old eateries

During my recent trip to south Tamil Nadu with my family, I visited the nine Vishnu temples collectively known as ‘Nava Thirupathi’. One of the temples is situated at Aalwar Thirunagari on the way from Tirunelveli to Thirchendur. After coming out of the temple, in the vicinity I happened to witness a small jaunt where a group of people had gathered in what could be best described as a petty shop. On enquiry I came to know that it was a coffee shop fondly known as ‘Maami Coffee’ famous for the filter coffee and vada that was served in the evenings.

Tempted on knowing that I went there only to see that there was a massive crowd present to take tokens for the coffee and vada. I too tried my luck and succeeded eventually. There were several cars parked on the roadside and among this was also a car with the insignia ‘District Collector’. Later I came to know that not only the collector but also a lot of bureaucrats and executives would often throng the shop for the strong coffee and tasty vada.

Another fact that caught my attention was that irrespective of the stature of the person whoever followed the line got the token and there was no unnecessary aura attached to the person. This was a unique feature of  Maami Coffee. No influence was entertained by the owner. I approached her to know what was the secret of this unique coffee and she had an instant answer — a warm smile. However, after some persistence she told me that it was a trade secret which could not be revealed.

Surprised with my efforts to have a cup of coffee and my endeavour to find the special ingredient in the coffee, my daughter, who was watching the whole episode from a distance, gave me a puzzling look and asked what was the fuss all about as after all it was just a cup of coffee.

These days it is fashionable to have food from star hotels or swanky restaurants. The young generation is paying less importance to hygienic food and ways of eating. Junk food has caught their fancy. But that was not how it used to be always. In those days great care was given to see as to what goes into the stomach and eateries were known for the quality of food they gave and not for the panache they displayed.

Triplicane, in Chennai, was a paradise for bachelors who were solely depending on private messes for the square meals. Saidoji Mess was a very famous joint and in spite of the various conditions stipulated by the owner, queues were frequently seen outside the mess. Rayar Café, in Mylapore, and also Kaiyendhi Bhavan (also in Mylapore) is still a foodies’ paradise with a lot of celebrities thronging the eatery for the tasty tiffins. In the midst of all this who can forget the world renowned Iruttu Kadai Halwa. Come evening and there is always a huge crowd at this street in Tirunelveli, with a constant presence of the police to manage the crowd.

All these eateries do not have the publicity and on-your-face presence many of the new-age eateries have and this might be a reason why they are not very popular with the young generation. It would do good for them to remember the old adage: All that glitters is not gold.