothing else! They had a bell too. May be you needed to ring it to call for service!
On the table were chilli flakes, oregano seasonings(I knew it a lot later) but where did the usual salt and pepper go? Weird isn’t it?
And this is how it started. We ordered, we ate and we did have a good time. The matter of fact is when surrounded by friends even the most ridiculous things, even the most embarrassing stuff seems like fun!
Till we were in college every month we did have Pizza Delivery at our place. By this time there was something known as Domino’s Pizza too. We feasted. We utilized every offer those Pizza chains had thrown at us.
I still remember we all huddling around a box waiting for it to open so that we can paw down the largest slice. And in doing that we used to spread the cheese and the toppings all over. Pizza – the fun food, we used to call it!
But, I did have one of the amazing pizza’s just after I completed my 2nd sem. I went to Delhi to visit my Sister and brother-in-law. And my sister prepared pizza that day. I would be damned if don’t tell this, ”It is still the most amazingly tasty pizza I ever had.”
Oh! No what have I done. How can I praise my sister’s cooking in public, when I never even have said “Good food”, when she prepares those for me! She must be “one” time lucky! Let’s give it to her.
These days, you have all sort of Pizza corners..”Papa John”, “Pizza Port”, “Pizza Corner”(Don’t know where they find a corner in a pizza..may be they make the square shaped pizza.)
And when you stay late in office or work over time, Pizza is the one thing you order. Not out of love. But it is quick to eat. You can have it right at your desk. Bill gets reimbursed without hassles. They sometimes do provide complementary offers, so more for the tummy!
I never though of it before writing the blog. Great seems Pizza does increase your logical power. Just kidding! But it does add to my gigantic figure!


luv 'n' luk
Arnab Chakraverty

35 comments:

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

Well i do remember the day when we had a Pizza together from so called local 'CFC'.
But really enjoyed every bit of it!!!
Well i must say it brought back the sweet and hot memmories!!!

No offence taken and given but 'KFC' has a bigger name and bigger price!
But 'CFC is good !!

Arnab keep up the good job!!

I hope that your next Blog is on our home cooked hot chilli reciepe that we used to make and eat!!
Please do not forget to mention our pit stops in between!!
:D

Anonymous said...

Well for every1's knowledge the "fanatic" guy mentioned in the blog is non other than "Yours Truely" and the fanatism has reduced from Pizzas to Garlic Bread now!!! Crazy!

Good blog out of nothing actually!

Few points i would like to add:

1. 4 yrs into IT industry and i cannot still figure out why we always tend to order Pizzas for late night work or anything slightly more than normal day. And the worst part is every1 will curse the person who ordered pizza "again" and when it comes to that guy, he/she will do the same thing! Well thats the greatness of IT industry!

2. How i remember we used to calculate during collage days that if we order pizza more than twice a month, we might run out of money before the end of the month!

3. Well CONGRATULATIONS didi.. this is the first time i am hearing anything close to good from mota's mouth (or keyword in this case) about your cooking. Yous shud treasure this!

Love
Yash

Arnab said...

@ Vishal

Yes I ll definitely write aabout those moments too...with pit stops and refuelling. Even the incidence where you went for a tyre change!

Arnab said...

@Yash

Thanks man.

Garlic bread..wow..with cheese or without them?

Yah I still remember how economical we were, counting money and counting the offers!

Haan haan Didi would definitely treasure this I can guarantee that

Sumit said...

Pizza! *sigh* If only this god-forsaken place had a decent pizza joint, it would be so AWESOME!!

Nice to read about Pizza... I hope someone from Domino's is reading this and will set up a joint here...

Arnab said...

@ Sumit,

Hope Domino's and all the rest open up soon at your place.

Better go grab an Indian dish.... hopefully that would be better! ;-)

luv 'n' luk
Arnab

commited to life said...

ha ha ha
that was a fun reading
about pizza(now i so want to eat one)
it was an extra-ordinary slice out off ordinary piece

p.s was just passing by

Arnab said...

@ Deepshikha Gupta / commited to life

Keep passing by sometimes and drop in your comments for the rest of the posts in here!

Thank you for the kind words! :)

And gooo grab your piece....hurry offer limited till you have cash and the shop is open!

luv 'n' luk
Arnab

Varun said...

I now remember why I didn't comment yesterday. I don't like Pizzas!!! The only reason Pizzas are so famous today are no Sardarji made an attempt to open a Paratha Corner or a Paratha hut Food Chain. Trust me, had it opened, it would have lireally murdered all these Pizza joints.

I started eating that round,slimy,yucky thing only after I joined IT. People in IT somehow cannot think beyond pizza when it comes to party. All their logic disappears in thin air when they hear this word.

Didi took you to Godzilla so that you may watch your friend in action and they can be free. It was nothing to do with the z's and i's :)

Even though I don't like this dish, I will have to definitely taste the pizza didi prepares...

Didi,

FYI. It is not just Pizza, Arnab has praised lot of your other dishes too. I am waiting to taste them all out.

Arnab said...

