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| Naadan chaayakkada, an ever-refreshing experience .. always .. |
Reliving experiences or having fresh experiences as different from material possessions, remain with us forever, these are the things that's going to last forever. Material possessions outlive their utility and lose value very soon. Click here for a Forbes article on why experiences matter more than material possessions..
An experience we would all love to relive is the chaayakkada (teashop) experience in Kerala. Remember the first time you had a banana fry (pazhampori or ethakkya appam) or a neyyappam or suhiyan from a chaayakkada. The warmth with which it was put into your hands and how out-of-the-earth it tasted then ?
All of us Malayalis, love to have that tasty, crispy parippuvada, pazhampori, puttu kadala, appam muttacurry, porotta beef combo and many other mouth-watering, delectable, finger-licking appetizing tasty dishes like we do in a naadan chaayakada ..
Rich folklore, traditions, culture and traditional dishes of a millennia or two are packed in these 30 minute, open-air eateries, famously called the chaayakada with seating for 5-6 people and lot of gossip (for light vegetarian tasty snacks), and the famous thattukada for wholesome heavy dinner with omelette and non-veg chipped in as per customer's palate.
An experience we would all love to relive is the chaayakkada (teashop) experience in Kerala. Remember the first time you had a banana fry (pazhampori or ethakkya appam) or a neyyappam or suhiyan from a chaayakkada. The warmth with which it was put into your hands and how out-of-the-earth it tasted then ?
All of us Malayalis, love to have that tasty, crispy parippuvada, pazhampori, puttu kadala, appam muttacurry, porotta beef combo and many other mouth-watering, delectable, finger-licking appetizing tasty dishes like we do in a naadan chaayakada ..
Rich folklore, traditions, culture and traditional dishes of a millennia or two are packed in these 30 minute, open-air eateries, famously called the chaayakada with seating for 5-6 people and lot of gossip (for light vegetarian tasty snacks), and the famous thattukada for wholesome heavy dinner with omelette and non-veg chipped in as per customer's palate.
Recently on a trip to Kozhikode, on both evenings, I escaped the constricted artificial setup in my hotel to have simple, tasty, hygienic dinner at two thattukadas by the roadside .. (click here for a writeup and pics / video of that experience)
Yousuf Ali's Lulu mall near Idapally, Kochi relives that special experience for you, complete with the one metre chaaya (tea) !!
Welcome to Kerala, Gods Own Country, the land where you experience and relive your younger days yet again, to the heart's content ..
Material possessions outlive their utility soon, as after your car purchase your neighbour acquires a better one, and your car becomes an old model .. Experiences on the other hand enrich your life in many different ways, unheard and unseen. The memories, the good and bad experiences we've had, remain with us, cherished and enrich us for ever !
So the next time you go for that big car or that big house, think over ! Do you want to remain unhappy with material comparisons or forever happy with the great and wholesome experiences you have had with your family and friends ?
George. (Thanks to Thomas John for sending these pics and to Lulu Mall, Idapally)
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