British Vogue - 10.2019

Devouring Rushdie

An inveterate traveller, the writer Salman Rushdie has sampled some of the

world’s best cuisine. Here, he shares mouthwatering titbits with Helena Christensen

Far left: an alfresco

feast photographed by

Arthur Elgort in 2000.

Above: Jikoni in London.

Left: Helena Christensen

with Salman Rushdie.

Below, from top: Noma in

Copenhagen; and a dish

of rainbow vegetables

served at the restaurant

XXX

ARTHUR ELGORT; DITTE ISAGER; GETTY IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK

LIVING

Helena Christensen: Hi, Salman. Where are

you right now?

Salman Rushdie: Hi. I’m at home in New York.

I’m in the north of Denmark, by the ocean.

You’re in a nicer place. Last time I was there I was lucky

enough to get a reservation at Noma. I remember I had to

squeeze lunch into a two-hour break during a book tour,

and they were bringing these courses in one after the

other. It was almost terrifying.

That sounds like a dream for me! [Laughs]

It was like that French movie, La Grande Bouffe –

people eating themselves to death.

What was the most memorable course you had?

Oh, no question, it was the rare strips of beef – on a little

piece of toast – that had ants baked into them. They were

still moving. It’s the only time I’ve ever eaten a living

thing. I read that they weren’t just any ants, but

from a particular anthill in the woods.

I wonder how you find the best anthill...

Exactly. How many anthills do you have to try?

Where do you go in London when you’re visiting family?

I tend to stick with old favourites, places like Le Caprice

and China Tang, but one restaurant I’ve been very

impressed by is Jikoni. The chef, Ravinder Bhogal, is

brilliant. Her family is Kenyan-Indian and so her food

has this very interesting Indian-African fusion element

to it, which makes it very original. I was there recently,

and had kuku paka, which is a Kenyan chicken coconut

curry. That’s now one of my favourite dishes.

How important is atmosphere to you?

I think it’s really important. I wanted to talk about

the rebirth of Pastis in New York. One of the things >

137

10-19-Living-Salman-Rushdie-Dining.indd 137 13/08/2019 10:03