Ugh…Jai. I gagged at the memory of that stuff. It was naaaasty.

Vimto rocks! It’s the best summer drink ever. And falooda is awesome as well.

Someone mentioned Bournvita…I never drank that stuff. I would eat with a spoon, the way some people eat peanut butter. The sugary crystally stuff used to be so much fun to eat.

I still like nimbu pani as a sepia drink of choice..

Yes I know the food is much better in the places you’ve mentioned, but I’ve been seriously ill due to eating dodgy food in India far too many times when I was younger to want to experience all that trauma again. It tends to ruin the holiday experience (for me anyway), plus it’s an added burden on any relatives I may be staying with as part of my trip. On top of that, my father’s a doctor so he’s fairly risk-averse to the idea of us all having to deal with an avoidable food poisoning incident yet again, as you can imagine. He tends to regard it as highly irresponsible behaviour, especially as he usually ends up having to diagnose & informally treat the illness himself.

However, by all accounts the dhaba/roadside stall etc food is indeed very tasty and I would recommend it to anyone who is prepared to face the “d & v” consequences. I do recall the food being excellent — and yes, much better than the “cleaner” versions sold in more high-class restaurants — on the odd occasions I did try it in my younger days.

Jai you are missing out on better food. If you want the real indian food taste, you HAVE to eat at the stalls, dhabas etc. Its much better with the mosquitos, dirt and god knows what else. I understand the paranoia about the diseases and whatnot but i’ll take diarrhea over bad food anyday.

if you’ve got a really sweet tooth, might I suggest coconut rum and rooh-afza, with some club soda or sprite with, a dash or lime juice

Ravin, that recipe is now on my list of, how one bartender sweetly put it, “drawers-dropper”. THANKS

Jai, the lassi in both Jaipur and Jodhpur is delicious. Have you ever tried the little kulfis they sell out there on the streets? 10 rupees of pure bliss.

I haven’t been to Rajasthan for over 10 years but the lassis are renowned there, especially that place in Jodhpur I mentioned earlier (I think it’s even mentioned in the “Lonely Planet” guides). Kulfi-wise, I tend not to eat anything in India that’s not in a 4-star/5-star restaurant (apart from food at relatives’ houses, obviously), due to well-founded paranoia about food-poisoning. I’ve had too many bad experiences

if sepia really wants to have an official beverage, it should be JAL-JEERA

My parents insist on referring to the channel Al-Jazeera as “Jal-Jeera”. Admit it. Yours do too (you know who you are). Typical desi uncle and auntie behaviour

and maybe just a splash of lime or lemon juice for some tartness…

A little “tartness” is always appreciated, heh heh heh…..(Jai does “Frasier Crane dirty laugh”).

How about the official SM drink be a Mango Martini?

A “Mangotini” ?

Other nominations for desi drinks:

1. “Masala chai” (desi-style — you can actually get this at some Indian restaurants here in the UK too).
2. That disgusting haldi(turmeric)-milk-honey concoction that your mother would make you drink when you were younger and had the flu.
3. Falooda (more of a dessert than a drink, I guess).
4. Vimto. (Not sure if this is available in India — or the US for that matter — but it’s a pretty hardcore “desi” drink amongst Indians here in the UK that many grew up drinking).
5. And, of course, that all-time classic…..

…..Bournvita.

Thumbs up was great in the ’80s. Then Coke bought it out and now it tastes like…Coke.

-s

I can testify that Inca Cola is, by leaps and bounds, the sweetest soda on earth. Some ancient Incan secret makes it possible to saturate this soda with sugar moreso than any other beverage. It makes Jolt and Mountain Dew seem mild!