As winter opened markets to succulent pools or ange and black radishes and carrors, coloured certs tomatoes, and dark leafy grvens chef Ashutosh Neriekar of The Park, Chennai, spot red in this farm fresh winter produce , a potential fare that could give his guests a new meaning to life, possibly a much longer one.

Although tweaked slightly to the Indian context, his inspiration came from the culinary and lifestyle secrets of the world’s Blue Zones Okinawa, Japan Sardinia, Italy. Nicoya Costa Rica, Icaria, Greece, and Loma Linda California.

In 2003, after extensive trave ling and research National Geograph ic fellow and author from the United States. Dan Beuttner found that the five aforementioned places were home to most number of people who lived up to a 100 years or more, and also aged happily while at it. The Blue Zone life, he inferred, was a combination of tra ditional locally grown food consump tion, conscious living, physical activ RX strong interpersonal relationships and spiritual leaning He said these chokes led to the least occurrence of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart diseases in these populations.