Bangla Ranna
In an introduction essay to his wife, Amiya Chaudhuri's book on Traditional Indian Cooking, the celebrated (and acerbic) man of letters, Author NIRAD C. CHAUDHURI, explained the Bengali way of cooking and eating, with all its traditions and rituals, in fascinating detail. Excerpts from that essay...

The Governor�s Tea Party
MARK MANUEL had tea with West Bengal Governor VIREN SHAH and discovered he is a foodie with gourmet plans for the Raj Bhavan�s kitchen.

That�s Entertainment On Park Street
Calcutta drummer boy NANDAN BAGCHI, who is one of the city's great gourmets and a renowned food critic for the leading publications, says Park Street is still Calcutta�s most happening night life place. There's food and entertainment, and atmosphere from the 1960s.

Sidewok Breakfast!
Restaurateur NELSON WANG, who was born and bred in Calcutta, recommends the Chinese food and eating out in the City of Joy. Breakfast at Chinatown, and dinner at Tangra. Despite the great lure, he will not take his China Garden to Calcutta.

Cha Cha Cha
If tea is the national drink of India, then it is a major vice for the Bengali after fish and before mishti doi. Dolly Roy, India's first woman tea taster and auctioneer, is the best person in Calcutta to share a �cuppa with, finds TONI GILL.

Our Hilsa�s Better!
How different is Bangladeshi food from Calcutta�s? According to MASTER CHEF ROBERT GOMES of the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, the hilsa that swims in the Padma River across the border is certainly better table fare than its cousin from the Hooghly. Bengali foodies agree.

Bangla Ranna at Kewpie�s
Dinner at Kewpie�s, from left: PR person Rita Bhimani, designer duo - siblings Mona Lamba and Pali Sachdev (of �Monapali� fame) with tea man Prodosh Sen in between, cricket commentator Kishore Bhimani and Gini Sen, editor of Hanrir Khobor.