Quest for the Dosa

I am a foodie. Everyone I know, knows that I am a foodie. Now, let me make it clear. Foodie does not mean glutton. A foodie is a one who enjoys his food and relishes it to his heart's content (and stomach too!). A foodie would go any distance to have his favourite. And of course if the food is delicious, a foodie wouldn't hesitate to go for a second helping!

Now, the quest. It has been 6 months since I moved to Asia's Silicon Valley a.k.a Bangalore for professional reasons. The transition had quite smooth in all aspects. Except one. Food. Bangalore is just 350 kms from Chennai. But with respect to food, it is light years away! I am not saying the food is bad. I'm just saying it didn't suit my palate. I tuned my taste buds and brain cells to the Bangalorean styled food. Believe me, it took quite some time!

But no matter how hard I tried, I could not accept the Bangalore (Karnataka?) Dosa. The dosa was always thick, brown in colour and chewy. This was just the oppposite to the Tamil Nadu dosa. TN dosa is thin, light, golden brown and crispy at the edges. It is just a great experience to eat one. The only desirable part of the Bangalore dosa is the onion masala smeared on the insides. Everytime I had one or I saw someone having it, my craving for the TN dosa was increasing. Wasn't there at least one restaurant that served the TN dosa?

I then began my quest for 'the' dosa. I searched for restaurants, risked ordering dosa and asked friends and acquaintances. I struggled for months. But, in vain. I was shattered! The world is indeed a cruel place.

And then, like a beacon of light in the dark, like a lighthouse for the lost ships, opened 'Kaapi Kadai'. It was a tamil restaurant. I was overjoyed. I knew that my destiny would be fulfilled. I knew my months of struggle would come to an end. But, as fate would have it, everytime I went, they had run out of stock.

But I never lost hope. On my fifth visit, I attained salvation. I asked the cashier 'Dosa irukka?'. He said 'irukku'. The word triggered on the suppressed taste buds and the ummm... salivary gland. I could feel them overworking. That was the day, I understood response to stimuli.

It felt like an eternity before the dosa was on my table. My eyes filled with tears as I saw the the perfect dosa. It was thin, light, golden brown and crispy at the edges, accompanied by the ever faithful coconut chutney and sambar. I relished each piece of it. The juice from the coconut chutney and the gentle flavour of the ghee gave my taste buds the much needed relief. Bliss.

When I finished it, I felt a sense of achievement. I walked down the steps smiling triumphantly. The world isn't so cruel after all.