What "Bonfire" Tastes Like

Arpana Gvalani
Dec 2
3 min read

Third Eye Blind — Bonfire

Gostana Chicken Burger (minus the secret sauce)

(Track 3 of the “What A Song Tastes Like” series)

The Song That I Thought They Never Played

For the longest time, I was convinced Third Eye Blind did not play “Bonfire” at their Mumbai gig in 2012.

I even said it in my reel with full confidence.

Then I recently found the setlist.

There, right at the bottom, it says:

BONFIRE REPRISE

So clearly, they did play it. I just… missed it. Either from excitement, or because the unlimited premium alcohol was utilised nicely, or because How’s It Going to Be came after it and emotionally shut down my internal memory drive.

Anyway — excellent start to this story.

When the Gig Was Announced, We Turned Into Marathon Runners

The moment we saw the Mumbai gig announcement on good old Twitter, Shibs, Saumi, and I ran like marathon trainees at Carter Road - fully unprepared but very determined.

We called HRC the same day.

“Hello? Tickets? How much? We’ll come right now.”

This was 2012. No online booking. No QR codes. Just: Bring cash/ credit card.

So we nominated Saumi as the runner. We basically sent him with cash like he was dropping off ransom.

He returned with…handwritten receipts on Hard Rock letterhead because the tickets weren’t even printed yet.

And not one of us questioned it.That’s how excited we were.

The Night of the Gig (A Summary)

Music: amazing
Crowd: screaming
Alcohol: unlimited premium
Alcohol consumption: also unlimited
Emotional stability: debatable
Memory: clearly unreliable

But honestly? One of the best nights ever.

The Photo That Proves We Lived to Tell the Tale

In the middle of all this chaos, I still managed a picture with Stephan Jenkins.

Gig glow, early-iPhone (Shibs phone) flash, maximum happiness.

And somewhere in the middle of all that excitement, the band even handed me a 3EB guitar pick - one of those tiny souvenirs that make the night feel even more unreal.

Why “Bonfire” Tastes Like a Gostana Chicken Burger

Long before all this, Gostana had its own world —friends, music nights, BYOV, dogs, random jam sessions…and the Gostana Chicken Burger, which became a character on its own.

No, I’m not giving the secret sauce recipe.Some things stay locked away forever.

But I will share the thing everyone always asked about: how the chicken was prepared.

People assumed it was complicated. It wasn’t.Just different.

Warm, simple, comforting —just like “Bonfire”.

THE RECIPE (minus the secret sauce)

Gostana-Style Chicken Prep

Ingredients

Chicken breast
Mayonnaise
Pepper powder
Water
Salt (optional)

Steps

Coat flattened chicken breast generously with mayonnaise (we used the light, house mayo) and pepper powder (we used a special secretspice mix, you do pepper).
Place in a pot and add hot water (just enough to cover).
Cook on medium heat until tender.
Slice or shred.
Use for your burger, wrap, sandwich — anything.

Simple but different. Exactly why people remembered it.

Add to your veggies, and your sauce, and you’ll get close to a Gostana memory.