Quick Questions with Meera Sodha and Chef Charles Disanayake, Participating at FGLF 2016
Today on Life Online, we feature two featured personalities who will be participating at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016, which started today.
How do you feel about participating at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016?
I am thrilled and delighted to be cooking at the Galle Literary Festival this year. So many great chefs like Rose Gray, David Thompson and Stevie Parle have come before me, so it is a real honour.
What would you say is your most favourite type of cuisine?
My favourite food will always be Indian, it’s the food I grew up with, so no other type of cuisine hits the spot in exactly the same way.
What single ingredient can't you do without in your kitchen?
I couldn’t bear to live without several ingredients like garlic and tamarind but Sri Lankan true cinnamon is also in my list of kitchen must-haves. In England, true cinnamon is often substituted for cassia, which doesn’t have the same flavour.
What does cooking mean to you?
My family lives in England, a long way from our ancestral home in Gujarat, India. So cooking for me is a way of colouring in parts of my family history and joining the dots between countries and continents. When I cook my family recipes, I feel very connected to generations long gone.
How do you feel about participating at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016?
I'm very excited to be part of a festival that has a prestigious international reputation and the ability to attract attendances by many internationally acclaimed and well-known writers, artists and chefs from around the world.
What would you say is your most favourite type of cuisine?
I truly love foods and flavors from all around the world which is why my cooking style has evolved to what I call global contemporary cuisine.
What single ingredient can't you do without in your kitchen?
Hmm, if I was to have to pick just one ingredient, it would most likely be a Himalayan Pink Salt that I use in pretty much every single dish that I cook.
What does cooking mean to you?
I started cooking because it was something I truly enjoyed and it gives me so much happiness to see people enjoying my creations. I feel that food is one common element that is loved and enjoyed by all. Good food brings people together. Whether it's families connecting over their dinner table, friends catching up, or celebrations. I love that through my cooking I'm always involved in creating fond memories for someone. It's very satisfying.
Interviewed by Sarah Kellapatha
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