@ Varun,

You are quite right/. Why doesnt a sardarji open up a Paratha corner....(Paratha doesn't have a corner, as mostly they are round in shape) Why no Paratha Hut ..(Cause every family living in hut or villas or flats , do make parathas).
Wow Im good at it...!!

Yah I can bet Varun that you ll love Pizzas made by her.

And sare aam dont tell ppl that I praise her food..common have some courtesy. DOnt let the secret out of the hat..I have just told her its the "first" and "only" time she is lucky!!!!


luv 'n' luk
Arnab

Arnab Majumdar said...

I can see that you like food a lot! This is based only on the last two posts of yours though... hehe.

Pizzas used to be something of a very vital things amongst my friend group to have fun as well... it's such a hassle free food!

Well written, about something that most people wouldn't really write about as well...

Cheers...

Arnab said...

@ Arnab

Thanks man for the generous praise.

Hmmm being a bong I can proudly say "I am a foodie!"

And new tastes drive me crazy....

commited to life said...

hii

thats the problem naa
being a hostelite never have money

would like you to visit my blogs as well..
livinglifetofull.blogspot.com

if its fine with ya

dorothy said...

heey foodie....
man this is turning out to b a food joint, first sambar then a complete 360 turn to the latest staple diet of the nation.previously i used to drop in to server my intellectual quest but now i would surely drop in at regular lunch hrs for more delicacies in the menu list...though i m not very fond of sambar but pizzas form the skeleton of every hangout, a soft crunch of bread moldering inside ur mouth and the warm white semi-fluid(cheese) making its way to ur easophagous thru the various toppings is sure to entice u over and again...LOVE IT

Arnab said...

@ Deepshikha Gupta / commited to life

Yah I will def read your blog, was going throught it.

And when you stay @ hostel. The money just evaporates withing few hours of it being debited in your account.

Arnab said...

@ Dorothy

Yes i am a foodie. And this is something everyone has ..food....

Hmm will return to intellectual quotient too. Dont you worry! Just keep visiting!

Preeti Shenoy said...

'Pizza hut' is Italian for 'you paid too much for that pizza' :-)
Cheers
preeti

Richa Agarwal said...

Yeah even i love pizza but it should be made out of whole wheat flour and without cheese!!
So now u guys can guess why Yash has switched over to garlic bread!

Smi said...

Pizza in ur post sounds like Pee Zaaa (go drink) and i can sense the nasha it has left in you...Cud not resist laughing over "Gidzilla" u reminded me the long forgotton face of godzilla..

i remmeber a incident when the team had to wind up the work on the deadly deadline day and my manager ordered a pizza so that we dont give the reason of growling stomach ..

Arnab said...

@ Preeti Shenoy,

Thanks for stopping by.Yes Pizza is an Italian cuisine adopted by the world ;-)

Hmm when it comes to food, money doesn't matter you see!!


luv 'n' luk
Arnab

Arnab said...

@ Richa,

Thanks for visiting my blog. Keep reading!

Hmmm yes now I can understand "The Story of Pizza"!


luv 'n' luk
Arnab

Arnab said...

@Smi,

Hope it was called PeeZaa...just kidding.
Hmmm so I have been to excavate the long lost Godzilla....feels nice at least some one remembers me now!!

Hmmm I agree the managers only know Pizza when it comes to late night stay and work on weekends!!!! God...are these managers being paid by the Pizza guys???

luv 'n' luk
Arnab

Anonymous said...

yup...ppl are wild for Pizzzzaaaaa these days but i am sure these pizza huts/corners/express use to curse me for not having it.
and i am second wth ur experience having pizza at first time. u even cant fathom i was simply in delimma whether or not i have second bite, after all i was sitting beside few of my friends.
Still cudnt have developed that taste...gosh!!!but yes after reading ths i wud like to give a shot for homemade pizza....mast hota hai kya???

n' mota bhai at times we sud appriciate someone immediately instead taking yrs...

Arnab said...

@Nidhi,

Thanks for visiting and writing a comment!

Man I have some company here on my dilemma about pizza. But, this IT industry teaches you to gulp Pizza irrespective of whether you have developed the taste or you in a mood to have them!

And I do appreciate ppl when I think they are good. Common after all she is my sister, and she should wait for my comments for ages....she aint going anywhere! ;-))

luv 'n' luk
Arnab

commited to life said...

hi
updated my blog..
do visit

commited to life said...

mind if i blogrole you...

commited to life said...

hi

i had a pizza today..
lolz

Mad Blogger said...

Now I have a different way to look at a pizza!!!

Arnab said...

@Mad Blogger

Thanks! Keep visitng!

Varun said...

You have been tagged and awarded!

http://varun-giridhara.blogspot.com/2009/08/potpourri.html

Piyush said...

Hi Arnab
i just read ur writeup
undoubtdely great writing skills,
good narration style..
even though an abstract one, u have added a lot of humour in small packets.
keep writing friend..
Best
Piyush

Arnab said...

@ Piyush:-

Thanks mate. Do read the others too. And let me know your views on them. Appreciate your honest comments!

- Luv 'n' Luk
Arnab

commited to life said...

its been long u havnt updated

p.s hope yu remember me

Sweta said...

Life story of pizza :)
BTW I love Pizza .......

swetatiwary.com