The Prodigal Returns

This Sunday, I went to the Mallu Mess (actually, Kerala Spice) after a long time. I had been slightly peeved at their apparently charging me more and more for the fish, and I had found another Mallu restaurant which served better food and was at-least a kilometer nearer home. But this Sunday, the other Mallu restaurant was serving Onam special lunches and all tables were booked in advanced.

So back I went to the Mallu mess for my weekly dose of Sear Fish.

I was treated like the prodigal son when he came back home. As I walked up one of the waiters smiled a large smile at me from the upstairs window. I started to feel guilty already. The owner beamed from behind the cash counter. Then another guy who I had gotten quite friendly with came rushing to where I sat, shook hands and said 'Enda saare, njangale marnjo? Kerala spice ne maranjo? Njangale maranjalum bhakshanam maranjo?' What sir, did you forget us, did you forget Kerala spice? Or even if you did, did you forget about food?

At that moment my scanty mallu failed me. I broke into English. 'I was not in town' I lied. A perplexed expression appeared on the waiter's face. 'Saar malayali alle?' Sir, you are not a Mallu? I had never pretended to be more than what I was - a non-mallu who knew some mallu, but the fact that he had taken me for a mallu, for so long, was quite gratifying. Apparently the other waiter had assumed the same thing too, I gathered from their conversation later. So what mallu I knew, I knew it well :-). And I also knew how to enjoy my red rice. So anyway, this waiter knows Kannada and we chatted and I told him what I tell all mallus I meet - that I have lived in Trivandrum for four years. He reminded me about the Onam sadya (a special feast for Onam) they were having on Monday and Tuesday and asked me if I would come.

About the prodigal son part. They did'nt lead any fattened calf into the kitchen, but they did give me quite a large cross-section of Sear Fish.