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Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Dalai Lama confirms the institution will continue. But challenges lie ahead
So, there will be a Dalai Lama even after the incumbent dies. Ending years of speculation, the Dalai Lama announced this week that heeding appeals from millions of Tibetans he has come around to the view that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue. A successor will be found. After the Dalai Lama dies, it will not be easy to find his successor.(Unsplash) There was a subtext to the announcement. The Chinese who control Tibet and routinely abuse the Dalai Lama are eager to either abolish the institution or to appoint a puppet as the next Dalai Lama. In the circumstances, the Dalai Lama may have had no choice but to declare that the post would outlive him and that the search for his successor would be conducted by monks who were not under the influence of the Chinese government. Also read | The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Why we must hold back judgment on the Air India crash But this may not have been what the Dalai Lama really wanted. Twenty years ago, when I interviewed him for the HT he said that he could well be the last Dalai Lama. The world was changing and the concept of the Dalai Lama as a divinely selected monk who functioned as a sort of king had begun to seem out of date. He believed that he should be succeeded by a democratic leader elected by Tibetans. (In this case Tibetans in exile; the Chinese are not big on elections.) The Dalai Lama has moved part of the way towards achieving that goal. There is a democratically elected government in exile in place. But for Tibetans in exile the Dalai Lama remains the last word. They would be lost, it now seems clear, without someone who combines spiritual and political leadership with what they regard as divine blessings. After the Dalai Lama dies, it will not be easy to find his successor. According to Tibetan tradition the Dalai Lama is reincarnated and monks must search far and wide to find a child who carries his spirit. Also read | Taste by Vir Sanghvi: It's time Indian tourists took a second look at Malaysia In the period after the Chinese took over Tibet, the Panchen Lama, regarded as being second in rank only to the Dalai Lama died and a search was launched to find his reincarnation. Monks did find such a boy and the Dalai Lama blessed the selection. But the Chinese launched their own search and came up with another set of candidates, one of whom was selected by a process that amounted to drawing lots. (In this case it was picking sticks though the process was criticised as being rigged.) Worse was to follow. The Panchen Lama chosen by the monks and the Dalai Lama was picked up by the Chinese army and taken to an undisclosed destination. He has rarely been seen since. The Panchen Lama appointed by the Chinese however is very visible and regularly sings the praises of the Beijing regime. It was fears that this could happen again with his own reincarnation that prompted the Dalai Lama to propose that the line should end with him. Now that he had changed his mind, the way ahead is far from clear. In recent years, the Dalai Lama had already begun to moderate his original no-more-Dalai-Lama position saying that he had been referring to a situation when he could return to Tibet. If that did not happen , he said, the process of democratising the leadership of Tibetans would continue but the Dalai Lama would also remain as a spiritual guide. The recent announcement seems to move along the same path. But he must know how difficult it will be to install a new Dalai Lama. For a start, the monks will have to find a reincarnation within the Tibetan community in exile. It is unlikely that the Chinese will let them look within Chinese-controlled Tibet. Also read | The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: How Indian chefs are reinventing global flavours The monk tasked with guiding the search usually meditates and says he receives divine signals telling him where to look. Then, after a possible reincarnation has been identified he is put through many tests and he is expected to show familiarity with objects left behind by the last Dalai Lama. The current Dalai Lama was found by such a process. But it is even more complicated than it sounds because 20 years ago the Dalai Lama told me that he believed he was a reincarnation of a previous Dalai Lama — probably the Fifth Dalai Lama — whose life he kept dreaming about. This would suggest that he was not, in fact, the reincarnation of his immediate predecessor. On the other hand, aren't all Dalai Lamas reincarnations of the same person, the first Dalai Lama? Buddhist theology is not always easy for outsiders to understand which will make it easier for the Chinese to offer their own interpretation and to find their own reincarnation as they did with the Panchen Lama. Equally they may decide that the line ended with this Dalai Lama and treat all future Dalai Lamas as pretenders. In the years since the Dalai Lama fled to India, China has grown enormously in wealth and global power. That Tibet should still be an international issue today is mainly down to one man and his efforts: the current Dalai Lama. Once he is out of the picture the international community may find it easier to ignore the next Dalai Lama and to toe the Chinese line. India will stand by the Tibetans in exile and by the Dalai Lama's chosen successor. But will the rest of the world? It seems less and less likely.
