Memories of Food

One of my fondest memories growing up in Bangalore and spending my holidays in Mysore at my granddad's are the eateries ("hotals" as we called them) that used to dot these places. Each one of them, a legend in its own right. Today these places are the only bond we have with the old times. Some of these have been frequented by my Granddad, my Father, and now my son. Even today the one common topic that binds the various generations together in my house is talk of all these eateries. Today, fast food places are cropping up all over the place, they are jazzier, and have more variety and better ambience, yet these old places do brisk business (the newer ones aren’t doing too badly either).

Unfortunately these places have slowly started to disappear. Maybe it’s because the newer generation don’t want to take over the place or maybe it’s because people’s tastes are changing.

When you talk about traditional restaurants in Bangalore, you hear about MTR. There are however many more that are equally good if not better. Iyers Lunch Home, and Mylari Hotel in Mysore, Maddur Railway Hotel (Tiffanys), and in Bangalore, Vidharthi Bhavan, Dwaraka, Brahmins Coffee Bar, Udipi Krishna Bhavan, VV Puram Food Street, Shivanna's Gulkand store….. The list could go on and on.

Each of these places has (or had) its own specialty, its own quirks, and its own history. There are instances where you would eat part of your breakfast in one place and then trek to another place to finish it (the breakfast process) off. Crazy I know, but that’s the way it went. Some of these places have ceased to exist. Others have become "modern". But memories of these can never be forgotten. The sights, sounds, and smells (some good some bad)… oh yeah and the food as well.