Bhupathi offered live snake for dinner at restaurant in China

Kolkata: Getting Indian food is a "luxury" for country`s cricketers and tennis players when they compete abroad and once they had snake on menu while in China.

Participating in a chat show organised in connection with the release of a book on cooking recipe titled "Cooking On the Run" written by journalist Boria Mazumdar, noted Indian opener Virendra Shewag said, "I love Biriyani and other north Indian food, but many a times I had to remain contended with vegetable burgers. It is difficult to find Indian restaurants while on a tour," he said. Indian tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi, who also took part in the chat show said "Indian food is a luxury on tour." The tennis star said he usually takes pasta which is mostly available abroad or settle for a staple died that is available on the tour. Mahesh said choice of food in China is "pathetic." He also once faced a weired experience while in China during a Davis Cup tie. During the dinner at a Chinese restaurant a live snake was brought to their table and they were asked whether they would like it to be cooked. Then they somehow filled their stomach with some other dishes which, however, were not at all tasty like the Chinese dishes available in India. Indian spinner Ravi Chandran Ashwin feels that availability of vegetarian food on tour is not much of a problem. "There are good options in vegetarian dishes most of the time," Ashwin said. Like Virender Sehwag, spinner Pragyan Ojha is also a lover of biriyani and for him the biriyani in Hyerabad is the best. Young batsman Ajinkya Rahane, another participant in the show, commenting on the food served during domestic tournament said food served at Mumbai and Hyderabad is very good. Mahesh, who took part in the London Olympics said "it is a great fun to eat at the restaurants in the Games village and he was thrilled to meet great athlete and swimmer like Usian Bolt and Michael Phelps regularly there." Asked about the food served at Eden gardens during the international matches, most of the cricket players present at the show opined that it was not good and when they told the organisers about it, they were told that this is what was served by the caterers. However, all of them were very much in praise for the "rosgollas (sweet syrapy ball), sweet curd and nalen gurer sandesh." Shewag, Ojha, Ashwin, Rahane and Bhupathi jointly released the book this evening. Speaking on the occasion, Mazumdar, a foodie himself, informed he wrote these recipes during his various tours abroad in connection with sports coverage. PTI