‘Abe toh isme mera kya fayda’ – Fans react as Kerala Chef shares heartwarming story of Virat Kohli from 2018
Virat Kohli and Suresh Pillai (Source – Twitter)
Famous chef Kerala Suresh Pillai discussed his experience cooking Kerala Sadya with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli. He had the good fortune to cook for the Indian players in 2018 during the ODI between India and the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram. According to Pillai, Kohli, who was the only vegetarian player from the Indian team, had a 24-course supper, while the other players were served a variety of fish dishes.
Pillai was then working at Kovalam Rawis when the Indian team came to Thiruvananthapuram for an ODI match. He revealed that the cooking staff prepared a rich seafood platter for the Indian team by bringing in the best fresh fish from the Arabian Sea and Ashtamudi Bay. However, they got to know that Kohli is vegetarian, and then Pillai said that he can prepare Sadya for him as it is one of the best vegetarian food that Kerala can offer.
Kohli was adamant that he should not waste the food: Chef Pillai
Pillai said that, when he asked Kohli, can he prepare Sadya for him, the former Indian captain said yes and it was like music to his years. His exact words were, “’Being a big Kohli fan, it was like music to my ears when he enthusiastically said yes.’ A feast of 24 people lined up especially fast for him. It is not easy to prepare a feast for just one person. And yet we did it.”
“To make sure he was alright, I personally went to his room. Yet I was taken aback by what followed. What do you do with food that is left over? Kohli questioned me. I made the unpleasant announcement that since it was a one-time supper, we would discard it. He quickly responded, ‘May I have the rest of the night?’”
“The hotel had a strict food safety rule that food served to guests should not be stored. Along with that, the Indian Cricket Board also had strict guidelines regarding the food to be given to the players. So we had to politely decline his request. However, Kohli was adamant that he should not waste the food prepared for him. He kept asking again to give the rest of the meal for the night. Finally, we had to give in,” Chef Pillai revealed this through a social media post.
Here’s how fans reacted:
https://twitter.com/Khush_Thakkar12/status/1645343853854208002?s=20
https://twitter.com/roemotion4545/status/1645347019459018753?s=20
Can some one tell what is sadya and how is the taste ?
— saksham🇮🇳 (@kankaria8196) April 10, 2023
That's why Virat Kohli is GOAT
— S¹⁸ (@imsaurav_vk) April 10, 2023
could have easily asked for the food to be donated among the homeless. but bhukkhad ko khud khaana tha
— Cheeku Dada (@cheekudada) April 10, 2023
— Anirban Ghoshᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ (@Anirban_Ghosh_) April 10, 2023
https://twitter.com/CricCrazyDK/status/1645343756596441089?s=20
Don’t we all do this at home?
— ravitej sahu (@ravitejsahu) April 10, 2023
