Now, romance the Chinese fishing nets with a Kerala meal aboard
The Hindu
In Kerala, fine dining gets adventurous as meals are served on Chinese fishing nets, boats, a cliff’s edge and in a cave
Have you ever experienced the Chinese fishing nets in full glory? Seen and felt the 14 th century shore lift nets in operation? The giant contraption possibly brought to Malabar coast by Chinese explorer Zheng He are now setting for a memorable twilight dinner.
Gopinath Parayil, a pioneer of Responsible Tourism and founder, The Blue Yonder, curated, Nilaval , a unique dining experience, as the finale of a one-day tour, Pokkali: The Story of Rice. The experience focuses on climate change, depleting catch and the precarious conditions of the community who live by the nets.
As travellers get more discerning and conscious about global ecology, tourism stakeholders in Kerala have stepped up their act by offering unique eating out experiences—breakfast at a hill top, dinner on a boat, in a cave, full moon night dinners—that combine the serious with the sublime.
By the Chinese Fishing Nets
At 5.30pm I am at the land’s end in Ezhikkara, a small island village, for the twilight dinner on the nets. Prasad helps me on to a country boat tied alongside an adjacent canal. As he punts steadily against the excited waters, we are into a breathtaking expanse dotted with Chinese fishing nets.
Strong sunshine, breeze and water make for a dramatic setting as the boat sails past the nets towards the coastline on the opposite side. The mighty Periyar loops the island of Ezhikkara while Veeranpuzha (the river of the warriors) which holds the nets links the water bodies. In an hour of punting the sun turns a red ball that sinks fast into a rising twilight. The birds — terns, gulls, cormorants,crows, egrets— begin their homeward journey as we too head for our dinner amid growing darkness and the sound of lapping waters.
The first stars appear in the sky above and lights flicker on the distant coastlines. The far flung Chinese nets show up from the glow of the battery lights fitted on them. We slowly arrive on the deck of our fishing net, suffused with the light of a few candles in glass cases fitted on the posts.