Drinking My Way Through Bundi

The first time I stayed in Bundi my guesthouse greeted me with rose water. There was no rose water this time but I was able to request rose milk for breakfast. Mmm... it wasn’t simply milk with rose water added, it actually tasted like velvety rose petals. 

A specialty of Bundi is Sathi Lassi which is a yoghurt drink that includes sugar, cream, honey, saffron, cardamom, cashew nut, pistachio and raisins. There is the famous shop in the old market near the palace that serves it chunky style, which I like, and the kind made at Krishna’s famous chai stall, which has all ingredients pulverized with a stone before adding them to the yoghurt. Both versions are absolutely orgasmic and perfect for hot weather. 

Krishna’s main claim to fame is his chai and his fame is well warranted. His shop is in the old city and has the “kitchen” on a lower level and the viewing/drinking/wall painting section raised above it. This allows us to watch him perform his chai creating ritual. The milk man is called over and water & buffalo milk are mixed 50/50. Black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and dried ginger are ground to dust and added to the water/milk along with a pile of tea dust and sugar. Lots of sugar. The chai is brought to a boil 3 times while he smashes the green cardamom to dust and slips it into the bottom of the drinking cups. The chai is then strained and added to the cups and all is served. Fantastic!

Drinking isn’t all Bundi is good for. It has loads of history and a charming market that includes a roadside dentist. On our wander through Bundi we passed a tribesman in a big orange turban being examined by the roadside dentist. This dentist has a rug on a bench alongside the main dirt road of Bundi and he does extractions and the like on the spot for the poor who cannot afford a dentist in a proper office. His advertising is in the form of false teeth and partial plates sitting on a table in front of his rug. He used to give opium* but now has local injections to freeze the areas. Still, you’d have to be fairly desperate to have someone do dental surgery on you on the side of a dusty street.

*big white opium poppies are grown in fields throughout the Rajasthan countryside

A newer initiative for the poor coming through Bundi are food trucks. They provide simple food for a small amount: 5 rupees (.10 Canadian) for breakfast and 8 rupees (.16 Canadian) for lunch or dinner. This is good for the Bundi poor and also the tribespeople travelling through the area. I am seeing similar initiatives for the poor all over the place, which is a nice change.

 

Did you think this was going to be all about me boozing it up? Shame on you.