1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: In the early days of our friendship. I was amazed 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: by Mala Guancar, then founding partner of Lumpine Capital. How 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: could this high achieving woman be so uniquely calm, thoughtful 4 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: and serene. We went to dinner in her home in 5 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: notting Hill. Entering this traditional London house, we were surrounded 6 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: by the best of brave and beautiful contemporary art and furniture. 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: When we went down to dinner, there she was. Malla 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: in the kitchen apron on finishing the curries, the rice, 9 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: the vegetables and the desserts she had cooked for us. 10 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: All I asked her over dinner what she was doing. 11 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: She spoke about her work in public health at Harvard 12 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: and with Atual guan Day, a book of short stories 13 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: she had just published, the immersive theater piece she was 14 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: doing with David Byrne, and a high risk skiing adventure 15 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: she'd just come back from with her two sons. Today, 16 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: ten years later, she is founder of Circo Capital, the 17 00:00:55,160 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: largest ever fund run by a woman. Okay, so, Mala, 18 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: do you chose of all the recipes, all our books, 19 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: pistachia cake And you made it sound as if like, 20 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: don't you know that I want to do pistasia cake, 21 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: So here we go with pistachia cake, red piboa. 22 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 2: So yes, pistachio cake, my very favorite. Must have made 23 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 2: it abou about one hundred times two hundred and seventy 24 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 2: grams of unsalted butter, one lemon, one vanilla pod, one 25 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 2: hundred grams of blanched almonds, one hundred and twenty grams 26 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,119 Speaker 2: of pistachios, two hundred and fifty grams of castor sugar, 27 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 2: four eggs organic, forty grams plain flour, one lemon, sixty 28 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: grams of pistachios, fifty grams of castor sugar. Preheat the 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 2: oven to one hundred and fifty degrees centigrade. Line a 30 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,040 Speaker 2: loaf tin and grease with twenty grams of the butter. 31 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 2: Soften the remaining butter, Grate the lemon peel, split the 32 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 2: vanilla pod and scrape the seeds. Grind the almonds and 33 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 2: pistachios together. Beat the butter and the sugar until light 34 00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: and the eggs one at a time. Add the zest 35 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: and vanilla seeds, fold in the nuts and sive in 36 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 2: the flour. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake 37 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 2: for forty five minutes. The cake is ready when a 38 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: spirit comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin 39 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 2: for the topping. Grate the lemon, peel and squeeze the juice. 40 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: Have the pistachios. Mix the lemon juice with the sugar, 41 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 2: Boil until thick. Then add the zest. Stir in the pistachios, 42 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 2: and pour over the cake. Delicious for breakfast with a coffee, 43 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 2: or as a dessert with crimp fresh or anytime. 44 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: That made me want to have it. But I was 45 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: interested because I always think of you with the incredible 46 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: chutneese and with the curries and the food that you made, 47 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: and you chose a cake. Id you like to bake? 48 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: I just feel like. 49 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 2: To be a really good pastry chef, certainly in the 50 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 2: Western tradition, you have to. It's about precision, and I'm 51 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 2: terrible with precisions. Oh kind of person, say a little 52 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 2: bit of sour, a little bit sweet. 53 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 3: I'm terrible at cakes. 54 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 2: And I felt that this was one of the few 55 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 2: recipes I could actually make. And there I was sort of, 56 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 2: you know, working mom to young boys with insatia of 57 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: appetites that seemed for pretty much anything, and this just 58 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 2: seemed just wonderful. It was just just a beautiful, lovely cake. 59 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 2: I must admit, though, Ruthie, I did. I did shift 60 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 2: it around. A great recipe is something that you can 61 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 2: build off right like like like any creative, beautiful thing. 62 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 2: And so what I did was, I you know, I 63 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 2: did grow up in South India, so I kind of 64 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 2: added let's see what did I did all kinds of 65 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 2: things that I kept the vanilla. I added loads of clothes, 66 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 2: clothes and cinnamon and cardamom. 67 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: Crown so you crown them together. 68 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 2: I pounded all of those up and put them in 69 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 2: the cake. I put them in the cake. I didn't 70 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: put the topping. It's a bit of a rush, but 71 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 2: that and that just you know, there's a lot of 72 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: you know this probably but you know, cinnamon can replace 73 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: and did in medieval times. 74 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, sure, so that's what I did. 75 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: I would say the recipe is half poetry and half 76 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: science as well. Yes, you know, so we kind of 77 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: you know, you taste, the precision is really important. But 78 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: I'm interested that you had the clothes and the climbs, 79 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: and I'd like to try it. But then did you 80 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: still at the pistaches at the end? 81 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, I just put the pistache at the top. 82 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 3: I left out the lemon and the sugar. 83 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: You have cake for breakfast. 84 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 3: I have not a cake for breakfast in a. 85 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: Long time Italian. You know, Italians have their cakes in 86 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: the morning, they have their cakes for breakfast, They have 87 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: their ice creams on the street, and then they have 88 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: a coffee for dessert. You know, in this presso so 89 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: there's always a cake, a dry cake to have for breakfast. Yeah. 90 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 2: No, in South India it's really more just a little 91 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 2: sombar of sort of lentils or russum of lentils and 92 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 2: spices and tomatoes and then some sort of steamed rister 93 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 2: lentil cake like an Italy or maybe it does. 94 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: So let's talk about that. Your eyes light up when 95 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: you start talking about clothes and cardonmen and lentils for 96 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: breakfast in South India. Tell me about this India think. 97 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 2: Yeah, so my story is pretty straightforward in some ways 98 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 2: for you know, that period of sort of American Indian immigrants. 99 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 2: So soon as maybe people don't know this, as soon 100 00:04:58,160 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 2: as the Civil Rights Act was passed, there was also 101 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 2: change in the immigracial laws of people from being around 102 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,280 Speaker 2: place of origin and the American and the restrictions in 103 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 2: place of origin, and so it was bailed, as you know, 104 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,799 Speaker 2: and so as soon as that was lifted, my parents 105 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 2: were one of the first to come over to the 106 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 2: US become graduate students, became academics. 107 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: And what do you think that was like for them? 108 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: Do you think that was? 109 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 3: Oh? 110 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 2: I think if you and I Ruthie were go to Mars, 111 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 2: it would probably be less of the leap than it 112 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 2: was for them. So they both came on scholarships from 113 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 2: sort of rural really semi rural India, both in the sciences, 114 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: so my father in the mathematical sort of area and 115 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 2: my mother in molecular biology. So I think that was 116 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 2: a huge leap for them. And I think I'm consistently 117 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 2: sort of astonished by their bravery and the sort of 118 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 2: almost gallantry with which it sort of went out with 119 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 2: open curiosity to the world. And it's something I wish 120 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 2: I think we have a lot of in the world, 121 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 2: and I would love to see us all tap into. 122 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 3: That a bit more because it's only good for everyone. 