Irish Examiner
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Rory Gallagher remembered 25 years on in five iconic gigs
As the 25th anniversary of the death of the beloved Cork guitarist occurs on Sunday, Des O'Driscoll looks back at some of his seminal performances Cavern Club, Cork, 1966 By the time Rory Gallagher moved to Cork in 1956 at the age of eight, a combination of hearing US armed forces' radio in Derry where he'd been living, and growing up in a household where both parents loved music, ensured the seeds of his future career were well and truly planted. Even in his childhood years Rory had the self-discipline to spend hours practising on his acoustic guitar. His big 'breakthrough' came when he won a talent competition at Cork City Hall around 1960. In what was the first of his many encounters with the media, a delighted 12-year-old came into the offices of the Cork Examiner and Evening Echo on Academy Street in the city to proudly pose for a picture holding his guitar on the roof of the building. The first album he ever bought, The Buddy Holly Story, was purchased from a bookshop on Shandon Street, and the emergence of the new wave of British bands from 1963 onwards had spawned a small 'beat' scene in this country that provided an alternative to the dominant showbands. It was a movement the teenage Gallagher identified with, even though it was the showbands that provided an important outlet for him to hone his skills as a musician. A huge gig for his generation came in 1965 with the visit by the Rolling Stones to the Savoy, and Gallagher had saved for weeks for a ticket. That Stones gig helped inspire the burgeoning music scene in Cork, and by 1966 Rory, his brother Donal were involved in a new club on Leitrim Street in Cork. Rory Gallagher with The Taste in The Cavern in Cork in 1966. Picture: Courtesy of Donal Gallagher A labyrinth of a building, The Cavern catered for a mostly 15-to-17-year-old age group. With just a mineral bar forrefreshments, and luminous paint on the wall to up thecool-factor, that early club provided the main venue in the city for the kids who wanted to take a different path to the showbands. Donal had even set up a primitive set of record decks — basically, two record players rigged up inside a box from Harrington's bakery — and he'd play records during the breaks in between bands. By 1966, one of the most popular attractions at the venue were The Taste, fronted by his brother. By then, 18-year-old Rory had already clocked up an impressive CV of experience with other bands, touring to the UK and Spain. But this new three-piece really gave him an opportunity to forge his own path, and some of those early gigs in The Cavern are still an 'I was there' moment for Corkonians of his generation. Isle Of Wight Festival, August 28, 1970 by Ed Power Taste's acclaimed performance at the 1970 Isle Of WightFestival, saw Gallagher's band share a bill with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and Leonard Cohen. Watching Gallagher, bassist Richard McCracken and drummer John Wilson proceed, loosely and louchely, through a repertoire of rollicking blues numbers at Isle of Wight, it is clear you are witnessing an outfit at the very height of their abilities. At the time, they were regarded as peers of Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin — Live At The Isle of Wight makes clear why this was so. The documentary, by respected director Murray Lerner, follows Gallagher and his crew in the days preceding the festival, providing a revealing snapshot of a young artist shortly to claim an enduring slice of rock immortality. For admirers of Gallagher — and students of early ''70s rock generally — it makes for fascinating viewing. 'When Taste hit the stage the festival ignited,' recalls Donal Gallagher. 'Murray Lerner had come to the Isle of Wight planning to shoot one of two numbers per band because he had a limited quantity of tape and he wanted to save it for The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Joni Mitchell. When he saw Taste, he kept the cameras rolling for over an hour, which was extraordinary and speaks to the impact they had. They electrified the festival.' Alas, the wheels came off shortly after Isle of Wight as Taste split suddenly. Ambitious but also loyal and decent minded, Gallagher was scarred by the experience, his brother reveals. He'd never had any interest in a solo career. For him, Taste had been the vehicle by which he hoped to make his dreams reality. 'They broke up for managerial reasons,' says Donal. 'Rory was keen to get out of his management contract. It was a conflict between Rory and the manager. Rory knew exactly where he wanted to go. The other two sided with the manager and formed a band called Stud, which was very short-lived. They found out the hard way what Rory was trying to tell them.' With his group fallen apart and a rosy future plunged into sudden uncertainty, Gallagher faced the biggest crisis of his short career. 'At the time he felt as if the world was falling in,' says Donal. 