We were really missing the homecooked Goan meal. The opportunity came in the form of an invitation from a good friend. We were picked up from the hotel and were taken to their house at Margaon. I was told that the lady of the house had scouted the fish market in the morning (at sunrise) for the freshest prawns, fish, and chicken. On reaching their house I found that a close relative also had pitched in for help in preparing the feast. A typical Goan trait—the host will go all out to please the guest, and relatives and friends would also come for help.
The smell of delicate combination of spices, broad welcoming smiles, the kind you cannot see elsewhere welcomed us as we entered. Another Goan trait that I love is that they are lively and attentive communicators—you just cannot get bored in a Goan house. They are simple, they open their heart, they overwhelm you with loads of respect, they take the life easy—and it shows. You rarely find beggars, cheats, or desperate people in Goa. The festivals, marriages, and family gettogethers are celebrated with a gaiety almost unseen anywhere else in the country. India is full of beautiful places but I think it is the people of Goa whose positive energy has made Goa the number one tourist places.
Coming back to the food, the feast was supposed to have started with beer, wine, and cold drinks but we had had the Goa ‘fenny’ the night before and were not in a position to consume any more liquor. Feast had fried chicken legs marinated in Goan spices, chicken curry Goan style, plain rice, prawn fried rice, bread, stuffed fish covered with semolina and fried, fish curry, veggies, dal, and tossed salad. The piece-de-resistance was the pudding- perfectly made.
We ate, talked and laughed to the hearts content till we were tired and sleepy. The lady of the house insisted that we take a big packet for the evening so that we need not bother about food whenever we get up. They insisted that they would drop us back even though many taxis were freely available. We arrived back with contented Goan hospitality filled not only our stomach but our hearts too.