123 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 2: And so yeah, no, I think it was something they 124 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 2: did with great gusto and we're very happy, but they're 125 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 2: also very happy to go back. And shortly after my 126 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 2: sister was born, when I was about six, we moved 127 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 2: back to India. 128 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 3: They wanted to go back. 129 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: Did they meet and India and come together, actually have 130 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:16,239 Speaker 1: an arranged marriage. 131 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 2: They met in India, moved over here together, and then 132 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 2: we moved back. As I said, when I was six 133 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 2: or so, we moved to Bangalore. And that's where they 134 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 2: came from. They came from just south of Goa. So 135 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 2: they come from the coast, the Molivard coast, which is 136 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 2: a haven up all of his spice. 137 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 3: Growing as as you might know. And so that's very much, yeah, 138 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 3: very much. 139 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 2: And it come from a family of sort of academic 140 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 2: social workers. I'm really the black sheep of the family, 141 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 2: someone went into the vulgar world of commerce and never 142 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 2: got a PhD. So that's where I grew up in Bangalore. 143 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 2: That's very much part of my life until especially until 144 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,559 Speaker 2: seventeen when I came back to came to the US 145 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 2: and then went off to school. 146 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,239 Speaker 1: And what was home life like? Did your mother work 147 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: and your father worked? 148 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 3: Did you both of my parents worked? 149 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 2: I I'd say neither one of them was really sort 150 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 2: of you know, affiliated with a stove in any particularly 151 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 2: distinguished way. 152 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 3: But we got along. 153 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 2: My grandmother was maternal grandmother in particularly a great cook, 154 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 2: and so she you know, showed me if she always 155 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 2: had something pickling. Yeah, it seemed like anything could be pickled. 156 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 2: I think at one point she even pickled banana skins, 157 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 2: believe it or. 158 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: Not, skins. 159 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 2: Interesting wasn't successful, but she she tried. She pickled high 160 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 2: biscus flowers, She pickled gooseberries. 161 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: Did your grandmother live near you? Was she in the house. 162 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 3: She didn't. 163 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 2: We lived in Bangalore. She lived in the coast, but 164 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 2: she would come visit. 165 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: Do you remember the meals we had around the table 166 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: in Bangalore when you were between six and seventeen? Did 167 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: you go to school? Come home? 168 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 2: Sweet dad? So in India there's this whole did you 169 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 2: take your little tiffin carrier as they call it, with 170 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 2: these stack little stainless steel boxes, and they all have 171 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 2: it's a whole sort of bento box ritual to it, 172 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 2: and so all these Arabasic traditions around how many sours 173 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 2: and how many sweets and everything sort of architected. But 174 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 2: you know, I took my little tip in mind was 175 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 2: a bit less polished, but I take my little lunch 176 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 2: box to school, and I remember that the tastes of 177 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 2: sort of yogurt and rice and pickles. 178 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 1: And what did you have for breakfast? 179 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 3: Usually just a. 180 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 2: Very simple you know, like a dosa and some lentils 181 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 2: or something like that. And then you'd come home to 182 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 2: very simple supper. So it was it wasn't anything primarily vegetarian, right, 183 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 2: So it was that's but I have it was delicious 184 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 2: because the food was very fresh and you know this routie, 185 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 2: you know what that's all about. 186 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 3: And so going to the vegetables bizarre. 187 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: And the markets with the markets like in India, I've 188 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: never been to a market. 189 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 3: The markets were overwhelming. 190 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 2: I mean everything is that, but you had big piles 191 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 2: of just endless varieties of chili's or endless rides of greens. 192 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 2: I was recently in Mexico and the markets they're very 193 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 2: much reminded me of of India. And you know, you 194 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 2: know what to do, and you know to you learn 195 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 2: how to buy things. It's nothing as shrink wrapped. You 196 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 2: can choose, right, so you think you snap the m 197 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 2: of the gooseber, you know what to look for. And 198 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,199 Speaker 2: it's that I missed that very much. There was sort 199 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 2: of sensuality and shopping that. 200 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: Sometimes did you go with your mother or your grandmother, or. 201 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 2: I'd go with my grandmother or you know, our the 202 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 2: lady who helped out at the house, And yeah. 203 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: Did you love food? Even then, I was thinking of 204 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:19,319 Speaker 1: you such a lover of food. And then we talk 205 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 1: about food, you'd tell you make food. 206 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 4: Food. 207 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:24,079 Speaker 1: I did you know as a. 208 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 2: Child that you yes, yes, I still remember there was 209 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,839 Speaker 2: a season for the when the Kashmiri apple juice season 210 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 2: would arrive and that would be actually affordable, and so 211 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 2: you know, I remember things like that, like I have 212 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 2: a very strong Pristian memory for these little flavors and smells. 213 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 3: And Indian street food as well. 214 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 2: And Indian street food is really just a spectacular celebration 215 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 2: I think of humanity. 216 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 3: It's just great. 217 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:47,439 Speaker 1: Did your parents take you to restaurants in Bangalore? 218 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 2: Was that something at that time the eighties? I'd say 219 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 2: it was rare. I mean, Indian food was very much 220 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:55,840 Speaker 2: about home cooking, and I think you'll probably have heard 221 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 2: that from others. It's less about a restaurant. I think 222 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 2: that fine dining idea is something that's developed more recently, 223 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 2: which is the growing prosperity of India and a rising 224 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 2: middle class, and I think it's fantastic. I mean, they're 225 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 2: Indian cooks and chefs and doing amazing things in India 226 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 2: right now. But that was less of the story, at 227 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 2: least of my specific fish and bangled. Did you have 228 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 2: very good fish? Yeah, there was really good fish. Less 229 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 2: so meat, but more it was more around fresh fish, 230 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 2: particularly in the coast, the Mall Park Costhen. I went 231 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 2: to visit my grandmother there. 232 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: That was did you cook with her grandmother or your mother? 233 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 2: I did. She actually had an open fire stove, so 234 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 2: it was a very you know, it was really wonderful. 235 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 2: This happened very kind of like what you have. Actually, yeah, 236 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 2: it was a smaller and uh yeah. She would cook 237 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 2: all kinds of seafood on there and all the pickles 238 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 2: and the chutneys I mentioned. So, no, it was wonderful. 