I grew up in a family where eating outside food was always a big No! We hardly eat outside or did we travel outside our state, only our parents especially my father would always travel.
Street food was strictly prohibited though sometimes our father would allow us without our mother's knowledge, that too is a very rare occasion.
I got to taste street food when I started going for tuition during class 9 because our tuition started right after our school hour and slowly I started eating out with my pocket money whenever I get opportunity.
When I pass class 10 I really wanted to continue my class 11-12 studies in South India eventhough I had no idea about the place nor school it was just that everyone I know was ready to study outside. So, me and my father traveled to Tamil Nadu because that's where my father wanted me to study. Upon reaching the state I realized that it is a very different place and the food is also so different with what we usually have. On the first day I could not eat anything, eventhough I tried, so my father started searching for a bengali restaurant because eventhough we are not Bengali we have tasted it before so we it was not unusual for us. It was before Google map took over our life, so we had to walk and search. It was fun walking around and finding new places.
The next day we went to visit our school and the principal told us that I should stay back because the classes has started. As it is a residential school it seems it was not unusual to make the student stay on the day of admission, and so my father left me reluctantly in this new environment which neither of us was not familiar with but it was unavoidable that now I am officially the school's student. Just like that I went to my hostel, met new people, made friends it was just a whole new world. The most uncomfortable experience was the next morning during breakfast, they served us idli with coconut chutney and I was about to cry, it made me missed my home so much. I never had nor tasted any South Indian food so it was really hard for me, they gave us tea so just to make my hunger go I forcefully made myself eat idli and pushed it down my throat with a gulp of tea, eventhough I was about to puke it back. It took me 1 month to adjust with the food, I had stomach ache, allergies well I had all this before I came to South but it got worse. But after 1 month, I fell in love with the food, I started loving coconut chutney and after 4 or 6 months I fell in love with rasam. My friends who have been studying in South for a very long time used to drink rasam and I would always question but they would just answer that they love it so me being curious tasted and did not like it but eventually I did and I could not stop myself from drinking it. Sambar was my favorite part of lunch and breakfast, I really loved that beetroot fry that I kept pestering my mother to make it till now eventhough she has never tasted it nor she knows how to cook it.
After I finished my schooling in South I came back and got to pursue my higher studies in different state. Right after I joined my college my miss South Indian food so I went to some South Indian based restaurant and I promised myself to never have South Indian food anywhere else other than in South India. I really never did have any South Indian food throughout my college days and I still have not had it till now because I do not want to destroy my beautiful and tasty memories of South Indian food that I had when I was still studying there. I miss the food so much, I really love it that if I can I would just take a trip to eat the food there and come back.
