Lentils with Love

The Golden Temple provides shelter, at a very low rate, and food for all the pilgrims that arrive at the doors. They also provide food to the locals in need, as long as they come to the temple grounds. These two groups help put nearly 100,000 people through the doors every day, and not at set meals times I should mention.

In order to maintain food service to the visitors, the Golden Temple’s kitchen staff serves meals constantly, and the ability for the temple to provide the food necessary for this amount of people is mind boggling. One might think that with food service being non-stop, and the sheer number of mouths to feed, that the quality would be subpar or that the ‘menu’ would never change. Well, fortunately this is just not true. The meals that come out of the kitchen constantly change in their ingredients, but always vegetarian in nature, and the flavor is outstanding. Served while seated on simple plates of steel, washed by hundreds of volunteers throughout the day, you are allowed to eat as much as you need, but are suggested to not be gluttonous in your intake. There are always two dishes being served, one is commonly Dal while the other is usually potato based, and you are provided with as many pieces of roti as are necessary to help to partake in your dishes.

After you finish your meal you walk outside to realize how the kitchen functions. An uncountable, well at least at a quick glance, of volunteers chop onions, crush garlic, move bags of lentils and flour to and from the store rooms, and collect the unclean dishes. Even though unguided, at least it seemed that way, the volunteers worked hand in hand like the gears of a clock.

There is real love in the lentils made here, the kind of love that reminds me of my Grandmother’s kitchen.

Here is to missing you Nana—from India with love. Brandon