Something I was told, causally, by many people over the years is how different North India and South India are. Different dress, different food, different outlooks, different names, different history, different reality. Learning the details of what that means was one of the most charming parts of my trip. Lets start with the food.
I was warned many times about the food and being careful and I did get a bit of a tummy ache toward the end of the trip. Let me tell you now, you would be a fool to go to India and not eat local.
I have also been told that South Indian food is much spicier than North Indian food, but it wasn't my experience there. Due to a small sample set, I suppose. I was lucky enough to have Sharanya's mom's home cooking for most of the time I was in India. She made typical South Indian fare and asked that we at least try it. She got no argument from me.
An average South Indian dinner might consist of curd (home made yogurt) or curd rice, some sort of Subzi (vegetable dish), Dal, Rasam, and tea with Keer for desert. Idilis are common for breakfast as well as Upma (my personal favorite). For regular dinner we ate at the table, but for the special occasions, each dish was served on a banana leaf and sometimes eaten on the floor. The dishes contained more coconut and peanut variations and hardly any bread.
North Indian food might also consist of dal, rice and curd, but it will include much more bread like paratha and naan. I had the best paneer (cheese) I have ever eaten at Chetan's house in the Paneer Makhani. It absolutely melted in my mouth. I could kick myself for not talking a picture of the wonderful lunch spread Chetan's mom had laid out for us when we arrived in Delhi.
My favorite food experience was the Chaat Shop that Sharanya, Padma and I went to one afternoon. I had to try the Pani Puri...I was not disappointed. I'm sorry, Naveen, but it was even better than yours - which has been my gold standard till now.
We got our ticket and then stood at the counter while the cook assembled them right there, dipped them into the water and plopped them in a little metal bowl. You have to pop the whole thing into your mouth so it burst open and all the flavors mingle together.
I was warned many times about the food and being careful and I did get a bit of a tummy ache toward the end of the trip. Let me tell you now, you would be a fool to go to India and not eat local.
I have also been told that South Indian food is much spicier than North Indian food, but it wasn't my experience there. Due to a small sample set, I suppose. I was lucky enough to have Sharanya's mom's home cooking for most of the time I was in India. She made typical South Indian fare and asked that we at least try it. She got no argument from me.
An average South Indian dinner might consist of curd (home made yogurt) or curd rice, some sort of Subzi (vegetable dish), Dal, Rasam, and tea with Keer for desert. Idilis are common for breakfast as well as Upma (my personal favorite). For regular dinner we ate at the table, but for the special occasions, each dish was served on a banana leaf and sometimes eaten on the floor. The dishes contained more coconut and peanut variations and hardly any bread.
Brahmin families typically eat vegetarian, as was the case with Sharanya's family. There are also restrictions on onions and garlic, particularly near temples. But, no worries, the temples make their own food too. The have little snack shacks right inside the temples where you can get treats. Temple rice, called pulihora or tamarind rice, comes wrapped in a little bit of banana leaf and tied with a string. We got these little beauties at Parthasarathy temple.
My favorite food experience was the Chaat Shop that Sharanya, Padma and I went to one afternoon. I had to try the Pani Puri...I was not disappointed. I'm sorry, Naveen, but it was even better than yours - which has been my gold standard till now.
We got our ticket and then stood at the counter while the cook assembled them right there, dipped them into the water and plopped them in a little metal bowl. You have to pop the whole thing into your mouth so it burst open and all the flavors mingle together.
Then I had the Aloo Papdi Chaat which I practically inhaled. You can see how it is made at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FBEuSEwVpM. If any of you entrepreneurs out there want to make a lot of money, I suggest opening a Chaat Shop...perhaps a local chain. If you simply can't wait for someone to do that and you can't afford a ticket to Madras, your best bet for good Chaat and South Indian food here is still my friend Naveen.
I would say I'm sorry that I do not have more food pictures for you all, but it's because my hands were busy most of the time putting all that yummy stuff into my mouth. I just don't feel the need to apologize for that... :)
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