'Everything revolves around family here'

One might have seen chef Alfonso Montefusco at the Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, Whitefield, talking to known faces and greeting others.

This expatriate, who’s been in the City for almost a year, says that he loves travelling and meeting new people and like every adventure, his stay in Bangalore has been an interesting one.

Despite having other options, Alfonso chose to come to India.

“I’d never been to India and I knew that it would be a learning experience,” he says.
 Alfonso has worked in the Middle East, Japan, USA, Italy, Spain, France and UK. Alfonso, who works in Alto Vino, the Italian restaurant of the hotel and loves his work space.

 “India is one-of-its-kind. It’s been fun working here. People are much more easy-going here,” he says.

Whenever one goes to a new place, they try to learn more about the new place and Alfonso says that he wasn’t very happy with what he found after his arrival. 

“I have to say that I work in Whitefield, which isn’t actually the Bangalore that I had heard about. Also, there’s not much of the Garden City left,” says Alfonso, adding, “I love old buildings and there is some greenery around, which is a relief after coming from the Middle East. Such a tropical environment is beautiful.”

He hasn’t had a chance to visit many places in the country yet, apart from New Delhi.

But Alfonso vouches that one of the most beautiful places that he had been to in his lifetime is Chikmagalur.

 He says, “I’m a nature enthusiast and the place was just amazing.” Comparing New Delhi to Bangalore, Alfonso says that life is a bit more chaotic there.

“People in the North aren’t as nice as they are in the South of the country,” he says.

Ask him what he likes doing when he’s not whipping up some delicacies at the restaurant and he says, “I usually try to take two days off together so that I can go around the City and discover different and new restaurants. I even love to meet the people here. For me, understanding a city means understanding the people in it.”

 Though Alfonso can’t remember the names of the places he has been to, he says that he just loves walking around the City.

“I use the autorickshaws and cars to travel around in the City,” he says.

Prod him further and Alfonso says that he also loves autos.

 “They are a little tricky since the drivers try to get more money out of me. But now I have learned. I fix a budget for the autos and now I’ve learnt other tricks like when it’s more than one person going in one direction, I can split the auto fare. There’s also the psychological approach where one should act as if they’re not interested and just walk away and the auto drivers will come after you,” he shares.

Like any other expatriate, cows eating garbage and their presence on the road was surprising for Alfonso.

 “It’s not a dog! It’s a cow, a much larger animal,” he says. His other grievances include lack of hygiene and infrastructure.

 “There needs to be social responsibility among the people about cleanliness and garbage,” says the chef. 

Ask him about the cultural shocks that he got when he moved into the City and he says, “Shock is too strong a word! Shock for me would mean violence, and sometimes I do see that on the streets when a man is beating a woman.”

Alfonso says what is common between European and Indian culture is the sense of humour.

“We have the same sense of humour. When Indians make a joke, I laugh and vice-versa,” he smiles and says. 

Alfonso says that the pressure of the family is much more here.

“Everything revolves around family here. One’s choices are also affected by the family but in Europe, it’s more about the self,” he says.

For Alfonso, the real food of a place is made on the streets.

 “One of the most amazing discoveries that I made recently was this Tibetan restaurant, ‘Yak’s Kitchen’, on Brigade Road. 

I didn’t even know that Tibetans had their own cuisine,” he says.

Alfonso adds that he would love to work as an intern there to learn how to make momos and other specialities.

“How many Italian chefs would be able to make such dishes?” he asks jokingly.

About Indian cuisine, he says that he couldn’t handle the spice levels earlier.

“But I have slowly adapted a tongue for it now. And I can act like I’m much better now,” he laughs.Most expatriates like Bangalore for its weather. “I like the fact that there are so many people one can fit in here. I have lots of friends and it’s nice here,” he wraps up.