I have been a part of Indiblogger for far shorter duration than many other bloggers,so whenever there is an IndiBlogger meet,I get very excited to attend it because they are fun and it is always nice to connect with other passionate bloggers! When I got invite for attending a Quaker Bowl Indimeet being organized in conjunction with Quaker Oats, I almost jumped with happiness because I am not a good cook but I love oats. Not only do I use it for breakfast with fruits but also in making poha and uttapam,something that I learnt from my mom! The IndiBlogger meet was on Sunday 10th April at the gorgeous J W Marriott, Juhu and we were going to meet a surprise celebrity chef.
The event started a bit late but it was made up for by the huge fun we had. First we had the brilliant IndiBlogger team making us laugh by showing us Taher Shah's Angel and making us dance a bit and then the surprise was revealed-we had Chef Vikas Khanna joining us! He is PepsiCo's Nutrition Ambassador and heavily involved in the process of spreading message of health and battling malnutrition. Wow, not only is he so handsome, he is also so humble! He made the morning lively with jokes, a lot of stories about Punjab and his childhood and also knowledge about health and nutrition. As I said,I am not a good cook but I loved how he explained about the importance of using oats in versatile ways,such as in making soups and gravies instead of using butter and cream.
He also asked us some fun questions and then the fun soup-shot blind-taste round happened. There were more than 15 ingredients used in making these soups! Who could have thought of that? He also told us about increasing gluten intolerance and malnutrition statistics that made us all think of the huge impact food has on our lives and societies. Frankly, Quaker is the first name I think of when I think 'Oats' but now that I know that PepsiCo and Chef Vikas Khanna are involved in such noble task of spreading message of nutrition, my respect for Quaker has gone up manifold.
There was a food contest for us all where we used many vegetables and fruits to make something delicious out of oats. I took this opportunity to roam around and look at all the dishes other teams were making. Chef Vikas tasted all the dishes and came up with the winner which was team 10 based on taste and beauty of the dish. My team was good but we were just enjoying the event more than focusing on any contest. After all the food for thought,we were served some amazing dishes in the brunch that followed. I was amazed to find some delicious dishes made with oats such as brownies and paneer makhani gravy that are traditionally made using loads of butter,ghee etc.! Such a healthy initiative this is!
We were all given a parting gift of a pack of Quaker Oats and a cookbook. I am still trying to get my strength to actually try these recipes. But I will never forget how much amazing knowledge I have gathered by joining in this event and how down to earth Chef Vikas is! He personally went around taking hundreds of selfies with every person present there. Add to that,the brilliant Indiblogger team made sure that we were all taken care of,even the ones who are new to this family! And PepsiCo,Quaker Team made sure that they brought home the message of nutrition which is the need of the hour. Thank you Indiblogger and Quaker India for this opportunity.
