Corn Roaster, Marina Beach, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
I could not have chosen a better day to visit the famed Marina Beach! It was a Friday evening, and it seemed like everyone in Chennai was at the beach on that day to get a dose of the cool evening sea breeze after a very long, hot, and humid summer day. The beach was brimming with concession vendors, photographers, sellers and buyers, Romeos, young lovers, petty thieves, and children. It was chaos at its best, photographically impossible to isolate, and yet so very festive and vibrant. I was blown away by the sheer energy of this beach culture, and, as always, fascinated by the street foods. There was such a variety: from chilied mango, to samosas, to more exotic deep fried chilied fish (fresh I was told). It is the food culture of this beach that always brings me here.
Just after the sun went down, right at the blue hour, I found myself standing in front of this corn roaster. The wind was blowing in my direction and enormous sparks generated by the roasting corn were showering onto me! It was just what I was looking for that night: a glorious opportunity to showcase this culture!
The vendor was operating a simple concession stand selling roasted corn on the cob. His makeshift clay grill was kept hot by burning charcoal that was constantly pumped by a small hand blower. When someone ordered a roasted corn, he peeled the corn husk back, using it to grip the corn and rotate it, while pumping the coal furnace with the other hand. The sparks and the glow created in the process were just magical!
Once roasted, he artfully sprayed a bit of butter on the cob, a hint of lemon with a fresh squeeze, a good amount of chili powder and just a pinch of salt! He rotated the cob fast and finely coated it with uniform layers of these flavors and spices. I was mesmerized by the whole process! Needless to say I could only stand there watching his satisfied customers eating away, as I don’t have the stomach to eat it myself these days!