Filmmaker Umesh Kulkarni relishes vegetarian food and,through his travels,has come to love indigenous Maharashtrian food As a filmmaker,I usually have to travel a lot,both within and outside the country. During my travels,I don't have too much choice of what to eat. I have learned to appreciate local flavours,meaning the real thing not eating at five stars but eating indigenous food at small establishments. Thanks to my many travels,I have come to love local Maharashtrain food,especially jackfruit sabzi and dhirde,a Maharashtrian pancake. I have also started liking French cuisine. I like vegetarian food I must have been a unique kid because I used to finish all my vegetables! In fact,I eat non-vegetarian food very reluctantly. However,like every rule,there are a few exceptions. Once,while I was shooting a documentary,a fisherman cooked a Malvan dish using the fish that he had caught an hour ago,and I loved it. I also love shellfish dishes from Sicily and the west coast of France. Also,a lot of my close friends cook well,so when I'm with them,I tend to eat non-veg dishes that they make. Among these,I especially like those of the Andhra and South Indian cuisine. When I'm home,my meals have a specific pattern to them. For breakfast,I usually have rice which has been overcooked,so the resultant is rather watery and heavy,which is a Konkani speciality. I also start my days by eating poha,salads and sprouts. I usually like to have a light lunch,so that I don't sleep in the afternoon.For dinner,I usually eat a slightly heavy meal. I have South Indian dishes quite often,like Avial and parotha. I also have Undhyo,or any dish that has a sizable quantity of coconut. For dessert,ice-cream is my favourite choice. The few restaurants in the city where I like to eat are Wadeshwar at FC road,Basho's at Koregaon Park,and Chateau Indage at Narayangaon.