239 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: So you participate. 240 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, all was great, but then we had to move back. 241 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: The cook of the family. 242 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 3: I didn't really cook in childhood as much. 243 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 2: It's more something I observed, and it's really something that 244 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:54,559 Speaker 2: started once I went to university. 245 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:56,719 Speaker 1: When you went back to university, did you all go 246 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,960 Speaker 1: or was it just you you went by yourself. 247 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 2: I went by myself. I was at Harvard and wasn't 248 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 2: much opportunity for cooking there, But you know, that was 249 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 2: more just taking whatever it was offered to you in 250 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 2: the dying hall. Was that a kind of showing adding hot. 251 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 3: Sauce to it? Yeah? 252 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:15,840 Speaker 1: Was that shocking those I had a big adjustment going 253 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: from a home it was creating incredible food and markets 254 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: and smells and memories in your grandmother to Harvard where 255 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: you lived in a dorm and food was it was. 256 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 2: I mean, I think the arc after that was though, 257 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 2: very much about I mean, you're so overwhelmed sort of 258 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 2: the intellectual curiosity of that time, right, you don't think 259 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:36,439 Speaker 2: about food as much? Are You're absorbing so much new 260 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 2: in terms of relationships and friendships and ideas and people. 261 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 2: And I was just you know, becoming a young woman 262 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 2: with all the sort of uncertainties, and I mean it 263 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 2: was it was an interesting time. 264 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 3: It's almost like three failures in a funeral, it was like. 265 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 2: And literally the arc of that until now was very 266 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,560 Speaker 2: much around you know, failing, failing better learning and then 267 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 2: iterating from there in terms of just you know, in life, 268 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 2: it's going a little bit away from its food into philosophy. 269 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,079 Speaker 2: But I do think it's very important to make mistakes 270 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 2: and learn and fail a bit in life, because they're 271 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:14,479 Speaker 2: all very intertwined. And I differentiate between failures of hubris 272 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 2: and failures of curiosity, and I think failures of curiosity 273 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 2: where you're just open mindly trying to try something and 274 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 2: maybe you mess it up, I think those are perfectly fine. 275 00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 2: I think that's how you learn and you move on 276 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 2: as long as you're aware of it. And that's what 277 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 2: I meant by the three failures in a funeral in 278 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 2: the sense that I think my first class at Harvard 279 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 2: is one I actually did very poorly on, but it 280 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 2: was also the class that was most impactful. And it 281 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 2: was a class that the great philosopher John Rawls taught, 282 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 2: and it was on developing the ideal society. So what 283 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 2: we all had to do as a class was get 284 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,199 Speaker 2: together and decide what would the ideal society be if 285 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 2: you didn't know anything about your status in that world, 286 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 2: if you didn't know what your race would be, your gender, 287 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 2: what you'd be endowed with in terms of talents or wealth, 288 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 2: what kind of society you create, and ultimately what we 289 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 2: decided is we don't know what we would be. We'd 290 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 2: want a society where the worst person off would be 291 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 2: not just okay, but actually flourish. We could well be 292 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 2: that person. It wasn't just about getting, you know, sort 293 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 2: of a pittance, and that really transformed I had a 294 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 2: very utilitary and very rational view of the world, and 295 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 2: it was my way of sort of coping, I think 296 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 2: also growing up in a very poor country. But that 297 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 2: really made sense to me. Finally, so even though the 298 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:28,319 Speaker 2: class technically in terms of my transcript was a failure, 299 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 2: I'd argue in terms of just what it did to 300 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 2: my life and my mindset and what I did eventually 301 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 2: later trying to do a bit of good in the 302 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 2: world was transformative. 303 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 3: So that was probably failure number one. 304 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,679 Speaker 2: I think then that led to I've met the people 305 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 2: I met in that class, led them to my first job, actually, 306 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 2: which I ended up getting fired from pretty quickly. Failure 307 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 2: number two. It's going to be a really exciting podcast. 308 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 3: Let's us go into it. 309 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I'm just thinking about it in a way. 310 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 2: That kind of is how it laid out, and that 311 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 2: was working for working in Russia during the privatization program 312 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 2: in nineteen ninety one in Moscow. In Moscow and I 313 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 2: there briefly and then later in Mongolia, and the World 314 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 2: Bank really was I was really working for them through 315 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 2: Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at the time at Harvard. And 316 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 2: what was really interesting was that we went there with 317 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 2: such high hopes. And it's very relevant to the new 318 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 2: headlines we're saying nineteen ninety one. So August of nineteen 319 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 2: ninety one is actually when the clup happened in Moscow, 320 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 2: the eltson and then December of that year with the 321 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 2: Soviet unency ceased to exist. It all happened very quickly 322 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 2: and are there, Yeah, we're there, And that was something 323 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 2: we went in with high hopes and then just realized 324 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 2: this is this is probably not going to work. And 325 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 2: ultimately that's right right away. I don't think I got 326 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 2: that right away. Actually I might stort of give myself 327 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 2: more credit than I deserve. But that's something I think 328 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 2: now looking back, was fairly clear, and that's something we 329 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 2: should have we should have addressed as a as a 330 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 2: broader policy map, not obviously as it twenty one year 331 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 2: old who was there for their first job, but that 332 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 2: then I ended up in Mongolia working there as well. 333 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 2: But I look back on that period of just such high, bigger, 334 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 2: you know, much obviously bigger issue than just me and 335 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 2: my journey. Was just this whole issue of how again 336 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 2: failures of hubris. I would argue, where we think we 337 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 2: have all the answers, but we're not listening to the 338 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 2: local community, and you know we can, we can as 339 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 2: a result of that mess up. And my first big 340 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 2: philanthropic project was really around sanitation and subsidized toilets for 341 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 2: you know, poorer populations across. 342 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: South Asia, South Asia. 343 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 2: That was my first step or you know, first worked 344 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 2: my first fund that was working really well, and wanted 345 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 2: to get back right away. I didn't want to sit 346 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 2: around and wait until I was some sort of elderly person. 