(good alliteration/assonance but bad generalization; not all Indians are hindi, some are muslims, christians, etc.)
i revisited the "Indian Oven" yesterday (along main street). I got the usual- access to the lunch buffet special for $8... i realized that I get full easily, which means, I probably don't need an unlimited access to the menu presented...
the background: I don't know much about Indian food, prior to "Indian Oven" I've had minute exposure to them (I think the first time was when I rode with Neha to CT for spring break. I waited in her house for my Uncle from Stamford to pick me up. While waiting, Neha's mom fed us. The food she served us were delicious and spicy. I remember dipping the spicy food in the supplimentary yogurt-esque side in order to "cool" the spice down [?])...
one of my colleageus at USU recommended "Indian Oven." She told me about the buffet and how the food wasn't spicy at all (after living with a thai, whose sense of "not spicy" or just "mildly spicy" often misleaded me when testing the "not so spicy" dishes he prepared, i've become more wary of other's perception of what is "spicy"-- nutshell: I'm not used to spicy food so even a smidgen of spice is considered spicy for me... so the first time I went, I talked to the host/server and asked him about the level of spice. He assured me that the food in the buffet were barely spicy/ bordering on subtle spice (in the regular menu, you can order any dish [mostly] with whatever degree of spicyness from subtle/sublime to scorching-need-a-new-tongue spicy, it all depends on you; spicy or not, the dishes are still flavorful).
the buffet was just a great idea because it was a good way to sample different dishes and get to be familiar with the names (so that if you look at the menu, you'll have a better sense of "curry" or "masala" or "tandoora?", you tasted the chicken masala, maybe it'll be similar to pork masala, maybe?)...
the buffet was good for "beginners", BUT since I've returned to this establishment several times, i'm ready to go to the next level and explore the other dishes not presented in the buffet menu/servings... here's my revelation; i don't have to spend $8 to be full while eating in "Indian Oven"- for me, a side of rice, an "ulam (some sort of chicken/ meat)", some vegetable/fruit, a dessert, and a drink, are good enough for me (i can get all of these in varying degrees/ combinations). So next time, i'll start exploring the appetizers, side dishes, and different "naans."
i still remember the first time I ate here. I was so full from lunch (maybe because of the unlimited servings or not) that for dinner I didn't have the appetite to eat the usual large dinner; I ended up just eating a slice of pizza and salad. I had a similar experience yesterday and inspite of the unlimited servings, I stopped myself when I was full.
[ tangent: yesterday I cut open my first cantaloupe, I cleaned out the seeds, sliced the canteloupe to pieces for easy eating experience and "peeled" the outer thick/rough covering/"shell"-- it was a good exercise to practice using the knife ;) and I didn't chop my fingers off :) ]
Posted by Michael Diezmos at June 11, 2008 3:46 PM