I‘ve been lucky this semester to get to try a host of new foods and cuisines. While the mess food has been sub-par, the foods we have had in restaurants, homes, temples, etc. have been wonderful. Coming to India I realized I had basically no idea what anything was despite all the Indian food I have eaten or prepared back home (which I also soon learned was basically nothing). Looking at menus the first week was daunting. What was palak paneer? Gobi Manchurian? Aloo mutter? Channa masala? Veg kadai? There were numerous words for types of curry sauces and for the things in them as well as for the types of breads and rice. But over the semester I have learned what all these things are, what is good and what to avoid, what I like and dislike, what is spicy or what might be less spicy. I learned that I like eating the curries with naan (Indian bread) as opposed to rice, even though rice is more traditional in the South. I learned that Kerala parotas (also a flaky type of bread) are amazing and that masala dosas are by far my favorite Indian food. I am obsessed with mango lassis, even when they are served in bags, and you learn how to only eat with your hands, using your right hand only. You come to love curd, a very sour yogurt, that cools down the spice even in the spiciest of dishes. You learn to give up trying to get fresh vegetables and always eat the raita (curd with cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes) when it’s offered at the mess to make up for it but you buy all the fresh mangos you can once it is finally mango season. You learn to always ask for chicken boneless but only about a forth of the time will you actually get that and you learn that even though dishes might have the same names, every restaurant you go to it will taste entirely different. You learn to always try new things but realize you keep coming back to your favorites time and time again. You even realize that you miss Indian food when you skip it for a few meals.
Days when I didn’t have time to grab lunch in the mess I would frequently stop by a nearby canteen and grab a warm samosa (usually filled with potatoes, spices, and some other indistinguishable items) and a mango or sweet lassi in a bag on the way to class. Mornings when we didn’t have class we’d head over to a local restaurant called Panglala to get the best dosas and hot buns. At least once a week we’d skip the mess food for dinner and eat at a local favorite called dollops, or try other restaurants in town. On our visits to temples we’d partake in the communal meals and eat more traditional food on banana leaves and between classes we’d share coffee and tea with the public health and geopolitics students in our class building.
Food has been such an integral part of our experience here and has been instrumental in shaping our experience. The first few weeks we probably all thought we were going to die because we hated the mess food so much and couldn’t find any of the comfort foods from home in or around Manipal. But over time it has really grown on all of us and I think one of my first priorities back home will be to seek out the best Indian food and find somewhere that makes dosas.
Here is a cheat sheet of some of the main elements of Indian cuisine and what they mean:
Days when I didn’t have time to grab lunch in the mess I would frequently stop by a nearby canteen and grab a warm samosa (usually filled with potatoes, spices, and some other indistinguishable items) and a mango or sweet lassi in a bag on the way to class. Mornings when we didn’t have class we’d head over to a local restaurant called Panglala to get the best dosas and hot buns. At least once a week we’d skip the mess food for dinner and eat at a local favorite called dollops, or try other restaurants in town. On our visits to temples we’d partake in the communal meals and eat more traditional food on banana leaves and between classes we’d share coffee and tea with the public health and geopolitics students in our class building.
Food has been such an integral part of our experience here and has been instrumental in shaping our experience. The first few weeks we probably all thought we were going to die because we hated the mess food so much and couldn’t find any of the comfort foods from home in or around Manipal. But over time it has really grown on all of us and I think one of my first priorities back home will be to seek out the best Indian food and find somewhere that makes dosas.
Here is a cheat sheet of some of the main elements of Indian cuisine and what they mean: