For the beef-eater, Delhi is a hardship posting. Once in a while, I scamper off to a five-star hotel to sample a bit of buffalo meat. But even that consolation is notto be in my Nizamuddin barsati. "Satye Singh is a great cook," my predecessor told me as he bequeathed his flat and household staff. "But never ask him to make steak. We used to once in a while," he confided. "Until the day he came up to me and said, sahib, cooking beef is like cooking my own mother!" Satye Singh has since been solemnly assured not only that he will never be required to prepare steak, but also that his kitchen will never be sullied by the meat of cow or buffalo.