Film Industry: Sachin never wastes food

Sachin never wastes food

Sachin could be the brand ambassador for Japanese food

Sachin Tendulkar

    Every time I have come to Mumbai to speak to Sachin it has been about cricket. It is only natural that’s the case. This time, however, it is different. This trip is about Sachin and food, talking about our mutual love for food. Needless to say his encounters with food in his twenty years of playing the game in different parts of the world offer a rare treat.
    Sachin, it is important I state up front, is a massive foodie. Simply put, he loves his food. From the very Indian mutton, chicken and prawn curries to the sushi and sashimi, Sachin enjoys his meals just like he relishes batting against a good attack on a good track.
    Tendulkar, believe it or not, can very well be the brand ambassador for Japanese food. He loves the Wasabi and the tempura besides the sushi and the sashimi. In fact, if he is given a choice to pick a restaurant he inevitably picks a Japanese food joint when on a tour outside of India. It was interesting to see him take his time over the order when we were in Adelaide at Masuri, one of his favourite Japanese restaurants Down Under. Sachin never wastes food
    In fact, it is Sachin who has been instrumental in encouraging many of his teammates to try out various cuisines when on tour, his regular compatriot in tasting world culinary delights being Zaheer Khan.
    In the many meals we have had together, I have never seen Sachin waste food. From the roti and daal to the more gourmet biryani, he enjoys all kinds of culinary fare with equal relish. And like an adopted Bengali, the one sweet at the end of a meal is something we both enjoy. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the meals we had at his London apartment this summer were meals I looked forward to with interest. I knew we’d have a number of dishes to choose from, a rare departure from the bland continental options one is presented with at Oxford most of the time when living in College.
    But take him to a cricket ground and all things change. Before going out to bat against Pakistan at Centurion, South Africa in 2003 for example, in what is regarded as one of the best one-day innings ever played, all Sachin had was a bowl of ice-cream. The Pakistani bowlers served as the rest of the feast. And post winning the Man of the Match award the entire Indian team celebrated by eating street Chinese in South Africa at midnight, a memory Sachin still cherishes. Again, he moved to eating vegetarian food on the eve of the world cup quarter final against Australia at Ahmedabad last year in an attempt to combat the extreme Gujarat heat. That it was a prudent call was more than evident. Just like with the bat, with food also he is one who will hardly ever disappoint. A man, well and truly, for all seasons.