The Andhra Bhojanam

How much do I love you Rice? Let me count the ways…

This might be an apt summation of how Andhra Meals go.  It’s a never ending stream of coupling rice with different accompaniments, followed by… more rice and more accompaniments. 

The result is this supremely satisfying affair of a meal that has provided you with a varied array of spicy tastes.  You can never imagine rice and spice could have so many varied combinations.

Presenting the Andhra Meal.

The food served at Temple festivals

Each temple in the South Kanara district of Karnataka has its own annual festival that usually involves some festivities and popular customs & rituals.  This usually lasts for a couple of days and sometimes up to a week. What is notable is that meals are served to all devotees attending this festivities usually in the evenings, but in some temples also during afternoons.

What I have found very distinct is the food served at these temple festivals (and I can only talk about the temples thronged by the GSB community).  This food is treated as offerings to the Deity and taken as blessed ‘Prasad’ by the community.

The chutney sandwich

My visits to NCPA Mumbai to watch plays early evening were always marked by having a chutney sandwich and a hot steaming glass of syrupy sweet milky tea. This would be a light snack that was just such a perfect way to meet your evening pangs while not spoiling your appetite for dinner, and giving you enough sustenance to last through the play.

When I think about it the humble chutney sandwich has been a significant accompaniment in my life and also a reminder of how lucky I was to meet some really generous souls. The chutney seemed to be a common factor across all of them