IDLI - I Don't Like It

When you talk about South Indian cuisine, one of the first food item that comes to a person’s mind is Idli. As Wikipedia states, and here I quote, “Idli is a savory cake, 2-3 inches in diameter, made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they can be readily absorbed by the body.” Wikipedia also details idli’s history and states that this food could be at least 1000 years old, if not more. It is also, without doubt, the most consumed breakfast item in South India.

With such an impressive record, one would wonder that everyone would love idlis – but I don’t! It isn’t exactly that I have vowed never to eat idlis, but I don’t eat them outside nor at my home. There are those rare instances when my bowels decide to misbehave, and then I have no choice but to down these white, fluffy, tasteless cakes, but otherwise, they are a strict no-no for me. I have been impressed and even marginally tempted after seeing a few others eating idli, but all it takes is one munch for reality – that they taste yuck – to set in me. In fact, I can say with some certainty that idli is the only food item I take great pains to avoid.

It wasn’t always that I hated idlis. My mom never tires of telling everyone around me who’d care to listen that I used to eat at least 3 idlis when I was 2-3 years old. For all those who have seen me later in life, let me just mention that I was indeed a rather rounded child. All my earlier photos display me in a football-like pose with a bee-stung face. Anyway, over time, this overexposure to idlis must have worked on my psyche, and I remember it was around the age of 10-11 that I toned down to having strictly 2 idlis. Whether it be the fluffy, soft ones which my mom prepared (and which was pretty famous in my family circles) or whether it be the marble-like ones prepared at certain relatives’ place, I never had more than 2. Chutney, sambar, sugar, or pickle, regardless of their quality, never made any change in my idli intake. The fact that we had 15 people in our home ensured that idli dominated the breakfast table. This single-handedly helped in me losing all that extra flab and having the trim figure of present.

I am still unsure about the overexposure to idli theory mainly due to my younger brother. He had as much exposure to this food item, but that has never seemed to affect him adversely. In fact, I see him gorging on them even more enthusiastically nowadays. In fact, my mom generally has two cookers running at full steam when he sits down to eat idli. While I can match him in dosas, I don’t even attempt to keep up with him while having idlis. In fact, I’ve ducked many a challenge if the competing turf happens to be idli. The margin of defeat would be just too big compared to others.

After marriage, my mother hoped for a change, but this was one item where even my wife couldn’t make a difference. She did try all her womanly charms to coax me into eating this, but it just proved that in certain areas, I was above any kind of temptation. This does put considerable amount of stress when we go for marriage ceremonies where the breakfast is mainly idli. Let us just say that the fact that we continue to be married is proof that we have managed to overcome that major hurdle in our life together.

My dislike towards idli is rather well-known in my side of the family as well as my wife’s. For others, I hope this is helpful. To me, IDLI means I Don’t Like It.