'Here was a band that had stolen the show at the Isle of Wight. And yet he felt his hands were tied contractually. He felt betrayed — and never looked back at Taste again.' Macroom Mountain Dew, June 26, 1977 Rory Gallagher in Macroom in 1977; top, the stage at the gig. Pictures: Irish Examiner Rory Gallagher didn't just headline Ireland's first majo routdoor rock festival – he also had a big hand in organising it. At least, he did via his brother Donal who was drafted in to ensure Rory's set would be a success. The guitarist had been reluctant to sign up to play at Macroom, a town which even by the standards of Ireland at the time had little experience of putting on such events. However, the fact that his mother Monica de Roiste's people were from the nearby area of Cúil Aodha was used to put some pressure on to convince him to play. The trade-off was that his trusty brother, who had been with him through his career and possessed a wealth of technical and organisational experience, would be hands on for the festival. Donal drafted in the likes of Mike Lowe, a sound system expert from Liverpool who went on to design rigs for of Pink Floyd and U2; and Joe Herlihy, the Cork man who would end up as U2's sound engineer for decades. Their hard work got the nod of approval from Rory, and the 10,000 fans who paid £2.50 a ticket for the gig were treated to a proper sound system for a typically energetic gig. It was a productive era for Rory, the gig came in the year following his Calling Card album, often ranked by fans as among his best. See the book, Macroom Mountain Dew, by Roz Crowley Rockpalast, Germany, August 28, 1982 Rory Gallagher on stage at Rockpalast in 1982. At the picturesque spot of Loreley on the Rhine, there's a legend about an enchanting woman who distracts boatmen and leads them to their death. In 1982, however, Rory Gallagher was the one doing the seducing with a storming set that was also broadcast across the continent. As with his first appearance at a Rockpalast concert in 1977, it was an event that was groundbreaking in terms of broadcasting technology, as it was among the first live broadcasts of an outdoor gig in stereo. The concert had come two years after the release of Jinx, an album that had marked the end of a six-album deal with Chrysalis. Being off the road in later years was a mixed blessing for Rory, but his brother Donal Gallagher recalls his brother being happy at that time to be free of the pressures of the annual album-and-tour grind. 'It gave him the freedom and time to work on his music and just to breathe,' says Donal. Rory was also happy to be sharing the bill with Eric Burdon, a longtime hero of his, and the two had an association that went all the way back to the Acadia in the mid-1960s when Rory and The Impact showband had supported The Animals at the Cork venue. Footage from the Rockpalast gig has been re-shown on German TV this week to mark the anniversary of Rory's death and shows Burdon and Gallagher playing together on 'Knocking On Heaven's Door' at a mass jam to finish the concert. The Marquee, New York,March 30, 1991 Rory Gallagher's final gig in the US came at a mixed time in his life. A world tour had turned into a logistical nightmare because of the outbreak of the first Gulf War, and personal issues had come to the fore that had seen him spend a few weeks in a rehab clinic. While booze seemed to be an obvious issue to those around him, it had also emerged around this time that prescribed drugs were causing even more of a problem. Medication to ease his anxieties around flying, and sleeping pills to fight his insomnia, became part of a serious issue that would take its toll on his body and eventually lead to his death following a liver transplant barely four years later. 'I thought keeping Rory on the road was better than keeping him off the road,' recalls his brother Donal of a difficult time for all concerned. But there were reasons for optimism as the band flew from Australia to California on March 2. Rory had been 'on the dry' for a few weeks, and got a kick out of having two birthdays as he crossed the International Dateline on his 43rd birthday. As the tour began, he was also reminded of the esteem he was held in by the music world when Slash from Guns N'Roses showed up backstage to pay homage at the Hollywood gig. By the time they reached New York a month later, word had seeped out that Rory was going to part company with Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O'Neill, the rhythm section who had been at the heart of his line-up for the previous ten years (with bassist McAvoy going all the way back to 1971). That news had increased the hype for the gig, and the promoter was happy to make the most of the huge demand for tickets. 'It was absolutely packed,' recalls Donal Gallagher. Somehow, the New York Fire Department got wind of how crowded the venue was and soon showed up amidst a wail of sirens. As the gig continued, Donal found himself negotiating between the fire department, the police who were threatening to arrest the promoter, and Rory who was having a great time on stage. 'I said, 'Look, if you pull the plug and he has to go off the stage, that's going to cause even more damage',' Donal recalls. 'I asked the fire department guy if he could just do two more numbers, and he replied: 'OK, he can do two more numbers, as long as one of them is 'Messin With the Kid'!' Rory duly obliged, and then finished out his set with 'Bullfrog Blues', the classic Mississippi Delta number that was a fitting choice to bring the curtain down on his association with a country that had done so much to inspire his music from an early age.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Is gastro-tourism the new way to travel?
