Curry Club Close-Up: Some Pilau Talk With Trampy Himself
Everyone in the Glasgow of Curry brotherhood loves curry – but wouldn't it be intriguing to discover more about the men behind the menu choices? In this occasional Q&A series, we'll be journeying into the curry-obsessed mindpans of prominent members, continuing with one of our revered co-founders, a man who will always be a legend in his own mind – and an uncannily gifted wordsmith for whom happiness is a warm pun (usually warmed-over, at that). Name: Trampy
How did you decide upon your nickname? It's a long, picaresque story involving white chocolate cheesecake and Walt Disney. The whole sorry tale is recounted here.
Favourite Glasgow curry house: This is where people usually say the Shish Mahal but I'm going to go out on a limb and nominate The Wee Curry Shop, Cowcaddens branch. I've had countless cheap lunches in that tiny room in Buccleuch Street, and many fine evening meals too. It's a place filled with memories, mostly moaning about work.
Second favourite Glasgow curry house: Oh, go on then: the Shish Mahal. My maths teacher in secondary school – a Glasgow boy through and through – cried real tears when the original Gibson Street premises fell down due to subsidence.
Favourite Glasgow curry takeaway: When I lived on Gibson Street I used to enjoy the rather vague-sounding but delicious-tasting "chicken curry" from the Koh-I-Noor takeaway over the road. But the last great takeaway experience I had was actually TATTGOC's indoor adventure with the Banana Leaf.
All-time favourite curry dish: Chilli and garlic chicken at the Wee Curry Shop – mind the Doublemint.
All-time curry idol: Arthur Curry – also known as Aquaman. He wrote an awesome review of Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe that I sometimes wish I'd written myself.
Rice or naan? I am particularly partial to a hot, parachute-sized naan – no raisins or sultanas in my peshwari, though. Hate the wee bastarts.
Favourite curry lager: Cobra, although I'd switch to Kingfisher or Lal Toofan in a heartbeat if they sent TATTGOC a case of lager, every month, for life.
What's the most exotic place you've had a curry? I went on a press trip to India once, seven or eight years ago, and while the experience was mindblowing, the food often wasn't that authentic: as a guest of the tourist board, I was often put up in faded five-star resorts that offered mostly westernised fare. But I did get to go on an overnight boat trip in Kerala where the captain and crew caught my dinner in front of me, then cooked up an incredible meal with uncommonly fat rice. Sitting on that boat, eating that fish curry, floating upriver into what was essentially a tropical jungle, I remember thinking "I never want to forget this moment". I tried to write something to that effect in the comments book, and discovered that Jeremy Irons and his family had been on the very same boat the week before. So I just wrote "Goan yersel Jezza!" even though it had nothing to do with Goa.
Can you actually make a decent curry yourself at home? Absolutely not. The Tramp will tell you about the one time all the magical curry-cooking stars aligned and I came up with a bizarre surf'n'turf style curry for a dinner party that was genuinely, headspinningly awesome. I haven't dared try and repeat it since.
If so, can we all come round for our tea? Only if you bring your own tea, and some for me too. And some Cobra. And a bottle of Bailie Nicol Jarvie. Call it an icebreaker ...
If you could enjoy a curry dinner-for-two with anyone, either alive or dead, who would it be? I kinda wish I'd tried to go for a curry with my bezzie showbiz mate Dominik Diamond before he emigrated to Nova Scotia without telling me. And I can't decide whether going for a curry with Marvel Comics godhead Stan Lee would be awesome or just tiresome. ("Exclesior! You know I've got a cameo in Iron Man 2?"; "Yeah, you already told me that, Stan.") So I'll say Joseph Conrad because ... well, I'm incredibly pretentious.
What is your favourite curry pun? I will happily take full credit for coining "bawsaag". In many ways, it's the perfect pun.
What creature or object would you say best symbolises your personality? For the picture, like? I'll go for the classic Spectrum 48k ... as I rarely go for 48 hours without being called "Speccy".
A revealing insight into the psyche of Trampy, there. Who will be next to bare their curry soul in Pilau Talk? And wasn't Ravi Peshwari supposed to send back his answers, like, two months ago? Stay tuned ...
A revealing insight into the psyche of Trampy, there. Who will be next to bare their curry soul in Pilau Talk? And wasn't Ravi Peshwari supposed to send back his answers, like, two months ago? Stay tuned ...
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1 comments:
Is that 2 months already!?