Dosa dilemma

Dosa – the traditional South Indian dish, a pancake made from a batter of rice and urad dal but no eggs. Enjoyed with chutney and sambar as accompaniments, eating it is pure bliss. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, dosas with accompaniments would fit the bill. Starting from the humble plain or dada dosa to the traditional, yet superior masala dosa, the inner-coated and masala-stuffed Mysore Masala or the hippy-type dosas with any crazy stuffing like vegetable manchurian, noodles, pizza,egg,spinach,chocolate and based on size Family roast which a whole family can partake of, the dosa legacy continues to grow in an innovative matter. In terms of geography, dosa is now available across the length and breadth of India. Hold it, why only India? Dosa-eating can be done anywhere these days be it London, New York, Singapore, Dubai or Sydney.

The globalisation of the dosa means people of different nationalities, people from different states of India and people from all walks of life enjoy this snack or meal, whatever one may choose to call it. This brings in its wake the issue of the right way of eating a dosa. Well, I am no one to sit in judgement on how a dosa should be eaten, but imagine my angst when a dosa is not given its due respect and not eaten with finesse but devoured. Taking pride in the fact that the dosa originated from that part of the world where I originated from, I love eating a dosa in the traditional way which not only fills our stomachs but also our hearts. Before I narrate how, let me share the manner the dosa is devoured, insulted or should I say raped?

What gets my goat is people attacking a dosa with a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other. Well, some even use a knife and fork to slice the dosa imagining it to be piece of meat. Spare a thought for the poor dosa– after being placed on hot tava, rolled over till it becomes a crispy brown, comes on to your plate and you poke it with a fork or slice it with a knife….guess there should be a Society for prevention of cruelty to dosas. The spoons serve a dual purpose — 1) to pin down the dosa as the eater tries to cut it with fork( in case he is not using a knife) and then picks it up with the fork and plonk, it goes into his mouth. 2) to dip into the bowl of chutney or sambar and take a noisy slurp.

Then there others who believe in using both their hands like talons to rip apart a dosa and put it into their mouths. The sound of noisy chewing is followed by the spoon dipping into the sambar or chutney and again a different sound– a huge slurp. Finally when the dosa is eaten, there is a satisfied burp and the person reaches out for a tissue paper.

Well, the traditional way in which a dosa is to be eaten is by hand only. To be more specific with the index finger, middle finger & thumb.A gentle hold and the slightest of pressure and a right-sized piece comes between the two fingers and thumb. Dip it into the bowl of chutney and slowly take it to your mouth. Repeat the action but this time dip into the bowl of sambar. If there are more than one variety of chutney, each of them can be dipped into serially. Meal over, a smile on your face, a small burp ………..you are satisfied, yet a little greedy– so what do you do? Gently lick your fingers. Then the finale, which is about cleaning the right hand with which you have eaten. Incidentally, cleaning before eating is also the rule. Post-eating, no question of any paper tissue or a finger-bowl, You walk across to the nearest wash-basin, wash you hands in running water from the tap and also gargle your mouth. Come back to the table and there is no need for mukhwas or mouth- freshener.

Friends, try the traditional method, believe me you will not be disappointed.