And think of the South Indian Snacks and Savories. The traditional ones still rule. The rice flour dominating Murukku, kai murukku—made with hands—seedai, small marble-sized and shaped thenguzhal, or the maida dominating om podi, mixture, etc. First, you have to admire their shape. Then the processes of making them. The pressure the ladies applied on the special vessel or device—I do not know how to call them—with plates in the bottom with holes punched to get particular shapes. The dexterity required to push the dough out of these holes and lay it on boiling oil to form a particular shape. Unbelievable. And though the ingredients are almost the same, how do the murukku, thenguzhal, and seedai taste different? Even to this day, these are given along with laddu or Mysore Pakku in ‘Muhurtham Pais’—small bags given after Muhurtham to visitors.

These ‘om podis,’ either as stand-alones or with mixtures containing others like ‘Kara bhoondhi’—another maida dominator—peanuts, and if you have money, raisins and nuts are palate satiators. Once you start, you cannot stop. It needs a lot of mental resolve to avoid taking another fistful.

Apart from these, there are the occasion-oriented sweets and savories.

We have these ‘Nombus’—I am not writing about the significance of these occasions because I need some help—kara adai is prepared. Along with this, in my family, a sweeter version of this is also prepared. With a lot of butter around, these are consumed, rather devoured. Smoothly, the pieces would slide into your mouth.

The ‘Thiruvadarai kalis’—sweet but not heavily though—and taken with ‘7 kari koottu’—a sambar-like dish made with seven vegetables. How were such combinations imagined? The ‘mor kali’ is totally different and not occasion oriented. It is always made with roasted chilies and tastes so different.

For Pongal, the harvest festival, the Chakkarai Pongal or its other version, Akkara Vadisal. Lovely.

These were not meant to be taken on a daily basis. None of the sweets or savories I have mentioned. They were always made on occasions and functions and taken with discipline and not over-indulging. But in the present age, you get all of these and more novel modifications, unique combinations, other ingredients, varied names, and we get into the habit of eating them regularly and with relish and then …

complain of obesity.

Continued in 300. Bud Bugs - Part 6