If the Bosses in my family had to have their own reality TV show like Cake Boss, this is what they would be called...
Biryani Boss
When he’s not wowing the world with biryani, here are the interesting things the cameras might capture Biryani Boss doing:
- assembling anything from model trains to a concrete mixer to a home theater system
- chasing or being chased by chickens (yes, chickens, not chicks)
- entertaining you with bathroom humor (his muse being permanently tuned to the “flatulence jokes” frequency)
- doing his versions of other people’s versions of the Macarena
Appam Boss
The only one in our family who knows how to make appams; unfortunately rarely enters the kitchen because of excessive competition from South Indian Sappad on Banana Leaf Boss and Biryani Boss - so the cameras might gather dust. But, here are interesting other things the cameras might capture Appam Boss busy with, while waiting for the big event:
- taking calls from across the world in the middle of the night
- riding an exercise bike in her backyard (this bike needs to be seen)
- impersonating Michael Jackson complete with gloves and umbrella
- reeling off Light Rail and VTA bus numbers and station names
South Indian Sappad on Banana Leaf Boss
Extremely versatile, so you could change his name to French Cuisine Boss, Pizza Boss, Tandoori Boss, Thai Food Boss, Banofi Boss and any and all would apply. Here are the interesting things he might be doing when not wowing the world with food:
- singing Hava Nagila, which you can read about here
- keeping abreast of shipping and container industry news
- walking, swimming and doing other things to keep fit
- just being the good-natured reaching-out guy we all know him to be
Barbecue Under the Grape Vines Boss
When not grilling Portobello mushrooms and skewering onions and bell peppers with camera-ready pizzazz, he might be captured on film doing the following:
- playing the banjo or the piano
- listening attentively to his favorite talk show radio host
- working at an easel on his latest hobby - painting
- tending to his grape vines and related viticulture interests with the TLC of a future Mondavi
Pachadi Boss
Learned from a Tarla Dalal book borrowed from the San Jose Public Library, Pachadi Boss has made and served pachadi to several Westerners and even taught some to make it, among those, the one who alternatively sports orange, red or purple hair, whom you can read about here. When not chopping up raw food (which her friend Julia has convinced her, is the way to go and which you can read about here), you might find Pachadi Boss doing any of the following...
- furiously typing away on a Gateway laptop
- talking on the phone while trying to ignore dirty dishes and unmade beds
- meditating while trying to appease offspring
- keeping her Xactly Incent skills shined and primed for the next implementation project
Curry In a Hurry Boss
Can quickly whip up something for a pot-luck. When not obliging with a dish, she might be found doing any one of these interesting things:
- pampering a very spoiled cat, whom you can read about here and here
- asking where it hurts and prescribing meds to make it go away
- posting pictures, statuses and news on Facebook
- texting on her cellphone with newly learned texting skills
Chappathi Boss
The only one in our family that knows how to make chappathis. The rest of us have to buy the ready-made versions from Sai Market (a store which sells groceries and also makes good dosas), Cash n Carry, India Bazaar and other Bay Area grocery stores. When not in the kitchen, Chappathi Boss may be captured doing any of these interesting things:
- tackling a massive HR to-do list in the No. 1 social media company
- checking Slate, Pinterest and other interesting online media
- lending a sympathetic ear to cousins and friends in need
- putting ice up her nose in response to a cooking mishap
P.S. We also have other noteworthy Bosses located elsewhere - Mid-West Boss, who has dispatched many recipe books to the West Coast over the years - including the one featured in my post Top Recipe Secrets, not to mention Bosses in India - including Rasam Boss and Nani’s Recipes Boss.
P.S. 2: I am also privileged to count among my friends, bosses such as Trifle Boss, Stuffed Bell Peppers Boss, Green Smoothies Boss, Fish Biryani Boss, Pesarattu Boss, Sushi Boss, Janmashtami Almond Halwa Boss and Bigos Boss.
P.S. 3: I can name 2 Cake Boss rivals whom I have known a long time, but they are all the way in Australia. One of them recently wowed her guests with a 3-tier cake, vanilla on the base, ribbon in the center, coffee on the top. Back here in the Northern California Bay Area, Margaret’s French Bakery is a respectable Cake Boss and Tanita has fallen in love with their Tiramisu. You can check out their website here. Margaret’s creates all kinds of cakes, including custom cakes - just like the real article in New Jersey. To pick up a box of their single serve pastries or desserts, you can either head to their outlet on 750 E McGlincy Lane in Campbell, or look for them at Farmer’s Markets. I discovered them at a Kaiser’s Farmers Market.
