French Ambience. English Etiquette. Swiss Courtesy. Italian Flair. Nitpicking a little; French Dressing, Danish Pastries, Italian Pizza and Swiss chocolates. Champagne bubbling under your nose swirling down your throat, delicious salads, mouth-watering souffles, tongue-tickling parfait, and vegetables cooked in delicate sauces. So you thought European Cuisine was the ultimate?
Have mercy! I'm about to cast a different flavour of our very own DESI KHANA.
Take the South-Indian spread for instance. A freshly washed, glistening green leaf is to hold your ransom. Apart from being hygienic, and eco-friendly, its radiance lends nutritious values. Wholesome sprouts tossed with a wee bit of curd seasoned with pepper and salt are served as a first course to awaken your dormant taste buds[ PACCHADI].
Next in line are veggies cooked with a little tadka of mustard, curry and coriander leaves[ they have medicinal properties, did you know?] Now that your appetite is whetted; let's move on to the long-grained cooked rice, it's lifting aroma beckoning your fingers, topped with flavoured Dhal or sabzi or to be more colloquial "KUZHAMBU". No traditional Indian meal is complete without the help of an exotic, traditional dessert of "HALWA". Forget those dipping scales on your weighing machine; just indulge in pure sin like a true mortal.
A concoction of malai, ghee and sugar garnished with ethnic spices- saffron, cardamom, dry fruits etc will tease your sweet tooth, its aphrodisiac properties pumping up your adrenalin to heightened brain sensors. You can seak a dry papad to ease the cloginess off your tongue.
I knew you couldn't possibly resist that extra help. Nothing to fear, here comes the all-encompassing RASAM, a thin watery soup hot and sour, sweet and tangy all at the same time to activate your gastric juices. Round it off with a bland curd to placate the your sensitized stomach lining. What about doctoring your meal? Yes, you're right. It's done with a fruit none other than the all-season fruit-BANANAS. Going bananas is perfectly sound here.
To prolong the feast even as you retire, a calcium-packed betel nut leaf delicately wrapped - PAN helps you ruminate in bygone pleasures. You have been visually, aesthetically and morally seduced by a simple meal.
Why is the above meal the most relishing, healthy meal? it's at once easy on the eye {colourful vegetables}, lip-smacking taste[catering to all the four taste buds], enticing aromas[courtesy the tadkas and spices] low in calorie count, easy availability and without pinching your purse. It's a feast for all the senses-smell, sight, and touch. Don't let others persuade you otherwise. We have had eons of practice, remember! The ancient sages handed this down even before other cultures learned to cook their food.
Lastly, our tradition beats every other hollow when it acknowledges each and every morsel of food as an intense spiritual experience offered to God before consumption. Know your meal next time you step into a South Indian Restaurant. Sit down, take a while to savour and elevate. It may not happen again or paradoxically IT COULD!