Bengaluru, famously called the Silicon Valley of India, the centre of high-tech industries, a working lifestyle, and a chill nightlife, is also famous for a special food item: piping hot dosas! Be it the thick crusty dosas of Vidyarthi Bhavan or the delicious gourmet dosas of The Permit room; every Kannadiga has their share of exceptional dosa stories and recipes.
It was in fact the ardent love for dosa had brought two foodies together, Amshula and Kanan Vyas, who otherwise were complete opposites. Amshu was the sensitive one who would lend a kind hand to everyone she met. From the neighbourhood bakery to the flower lady she bought gajras from, she befriended them all. Kanan, on the other hand was the quiet introvert who was corporatized to open up conditionally.
Their dosa choices were also different. While Amshu preferred the greasy, thick, soulful dosas of the little shops, Kanan had developed a taste for the richer, gourmet fusion dosas. During their courtship period, they had ample moments together, cooking for each other, falling for each other, and eventually marrying each other.
However, the long hours in an IT firm were no joke in Bengaluru. Left with barely any time to run errands and cook, the couple in their 30s were on the verge of living a distant life under the same roof.
One night, their maid informed them that she won’t be able to work the next day because her son was down with viral fever. Amshu sighed while acknowledging. They’ll have to cook and clean on their own.
Kanan joked about it and the two cuddled up, scrolling through their phones and silence befell. While Amshu scrolled through memes, Kanan scrolled through his regular dosage of food-porn and that’s where he saw an advertisement of LoveLocal, an innovative platform that provided an option to purchase grocery online in Bangalore and many other Indian cities. He was about to know a little more about it when Amshu asked, “What should I cook tomorrow then? Now that Sheela isn’t coming?”
Kanan whispered lovingly, “Why just you, I’ll cook too? What do you want to eat?”
Amshu thought for a minute and replied with a smile in her eyes. “Let’s do one thing, I’ll cook something for you, you cook for me. What do you say? Just like the old days?”
Kanan, amused by her idea, decided to spice things up. He said, “All right, but the best dish wins and will be treated by the losing party, how about that?”
“A challenge, huh?”, Amshula accepted it with a grin. The game was on.
The next morning, they left with just a cup of coffee as they were to be back by 8 pm. Both their minds had questions swirling: Where were they supposed to get groceries on time? And what if they don’t make it? And that’s when Amshula received a link for LoveLocal from her caring husband with a text:
Giving you a head start, use this to buy stuff for the second-best meal today 😉<3
She opened the link after replying to the text with a smiley. The app surprised her. It was not the corporate giant that she was expecting Kanan to be impressed by. On the contrary, it had every neighbourhood store she could think of. The warmth of her favourite Kirana wala uncle reflected back at her as she found his store listed on the platform. She began to look for the items she bought from his store, and smiled while thinking of the way he would ask his staff to quickly grab the stuff even before words left her. The reassurance that he would know what to send made it so much easier to place the order. She was checking out, satisfied with her husband’s find, when she found that LoveLocal also listed medical and general stores alongside bakeries. Mr. Vyas deserved a special treat tonight, she thought through her smile.
Mrs. Vyas reached home by 8:30, to find Mr. Vyas already in the kitchen. Endearing thrash talk revealed that both of them were taking the competition seriously. Their deliveries arrived as per the schedule and they soon got down to business. Amshula was cooking Bisi Bele Bhaat, a comfort food for Kanan and he was going to serve Adai dosa. The kitchen smelt heavenly for a food lover. And finally, the dishes were served, waiting to be tasted by the chefs themselves.
After the first bite of the delicious taco shaped dosa, a dreamy smile spread across Amshula’s face. Meanwhile, slurping on the first spoon of his favourite meal by his wife, Kanan was transported to the heavenly world of spices and flavours. They loved each other’s dishes and dropped only words of appreciation. The two indulged in their favourite meals together and forgot about the competition.
After they finished the meal, Amsula remembered about the post-competition treat. Kanan looked up at her and smiled, and showed her the LoveLocal app and the order he had already placed for dessert from a nearby bakery. His smile mirrored itself in Amshula’s face when the doorbell broke the silence. They happily gorged the pastries from the order, promising each other that from now on, they will take out the time to cook together at least once a week.