347 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 2: And when I did that, I thought, oh, this is 348 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 2: going to be great. We got all the answers. This 349 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 2: is going to be about you know, better sanitation for all. 350 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 2: And you know that didn't really work either. It was 351 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 2: a complete I think when we visited some of these 352 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 2: toilets that we'd subsidize, most of them were being used 353 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 2: as chicken coops. Why that one was around, you know, 354 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 2: it might be lack of plumbing, and the other was 355 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 2: maybe around just cultural habits and what was appropriate what 356 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 2: wasn't appropriate. So longer story for maybe a different podcast, 357 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 2: but the bottom line is that was sort of another 358 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 2: failure at argue, more of curiosity and hope, but also 359 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 2: a bit of hubris there where I just stepped back 360 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 2: and realized, Okay, there's it's. 361 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 3: Important now to really listen. 362 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 2: And that leads me, sadly, I think, in some ways 363 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 2: to the funeral, which is Paul Farmer, whom I think 364 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 2: you know as well, really dear friend and a great 365 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 2: innovator in terms of how public health could be delivered, 366 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 2: and he and I work together pretty extensively on a 367 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 2: variety of projects that he did with many other plan 368 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 2: He was a real mentor to me in terms of 369 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 2: really listening to the community, understanding grounds up. 370 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 3: And so that's what I do, and that's what I do. 371 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 2: Whether I do it now is someone learning to cook, 372 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 2: or someone learning to gather friends, or someone learning to 373 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 2: be a better investor or philanthropists, that's very much about 374 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 2: listening to what's happening around the ground and observing rather 375 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 2: than as you make it. 376 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, do you remember the food in Moscow? 377 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 5: That you ate going, Oh, yes, food, absolutely, there wasn't 378 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:18,239 Speaker 5: much deep but there was a good borsch every now 379 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 5: and then there was you know, a couple of solid dumplings, 380 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:23,119 Speaker 5: very solid dumplings. 381 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 3: Mongolia was great. 382 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 2: That's where I had my first fermented mare's milk, which 383 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,400 Speaker 2: it is like sour milk, that's what you would expect. 384 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 2: And then there was a lot of sort of lamb, 385 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 2: mutt and gristle and that was sort of it. 386 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 3: That was pretty grim. 387 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:38,959 Speaker 1: Was it an urban context? You win? 388 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 4: It was. 389 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 2: There was about we're traveling around a lot, and it's 390 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 2: a large at that time certainly it was largely still 391 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 2: it's largely sort of rural nomadic society. 392 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: And have you been back to Russia since? 393 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 3: I haven't been back to Mongolia, but back to Russia. 394 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: And big change. 395 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, caviar galor you can afford it, lots of fancy stuff. 396 00:17:59,040 --> 00:17:59,159 Speaker 6: Now. 397 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, we wanted I think nineteen which was chairman of 398 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 1: the take, and we were trying to get an exchange 399 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:09,359 Speaker 1: with the Hermitage for the and the Pushkin for they 400 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: have great matisas and they were at the Hermitage. We 401 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: were trying to exchange turners for a show and it was, 402 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:17,719 Speaker 1: you know, I went wanting to love it, but it is. 403 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: It was complex, and certainly for us. I haven't been 404 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: back since then, so I've missed the whole wealth and 405 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: the restaurants and everything else. It's a good cuisine, that 406 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 1: wasn't it. Sean and I are here and we're talking 407 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 1: about that pistachio cake. I think it's a very delicious cake. 408 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: It's a cake that you can have any time of 409 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 1: day in that Italian way. But there's something about this cake, 410 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: and of course it's the pistachoes, which I always associate 411 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:54,360 Speaker 1: with Lebanon, which feels almost Middle Eastern to me. The 412 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: green color, the nuts and the almonds. It just always 413 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,400 Speaker 1: feels like something that you might not have in Italy, 414 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 1: but you might have as part of the meal you 415 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 1: were having it from Beirroot, for instance. Where do you 416 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: think about this cake? 417 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 4: It it's definitely a breakfast cake in my house. It's 418 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 4: really yummy, but it's tricky to make in volume. We 419 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 4: often have problems with it being oily because the nuts 420 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 4: can be mean. 421 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: I guess nuts of oily, aren't they. It isn't hard 422 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: to make that. You have to get it right. 423 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's all in the fineness of the grinding of 424 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 4: the almonds and the pistachios, and actually sometimes we put 425 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 4: a bit of flour. There's some of their flour through 426 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:40,159 Speaker 4: the nuts when it gets folded in to sort of 427 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 4: hold the nuts stopping being to sort of mop up 428 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 4: some of the kind of oils. 429 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: I love this cake and I cannot remember how we 430 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,959 Speaker 1: came up. I have a very strong recollection of just 431 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: making it over and over and over again till we 432 00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: get it right. Did you know The River Cafe has 433 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: a shop. It's full of our favorite foods and designs. 434 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 1: We have cookbooks, linen napkins, kitchen were, tote bags with 435 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,880 Speaker 1: our signatures, glasses from Venice, chocolates from Terin. You can 436 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,119 Speaker 1: find us right next door to the River Cafe in 437 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: London or online at Shopthrivercafe dot co dot uk. So 438 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,399 Speaker 1: we're sitting here in the River Cafe. It's about seven 439 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: thirty and we're about to go and have dinner. And 440 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 1: of course I chose the quietest place in the whole 441 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,480 Speaker 1: of Thames Wharf to have a studio, except forgetting that. 442 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: Some nights we have Sylvia's which is downstairs our private 443 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: dining room and so the noise in the background is 444 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: a lot of people, probably fifty having celebrating something in 445 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: Sylvia's having a drink, So that's the background noise. So 446 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: I hope you can all hear us for cooking. You've 447 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: involved in India with your grandmother and your your mother 448 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: a bit, with Harvard, really not at all, and then Russia, 449 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 1: you know, you were working and eating a bit. When 450 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: did you then decide how important cooking and food was 451 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: to you or was it a decision? Did it happen? 452 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 2: I think it came with the birth of my children, 453 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 2: you know, I think I really started thinking having spending 454 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:29,360 Speaker 2: time and allocating time to not just enjoying food obviously, 455 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 2: but to really thinking about cooking again in a way 456 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 2: I hadn't in a long long time, and really returned 457 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,439 Speaker 2: to my children some way brought me back to my 458 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 2: own childhood in the sense of joy I got out 459 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 2: of food. And so I started very early with them, 460 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 2: you know, giving them all kinds of adventurous things. And 461 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 2: I was thirty when I had Lucas, my older son, 462 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 2: and thirty two when I had just under thirty too, 463 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 2: actually when I had Row and my uncle one. So 464 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 2: I was you know, relative young mother. I just we 465 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 2: just set up long Pine at the time in ninety eight, 466 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 2: so that was, you know, really relatively early on as 467 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 2: well in my career. So both a young working woman 468 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 2: and a mother. 469 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:09,640 Speaker 1: How did you come to England? 