Musgrave foodie enjoys BBC dining experience

DURBAN was the scene for fine or flop-filled dining in the latest episode of the popular BBC reality show Come Dine With Me South Africa when Musgrave mega fan, Jeffrey Titus had his dream come true last month when he got to be part of the show.

Curry king, Jeffrey Titus moved to Durban nearly a year ago from India. The mega Come Dine With Me fan said he loved the show, especially the “life and humour David Lamb adds” as commentator. He had watched youtube videos because the show was not broadcast in India, when he saw the adverts inviting participants for the new seasons and jumped at the opportunity.

A big foodie at heart with secret desires for an acting career, the market researcher and Bollywood’s answer to Seth Rogan, easily made it through to the show. “I don’t eat to live, I live to eat,” he joked.

“We went to completely different and diverse backgrounds, our group had Portugese, Italian and African backgrounds making it a good mix and melting pot of cultures (not curries),” he laughed while recounting his experience.

Titus said none of the contestants in his team had faced the camera previously so they all got a taste of the entertainment industry and developed healthy respect for actors. “It was a whirlwind experience of fun every single night. We got to know each other and got to taste some culinary delights that deserved to be on the show as well as culinary disappointments that deserved to be in the bin!”

The Rajastani born Titus held his own in the kitchen making his favourite, Indian cuisine. “I prepared a vegetarian option for the mains because I didn’t want room for error. I went as far as shaving my hairy arms so I could knead the dough for my baked wheat dumplings, I didn’t want anything to go wrong! I was taking it that seriously, although my wife was not impressed,” he added laughing.

His menu included a starter of Malai Daar Tangri Kebab (marinated chicken legs in black pepper sauce on the bone), a main of Laal Maas (meat) Curry, a fiery red lamb curry, usually prepared with red chillies but he made it mild for his guests and Indian Rice Kheer (pudding). “I tasted all my food before serving, making sure is was perfect, and being the last to host the party the results were announced at my place so there was extra pressure. The most tense part of the night is when the scoring takes place and every minute feels like an hour,” he said.

Five hours and just as many bottles of wine later the evening was over and although Titus did not win he was happy to finally be part of the show he loved. “There are more people challenges than cooking challenges. Some people can be offensive and you have to smile and be very tolerant,” he added.

Looking forward, Titus, who is a Food Channel fan, hopes to one day have his own cooking show. “I would jump at the opportunity to travel Africa or South Africa tasting the diverse cuisine and creating my own,” he said.