Just back from Curry Boy’s home town and experienced the 7-day-long religious function. While the pandit’s off-beat singing still echoed; the blend of spices dwelled in my stomach; yet, the beauty of humanity well deserved a place.
The English Aunty
That’s what I was being called by the kids. They come to the feast after school everyday, wear a shy smile, and peek from a distance. I’m intrigued and try to speak in plain English to them: ‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m fine.’ — some understand, some don’t. Then they whisper to each other and run away. But at the end they will come in a group and ask for photo, doing the Korean finger-heart gesture. (Surprise me!)
Farm to Table
Food is scarce with absolute limited varieties in village. Any fresh produce should be treasured like how you worship the god. When I knew the feast food would be mostly pulses and hardly any greens, seeing mom’s sisters harvesting the radish greens turned into a silver lining for me. I pop in and grab a good bunch, simply stir-fried with olive oil and garlic. Yum!
Hachi
Seeing his welcoming wagging tail makes me happy. He is a grown-up now; no more jumping on me. I miss that, though. Love you. xxx
New Delhi Oasis
Back in New Delhi, my craving for a pleasant meal rose to a skyscraper level. Sit down, eat slowly, and enjoy food — these two cafes/restaurants can make a promise.
Coast Cafe
No loud music, clean and stylish, attentive service, a place you can truly chill with delicious Kerala food. They have zero-spice salad and nice cold coffee too!
Plats
A dimmed restaurant mainly serving European food, though we had Bun Cha, a Vietnamese pork patty there. The food was up to expectation and with a decent portion. Overall a pretty safe choice for foreigners.
