Thali Tales 2: Konjam Konjam

9 dishes + tomato rice + roti

We spent half the morning in Auroville. It was quite some walk to view the Matrimandir. As Raj drove us back to town, I heard he mentioned the word "sapte" to Vee. This was one of the few Tamil words I know - it means eat! 

"He asked what we have in mind for lunch today, veg or non-veg?" Vee translated.

"Anything's fine..."

So Raj dropped us off at Hotel Surguru, about 10 minutes away from Atithi Hotel (where we stayed). We told him not to wait. It would be good to do some walking after the potentially heavy lunch.

The restaurant is located at the hotel's basement. We had to go down some flights of stairs and into a dimly lit area before we could see the restaurant.

One thing worth noting is that the restaurant is friendly for people with mobility issues as it has got a stair lift. In fact, while we went down the stairs, the restaurant staff was helping an elderly lady to use the stair lift.

Hotel Surguru's restaurant is a full vegetarian restaurant with air-conditioning. A server dressed in a black and white uniform brought us the menu. He was young, maybe in his early twenties.

Apparently, the restaurant is famous for its dosas. But it was lunch, so we ordered thali again - our second thali in two days! And just like in Saravana Bhavan, we did not have to wait long before our young server returned with 2 shiny trays.

Compared to the hilarious experience of "12 dishes and more" from the day before, the number of bowls at Hotel Surguru was boring and harmless - only 9 dishes plus papadum!

Yet, as if to make up for its lesser number of dishes, we were each served with a piece of roti (flat bread), and a bowl of tomato rice on top of the white rice!

Our server came back with the rice, and scooped a considerable amount into our trays.

"How do you say sikit in Tamil?" I asked Vee. Sikit is the colloquial term for "a little bit" in the Malay Language. 

She replied, "Konjam..."

Our server overheard the dialogue. He grinned at me before leaving us to our food.

The meal was delightful, and we ate quietly. Our hunger gave no room for trivial conversations.

As the rice began to clear, our server came back.

He gestured to me, pointing to the rice bowl in his hand.

I smiled, shook my head slightly. I was feeling full.

Not satisfied with silent exchange of sign languages, he said with a grin, "Konjam?"

I laughed, "No, no konjam..."

He wobbled his head slightly and smiled.

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Footnote

• Our thali meals cost Rs.270 (for 2)
• In India, eateries with air-conditioners would display the A/C acronym. 
• The head wobble is a gesture unique to Indians. Its meaning ranges from "Yes", "Okay" to "I Understand".