Sunday, May 20, 2012

How does one eat Mysore Masala Dosa everyday in Mysore without getting fat?

I'm going to write this post as quickly as I can before I lose consciousness. Lose Consciousness?!! No, don't worry, I'm not in grave or mortal danger or anything... if I were, I would be calling 911, not writing this post...

Let me explain. Earlier today, a friend told me about this new Indian restaurant, Karma Indian Cuisine, that just opened in town; definitely not a common occurrence here in the upper midwest. Being lovers of Indian cuisine, we (me, my fiancee, and said friend) lost no time in going there to try out their offerings. The restaurant is situated in what is probably the least likely place you would expect to find an Indian restaurant on this planet; in a little motel off the I-94 freeway in Fargo, North Dakota. And having just opened a month ago, there are no signs to advertise its presence. So you wouldn't know it's there unless you knew it's there :-) But now you know. So if you like Indian food, and should one day find yourself marooned in North Dakota, you know where to go :-)

Anyway, once we got there and looked at the menu, I quickly saw that they specialize in South Indian cuisine, and they had Mysore Masala Dosa on the menu. I decided that I should order that in order to practice my tastebuds for my upcoming Mysore trip. If you are not familiar, a Mysore Masala Dosa is a very big crepe brushed with spicy chutney and stuffed with sauteed onions, potatoes and assorted spices, served with a side of sambar. Definitely a feast for the senses (and the stomach, of course ;-)). It looks like this:

[Image taken from here]

I ate this whole freaking monster of a South Indian crepe in, like, twenty minutes. And now I'm paying the price for my indulgence: Even as I am typing this, I can feel the food coma--or, more precisely, the dosa coma--slowly creeping over my senses, causing my consciousness to slowly, slowly slip away into food-coma-slumber-land... zzzz...

Well... before I completely lose consciousness, I have a question for you people out there who have been to Mysore: How do you eat something like this everyday in Mysore without getting fat? Is the practice that Sharath (or Saraswasti) puts us through over there really so vigorous as to be able to burn off even the millions of calories that must accrue from eating this everyday? Of course, some of you enlightened folks out there must be turning up your noses at this rather vulgar question from such an unenlightened person; maybe the truth is that Mysore is really such a magical place that all the calories consumed from all the Mysore Masala Dosas eaten there simply magically disappear into thin air. If so, please forgive my vulgar ignorance in this area.

But seriously: How does one consume a monster like this everyday in Mysore without becoming fat? While you ponder (and hopefully answer) this question, I'm going to go take a trip to dosa-induced-coma-land. Zzzz...   

16 comments:

  1. Speaking for myself, I don't think I ever ate three meals/day while I was there. Two meals, and one of them usually pretty light. So you can eat some dosas without getting fat. Maybe not every day, though... :-)

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    1. Interesting. Maybe when I get there, I'll try eating one dosa a day, and a lighter meal later in the day, and see how my body holds up :-)

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    2. I was there in January and it was crowded. My practice was at 10 AM. So then there ws just time for lunch and then early dinner. The only really huge amount of calories was when a friend gave me a big bag of potato chips from the guy who makes them in a vat of oil out in the street. Man, those were good...

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    3. I love potato chips too. They are so bad, they are good... :-)

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  2. Yeah, perhaps more like the southern indan version of going for a burger with friends, or a fry up for breakfast. Mind you, i did eat dosa most mornings, and didn't gain any weight. I then had a big lunch and a light dinner.

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    1. "Yeah, perhaps more like the southern indan version of going for a burger with friends, or a fry up for breakfast..."

      Funny you should say this. When I was eating the dosa, I thought the texture reminded me a little of the crepes at IHOP (International House of Pancakes... Do you have them in Japan?), except a lot less sweet and a lot more spicy.

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  3. thank you for your blog -- i'm really enjoying it, just found it. I like the mix of academic & ashtangic interests because I'm also a professor and a yoga enthusiast. How to mix the two? I find they can support each other but sometimes I wish I had more time just to do yoga.

    As for the dosas, I can't answer that question because I haven't solved the whole food issue yet. I find it hard, well impossible, to eat only "three bananas" (i.e., a very light meal) at night to optimize my practice in the morning. I just try to avoid a food coma. But those dosas do sound very good and I will definitely stop by next time I'm driving in the area.

    -Rebecca

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    1. I haven't gotten to the point of being able to survive on only three bananas for dinner either... maybe I'll try it someday, just to see how it really feels like.

      Glad you enjoy reading this blog :-)

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  4. Easy. Every three weeks, do a free "cleanse"-- i.e. drink some tap water.

    Kidding. Karen's right-- I found that my eating habits change a whole lot while I'm there, it's super easy to have a good size meal early in the day and then a really light one (maybe just a smoothie) around 4 or 5, and that's it for the day.

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion, Ellie :-) If all else fails and I start gaining weight uncontrollably, I'll fall back on the free "cleanse" :-)

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    2. Here, I'll be all Debbie Downer and share another aspect of my Mysore food experience. I found it VERY hard to eat a lot in Mysore because there were plenty of skinny people around and many hungry animals scrounging around for food. Food is not the abundant commodity that it is in the US. I saw it very differently in Mysore. All of my years of eating to fuel physical performance (even while not eating as much as many Americans) seemed like an extraordinary luxury. It gave me pause. I'm still thinking about it a lot.

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    3. Very interesting. It certainly seems that people in Mysore (and maybe even India in general) have a different conception of and relationship to food than we do. They eat to live, we live to eat (or not).

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    4. Do you guys really just have fruit in the evening as a meal? I would be starving all night I think if thats all I had.

      I would really like to loose some belly fat and I just cant seem to shift it ...
      Any tips? or is that it .... fruit only!
      B

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  5. I gained 8 lbs in 6 weeks in Mysore! Next time I'm going to Easy Day first thing and getting some scales!!! Just back to normal now, 3 months on.

    Anon, you get used to not eating dinner, at least I did... for me 2nd series is not compatible with last night's dinner :)

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    1. Hmm... this is dangerous, Susan :-) I have to watch what I eat in Mysore then...

      Yes, Anon, I also agree that you probably will also get used to not eating dinner, especially if you are going to bed early.

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  6. Getting fat for most people is not hard to do and being overweight is not good for your health.

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