Madras Week programmes

A different kind of celebration by the US Consulate General during the Madras Week.

One of the most imaginative events marking Madras Week this year was a series of ­videos by the US Consulate General in Chennai which featured American staff participating in everyday Madras activities like eating with their hands in a ‘mess’ and tying jasmine flowers in a house.

A group of American staff and their ­families, which also included children, went to the Kasivinayaga Mess in Triplicane, and ate the food served on banana leaves with their hands.

“Eating a meal with your hands from a ­banana leaf is always special, isn’t it? And it’s a celebration, especially in South India! We are trying to connect with the every- day rhythm of Madras life by highlighting Madras culture, food, and traditions. This is the first video in the Madras Week video series. SEVEN more to come. Keep watching and make your Madras connections! Happy Madras Week,” read the caption of the video posted by the US Consulate General on YouTube.

The group seemed to have done their homework, because they even had their banana leaf-etiquette on point. Before the meal was served, the leaf-plate was sprinkled with water and then cleaned using their hands, like they had been doing it for ages. Then, with no forks or spoons, they ate a hearty meal, complete with chor (rice), sambar, poriyal (stir fried vegetables with grated coconut) and pappadam.

With a couple of toddlers in the mix, balancing eating with their hands and making sure the kids ate too, did take some manoeuvring, but everyone seemed to have a great time. There were even some self-congratulatory exclamations on how the sappad sans cutlery should be done again.

Madras Week programmes September 1 to Septemper 15

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