The Hindu Business Line : God's own dishes

THE next time you curse your spouse for serving up puttu and kadala or appam and stew for breakfast, pause and count your blessings. There are people around the world who are prepared to spend precious money to travel all the way to Kerala to sample some of God's own dishes.

Apparently - if an international travel magazine is to be believed - these two dishes, along with tapioca and fish curry, constitute the best and healthiest of breakfasts. That conclusion may or may not be the outcome of the public relations efforts of Kerala Tourism, but it certainly drives home the need for a concerted and focused campaign to win the hearts and souls of globetrotters.

For a State that has generated few avenues for industrial aggrandizement, tourism still appears to be the silver lining. But the recent efforts of neighbouring States could well push Kerala to the back benches.

The Union Government, for instance, has allotted Rs 1.5 crore for the development of infrastructure necessary to boost beach tourism in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district, specifically in Muttom and Thekurichi.

And Karnataka's Tourism Department has embarked on a project to prepare an archaeological directory of the important monuments and places of interest that could be projected as tourist spots to visitors from both within the country and abroad. The archaeological directory is expected to list 1,360 monuments - including Humpi - out of the estimated 20,000 monuments in the State. A directory of artistes of culture and folklore of the State is also planned.

The problem that Kerala now needs to tackle is how to reinvent itself as a destination of choice for the international traveller. As marketing gurus Al Ries and Jack Trout say, "Marketing battles are not fought in places like Dallas, Detroit or Denver. Marketing battles are fought inside the mind."

Remember the old proverb: the way to the heart is through the stomach. Cuisine is as good a way to capture the mind of the weary international traveller as any other. Kerala has a bouquet of cuisines to offer ranging from the Malabar Muslim delicacies to the exotic Travancore Syrian Christian dishes. Not to forget the traditional food of the Hindu extended families.

The Casino Group had a visit from a large delegation of US chefs, food and travel writers. And their taste buds were really impressed by the bite and tang of the Kerala spread. Several of them have promised to come back for a second helping. And, the Casino Group was optimistic that they will be the ambassadors for Kerala's cuisine in foreign lands.

The foreign traveller is not interested in soup and soufflé. That he can get in large measure in any part of the world he travels. But not so, the puttu and kadala or the appam and stew. And that is what the large hoteliers as well as the smaller resort keepers are banking on today.

Can Kerala continue to capture the minds and imaginations of weary travellers? The answer to that will have to come from beyond the backwaters.

The writer can be contacted at kg@tug.org.in

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