Udupi Palace - Requiem for our two-year holiday

Did you know commencement is synonymous with beginning? Who was the clown that thought graduation signified a new beginning? Graduation is an event that for all intents and purposes signifies the end to what has been a two-year unpaid vacation, albeit in a city that refuses to acknowledge the arrival of spring. Graduation is a requiem; it is why we wear black and sit through elegiac laments of days past. On June 12th, I for one will be wearing dark sunglasses to hide the tears, and those will not be tears of joy. My sole consolation will not be some certificate signifying a degree completed but an unemployed Chittlins sleeping on my couch.

Our more dedicated readers may have begun to notice the slower pace at Good, Clean Licks this quarter. I would like to blame the health care legislation or even the illegal immigrants in Arizona, but the truth is, Chittlins has a girlfriend. The noose (also know as Coolwhip) hangs heavy. Casually meeting up somewhere for a quick bite now requires advanced scheduling; I suppose I could join them for movie night tonight, but you know what they say, Mexican tamales don’t mix well with Indian chutney.

Speaking of Indian chutney, the GCL entourage descended upon Udupi Palace (2543 W Devon Ave) this week for an evening of South Indian gastro enlightenment. South India is known for its religious tolerance, beautiful geography and India’s Silicon Valley; a visit to Bangalore, the region’s unofficial capital, promises slumdogs, millionaires, and lots of spontaneous Bollywood dancing. At Udipi Palace, expect suburban Indian families and the adventurous gringo. As for the Bollywood dancing, well, no one is going to stop you.

This week was the first time I was able to roll up to a GCL event in my own transportation. That’s right, ToucanSam bought the lesbian favorite, granola guzzling Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. Of course, due to a Chittlins’ scheduling error, 55% Blame and I showed up half an hour before anyone else. We kept ourselves busy chatting over some Dahi Vada and continued ordering appetizers as everyone showed up. The sampler plate itself might as well have been fried along with the random assortment of vegetables it came with. Only the samosa is worth mentioning. Of the other starters, the papdi chaat and dahi vada are well worth ordering; similar in nature, each delivers the yogurt and tamarind sauce combo with panache, one with crispy dough biscuits and the other over a black lentil donut.

Our other guest that evening were Miss Piggy, Uninvited 1st Year, and The Bania of Shaitan. As is customary at Indian restaurants, the Indians ordered for the table. We selected a tasting of South Indian specialties: three dosais, an utthapum, and two rice dishes. The favorites were the special rawa dosai and the besibele bath. The rawa dosai was crispy and paired very well with the coconut chutney. The besibele rice dish on the other hand is a rice daal mixture with peas, carrots, peppers and potatoes resembling a rice stew.

For dessert we were served tales of how The Bania and Miss Piggy met their respective partners. Sweet never tasted so cute. It seems the combination of misdirection and nonchalance is the foundation on which to build today’s successful relationship. Note to Coolwhip: if Chittlins starts to act like he isn’t interested, you’re so in.