Food bites only

Sushma Swaraj is the first woman external affairs minister of India, and a "woman's touch" was much in evidence at the annual lunch she hosted for journalists on Friday afternoon. Swaraj took time out of her busy schedule to select every dish on the menu, which had delicacies from Punjab and Kerala besides Gujarati kadhi, thepla and khichdi. Vegetable stew with appam, Swaraj's favourite, also featured on the menu. Swaraj hails from Ambala, Haryana, which is famous for its chaat, and a golgappa and chaat counter was a departure from the routine. Another delightful addition was a bangles counter where women journalists queued up. As for politics and foreign policy issues, Swaraj left the journalists disappointed, telling them that the day was meant only for "food bites" and not for "sound bytes".