Are you a gastro-tourist? It's not a term I use very much but maybe I should! It was The New York Times that got me thinking. Reporting on the announcement of the list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants a few days ago, the Times listed the familiar criticisms of the way the list is compiled. Also read | The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Is the era of the anonymous restaurant critic over? Gastro-tourism is a a burgeoning trend.(Pexels) Though these criticisms have been made before — ever since the list was hijacked by food PR agencies and so-called influencers — and the Times was more restrained in its sneering compared to many food platforms, I was struck by one term in the report. After commenting on the deeply unsatisfactory way the list is compiled (rumours say that 50 Best will soon clean up its act, but who knows?) The Times added 'Nonetheless, the list has become a popular tool for gastrotourists.' Gastrotourists? Is that a thing? I asked around and discovered that it was indeed a burgeoning trend. Many tourists plan whole vacations just to eat at one or two of the restaurants on the list. This involves booking months in advance (because most of these restaurants are always full) and then, only if the reservation comes through, will the mechanics of the trip — buying air tickets, booking hotels etc — be considered. It's different from other kinds of tourism in the sense that, if you and I go to Italy then all the things we want to see, from the monuments to the natural beauty, will always be there. But for a gastro tourist the trip will not happen if bookings at say, Le Calandre or Piazza Duomo are not available. Also read | The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: The culinary trends that have lost their magic Even a decade ago this would have seemed incredible. But now it is the norm. At most world-famous restaurants, up to 80% of the guests are tourists (often from Asia). They have made the trip, flying thousands of miles just to eat a single lunch or one very expensive dinner. (This is less true of London or Paris and in Tokyo, the really top restaurants are too snobbish to let tourists in.) Are the meals worth the expense? The restaurant bill is not the real cost here though typically, it is always high. It's the flights and the hotels that make up most of the expense. I am not sure what the right answer to the 'is it worth it' question is because a meal is now worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. But chefs are aware that most of their guests don't just want a good meal. They want something that looks spectacular on Instagram; something they can brag about to their friends. So, there will be lots of caviar and truffles and every plate will be designed to look good on social media. Chefs know that gastrotourists are one-time visitors. Just as most of us see the Colosseum only once before moving on to another destination, Gastrotourists rarely go back to the same restaurant. They look for the next fancy place to hit. It's not the food that matters as much as the bragging. Has this changed the way in which the world's top restaurants design their food? I believe that it has. To win three Michelin stars you need to demonstrate creativity and consistency because you never know when a Michelin inspector might be in the house. Likewise, in Paris or New York where critics go again and again to a restaurant before reviewing it. Now because most guests will never come back and getting on to all the best restaurant lists is only a question of spending enough money on influencers and PR, there is less incentive to be consistent, creative or even, to make tasty food. Your profitably depends on PR and hype more than it does on the quality of the food. If you look at the toppers of the 50 Best list a decade ago, they were all restaurants that transformed gastronomy: El Bulli, The Fat Duck, The French Laundry, Noma, etc . Will many of the restaurants on recent lists change the way we eat? Well, some of them: Maybe. But mostly: Probably not. Also read | The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Why Indian chefs hide their recipes There are still many ways to find good restaurants — the Michelin guides, reviews in such publications as Le Monde or The New York Times and a few specialist food sites — and despite the criticism of the lists of best restaurants, while I may not rely on them, I will always support anything that helps chefs and restaurants make money. But it is very hard to deny that over the last decade, the concept of a great restaurant has changed because gastrotourists vastly outnumber locals and constitute the overwhelming majority of guests. Speaking for myself, I often have to travel professionally for work purposes to try out and review restaurants, so that probably doesn't count as gastrotourism. But there are times when my wife and I have spent our own money and travelled only for meals. We went to Modena seven years ago to eat at Osteria Francescana. We made two special trips to Bray for The Fat Duck and The Hind's Head. We spent several days in Sichuan province only because I wanted to understand the food. We took a train from Barcelona to go and have lunch at Sant Pau and I have travelled to three different cities to eat at incarnations of Noma (Sydney, Kyoto and Copenhagen). And last month I made a day trip to Bilbao to eat at Etxebarri. Every single trip was more than worth it and I would happily do all of them again. So, what's the difference between me and a gastro tourist? It's hard to say. Most of us like to look down on all tourists when we travel: 'It's too touristy' or 'it's a tourist trap' are common putdowns. We never face up to the fact that we are tourists too when we travel? However much we may pride ourselves on our discernment or taste. So, I make no value judgements about gastro-tourism. All I will say is that it now dominates gastronomy at the highest level. And I am not sure that restaurants that are so cut off from their communities and do not cater to locals are necessarily a good thing.