470 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:15,120 Speaker 2: We came to England, Oliver and I early in ninety 471 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 2: nine because of his work and also because I was 472 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,199 Speaker 2: setting up, you know, our little office here in London, 473 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 2: so it was sort of a combination of factors, and 474 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 2: we stayed. We thought we'd stay here very briefly, but 475 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 2: we end up staying here twenty years. 476 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,679 Speaker 1: So then, did you before you had children? Did you 477 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 1: entertain or entertained? 478 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 2: I definitely loved cooking and both something I did with 479 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,479 Speaker 2: very much driven by recipes, and so I think what 480 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 2: really changed was this idea of thinking, going back to 481 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:42,920 Speaker 2: my Childhoo's sense, as sometimes constraints are good. 482 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 3: Constraints force you to be great. 483 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 2: So my big constraint was time and not being able 484 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 2: to shop for every single ingredient on some obscure recipe list, 485 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:51,919 Speaker 2: which is what I did a bit more up when 486 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,680 Speaker 2: I entertained very formally for people on a Friday night 487 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 2: after work. Now it was got to get delicious things 488 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 2: on you want your children to enjoy it, and so 489 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,200 Speaker 2: I would just say, Okay, the recipe requires a lemon, 490 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 2: you know what, Let's just try tamarant that's sour too. 491 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:07,720 Speaker 3: Let's see what that does. 492 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 2: And so this mixing of different ingredients, different flavors and 493 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,439 Speaker 2: combining them, even though it might be completely different specific 494 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 2: things from the recipe I just mentioned with your beautiful 495 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 2: pistachio cake, that's something. And actually the pistachio cake was 496 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 2: something I started very early with them, which is why 497 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:23,879 Speaker 2: I have such great memories of it. 498 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 1: That was in the Easy Book. 499 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 2: I loved it because what was so great about that 500 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 2: book and how you constructed that book, Ruthie, was how 501 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 2: you thought about the ingredients and really foregrounding the ingredients. 502 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,400 Speaker 2: And that gave me courage as a cook to really 503 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 2: think about the ingredients as something that could be malleable, 504 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 2: you know, like people are malleable. Recipes going to be malleable. 505 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,399 Speaker 2: And I had so much fun with that book. 506 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 3: It's such a such. 507 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: A nice way. When we did it, we also thought 508 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,479 Speaker 1: that what we wanted to do. What's hard about cooking is, 509 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: you know, shopping and then the preparation and then you know, 510 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: the presentation if you will, But the shopping, we tried 511 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:00,400 Speaker 1: to say, okay, we're going to give you a shop list, 512 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 1: you know. We did the ingredients almost like a shopping list, 513 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 1: so you could almost you know, tear it out or 514 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: write it down a photocopy in those days probably and 515 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: take it and then you could go to the shop 516 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 1: with the with the ingredients, and they were all We 517 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: tried to do ingredients that were accessible because shopping isn't 518 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: real pain I mean the restrictions of a working woman 519 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: to having our men to have to go to something 520 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,679 Speaker 1: on the way home from work. It's painful when you 521 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:24,960 Speaker 1: want to go home and see your kids and help 522 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: them with their homework, you know, and then you have 523 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:28,439 Speaker 1: to stop and shop. 524 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 2: And also, I think what it brought me that book 525 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 2: was really helpful because it also brought me back, not 526 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,639 Speaker 2: just because of the ease. It took some of the 527 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 2: ease out of the ingredients and searching for those. It 528 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 2: also started making me think back to what my grandmother 529 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:45,480 Speaker 2: had told me, which is thinking in proportions, right, so 530 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 2: not rigidly in terms of quantities, but really ratios of flavors. 531 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 2: And that's really why I think what turned me from 532 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:53,440 Speaker 2: someone who just followed a recipe into someone who's really 533 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:55,719 Speaker 2: a proper cook who really saw you are cooking as 534 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 2: a creative activity and outlet and something that it became 535 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 2: a passion in a way. That and so I oiled 536 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 2: lot to you in that book. 537 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: But does the Indian influence do you? Like you used 538 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:09,120 Speaker 1: cardonmol and cloves and cinnamon for the cake. Does that 539 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:11,639 Speaker 1: does something you inherently sort of go for is to 540 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:15,360 Speaker 1: see how you can make this recipe more exotic by 541 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: doing something from your childhood to it that you yes, I. 542 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 2: Mean my sister gave me. I don't know if you've 543 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:23,080 Speaker 2: seen these big spice dubbles that they have in India 544 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 2: where you have sort of little trays and a big 545 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 2: oh yeah, it's a palette. It's like just like a 546 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 2: paint palette. And that's how I think about spices. It's 547 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,439 Speaker 2: just how to combine them. And you know, my first 548 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 2: gift to my partner David was really all was just 549 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 2: a big trays of these spices and how you could 550 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 2: combine them. 551 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 3: And I think it's just such a just enormously fun. 552 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: And you go to India or you eat food from 553 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,639 Speaker 1: a different culture, it does make you think how boring 554 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 1: a lot of our food is. You know, It's just 555 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:54,399 Speaker 1: it's delicious and it's interesting and the olive oil is strong. 556 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: But then that kind of assault on these senses that 557 00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,879 Speaker 1: you have from what's your favorite Indian food? What if 558 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: you I like southern Indian. But I've only been to 559 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: India twice. We went once to the Jaipur out of 560 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: the Delhi part, which I actually really loved just a lot, 561 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: which at the children. And then when we went to 562 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 1: the south, we went to Goa and down to Kerala, 563 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 1: and I was very attracted to that food. It's very perfumely, interesting, 564 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: light fishy, and yeah, I like that very much. 565 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 3: It's more sort of coconut milk off the base. It's 566 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 3: a little lighter. 567 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: And when was the last time you were in India? 568 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 3: I was in India in February of this year. 569 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 2: Actually, yes, yeah, I went. 570 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:37,199 Speaker 3: To Bombay Mumbais we're supposed to call it now. 571 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 2: Well, I usually go there into the south to Bangalore, 572 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,160 Speaker 2: and it was again you go there, and yes, it's 573 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 2: about work and meeting people and seeing friends, but yes, 574 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 2: it's almost always about food as well. 575 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,440 Speaker 1: Well, you asked me what was my food that I love. 576 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,359 Speaker 1: For Mindiya, what is the food that you love most? 577 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 1: Is there a region that you particularly like? 578 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 2: I think, like you, Ruthy, I liked South Indian cuisine. 579 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 2: But I think there's some amazing food's obviously from from 580 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 2: the north that I sort of think of as you know, 581 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:06,479 Speaker 2: just indulgences, the breads and the use of tundor and 582 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 2: how that, how that has come about. But in terms 583 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 2: of the or the luck now has just amazing cuisine, 584 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,240 Speaker 2: the d you know, the seal, the pots and clay, 585 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,920 Speaker 2: and there's amazing stuff there. But what I really love 586 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:21,440 Speaker 2: is that South Indian food in terms of the emphasis 587 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:23,880 Speaker 2: on spices and the mix of different kinds of spices. 