The Upper Crust Show 2010

The Upper Crust Show is one of a kind.Have been attending it since it started.Upper Crust, started 11 years ago by Busybee/Behram Contractor, continues to be my favorite magazine.

As always there was a food court downstairs and an exhibition upstairs at the World Trade Centre,Mumbai

Kakori House had a large stall with chicken kali mirch kebabs on the grill.

Kutumb Sakhi had its stall with Maharashtrian snacks.This is an organisation set up by women to provide employment to poor,needy,uneducated women.They provide hygienic food at very reasonable rates,helping the common man to get affordable homestyle food.

They had an unusual "Gajaar Poli" or a roti stuffed with carrots.

Then there was the Parsi Da Dhaba which is actually a dhaba which is located on NH8,on the road from Maharashtra to Gujarat.There they even serve a Bawaji Special Sunday buffet! Parsis are such jolly,easy going people.Their weddings are such fun.. full of diamonds and chiffons,music and laughter.Their cuisine is rich in protein in the way of dal,fish and eggs.

There was Dudh Puff...frothy milk!

The best dish they had was the Patra Ni Macchi which is fish steamed in banana leaves.

The Pomfret was fresh,white and flaky and bathed in the green masala that had penetrated to its core.

As all Parsi joints do, they served Dhansak and brown rice.

After the meal,we headed for the exhibition.This time,I could clearly see the accent was on health.

Green Tea for improving metabolism.

Oilfree cooking pans from Kishco.

Barbecue grills.... to avoid fried food.

There were Jamun chips.

Flaxseed Chikki

and...hold your breath....oats and barley laddoo....all from Meghsons,Malad.

One stall(Under The Mango Tree) displayed organic honey.

Another displayed Prunes which are dried plums and are a good source of iron and fibre.

Then there was the Japanese stall...Maido
and a lady there demonstrated sushi making using tofu skin.

and Okonomiyaki which looked like sorta Japanese chaat!

Was happy to see Canola Oil finally being available in India at an affordable price.Most Western countries now use this as it has a favorable omega6 to omega 3 ratio.It is rapeseed oil...from the mustard family without the odour or taste of mustard.The golden rule to remember is to use oil less than half litre per person per month.

There were stalls of olive oil....excellent quality and tasted divine on dipping bread into it.

Olive oil is another healthy oil.Extra Virgin Olive Oil is to be used for salads.

Spotted a counter that was selling Italian cheese produced in Chandigarh.The lovely lady Alice Pedretti of Impero explained to me all about cheeses and also low fat options.

Then another stall caught my eye.That of Edmund Piper who is farm manager at a farm close to Bhimashankar.He guarantees cow's milk of high quality as the specially bred cows are fed a unique diet of alfalfa,sorghum and maize.

Next I spotted Strawberry and Yoghurt Bars

and some outstanding looking fruits.

The corridors were packed with foodies.

There was Kalyan Karmakar who writes Finely Chopped chatting with the humorous Soumik Sen who was earlier a food critic.

The charming lady above is Ratoola,in deep thought about her green tea...

Then we spotted Soul...pickles made with olive oil!

and Sugarfree brownies!

No show would be complete without fish...the healthy food...a source of the much needed omega 3 fat! There was Vietnamese fish on sale...Basa.

Various chefs took cookery demonstrations.I would like to suggest screens alongside so that everyone can see each detail and not just the people in front..there was quite a crowd.

At the end there was grape crushing in a barrel which was kicked off by the organiser Farzana Contractor by popping a bottle of champagne!

Kids and adults who were kids at heart stomped on the grapes,reminding me of "A Walk In The Clouds"