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It might come as a surprise to you,  but I do like avocados!
I often take potshots at avocados in my pop culture pieces, but it’s all in good humour.
My heart lies in small, family-run places, street food joints… places where you eat and move on… places that are packed with people and yet do not make it to any glossy list…places that do not have a social media presence, let alone a PR budget…places patronised by folks who have never heard of avocados, let alone have a point of view on them!
I love the food at such places, the memory of which lingers on long after one has left. I love to soak in the atmosphere there…the sense of camaraderie that one feels even when surrounded by strangers.

It’s different when I am with K. Places which are airconditioned, have proper toilets, valet parking, baristas…and serve avocados (!)… are her beat. I like them too. We are cafe people.

K went to Nashville on a conference a few years back and fell in love with avocados there.
She returned and introduced me to the world of avocados and soon I crossed over to the dark, I mean green, side.

How do we like our avocados? Sliced, not smashed. Seasoned  with lime and sea salt. Serving unseasoned avocado should be a criminal offence. The texture should be gooey and buttery. If you have to pair it with something, I’d suggest that you go for a runny sunny side up, not a poached egg. Crisp bacon is agood…’fatty’ crisp, not crunchy and dry.

I’d skip cheese, specially feta, as that can overshadow the avo. Toasted seeds give a grown up feel and make a good addition to avocados

You could have avo or toast. Or even in a salad. Just don’t emulsify them or turn them into foam.
That would make me froth!

Gosh I never thought that I could write so much about avocados.

This brings me to a larger point. Can one classify life as black or white? Can one classify people as that?

Can one relish Mughlai parathas in a grimy Kolkata cabin with the same gusto as an avocado on sourdough toast, topped with a sunny side up, in a hipster Bandra cafe?

Does this make sense? I am listening.

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