588 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 3: It's it's it's very it's like. 589 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,639 Speaker 2: A burst of flay, different flavors all layered. 590 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 3: And I love that idea of layering. 591 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,359 Speaker 2: Whether it's music or literature or cooking, it shouldn't just 592 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,679 Speaker 2: be a one note wonder of a thing. And so 593 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,160 Speaker 2: that's that's what I really love about that cuisine, whether 594 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,680 Speaker 2: it's from Kerala or Tamil now. 595 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: And it's different region, isn't that It's it's. 596 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 2: Very different region to region. Yes, even within the South 597 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 2: I think people forget, but there are multiple layers and 598 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 2: regions to that. But that's that's the food I think 599 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 2: about when I think how do I how do you 600 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:55,560 Speaker 2: recreate that? 601 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's that sense of feeling. 602 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,720 Speaker 1: I really love to think of you is as a 603 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: cook because of my friends. You know, I have friends 604 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: with cooked I have friends who give dinner parties and 605 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: they're great, and they have friends with gardens. I have 606 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: friends with vegetables. But you you have a farm. So 607 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: should we talk about the farm where we had the 608 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 1: apple juice of the gems and the chutneys and everything. 609 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: So tell us about that farm. 610 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 2: Yes. So the idea behind that I work with Mark, 611 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 2: who's our gardener there really closely to just grow the 612 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:35,919 Speaker 2: kinds of things that we wouldn't be able to find 613 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,720 Speaker 2: normally otherwise. And we ended up also doing a lot 614 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 2: of you know, heritage native species that you wouldn't normally 615 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:47,520 Speaker 2: find otherwise that are sort of going dying out. Well, 616 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 2: one thing we decided to do is start growing the 617 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 2: sort of rare type of metal or fruit, and some 618 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 2: really interesting odd plums, those parts, all those kinds of things. 619 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 2: And then I realized that they're all of these medlers 620 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 2: that are native to Sussex. That apparently they call all 621 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 2: kinds of rude names because I think the local name 622 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 2: for the metal fruit we group was called like monkeys 623 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 2: ass or something like that. I mean, it's all kinds 624 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 2: of like bizarre names. 625 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 3: I just loved. And so we had a bunch of those, 626 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 3: just a variety of those. 627 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 2: One season and they just spank high heaven really but 628 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 2: I pickled them as I did. 629 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:23,880 Speaker 3: That was fine, went in doubt. 630 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 2: So those those were modestly improved by that. And then 631 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 2: we had a whole spate of different kinds of flowers, 632 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 2: you know, just local flowers, some edible flowers. 633 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 1: It isn't organic and sustainable, as I just oric, did 634 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: you change the soil or did you had you. 635 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 2: It was very chalky as it's in South Down, so 636 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 2: it's very chalky. So yes, it had to be improved 637 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:50,600 Speaker 2: us with our local just vegetable waste to be composted 638 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 2: and stuff. We brought in a lot of fish blood apparently, 639 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 2: which is brought in for the Yeah, all those that 640 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,760 Speaker 2: we compass soil over whatever twelve fIF years. 641 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 3: And it became which is much better over time, and. 642 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 1: What you have now that you grow what is yours? 643 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 2: Made similar? We try and new new different things. We 644 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 2: still have the meddlers, by the way, cause you're interested. 645 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 2: And yeah, still the plums, still the apples. 646 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: As you know, mesty foot vegetables. 647 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,880 Speaker 2: Lots of kale and charred and different kinds of variety. 648 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 3: Verbs krispy krispy kale. 649 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,040 Speaker 2: Yeah exactly, yeah, exactly. 650 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 1: Tell us how you make that? 651 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 2: That's a good one. 652 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 3: That's you take. 653 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,640 Speaker 2: We make a hoist and sauce with the plums and 654 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 2: we grow and then we mix in a little bit 655 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 2: of cashew nut butter believe it or not, and then 656 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 2: a bit of soy sauce and marrin and a bit 657 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 2: of chili and just put in the dehydrator and. 658 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 3: There you go. 659 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 1: How long have you had the fun? 660 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 2: Oh gosh, it's like twenty two thousand and five or 661 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,600 Speaker 2: something like that. Yeah, it's where really my children grew 662 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 2: up in a way, it's very much part of my 663 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 2: love of sort of Britain and everything we've we've learned here. 664 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,160 Speaker 2: So yeah, that's that's what it is. And now what 665 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 2: I'm trying to do there is actually encourage more woman 666 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 2: gardeners because I think it's such a great profession and 667 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 2: such a great part of England's heritage. So we've been 668 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 2: encouraging more sort of interns there under Mark who are 669 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 2: sort of from the local horticultural college, so things like that. 670 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 2: That's been great and just having that be part of 671 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 2: the food. No, we don't have animals except for bees. 672 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 2: We do have bees. 673 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, the honey. Yeah, how's that? 674 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 2: Oh, that's sort of alternous cycles of joy and heartbreak 675 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 2: because you know, it's tricky sometimes with the weather and 676 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 2: you know, so we've had the one thing I've learned 677 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 2: is you to keep the beehives really high up, and 678 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 2: it's we were just way too close to the ground. 679 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,240 Speaker 2: I think that's a big mistake that early beepers make. 680 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. 681 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, so they don't like the damp. 682 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: They don't like the damp. 683 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 2: Well, if you think about it, naturally they put their 684 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 2: eyes way high up. Why why why am i so? 685 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 1: And do you flavor your honey? Do you do different 686 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: types of honey or. 687 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 2: My son, younger son encouraged me to start putting chili 688 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,440 Speaker 2: into the honey, which has been a great success. 689 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 1: If you like listening to Ruthie's table for would you 690 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 1: please make sure to rate and review the podcast on 691 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:12,840 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get 692 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: your podcasts. Thank you. You mentioned David, Yes, and that's 693 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:29,480 Speaker 1: David Byrne, and you brought him to meet me in 694 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: the River Cafe a few years ago, some years ago, 695 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 1: because he was just intrigued about how, as many how 696 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 1: a restaurant works. I'm intrigued to know how a fund works, 697 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 1: and I'm intrigued to know how being somebody from content 698 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 1: and producers work. But it really is interesting to people. 