Dan's Adventure

During my time in India there have been many things that have confused me, others that have frustrated me and yet more that have pissed me off, the one thing that I have had a consistent love for is the food. When travelling in India, none of the hotels or guest houses provide self catering facilities for guests, so eating out is essential. The cost of eating out is however minimal so it wouldn’t make much sense to cook for yourself anyway.

Thalis have become the staple of my diet over the last few weeks. Almost every day I have had one for either lunch or dinner. They are never the same, but always manage to fill me up. Thalis are kind of like Indian tapas, you get a big plate with small portions of various dishes. They usually consist of a dhal, a couple of vegetable dishes, some curd, a bit of salad, rice and a couple of chapattis. Sometimes a desert is provided and if you pay a bit more you get an extra vegetable dish or two. Without a doubt the best Thali that I have had was in Udaipur at a restaurant called Natraj which is across the road from the train station. There were six vegetable dishes, a dhal, and an endless supply of chapattis. It was all constantly refilled by waiters patrolling the tables which is very different to the usual thali where you get a single serving.

I have also become quite a fan of street food. Whenever I feel hungry there is always a stall selling something tasty nearby. Whether its masala stuffed chilies, samosas, paneer pakora or the puffed up rice crispies stuffed with spices, they all taste great. In addition to the savoury snacks there are also sweets and fruits for sale on almost every corner. You really don’t need to go far to find something good to eat. 20 rupees will get you several snacks, some fruit and possibly a fresh lime drink too depending on which city you are in. 20 rupees is around £0.30 so if you only ate street food you could get by in India on very little. When eating street food I have been careful when choosing where to eat from. I’ve always made sure that the food is fresh and have used stalls that are selling a lot to locals, always a sure sign that the food is good.

In the past I have eaten the remains of the previous night’s curry for breakfast as a hangover cure, but in India I haven’t been able to get into having spicy food for breakfast. I think it was that first vegetable cutlet that I was given for breakfast on the train from Mumbai to Aurangabad that put me off, it was spicy and served with two slices of white bread and a sachet of ketchup. They don’t come recommended!