Even when it comes to eating habits, a Malayali begs to be different. We give you examples:
a) You wipe your hands on your head after tasting the oil drenched unni appam or vada.
b) A Long Island Iced Tea pales in comparison to a good old bottle of arrack (charayam) (Oops! But it is banned).
c) During all gala dinners, you speak eloquently about the goodness of old-time ‘pazhankanji with kanthaari’ (rice gruel and bird's eye chilli).
d) To a patriotic Mallu, puttu is the king of cakes and kanji is the queen of soups; buttermilk is the best beverage.
e) You try to impress on people that tapioca has hitherto-unknown nutritional benefits.
f) You can’t stand anything but coconut oil in recipes and fragrant coconut oil reminds one of Amma's kitchen.
g) While tipping the waiter, it is sacrilegious for a Mallu to pay more than the balance coins.
h) Catching fish in Malluland is a national sport while porotta is the national food.