My tryst with hotels started since i was 4 when some one of my relatives brought kara chev and i was delighted to eat it. But i was warned not to eat hotel food as they were not good for health. So the relationship with hotels those days were on the salary days of my father who will buy Halwa and Karachev from hotel on that day. It was considered a sin and a " Bandha" to eat at a hotel. People especially the patties in the agraharam " avanuku romba pana kozhuppudi athunaala thaan adikkadi clubukku poi sappidaran. ( here the club means the hotel) My first visit to a hotel was when one akka who married outside the caste took me to one. Slowly i grew up and because of my father's work moved to different towns/villages. In one such aghraharam, when i was doing my 11th, there was a group who will play cards all through the day. In the morning itself say around 10.30 they will have their lunch and then in the thinnai of one of the group member's house the card game will start. I will be hanging around that place. Around 2.30 pm i will be asked to go to a hotel and get 9 or 10 parcels of dosai, poori or something depending on their mood and ten coffee and get me something for me also. I will take a big Gooja and a wire bag go to a hotel and order. Because of the big order i will be given a hand full of mixture or karachev and a cup of coffee free. This will happen on most of the holidays. My next tryst with hotels came when my mother's uncle visits our home. He is one person who can overrule my parents and take us out. In the hotel we will be served with a halwa (venkatara lodge at Kumbakonam was very famous for its idlys and sweets) with karachev/mixture. Even if you order sweet alone you will be given that savoury and it was never sweet and coffee. It will be always sweet karam and cofee. Then i got a temporary job in Orathanad and eating at Hotels started in Chitra Cafe.(which was located opposite to then panchayat union office). Full meals of Boiled rice will cost you 40 paise and with Raw rice it will be 60 paise. These hotels were perfect example of the industry being called hospitality industry. Our normal intake will be 4 idlys and 2 dosais as break fast. Even if we consume one less we will be immediately asked by the owner (who will double as server) " are you not well" If we say we are short of cash then he will immediately retort by giving one more idly free i wont be made to beg by god. You need not pay today. Eat well. Valarra Kozhandhel. Saappattula vanjana pannaatheengo". Then got the permanent job at Sirkali. Came Ranga Vilas and Rathna Cafe. I can never forget these hotels. If i miss some days in Ranga Vilas on the day i visit the owner will immediately say " Varaadhavaaallam vanthirukkada. Seekkiram gavani. Pudhusa decoction podu". Then the owner of Rathna Cafe Sri Shanmugam Chettiar who purchased Hindi records for us to hear when we were eating. and the servers Sri Manickam Chettiar (Maavanna) Shankar, Balu and a host of others. Even when the hotel is closed for the day Maavanna never returned us hungry. Will prepare something and the servers whenever there is Kadappah it will be kept in a seperate bucket exclusively for us. The best thing is the owner and the servers know each and every one of us by name.‪#‎rkpolambal‬#