Patil brings her own chef to cook vegetarian food

Abu Dhabi: During the Indian President's five-day stay in the UAE, the chefs of the hotels where she is staying need not worry about the quality of presidential food. The president is coming with her own chef, Gulf News has learnt.

President Patil's chef will be cooking vegetarian food for her during the five-day stay in the UAE, sources close to the officials who are making the arrangements for president's visit, told Gulf News on Sunday.

During her six-day state visit to China in May, Patil, a vegetarian, flew in her own cooks and a huge steel box labelled "grocery", an Indian news agency reported.

The president who attended a sumptuous state banquet given by her Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of People bypassed the non-vegetarian dishes and tucked into a meal which included a special dish of white gourd.

As Chinese dining etiquette demand that guests do not decline any food that is served to them, Chinese authorities were informed about the president's preferences in advance. "She was not offered any non-vegetarian fare [at the state banquet]," said an official.

Simple eater

"She is a simple eater and likes her dal, rice and one vegetable. Her chef knows her liking," the report said, quoting an unnamed official.

During the US President Barack Obama's recent Indian visit to Rashtrpathi Bhavan an outside chef cooked special dishes at a state banquet hosted by Patil for Obama, an Indian daily reported.

While Obamas sampled the lavish fare, President Patil chose to have her all-vegetarian dishes prepared by her own chef, said the report. It was first time an outside chef was commissioned to cater a state banquet at Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

Indian officials approached the Delhi-based restaurateur Marut Sikka to cook for the Obamas. They briefed him on what the Obamas liked and asked him to come up with at least five dishes each of chicken, lamb, fish, and two seasonal vegetables.

Varied menu

Sikka focussed on pan-Indian flavours, and created a mish-mash menu of cuisines from Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Jammu. Kundan Kaliya — a lamb dish wrapped in 24 carat gold was also considered for the menu. Still President Patil preferred her own simple food, said the report.

During her recent visit to India's north eastern states, she instructed the state machinery not to make any special arrangements for her.

"She wanted to be treated as a common woman and does not favour any special mention to her. Instructions were given not to arrange special chair for the president," the agency report said quoting an official.