Unlimited Andhra Meals- A Gluttons guide to Paradise

Chennai is a city that boasts of 10 beaches, 50 public toilets, 100 police stations, 1000 mutton stalls, 5000 bakeries, 50,000 temples, 70,000 Auto’s, 1,00,000 tea shops and 1 million wine shops! A vibrant mix of all these elements is what reflects the diverse facets of life in Chennai, creating its unique cultural cocktail. But if there is one particular establishment that has not got its due respect, it is our very own Andhra Mess. Yes, I am talking about the tiny restaurants playing Telugu classics, serving only Telugu newspapers while duly obliging its hungry customer’s day in and day out. They are after all, the inventors of the ‘Unlimited meals’ scheme! The gladiators, who, in our quest for a never ending bowl of rice have sacrificed themselves to bring a billion different dishes into a tiny banana leaf, only to be forgotten with a loud burp once the bill is paid. Is there even a single college student in the city who hasn’t taken advantage of the Andhra meals, be it asking for a free extra ‘Appalam’ or coaxing the little boy with the big bowl of rice to serve you for the sixth time? How can you forget the free pickle, gun powder and gongura chutney that is served with such fiery love that its taste and effect lingers until your next day’s call with nature? How can you forget the spicy chicken or prawn that motivates you to complete the un-completable meal? The least we could have done was to absorb it into our cultural cocktail and given it an identity, but no! It hasn’t even been highlighted as much as the TASMAC Wine shops around town. Why isn’t the Andhra mess used as landmarks around our great city like wine shops are, for example?

Why does it always have to be:
Dei macha, not left wine shop da… after second wine shop on the right, take left ra dei.

Why can’t it be: Mr. Kepmari Kumar
No. 0, Country Brute colony,Beggar Nagar,
Chennai- 600420
(Landmark- Opposite Naanamma Andhra Mess)

So I decided ladies and gentlemen that it is time we remember, if not honor this humble giant who has been ignored for long.I am going to show you through this simple example what the ‘Andhra Meal’ is all about and how you go about eating the entire meal. In the table below, you will find the contents of every meal. Also find below, the process guide to eat the entire meal in a flowchart in true Software Engineer’s style (after all, they account for the disappearance of mind boggling amounts of rice across Andhra mess’s every afternoon) Consider this page on your screen as a giant banana leaf and enjoy the Rice Ride!

 Contents:

Defaults	Cuuries	Gravy	Crunchy	Extras	Sweet	Nibbles	Vital
Pickle	Pappu	Sambar	Appalam	Omelet	Ladoo	Sombu	R I C E
Gongura	Curry 1	Rasam	Vatthal	Podimas		Beetle nut
Gun Powder	Curry 2	Chicken	Dry chilli	Fish Fry		Beetle leaf
Sugar	Spinach	Fish		Chicken Fry
Salt	Chutney	Curd		Prawn Fry
Ghee	Kootu	More kolambu

The Andhra meals flowchart