Food, cultural treat at Dasara

The speciality this year is theme based menu for every day (though it remains open from 6 pm onwards) with the respective cultural programmes, chairman of Food Mela Sub-committee and hotelier M Rajendra told media here on Wednesday.

The first day is dedicated to Bengali food to enable locals besides all others to get the taste of outside tradition, besides Bengali cultural evening, followed by Sindhi, Gujarati, Kerala, Jain, Mysore rural and South Kanara. To ensure that only vegetarian food stuff is on offer on October 2 ‘Gandhi Jayanthi’, Jain food has been planned for the evening. Besides, non-vegetarian food is banned for the day in the mela too, complying with the order of MCC that prohibits the sale of particular food keeping in view the significance of the day. Varieties of other food like- dosas, rottis and chaat in vegetarian category and chicken kebab, pepper dry, chilli chicken, biryani, dum biryani, tandoori and fish kebab and fry will also be available. 

Culinary, eating contest
Another speciality is the mela will provide a platform for women to display their culinary skills. A cooking contest has been organised on September 30, and selected 20 women will be given an opportunity. The sub-committee will provide stove and gas, while the participants have to make their own arrangements pertaining to the ingredients. They are free to prepare dish of their choice. There will be no entry fee and the first five winners will be rewarded with certificate.

Chefs from the prominent hotels will be the juries. Interested may enroll their names at the office of deputy director, food and civil supplies department in the premises of DC’s office.

Not to forget, eating contest is also on the list. For those in the age group of eight to 16 years mallige idli eating contest has been arranged, while for 17 to 30 years- tuppada dose and 31 to 50 years- elakki baleannu (banana) have been arranged. Those who eat maximum in the given slot of  two minutes will be entitled for a prize.

A total of 50 stalls divided as small and big will be opened. While the daily rent for big stall is fixed at Rs 500, for small it is Rs 300. NGOs and sex workers will get preference, besides old and newcomers.

To ensure that there would be no chaos and confusion pertaining to price, a price chart will be put up in front of each stall. Besides, it would be pocket friendly too, Rajendra assured.

ZP CEO and deputy special officer of the sub-committee G Satyavathi, deputy director of food and civil supplies and working president Kumuda Girish, vice-presidents C Sriram and S Gurupadappa Sindhuvalli and assistant director of food and civil supplies and secretary B P Devaiah were present.