Breakfast of champions
It is really ironic that it took a Western cereal maker to sponsor a study showing that idli and sambar is the best possible breakfast. A saint, they say, is rarely honoured at home, but the idli is not undervalued in the land of its creators. It can be eaten by those in the pink of health as well as those recuperating, can be had at any time of day or night, and even be served for just `1 in Jayalalithaa’s popular budget canteens in Chennai.
Steamed out of a lentil and rice flour batter, the idli is like the anti-hero in movies, with the surrounding cast bringing in glamour like chutneys, sambar and what South Indians call “gunpowder” — pounded chilli powder floating in oil — but one can’t do without the main character. Western-style breakfasts are only just catching on in most of India, a little earlier than fast food like calorie-dappled burgers. Before that, India rolled on a stomach of early brunch before work, a snack and then a family dinner.
With urban lifestyles extracting a toll, the right diet is even more important now, where the humble idli should have a place. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver took a blast when he tried telling a UK audience that thoughtfulness is important even in the poor, who he said should cook the right food and that stale bread was better than fast food. But is GenNext willing to put up with this when there’s an Epicurean life to be led?
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