Anything Under The Sun

Lunch at 6:45 am.

Bangalore is a city of surprises! Of course, that extends to any place in India. Ours is a country of surprises which doesnt fail to leave an impression. But this is one amazing event in the lives of Bangalore-ites (Or Bangalorians, whatever they prefer to be called).

 

I was up at 5:40 am on a Sunday. Wow! Considering I find it difficult to open my eyes before half past seven on any day, this was a feat in itself. By the next half an hour, Mom, Dad & I were all ready and set to leave for Mavalli. This is a small area near Lalbagh towards the south central part of Bangalore.

 

It was drizzling; and seemed like the skies had been showering throughout the night. The road was quite empty with little vehicular movement. When we reached Mavalli, it was drastically different. A huge crowd had gathered around this dingy little old building housing Mavalli Tiffin Room. Dad said, "This, my son, is where MTR began its journey of success".  MTR is a leading brand in spices and processed foods. And I stood right where it had all begun probably half a century ago.

 

The building was very old, but it seemed sturdy. The place wasnt too brightly lit, but it was clean. The waiters (almost 30 of them) were all dressed in a typically 'South Indian' attire. A tradition, I believe, which continues. A clean, well ironed shirt and a dhoti (which of course, was tied up to the knees).

 

It took us another 20 minutes to find ourselves a table. Once we'd 'grabbed' our table, getting hold of a waiter to place our order was another task. Not that they werent willing to, it was just too much work for them. There's no printed menu displayed anywhere. It seemed like every customer knew what MTR had to offer. Idlis, Masala Dosa, Khara Baat & Special Filtered Coffee. "Yes, thats all they offer", said Dad. "They find it difficult to manage even with just this". So we ordered idlis and masala dosas and coffee. Within a few minutes, the idlis arrived, huge in size, with a generous supply of chutney and sambhar. I admit, they tasted great. The idlis over, the masala dosas came by one after the other (yes, Dad & I had two each). And we finished it off with a cuppa coffee. If you really want to taste South Indian food, then this is the place. I dont have the right words to describe what my sense of taste had experienced.

 

'Amazing' is all I can manage. By 7, my 'lunch' was done. (This is normally what I'd have had for lunch on a Sunday). And the funny part is, if you arrive at 7:30 or 7:45 am, you might not get anything. Their entire stock for the day would have been over by then. Which explains why I (like most of the other 350 people) had to wake up before 6 to be here. Imagine they serve about 350 people in about 75 minutes!!

 

MTR has a set of loyal clients who make it a point to visit them at least once a week. You'll mostly find people above the age of 35, who've been coming here for so many years. And, not many youngsters seem to be making a beeline for it. Maybe they find it too 'strenous' to put in such efforts. I dont really blame them though.

 

All-in-all, this has been a great experience. I might not do this every Sunday, but once in a way, it is worth it.

 

You'll get to read more experiences of mine as and when I get to pen them down.
Kowshik
http://anythingunderthesun.blogspirit.com