How to be a good host?

So a good Singaporean friend of mine decided to go out for dinner with me last week. And since we always had non-Indian cuisine before, he felt a bit adventurous and asked me to treat him to my choice of Indian cuisine.

For people who are in the know, there are 2 kinds of Indian cuisines. The kind that you eat when you take non-Indians out with you (the Mango Lassi and Butter Chicken variety), and the other kind which you eat when you really crave Indian food. (That reminds me; heavenly food for me is – dried fish chutney – the way my mom makes it!)

Now since he was feeling a bit adventurous, I thought I might as well introduce him to what I was totally craving for, that day. So we feasted on Chettinad cuisine. The spicy Tamil variety. The kind which requires a constant flow of tissues and water. Being the mild Singaporean he is, he just could mumble “nice”, “nice” before he broke down into a river of tears and then started appreciating the Naan.

When a foreigner starts appreciating the Naan, you can guess for sure that the main course is out of his reach. But I think the devil had gotten into me that day. To finish our hot and spicy meal, I ordered for the Madras filter coffee. Its no latte, and it is sweet and has got milk. A hot drink after a spicy meal makes sure that you cry enough to make the person sitting on the table next to you pity your misery. My poor victim bottomed that as well.

As a final treat, I made him eat Paan. I think that was just too much for him. He finally pleaded to me that this is all he could take. I could see his face turning pink, as his throat turned numb because of eating all the betel nut pieces put so thoughtfully inside the paan. It was so bad that for close to half an hour the only thing he could do was ask me if he was gonna be alright!

He bid me good bye and left for his home half crying, half choking and generally feeling very miserable. On my way back, as I recalled the ordeal that I put him through, I kinda felt bad (I mean it). So this is a guilt laden blog to apologize for the pain and agony I put him through :) !!