Spent a significant portion of my mis-spent youth eating curry off leaves with my hands. I remember one hotel (this being the name for an eaterie) in Mangalore (probably called something different now) which was undoubtedly the most efficient restaurant in the world and served all you could eat for about 12 pence.
We paid a distinguished looking gentleman sat on a stool behind a high desk as we entered what had obviously been a school or lecture room in bygone times and were given a blue or red raffle ticket since there were only two different meals on offer. The room was terraced down to the front (which allowed it to be easily hosed down) and furnished with old-style individual combination desks and chairs, complete with holes for inkwells. In the interests of serving efficiency you sat next to the previous entrant and displayed your ticket on your desk.
The first in a succession of small boys appeared with a section of banana leaf and a small bowl of water to wash it. The second had rice, the third had chapatis, the fourth curry 1, the fifth curry 2 and so on down to the last with the chutneys. Second helpings were offered 5 minutes later.
Eating with your hands is liberating. I was very squeamish about it at frst and used to gingerly pick up a teaspoonful at a time with my fingertips. It wasn't long before I followed the local custom and stuck my whole hand into the food, mashing rice and curry together and sliding large balls of it off my four fingers with my thumb and into my mouth. Lovely!
The locals were much faster than us and the "snake" of diners had almost reached us again (at least 150 individual tables) before we were finished. I had the misfortune to leave a teaspoonful of curry and was severely admonished for waste by an almost audible tut and a just not quite invisible eyebrow from the smallest boy of all who appeared to be about seven and materialised to clean our desks at the instant we first thought about standing up to go.
For God's sake don't ask me about the Goan wedding.
-------------------- Sleep after toyle, port after stormie seas.
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