The book club babes had a fab lunch at a dosa place today.
Have you ever had one of these babies before? I had to ask Jasmine for help every step of the way. She knew what to order and how to eat it.
Being the know-it-all that I am, I ordered Sweet Pan for dessert, even though my friend warned me not to. "I can handle it," I said confidently.
Sweet pan is a bunch of stuff like herbs and seeds and it's all wrapped up in a big leaf, and you have to put the whole thing into your mouth at once and just chew on it. Explanation below:
Paan, from the word pān (Hindi: पान, Urdu: پان) is an Indian, Pakistani and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf (Piper betle) with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha (or kaatha) brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations.
ARGH! I couldn't handle it. It's like putting a bunch of leaves in your mouth and stuff pops out in the middle -- fennel, pomegrante seeds -- it was a huge mess and I had to run to the bathroom to spit it out when the waiter wasn't around.
Until next time,
Violet x
