All the employees of the "Samskruthi" restaurant were dressed up to look like staunch Vaishnavites, replete with "namam", crystal chains, spotless white banians, dhotis and towels round their waists. They carried buckets in their hands containing food items with names like "Akkara adisil" and "Thirukkannamudhu".

Yes, it was an Iyengar food festival. The Restaurant Manager, Mr Vimal, said, "A number of food festivals are conducted all over the city. Similarly we organised an Iyengar Food festival in our restaurant. In order to create a suitable ambience we gave our staff the appropriate costumes. For authenticity, we appointed an Iyengar culinary expert 
from Madippakkam".

"Each and every community will have their own food habits and methods of preparation based on their customs, tradition and practices. This brings about changes in the taste. In the same way the Iyengars have their own distinct food habits. On that basis we organised this festival. It took from June 16 to June 30. 

How was the response for this new venture of yours?

"To be frank, it was far beyond our expectation. The visitors had come to taste the food out of interest rather than people coming in just to fill their stomachs. Even the people who belong to the old school of thought and who still follow all the codes of the past like commenting, "Oh! Going to a hotel to eat!" visited our restaurant voluntarily during this festival and had food in our restaurant. We strive hard, trying to maintain the cleanliness and the hygiene that the Iyengar community always expects. All the curious connoisseurs of good food who would like to know in what way the hotel food and the home made food differ visited our restaurant and enjoyed the meal heartily.

When certain visitors of the Iyengar community who tasted the food and compared our food with that made in their homes, they offered some valuable suggestions of which we felt very proud. When certain others said they were very much satisfied with our food then we all were thoroughly elated. We had visitors belonging to other communities too. Their curiosity to know about Iyengar food and to taste it made them all visit the restaurant during this food festival. Jains, Marwaris, Sindhis and certain other people hailing from Northern India agreed that they had visited just to have a taste of the Iyengar food. But all these persons showed some discomfort while eating the food served on large plantain leaves.

The menu comprised the following dishes: Two types of Vadaam, Paruppu podi, Thuvaiyal, Puliyotharai, Lady's Finger Mor Kuzhambu, Fried brinjal curry, Tomato Saatamadhu, Cluster Beans Usili, Raw plantain curry, Vathakkuzhambu, Mango  Pachadi, Thayir Vadai, Akkara Adisil, Thirukkannamudhu, Butter milk/Curds and Mango/Lemon Pickle. For those who missed this festival, watch out for what is coming next at the Ambika Empire Best Western Hotel because they have a lot of plans up their sleeve.

R Sundaramurthy
(Translated by Sujatha Pradeep)