I was sitting in Mukka, an Indian restaurant in the hipster part of Melbourne, starring at the menu for a long time, ━ torn between Malai Kofta and Rogan Josh, before putting an order for Kadai Paneer. It was my me-time, which started a couple of hours earlier with a haircut, followed by a cocktail and then a hearty Indian meal.
A self-care day. A self-love day. All by myself.
I remember how I used to do this all the time in the early years of my life in Singapore. After a long day, I’d treat myself to Indian food in a restaurant ━ instead of stopping at a hawker centre or getting a ta pau and walking home. I’d reach Farrer Park MRT station, and instead of turning left to HDB Block 215, I’d turn right and walk along the Race Course Road.
South Indian Cuisine
My go-to was Anjappar or, on exceptionally tough days, Muthu’s Curry.
I’d order the same food every time ━ Chettinad Chicken Masala (spiced chicken) in Anjappar or Milagu Kozhi Varuval (chicken pepper fry) in Muthu’s, with an unlimited serving of white rice and a glass of Teh Tarik to end the one-person feast.
Both main dishes originated from Chettinad, a region in Tamil Nadu, India. And both are of chicken meat, which was interesting since I prefer seafood over chicken. Maybe I subconsciously interpret chicken as comfort food.
Anyway, I’d eat a tummy full in those two restaurants before walking back to the HDB. I then would shower and retreat to my rented room (painted in neon-green) and lie down on my mattress, feeling rather content.
This ritual sustained me, my mental health and my life in Singapore.
North Indian Cuisine
The past few weeks, the things at work have been challenging, I could sense burnout surfacing, so I made a space to repeat the same ritual that evening ━ with a few exceptions. I started with a cocktail before moving on to the main dish, Kadai Paneer, a vegetarian North Indian dish accompanied by a bowl of pea pulao rice which I also ate to my heart’s content. I then took an Uber back to my home, showered and now laying down on the mustard-coloured bedsheet, also feeling rather content.
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