Most foreigners like me who live in India love to hate India for one reason or another, but don't mistake the occasional ranting and raving for actual hatred. There are things we like, nee love, about India too. It's just very easy to forget them.
So, I'd like to capture some of these things here. I will take me a while to get through the entire list of 10 (in fact I haven't made the list yet) but let's start with this one.
The Andhra Meals
Palak dal, bhindi fry, pickle and rice.
(Courtesy kkalyan on Flickr)
I love a good Andhra style "meals" or "thali". I haven't found an equivalent to this type of meal in any other society around the world, and if you haven't been to south India you probably don't know what I'm talking about.
For a fairly small amount of money (20-120 rupees), you get a big plate (that's the thali) with a great variety of dishes in small bowls, and a pile of rice in the middle, and a couple of roti's or papadam on top. There is almost always yogurt (curd), some curries, a couple vegetable dishes, a salad (cucumber/carrot), and a sweet. At the lower end of the cost scale, you might just get rice, dal, and a veg. In a south Indian version, you'd get more sloppy curries, and maybe some curd rice. In a Northern one, dryer dishes, some bread, and a typical norther sweet.
A very nice looking Thali, from Jaisalmeer in North India.
(Courtesy of Larsa on Flickr)
The amazing thing is that it's all-you-can-eat. They will keep bringing any of the curries, vegetables, and rice in unlimited quantities until you are lying on the floor screaming "no more" "not another wafer thin mint".
One of the things I really enjoy about the cheap-n-tasty thali is the Indian practice of eating with your hand, without a spoon/knife/fork. There is something really sensuous (almost in a dirty way) about smashing your curry, dal and vegetables into the rice, making a ball out of it and then shoving it into your mouth.
For lots more photos, try a Compfight search for thali.
And in the Bangalore area, "meals" is always plural. You don't ask for a "meal" but a "meals".
So, I'd like to capture some of these things here. I will take me a while to get through the entire list of 10 (in fact I haven't made the list yet) but let's start with this one.
The Andhra Meals
Palak dal, bhindi fry, pickle and rice.
(Courtesy kkalyan on Flickr)
I love a good Andhra style "meals" or "thali". I haven't found an equivalent to this type of meal in any other society around the world, and if you haven't been to south India you probably don't know what I'm talking about.
For a fairly small amount of money (20-120 rupees), you get a big plate (that's the thali) with a great variety of dishes in small bowls, and a pile of rice in the middle, and a couple of roti's or papadam on top. There is almost always yogurt (curd), some curries, a couple vegetable dishes, a salad (cucumber/carrot), and a sweet. At the lower end of the cost scale, you might just get rice, dal, and a veg. In a south Indian version, you'd get more sloppy curries, and maybe some curd rice. In a Northern one, dryer dishes, some bread, and a typical norther sweet.
A very nice looking Thali, from Jaisalmeer in North India.
(Courtesy of Larsa on Flickr)
The amazing thing is that it's all-you-can-eat. They will keep bringing any of the curries, vegetables, and rice in unlimited quantities until you are lying on the floor screaming "no more" "not another wafer thin mint".
One of the things I really enjoy about the cheap-n-tasty thali is the Indian practice of eating with your hand, without a spoon/knife/fork. There is something really sensuous (almost in a dirty way) about smashing your curry, dal and vegetables into the rice, making a ball out of it and then shoving it into your mouth.
For lots more photos, try a Compfight search for thali.
And in the Bangalore area, "meals" is always plural. You don't ask for a "meal" but a "meals".
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