699 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: I think, how does the motzarell rive at the same 700 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:48,959 Speaker 1: time as a pasta? And how do you order? And 701 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,320 Speaker 1: he was very he seemed to be much more interested, 702 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: almost as much as how we write the menu. We 703 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,000 Speaker 1: do write the menu in a kind of unique way, 704 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,720 Speaker 1: which is that we do it every differently for every meal. 705 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 1: What is his interest in food? 706 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 2: He likes just very similar to me. I think it's 707 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,200 Speaker 2: just a wonderful thing. It's it's food as a form 708 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 2: of love. You know, that's what you offer your friends 709 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 2: and your family, and it's a creative act as well. 710 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:15,760 Speaker 2: And I think one thing, Yes, that was actually a 711 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 2: really fantastic day. I was really great to just come 712 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 2: here and put the menu together, and and and and 713 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 2: sort of see how everything was put together in a 714 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 2: sort of magical place. 715 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: Hey, we see, Hi, sad here we are. We've spoke with. 716 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:43,000 Speaker 7: Lots of artists and actors and musicians, and you sort 717 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 7: of see a logical journey from their creative work they 718 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 7: do in the studio to their work in the kitchen. 719 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 7: We haven't spoken that many business people who have this 720 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 7: passion for cooking, and I wonder if that's us being 721 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 7: now reminded, whether that you are quite unique in that 722 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 7: in that sense. 723 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 2: I think that, well, I'm sure there are many business 724 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 2: people who love cooking, because I firmly believe that business 725 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,279 Speaker 2: is a creative activity when done well. I think any 726 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:12,800 Speaker 2: when I define creative activity as connecting different areas and 727 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 2: fresh and new ways, and that if you're good at 728 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,120 Speaker 2: pretty much anything, you have to think creatively, no matter 729 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,239 Speaker 2: what it is. And as a result of that, I 730 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:23,359 Speaker 2: don't necessarily see the dichotomy maybe as much as might 731 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,239 Speaker 2: otherwise seem from the outside. And I also think if 732 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:30,040 Speaker 2: you're someone who's a philanthropist and wants to do well, 733 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:34,360 Speaker 2: particularly in the public health area, thinking about the business 734 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:37,799 Speaker 2: of food and the public health aspects of food and 735 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:40,319 Speaker 2: the creative aspects of food are actually quite intertwined in 736 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:42,879 Speaker 2: some really interesting ways. I mean, one thing I think 737 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:46,080 Speaker 2: a lot about and I don't know if this is statistic, 738 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 2: you all of you knew, but one thing I was 739 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 2: sent was a introduction of high fructose corn syrup into 740 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 2: the American food industry was nineteen seventy and back then 741 00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 2: the obesity rate was relatively deminimous. And you progress that 742 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:03,560 Speaker 2: ninety and hygrictos corn circus half of all sugar used, 743 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 2: and now forty percent is a pc rate. So that 744 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:09,279 Speaker 2: sort of the business of food and how that has 745 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 2: made food process food at least much more actually addictive. 746 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:14,040 Speaker 3: And there's some great books on this. 747 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 2: Moss has written a great book called Hooked on This, 748 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 2: and you lead that into the public health aspects of 749 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 2: what that's led to. I think about that a lot. 750 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:23,960 Speaker 2: So I think about food is really just such a 751 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 2: core aspect of our society and cultural identities. 752 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:30,280 Speaker 1: It tells you about a culture, It tells you about society, 753 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:32,520 Speaker 1: It tells you about a city. I would say, out 754 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:34,319 Speaker 1: of the market the first time we get to a city, 755 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:35,120 Speaker 1: because it tells. 756 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 3: You that he tells you everything. 757 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,799 Speaker 2: The one thing that actually in food that Dave and 758 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:40,919 Speaker 2: I learned a lot about was just how the brain 759 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,680 Speaker 2: processes food, which is interesting for tell you as well, 760 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:45,839 Speaker 2: which is we did this project called Theater of the Mind. 761 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,920 Speaker 2: We wrote this theater piece together that ended up running 762 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:51,080 Speaker 2: in Denver and run a few other cities. And as 763 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:53,719 Speaker 2: part of that, one thing we learned is how the 764 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:57,839 Speaker 2: brain creates these illusions around taste. And have you ever 765 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,120 Speaker 2: heard of this West African miracle berry? So David told 766 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 2: me about it. I actually haven't heard it. Heard about 767 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 2: it first from him. So it's a West African berry. 768 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 2: It's a little bush about two meters high. It has 769 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,279 Speaker 2: these olive shaped little red berries, and you chew on 770 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:13,360 Speaker 2: it just tastes quite bulerable and it binds to the 771 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,760 Speaker 2: sweet receptors in your tongue. And anytime you eat anything sour, 772 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,840 Speaker 2: it activates the sweet receptors, so you get this burst 773 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,479 Speaker 2: of sugar in your mouth. So you literally you're chewing 774 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 2: on a lemon. Ever, I mean just like just until 775 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 2: it lasts a couple of years, you chew on it. 776 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 2: You can chew on a lemon and it literally tastes 777 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,040 Speaker 2: like it tastes like a you know, like a Sunday 778 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:32,320 Speaker 2: ice cream Sunday, and it's amazing. 779 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:34,680 Speaker 3: It's this crazy kind of experiences. So we put that 780 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:35,640 Speaker 3: into our theater piece. 781 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,200 Speaker 2: It's an immersive theater piece that people went through and 782 00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:43,360 Speaker 2: people start screaming because you're such an intimate part of 783 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 2: your sense, you know, your sensory system to have this 784 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 2: like the lemons something sweet. Yeah, And so they were 785 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:50,440 Speaker 2: all kinds of littles. 786 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: We were tusting things like that, you're immersive. I was 787 00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:55,839 Speaker 1: talking to Will you were. 788 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,719 Speaker 6: Going to ask, Yeah, I just was interested because something 789 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 6: that comes up on the podcast, as Ruthie says, food 790 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 6: is memory. And obviously there's so much a connection between 791 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,320 Speaker 6: taste and smell. And do you think that our connection 792 00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:12,319 Speaker 6: with food and memory is as strong as we think 793 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,279 Speaker 6: it is or do you think that it's intangible and 794 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:16,319 Speaker 6: changes time? 795 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:20,120 Speaker 2: And I think memories are definitely malleable. I mean that's 796 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:22,400 Speaker 2: not me speaking, that's just you know, what we've. 797 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:23,200 Speaker 3: Learned over the years. 