PhilTer KaaPI and ThaChi MaMMu

Q What would you call a person who drinks piping hot filter coffee at 12.p.m. when it is 45 degrees centigrade outside ?

Ans: A Tamil Brahmin !

Q) What would you call a person who finishes every meal ( be it Chinese , continental, Mexican, Italian) with curd rice ?

Ans : Well Tamil Brahmin ( again )

Lol , before the entire Mylapore and Mandhavlai comes behind me with broomsticks , I better confess that well I am one of them too and dam proud one at that , Yes yes yes … I do love curd rice and yeas like a countless number of you guys that was my nickname during both school and college and yeah for some weird reason it makes a fantastic ending to every meal which even “Tiramisu” or “Chocolate Truffle” can’t compete with !

Well , as the battle of the Iyers and the Iyengars continue and each fight for their supremacy , there are(believe me) two uniting aspect ( and no m not talking about higher education at MIT ! ) this aspect is the one quality which actually defines every Tamil Brahmin worth his salt – the love for Filter Coffee and curd rice !!

Alliances are made , property discussed , Kanjeevarm saris bought , diamond jewellery carefully selected , Pooja’s performed ,all under the powerful auspices of well.. filter coffee ! Filter Cofee has other properties too , the better a young Brahmin girl makes filter coffee – the more prepared she is for marriage ( well , considering how I make coffee , m gonna die a sad, old stooge ), It also happens to be the universal cure for anything ranging from a headache , to joint pains , back ache , fatigue etc etc… Of course this “amrithavarshini ( think that translates into nectar of life ) dosen’t stop with that , It also doubles as the perfect accompaniment for well just about anything , Idlis and coffee , meals and coffee , sandwich and coffee , toast and coffee HOWEVER .. there is one elusive being who refuses to be paired with the prestigious filter coffee and that insolent person is otherwise known as “Thiar Sadham “ fondly known as “Thachi Mammu “ !

Thair Sadham has a millions of patrons who swear by it , Any self-respecting Tamil Brahmin , despite doing his MMBS for 5 long years and then invariably going to Yale Med school or Berkly will still swear that curd rice is the aliment which will amileorate all sicknesses ! Whether it is fever or cough, diarrhea or tummy ache , digestive problems or PMS , never fear when curd rice is here !! The most unique quality of cur rice is that it can be used a) as snack b) a lunch-box ‘item’ c) as brunch /lunch/dinner and d) As all of the above . You get tired from school and your paati offers you curd-rice ! You not hungry and wanna go sleep , ma says – At least eat some curd-rice !! You stay up the whole night studying and when you are ravenous at 3.a.m .. guess what come to your rescue agagin ??Well .. curd-rice !!

Having said all this , no matter which part of the world Tamils have spread to today , and no matter how twisted their tanglisised accents are , for them home still means … thair sadham and filter coffee !!