Archive for October, 2010

Destination Food: Mysore food/chat street

3rd October
2010
written by basav

Living in Mysore is truly a thrilling experience. Every once in a while a new mystery is unveiled. Saturday 11th Sept evening was one such time. As per my weekend schedule i had had a late breakfast and skipped lunch so in the evening I and couple of my buddies decided to check out the food in the lane behind Marimallappa’s school which is also famously known amongst the locals as “Chat street”. We took along a camera in the hope that we will find something worth clicking. The rainy weather had just woken up the pangs of hunger in our beer-bellies.

The sight of chat street was something to behold. On one side the cars and bikes were parked and on the other side there was a line of well lit small thelewallahs or gaadiwallahs. Not to mention the crowd which despite the rain was quite huge.
We could hear the bustling sound of the cooking pans and could smell all the possible delicacies. As always i was ready to eat from the first thela i saw but my friends decided to explore before we eat which made me ponder why I did not come all by myself. Anyways finally two of us decided to try Akki Roti (Rice roti) while the calorie conscious decided to go for Raagi Roti. Our chef for the moment was one Mr Chandrashekhar and he had an unassuming smile on his face as he laid out 10s of dosas and rotis on one huge pan. Upon asking Chandrashekhar replied saying that the chat street has been a part of Mysore for around 30 years now. He proudly added that his father who was busy handling customers on an adjacent thela was one of the pioneers of chat street. Akki roti was served with lots of coconut chutney and some red chilli chutney. It tasted heavenly and i closed my eyes several times during my eating session to savor the delicacy. I also wondered how foolish I am not to visit such a lovely place during my 5 year stay in Mysore. Although i must say i am glad that i am growing wiser with age. We talked to Mr Chandrashekhar for some more time and he promptly told us “Sir, as long as you provide quality food, people will come” and how true is that for any business.
Although the thelas start lining up only after 5 pm in the evening the process of preparation for the 5 pm to 11 pm show starts early in the morning. Usually these thelas are family owned and all its members wake up early and start the preparations for the evening. Now i understand why the Mysore main markets like the Devaraja Market open early in the morning.
I was reluctant to leave the Akki roti thela and move on but as mentioned before i was with explorers. The next thing we ate was the Paddu or Paniyaram . These are nothing but small sized semi circular balls made out of rice flour. These are made in a unique pan which has tiny pits in which the flour is put in. With pin drop silence we served our now half filled tummies. The Paddus were so hot that explorer Vinay almost bit his tongue. The food was yummy and reminded me of Paddu made by mom.
Now that our beer bellies were back to their normal sizes we decided to end the escapade by trying out some Gadbad icecream. Ignorant side of my being learnt that Tulsi seeds are used in the preparation of Gadbad for flavor. We enjoyed the icecream and although initially reluctant to eat something so cold on a rainy day I managed to finish one whole serving. Do you remember the calorie conscious person above? Yes, he ate one full Gadbad and also bought one kulfi for the ride back home. So much for his consciousness.
What stuck us most was that each of the thelas had one waste bin and clean drinking water. We realized that street side food can be delicious as well as hygienic. Also the fact that so many different gaadiwallahs co-exist peacefully (they come back to their designated places every evening and never poach on others’ space) brought a smile to our faces. It reminded us that our country is truly incredible!
A visit to chat street is a must if you want to experience Mysore style cuisine. If GTR, Mylari are the cake then the chat street is surely the icing. My quest for hygienic and tasty street side food finally ended here. I must say i agree with Anthony Bourdain when he says “The street side food in developing countries is the most hygienic since its well cooked”.
On the ride back home i kept visualizing Chandrashekhar and his family working hard throughout the day with a smile on the face and pondered “What if every person enjoyed providing quality service as much as they do”. I realized that the smile on his face is that of satisfaction and pride which we all can achieve if we strive for excellence in everything we do.
PS: I am pretty sure my beer-bellied self can be seen on the chat street again soon with unless my weekend schedule changes:).
For the folks who lack the patience to read through here’s a summary:
Place: Food/Chat street behind Marimallappa’s school (http://maps.google.co.in/maps?hl=en&tab=wl)
Specialties Akki Roti (rice roti),  Raagi Roti, Paddu, Icecream, Dosas, Idly, Chat, Dry Gobi etc
Recommendation : Mr Chandrashekhar’s Akki Roti, Dry Gobi
Hours of operation : 5 pm to 11 pm
Bon Appetit
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Food

Five New Things To Do This Dasara !!

1st October
2010
written by Vinay

400th year !!

Did you know that Dasara is a 600 year old living tradition?  It was first started by the Vijayanagara Kings in Hampi and later carried forward by the Kings of Mysore and this year is the 400th year of Mysore Dasara

From the 7th to 17th of October 2010 you will find the entire city in a festive mood. The Illuminated Palace with 97,000 bulbs would be the centre of the entire celebration.

Here are five new things that you could venture out this Dasara !!

Mysore Style Yoga: You find Mysore Style Yoga studios in New York, London, Paris or Milan. Ever wondered how did it spread to the west ? Here is your chance to experience Mysore Style Yoga and understand its positive effects on the body. In Mysore you can get to know the story of how this style started and why this city considered holy for Yogis which attracts close to 500 foreign nationals every month for Yoga practice. You have quite a few Yoga Shalas  to try out in Lakshmipuram and Gokulam

97,000 bulbs up there

Night Walks : Its time of the year when the entire city is decked up like a bride and the illumination makes it special. A Night Walking Tour where you get a feel this city,learn the Significance of Dasara, understand Mysore’s relevance in World History, Get to see one of India’s Oldest Secret Societies, Get to have Mysore Pak from the family that invented it and much more. Mysore was recently voted the second cleanest city in India. So its enjoyable Walking. Organised by Royal Mysore Walks Call # 96320 44188

Tradition Food: Mysore’s delicacies find their place in every Indian restaurant around the world. From the sweet named after the city,Mysore Pak to a Mysore Masala Dosa there is an entire gamut to choose from. When in Mysore try the local fare, From the delicious Masala Dosas in Mylari and GTR to tender meat at Mugal Durbar.

200 yr old Garadi Mane, A traditional Wrestling house !

Garadi Mane,Traditional Wrestling House: This city has always been famous for its traditional wrestling, also known as Kushti. You can visit century old Wrestling houses to watch the men in loin cloths practice before they work on pinning down their opponents to the ground, Even the King back then was known for his wrestling skills, Do you want to try your luck? Then Mandi Mohalla is your best pick.

10,000 dolls on display

Gombe Mane,House of Dolls: It is a practice in Mysore for the girls of the house to make dolls  during the time of Dasara and work on bringing out a magnificent display their collection A lot of families even today follow this practice. You can get a peek in to the colorful tradition and if you wish you can also buy the dolls from a collection of 10,000 dolls at Bombe Mane at the Ramsons Kala Parishad Call 0821 2443669

Lots in store !! So see you in Mysore this Dasara :)

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Festivals, Mysore Specials