Monday, July 17, 2017

Hungry Again

For someone who considers himself open minded, this was a wake up call.

In all my eatery hoppings (however limited) to experience mouth watering, exotic, off-the-usual, innovative-ly fusion-ed food, I found that the food of my very own land had, sadly, become just one category - "Indian". (And honestly, I used to avoid it. At times with meticulous pre-planning!) This single categorization is surely a screaming insult to the plethora of all the extraordinary culinary offerings every part of the land was capable of providing.

We moved  back to India in late March 2017. Since then, however being the situation, Mr and Mrs P were always able to find some or the other reason to eat out. But it wasn't till mid of July that we went for an "Indian" food place. I being someone who is absolutely not a fan of South Indian food (please, do not take any offence - whoever is taking it right now. It was a "notion" in me since childhood), we chose a quiet (very quiet) little homely place called "Pappadum" for our dinner on that Sunday. And, you guessed it right, I changed a little.

No, it is not about advertising the restaurant here. It is about how I did myself a favor. How? Well, I will save the little explanation for the end. Let me take you through my experience of our dinner. We found the place from a "good places to explore" list over the internet. In spite of some "good food, but ..." type of reviews on Google, we were almost adamant to have our dinner there and there only. There was a funny conflict going on in me when we sat down. I absolutely could not recall the reason why I had sort-of-alienated south Indian food in the first place. I knew I did not like it (not that much at least), but I, with no recollection of my dislike, wanted to try it the most. The conflict was practically silenced when the first bite of Squid Kali Mirch, served on a banana leaf, made its landing on my taste buds! 
When the Kerala Dry Mutton also landed - it was fireworks! With sharp edged lemony tang that the Kerala Dry Mutton had, dotted with the heat from every unexpected explosion of crushing peppercorn from Squid Kali Mirch, I felt woken up, slapped from the inside of my mouth. Within minutes, year old "notions" - disappeared. All of this was being made even more exquisite by the butter milk. It was like putting a new canvas on the easel with every occasional sip of it - clean, dry, cool. Ready for yet another round of culinary splashes of colours.

One of the problems with having just two people on an eat-out is they usually find themselves close to filled with  just the starters even before the entree arrives. We were no exception (O yes! Till here, we were just "starting"). But nevertheless, with the new found enthusiasm, I was ready to go a few extra bites to continue with my indulgence. 

You do not need the help of any overly ornamented simile (or metaphor) when the next item to arrive at your table is Goan Fish Curry. The association of this dish with the thoughts of a distant, relaxing vacation only begins to do justice to it. The beautiful way its sweetness embraces its own spiciness, sure is a true reflection of Goa - a place where every other agenda takes a backseat when it comes to  nonjudgmental friendship. 

For the perfect accompaniment to the curry's richness, there could not be anything more suitable than the complimentary taste of Lemon Rice. Sharp yet simple, it alternates between the rich sweet and spiceness in your mouth and creates the perfect dance of contentment - lead by the fish, followed beautifully by the rice. Finally, as a cherry to top this gorgeous multi layered cake of so many tastes, when you enjoy the small bites the fragrant Saffron Halwa using only a thoughtfully small spoon, you know that your week could not have ended on a better note.

... Among all these experience that happened in no more than an hour at the restaurant, I learned one very important thing - Keeping your mind closed only limits your experiences that makes life, life. Wont dwell on the theories that might have narrowed my thoughts, but would only say that I am again ready to make unconditional leaps in to continue experiencing the food that not only keeps us alive but makes us feel alive too. We have only started.


See you in my next post.

Till then,
Cheers!