It is not, as the title suggests, a cookbook. It is a hilarious peep into life in a fictional mofussil of the Bengal province and is a must-read for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves quickly with the social milieu unique to those times of British landing in India.. Curry and Rice is not, as the title suggests, a cookbook. It is a hilarious peep into life in a fictional mofussil of the Bengal province. It is a very credible caricature of the social life of a motley bunch of ‘firangees’ including judges & magistrates, colonels, missionaries, padre, doctor and their colorful spouses and families. The book is a hugely entertaining account of their daily routines. In attempting to set up home away from home, these men and women gave a whole new meaning to their typical social customs like tea and dinner parties, theatricals, ball room dancing, match making exercises, pig sticking and hunting events, band music, albeit in nineteenth century British India. Their attempt to recreate the English way of life, especially social life aided by the delightful presence of the Indian native as the nuwab, cloth merchant, gardener, orderly, cook et al really adds to this anecdotal tale about the goings-on in ‘Our Station’. ‘Curry and Rice’ is a must-read for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves quickly and effectively with the social milieu so unique to those times. It must have been a God-send for any Britisher landing in India, unaware of the peculiarities of this land and its people. And the book retains that flavor and relevance today as ever before.
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