Reading this story transported my to childhood and youth in Bangalore when having idli and vada served on banana leaf accompanied by coconut chutney used to be common in my life. It was there for the asking but the ease of access did not make it less special for me. Every time it was a treat. Bangalore and India receded from my horizon and it has not been possible to replicate the simple perfection of this meal ever since. I make my own idli and chutney sometimes but the vada is notably absent - its hard to get it tasting right without practice making it and I have none. My friend A has successfully grown a banana tree in her yard so this year I look forward to getting some leaves from her and doing something with it that will remind me of times past. There is a story in a story here - about someone finding their calling in doing something relatively simple but doing it well. His story is not unique in that regard.
A likes going to this fancy Indian restaurant in my town whose chef-owner used to be someone we once worked with - another life at this point. He decided to apply a classical western flair to North Indian food with interesting cocktails to pair. It was a novel idea at the time and seeing that he now has two other locations, one that had proven durable. He makes it a point to come over to every table, chat about the dishes with the customer and make sure they are enjoying the meal and if not he will have you try something else on the house that you are sure to love. If you have been to his restaurant you likely enjoyed the experience and something about it was personalized for you. While all of that is true for me as well, I truly crave simple and authentic Indian when I go to an Indian restaurant. All those extra embellishments might be truly wonderful but they are wasted on me.
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