The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

High Table

Thus far, Ramanujan’s time in England had been a personal success, despite the wartime conditions of Europe at the time. This section provides the first indication that living conditions have begun to take a toll on Ramanujan. Kanigel describes how Ramanujan learned to cook for himself and even went so far as to cook dinner for a newly married Indian couple who were friends of his. When the couple did not ask for additional servings, Ramanujan, embarrassed, fled from his home. He disappeared for four whole days. Once again, the panic brought on by embarrassment made Ramanujan act irrationally, a tendency that would increase during this period of his life. Kanigel then discusses the importance of food in Ramanujan’s life in England. As a practicing Brahmin, Ramanujan was a strict vegetarian. This posed challenges while in England. He developed a distaste for English food, including the way vegetables were prepared: bland and plain. He constantly tried to secure imported food to better suit his tastes. The High Table at Trinity was a gathering place where colleagues and peers gathered to share meals but also to engage in banter unrelated to work. Because of his dislike of the food, Ramanujan was mostly absent from these communal gatherings.