BFH#4 : MIT Cafeteria

It is that time of the year again.

We are in a state of war! The Exam halls are our Normandy, the thick books, rifles and the library, our trenches. But to keep this war going, we need our fair share of ration, and in in that endeavor, laziness will not do. We need to find better nutrition. And not unlike a country at war, we face a lot of economical challenges. Well simply put, we’re broke. (Or at least, I am)

Since it’s not always possible to go back for lunch to our respective messes, or for people like me who do not have a mess card anymore, we try to find good food around, but end sems macha, no time to go out, eat, come back and then start studying.

I found my savior in the most unexpected of places, the cafeteria. Why, one may ask?
One, because broke scenes. Two, because there is so much variety, and the prices range from ten rupees to a hundred and twenty.
I can have just twenty rupees in my wallet, and buy myself a plate of idly, which when dipped in enough sambhar, tastes surprisingly good. Get myself a cup of coffee to wash it down, (10 rupees) and breakfast sorted. On the days that you’re exceptionally broke, buy yourself upma. For a measly 15 rupees, you get a scoop or two of upma, which when eaten with sambar and chutney, is pretty decent. But hey, can’t complain, 15 rupees.

You can always have one of the many dosas they serve, but it’s my third year here now, I am bored of the dosas and the oreo shake. For a south Indian college cafeteria, (sorry for the subtle racism) , they make really good north Indian food. Depending on how much you want to spend and how much can you eat, you can look for a lot of things. The kulcha paneer is pretty good, so is the paneer tikka masala, and even the chole kulche are pretty decent. The Aaloo paratha is really good, but i will not lie, I have had aaloo paratha for the chutney they serve with it, now that, is amazing. The parathas, Aaloo, paneer, egg are all nice and decently priced (somewhere between 30 and 50), the pao bhaji is bearable but cheap (at 35 rupees, it’s pretty flliing), you can always have the paneer pao bhaji or the cheese pao bhaji (45 each) and the bhel puri (25 rupees) works if you’re looking for empty calories. The ‘north indian meal with sweet’, as it is mentioned in the menu, is priced at a lowly 65 rupees, and is something you should definitely if you’re looking for a decent meal. Ask the regulars though, apparently the chole are good.

The sandwiches , especially omelette sandwich and cheese sandwich are something that should not be missed. There is a long list of pastas and pizzas that these people serve, which i have never had the pleasure of eating, but I’ve been told (by my trusted sources) that the Italian fare is decent too. The chinese, however is horrible, and so is the biryani. Basically do not buy rice and that should work for you.

For something sweet, there is always ice-cream and other sweets in the display counter, you can even get yourself sweet lime soda, (which, for twenty rupees btw, is a find), and if like me, you too are bored of the oreo shake, you should definitely try out the Mousambi juice (healthy) and mango shake (full of fat, but heavenly). Good way to cool yourself down.

So yeah, that’s pretty much it. As I need to pass tomorrow, I shall be taking my leave.
Thanks for reading. 🙂

 

BFH#3 : Hot Chocolate @ Dollops

Please bear with me, as this will not be like the usual post that the four readers (Thanks Ma)  of the blog expect

We all have our bad days, and we all deal differently with them. As a fat person, i tend to eat away my sorrows, and so, I am kind of an expert on stress eating, so when I tell you this, you better believe me, the hot chocolate at dollops is all you need to get over all kinds of shit.

A good friend of mine named Aman Preet ( 😛 ) introduced me to this drink. We use this as a bargaining chip for getting small things done from each other, or just to sit and have a normal conversation without being disturbed. All of this, however, has to be done before 7ish in the evening, because after 7, people start coming in and it becomes really uneconomical for them to make one glass of hot chocolate milk for you.

Anyway, so when you are having a bad day and just need to sit and introspect, but you also need a little comfort, you should come to dollops. Mostly empty, this place is ideal for the aforementioned sitting and introspection, and doing things like penning down your thoughts and ideas, writing that unfinished novel, or just chilling in general. At Dollops? Cool. Now all you need to do is order this tasty little concoction of chocolate and milk, sit back and enjoy. The purists may turn their noses away from this extra sweet drink, but I like to think this reminds me of home, and my childhood. The whole, chocolate milk in a glass, reminds me of those carefree days, and for some reason, makes me feel better about myself. Now, obviously, this will be very subjective, but do this. Go to Dollops, preferably on a rainy day, and sit and slowly sip on the glass of hot chocolate they bring you, and life will become clearer.

Also, it’s just 20 bucks. So yeah, even if you don’t want to introspect and other big words, you can go and have a glass just for the heck of it.