As the battle for supremacy raged on at the Eden Gardens between India and England, the gastronomic preference of the teams was vastly different.
According to the caterers, Bijoligrill, who provide food for the participating teams, the English team is too finicky with any food other than bland and devoid of fat.
As the English batting is spicing up the Indian bowling, the home players prefer spicy food. Today there was lobster.
Indian captain M.S. Dhoni does not have a sweet tooth but his choice Rajbhog can floor anybody. "He loves it. If we provide other sweets, he will ask for Rajbhog!" a catering official informed.
Little Master Sachin Tendulkar seems to prefer sushi. All those Indian players who want to follow in the foot- steps of Sachin initially did not like the dish. But the Japanese delicacy seems to have caught the imagination of most of the Indian players as they tasted it overcoming the initial reservation.
The English players seem to prefer mung dal with rice. In non-vegetarian section, their choice is lamb and chicken more than fish, which could have provided the visitors with umpteen options. After all, Bengal is known for fish preparations!
All kinds of breads are always on at the dressing room with of both sides. The England players gorge on them with margarine.
The English is definitely more disciplined when it comes to the choice of food and what to eat. The Indians’ succumb to the taste bud, though. After Virender Sehwag made the infamous statement that the food provided by the local association was not good, every effort has been made to satisfy not only the Indian opener, but all the players provided the request come from them.
sabanayakan.s@thehindu.co.in