Now follow me carefully here. I will explain the Causality between the casualty of the faculty. I am expanding on a recent troublesome experience of visiting an Indian food serving establishment in Northern California. Specifically in a suburb of San Francisco. And while I shall not name names, suffice to say that 90% of the Indian food serving establishments ought to be unsettled. Esp if they lead to an unsettled abdomen.
Before the abdomen became a casualty we roll the clock back a few hours. Friday night the family wants a casual eat out experience and not wanting to tax the noggin settles for a local Indian food making operation run by an Andhra expat. Most of them are. The mood was one of a bustling place but depicted many candidates visiting the facilities that greet you as soon as you step in and a cacophony from children that appear to have recently lost their parent (their shreiking was unusually loud).
Now typically that should be a warning but we forged ahead and found a table that a dyspeptic server served us. Having had to jostle another lady guest that had backed into my chair I landed in and started staring at the menu.
The way the menus are provided should also cause some concern given there is a formal printed and bound version followed by a hand written plastic encased version. The latter was the specials. But there were three for dinner as I said and we got two formal menus and one of the specials. Huh?
Then came the waters. An assumption in most establishments (largely to also save money and a visit from the local health dept) is desis want water without ice and so containers arrive with the tepid H2O. I for one crave ice all day and night and so have to send it back to fix the issue.
Thereafter it was disaster galore. We asked for the Dosa - crisp as my daughter enjoys it and also because it ensures sufficient time on the griddle to kill any stray bugs. This arrived at room temp. Cannot eat.. send it back...next one arrives after another 15 min but is undercooked. The Chutney that goes with it is foul - the coconut went bad a month ago I think. The biryani is also hastily assembled melange of rice and onion and a curry to go on the side - hardly the rich slow cooked flavors I crave. The Naan is naat cooked at which point this establishment's goose ought to have got cooked.
The owner is summoned who narrates the conditions as being caused by an excess in Katring orders that evening leading to overall service also suffrring - so shove what I give you and boot it seemed to be the implied message; btw the coconut chutney is fine he scolded.
All in all - cooks faculties were overextended and the front office had no inkling of supply and demand - leading to a casual experience turning intestines and having a number of upset guests either heading for the facility or outside.
On an informal mission to read one book a week as long as the eyes allow for such ambition. Fiction or non is not important as long as it entertains and /or educates. To that end the past few weeks have brought a bounty in the form of some wonderful and then not so engaging literature. Among the notables are - Non fiction category: 1. Good arguments by Bo Seo (how to handle a dispute or debate the most efficient way possible) 2. Genesis by Eric Schmidt (and former US Secy of State Henry Kissinger, who recently passed) - how AI might affect our lives as we know it 3. One in a billion - Zarna Garg (an autobiographical look at an Indian born American woman with a bindi narrated in a standup format - yes it is at times cliched but still funny) Fiction: 1. Personal by Lee Child (a vigilante story with Jack Reacher the giant, nomad protagonist of Child's novels goes hunting for a sniper) 2. Ramayana unraveled by Ami Ganatra (she might disagree about it being a work of fiction but oh wel...
You had a disaster before the dinner...usually Andhra food is known for its spectacular after-effects.
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