News18
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Who Is Tristen Epps? All You Need To Know About The Top Chef Season 22 Winner
Last Updated: Here is everything you need to know about Tristen Epps, who bagged the winning trophy in season 22 of Top Chef. Season 22 of the reality show Top Chef, featuring several aspiring chefs competing for the coveted title, has come to an end, and we got the winner – Tristen Epps. He has showcased impeccable culinary skills, impressing the judges to creatively whip up every storm to escape the elimination rounds. Throughout the entire season featuring 14 episodes, he has won hearts of the judges and foodies around the world. On the final episode of the cooking reality show Top Chef season 2, Tristen Epps was crowned the winner after competing against two other finalists – Bailey Sullivan and Shuai Wang. Making his fans proud, Epps prepared a four-course meal to ace the final challenge of the game. Additionally, it was the progressive meaning of his dishes and the Afro-Caribbean roots which got the likes from judges, including Richard Blais and Gregory Goudet. Talking about his extraordinary dish that helped Epps to win the season, it featured his mission to 'un-colonise" food. As per a report by Fandomwire, for the first course, he prepared monkfish served alongside pickled turnips and baccalà mbongo. Following this, the second course featured Pollo 'dorengo" with shrimp toast and shellfish jus, the third dish-oxtail Milanese with curry butter and bone marrow gremolata, and the final and fourth one was a tropical root vegetable cake with plantain cream and cassareep sorbet. All of them were incredibly thoughtful and prepared to leave a mark among food enthusiasts around the world. Who Is Tristen Epps? Coming to Tristen Epps, who won the 22nd season of Bravo's Top Chef, the maestro hails from Trinidad, a country in the Caribbean. Although he bagged the winning trophy, mid-way during the show, he had already given up his dream after the passing of his father. Nevertheless, he gained courage, and dedicated his victory to his late dad. After his win, he reportedly said, 'I didn't do it for me; I did it for so many people. Somebody believed in me enough on their deathbed," leaving his fans moved. Right from his childhood, Epps had a liking towards cooking, and while he travelled the world with his military mother, he developed cooking as his passion. Ahead of appearing in Top Chef, Epps has also appeared in a number of cooking reality TV shows. Talking about his professional education, he has a degree in Culinary Arts and Food & Beverage Industry Management, which he pursued from Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, New York. Following gaining valuable cooking lessons, he participated in ABC's The Taste in 2014 and a number of series, including All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Taste, Chopped and also Top Chef in 2006. First Published:
Pink Villa
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Who is Tristen Epps? All About Top Chef Season 22 Winner Impressing Judges With Extraordinary Culinary Skills
Tristen Epps was crowned the winner of Top Chef season 22. The Houston star impressed the judges with his extraordinary culinary skills and the flavors while competing against the other two finalists, Bailey Sullivan and Shuai Wang. Epps served a four-course meal for his final challenge, which not only had the best taste but also included a deep-rooted meaning. The finale episode of the reality show also marked the return of the chef judges from the previous seasons, who joined the contestants as sous chefs. Other guest judges also included Richard Blais and Gregory Goudet. Moreover, Epps' final dish had Afro-Caribbean roots. Who is Tristen Epps? Tristen Epps, who was born in Trinidad, went on to win the 22nd season of Bravo's Top Chef. He developed an interest in cooking from his childhood days, as he spent most of his time traveling the world with his mother, who is in the military. Epps is known to immerse himself completely in the food culture of the countries he travels to. Additionally, the winner of the reality TV show earned his degree in Culinary Arts and Food & Beverage Industry Management from Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, New York. Ahead of competing in Top Chef, Epps went on to participate in ABC's The Taste in 2014. Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who was also a part of the 1024 show, went on to become Tristen's mentor, on and off screen. Meanwhile, following his win on Top Chef, Epps dedicated his victory to his late father. He said, "I didn't do it for me; I did it for so many people." He added, "Somebody believed in me enough on their deathbed," referring to his father passing away while the chef was competing in the show. After the tragic news, Tristen Epps had almost made up his mind to quit the competition. However, he stayed back and made history.