798 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:25,440 Speaker 2: And I think we should think about our brains not 799 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:29,360 Speaker 2: as direct processors and senses out there. We construct the 800 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:31,320 Speaker 2: world every time we look at the world, So what 801 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:33,840 Speaker 2: we see is not a specific radio frequency. What we 802 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:36,200 Speaker 2: see is really something our brain is constructed as an image, 803 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 2: and there are all kinds of evidence for that. For example, 804 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,880 Speaker 2: we don't see the blind spots in our eyes, we 805 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 2: just paper them over. So our brain constructs the world, 806 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 2: and I think that's taste as part of that. And 807 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:50,040 Speaker 2: I think every time we remember something, since our brain 808 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:54,239 Speaker 2: is really about learning, it's not really about being a photocopier, right, 809 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:57,360 Speaker 2: what's used is that evolutionarily speaking, since our brain is 810 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 2: a learning engine, we revise the memories as come along 811 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,720 Speaker 2: to suit what is best for us, and to update 812 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 2: them based upon what we've learned since that memory was 813 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,880 Speaker 2: initially formed. And so I think memories are infinitely valuable 814 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:10,680 Speaker 2: as a result, and there's a lot of really interesting 815 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,480 Speaker 2: research on that, and also how false memories can be 816 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:17,399 Speaker 2: ascribed to People's been interesting research on that as well. 817 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,359 Speaker 2: So I think one thing we learned about with all 818 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,320 Speaker 2: of our research when David and I went to Labs 819 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:26,279 Speaker 2: to construct the Theater of the Mind immersive theater piece 820 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:29,440 Speaker 2: that you talked about, a lot of it was around 821 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:31,920 Speaker 2: how memory is really malleable and in a way that's 822 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 2: really good so people can go through life and they're 823 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,879 Speaker 2: not stuck. You know, there's always a possibility of change, 824 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 2: which I really fundamentally see is a hopeful thing that 825 00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 2: we can evolve and move on from memories in the past. 826 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:46,359 Speaker 2: So yes, I do think it's malleable to answer your question. 827 00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:50,719 Speaker 1: They certainly talk about people's memories here, and I just 828 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:54,480 Speaker 1: say that to as William said, that food is memory 829 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:57,799 Speaker 1: and memory is food. Many people's memories come back when 830 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,360 Speaker 1: they start talking about the food there. I've had just 831 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:02,520 Speaker 1: in the interviews we've done, people say, oh my god, 832 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: I never I don't remember that until I started talking 833 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,480 Speaker 1: about my father when he divorced my mother and I 834 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:12,439 Speaker 1: was eight, that suddenly he started cooking because he wanted 835 00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:14,759 Speaker 1: us to know that things. You know that he could 836 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:16,840 Speaker 1: do that, or you know, he is an expression of 837 00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:20,680 Speaker 1: his love and mel Brooks at age ninety eight. Remember, 838 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,560 Speaker 1: he says, unless it's a malleable memory that he remembers 839 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:26,359 Speaker 1: the name of the woman who cooked him his first 840 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:29,239 Speaker 1: pasta when he was eight, so ninety years ago, he 841 00:39:29,239 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: can remember her name because the food. He can't remember 842 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:34,120 Speaker 1: the person who taught him to tie his shoes, but 843 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:37,360 Speaker 1: he can remember somebody who taught him to make a pasta, 844 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: and then the memories of sad memories, somebody making something 845 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:45,319 Speaker 1: for you before they died, or you know, somebody wanted 846 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:47,959 Speaker 1: to eat something, you know, but as they were dying, 847 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:52,120 Speaker 1: and it is you know, yeah, it's all to do 848 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:55,000 Speaker 1: with I mean, I'm sure there are other smells probably 849 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:58,200 Speaker 1: bring back memories, and pain brings back memories. But food 850 00:39:58,239 --> 00:39:59,040 Speaker 1: do you think it does? 851 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,200 Speaker 2: Absolutely right with you? And really it really does. I 852 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:05,239 Speaker 2: think a lot about sort of my favorite foods and 853 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:08,759 Speaker 2: and what I do when I'm trying to recreate some 854 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,520 Speaker 2: of them. Some of them are not even ones that 855 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:13,319 Speaker 2: were in a recipe. They're just ones I remember having 856 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:15,560 Speaker 2: had or maybe it was at a restaurant such as yours, 857 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 2: or maybe it was but you're so generous with your recipes. 858 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:19,319 Speaker 3: But you know, maybe it was. 859 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:24,279 Speaker 2: Something that my grandmother and aunt cooked for me or yeah, 860 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:26,080 Speaker 2: and and and those are the those are the memory 861 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 2: I'm trying to recreate, you know, in my kitchen. 862 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:30,719 Speaker 1: And you were saying, your children and your mother, what 863 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:33,279 Speaker 1: is and that connection? Is it a connection for them and. 864 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 3: For them as well? Yes, it's very much. Okay, you're 865 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,360 Speaker 3: coming over, what would you like to eat? It's a 866 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:39,760 Speaker 3: feeling and so going. 867 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 1: To I suppose finding to the end, we would say, 868 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:46,520 Speaker 1: if you needed to reach for some food, my friend, 869 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:50,239 Speaker 1: beautiful friend, mama, for comfort, you wanted something to eat, 870 00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:51,719 Speaker 1: is there something you would go for? 871 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 2: Yes, I mean I think of comfort as more a 872 00:40:55,239 --> 00:40:57,480 Speaker 2: sense of love or maybe even joy. 873 00:40:57,560 --> 00:40:59,880 Speaker 3: And we all need that, right, I mean, I certainly do. 874 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:05,280 Speaker 2: And I think of that as this very specific rossum 875 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 2: that my grandmother used to make for me when I 876 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:09,800 Speaker 2: was ill, and it was this sort of garlic rossum. 877 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:13,279 Speaker 2: And to the question earlier about memory, it was something 878 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:16,000 Speaker 2: I never could make and I never quite figure out 879 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,359 Speaker 2: the exact flavors. And this is a really interesting story. 880 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,400 Speaker 2: And then someone told me about a woman who lived 881 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 2: in Chennai village in south in Tamil Nadu and her 882 00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:29,719 Speaker 2: mission in life, among other things she was accomplished in 883 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:33,360 Speaker 2: many ways, was to do a compilation of all of 884 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:38,320 Speaker 2: the pickle recipes and chutney recipes in Roussam's in South India. 885 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:41,359 Speaker 2: And so she literally systematically went through and she had 886 00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:44,000 Speaker 2: the book and had gone out of print. So I 887 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:46,320 Speaker 2: actually wrote her and I got this little pdf in 888 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:51,840 Speaker 2: the mail. Her name is Usha Prabakara and she literally 889 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:55,040 Speaker 2: now she has it on Amazon. And there's one called 890 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,480 Speaker 2: four Under Pickles and there's another one called A Thousand Russums. 891 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:00,799 Speaker 2: And I could not recommend both of these books more. 892 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,520 Speaker 2: And you can write her, what would you make it? 893 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:04,279 Speaker 6: This is it? 894 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: This is the food. You go for it, but would you. 895 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:07,400 Speaker 3: It's meant to It's very simple. 896 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:09,799 Speaker 2: You just make it with a little bit of tour doll, 897 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:11,600 Speaker 2: which is kind of lentil, and you grind that up 898 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:16,160 Speaker 2: with coriander and cumin, and you mix it up with 899 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 2: essentially what I almost make like a lentil stock, lentil 900 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 2: and spice stock, and you add a bit of chili. 901 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,600 Speaker 2: You know, it's called the third corp where you put 902 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:26,160 Speaker 2: you mix and oils and mustard seeds and a bit 903 00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:26,800 Speaker 2: of chili. 904 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:28,520 Speaker 3: And you can sprinkle it on top. It's delicious. 905 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:31,560 Speaker 2: And you know, any cold you have, I'd be curious 906 00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:33,160 Speaker 2: guarantee you. 907 00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:37,040 Speaker 3: I love you, Thank you, Love you too, Ruthy, thank you. 908 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:49,880 Speaker 6: Ruthie's Table for is produced by Atami Studios for iHeartRadio. 909 00:42:50,239 --> 00:42:53,640 Speaker 6: It's hosted by Ruthie Rogers and it's produced by William Lensky. 910 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:57,520 Speaker 6: This episode was edited by Julia Johnson. And mixed by 911 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:02,600 Speaker 6: Nigel Appleton. Our executive users are Fai Stewart and Zad Rogers. 912 00:43:03,239 --> 00:43:06,680 Speaker 6: Our production manager is Caitlin Paramore and our production coordinator 913 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:10,920 Speaker 6: is Bella Selini. This episode had additional contributions by Sean 914 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:14,160 Speaker 6: Wynn Owen. Thank you to everyone at The River Cafe 915 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 6: for your help in making this episode