My work often takes me to Coimbatore, which is the largest railway station of
my Division. Coimbatore is also one of the biggest cities of Tamil Nadu and an
industrial hub. One feels good looking at industries dotting the landscape. The
city itself is a beautiful urban scape - extremely clean, neatly laid out
roads, disciplined traffic and no shabbiness at all that characterises our
cities in the North. You will not find debris lying around, broken or unpainted
building facades or garbage outside eateries. It is quite obvious that the
Coimbatorian is proud of his city.
Coming back to my travels to Coimbatore, I love to travel by road in this part of the country. The National Highway 47 that I take is a delight to travel on. It must be a pleasure to self-drive too, but being a bada sahib, I am deprived of that privilege. Not only is the highway as good as it gets with no surprises by sudden appearances of two wheelers, cows and unruly truck drivers, the scenery that it offers is a sight to behold as well. I am certain that Tamil Nadu must be the most urbanised state of India, for I see no villages during my journey. Well, let me correct myself - there are villages indeed, but they all look like nice small towns. No sign of the typical North India's unkempt mud houses, stray cattle, smell of cow dung and open drains. The landscape is quite unlike one sees in the North, with coconut groves and banana plantations presenting a soothing and orderly view.
The best part of my road journey, however, is the coffee by the Highway. The famous “KDFC Only Coffee” serves coffee in a set of brass davara and tumbler. The acronym stands for Kumbhakonam Degree Filter Coffee. What they serve is "Only Coffee". I was intrigued by the word “degree”. Later enquiry revealed that the first decoction made in the filter pot is called degree coffee. A degree coffee would also retain its status only if it was made with pure undiluted milk, also known as degree milk. The first decoction from the filter was reserved for the head of the household, others would have to be content with the second degree or the second drain from the powder used for the first degree. I guess they serve third degree coffee in police stations. KDFC is a kind of a minor cult here, though the coffee itself is nothing special. But, one does feel good stopping by the KDFC outlet since they do serve it in style - shining brassware and extremely clean ambience. And, one feels like the head of the household for those few minutes. If not in one’s own household, then let it be at the dhaba. The meaning of "Only" does not seem to have any relevance however since what they serve is a blend of Coffee and Chicory. The tiny eateries that serves snacks and biscuits are sparkling clean and so are the surroundings. I am told that the KDFC thing is not even a franchise. One could just open a coffee outlet and start selling "KDFC Only Coffee". The same can't be said of "KFC Only Chicken" though.
Am I falling in love with Tamil Nadu? You bet I am. There is more to Tamil Nadu than Chennai and it is waiting to be explored.
Coming back to my travels to Coimbatore, I love to travel by road in this part of the country. The National Highway 47 that I take is a delight to travel on. It must be a pleasure to self-drive too, but being a bada sahib, I am deprived of that privilege. Not only is the highway as good as it gets with no surprises by sudden appearances of two wheelers, cows and unruly truck drivers, the scenery that it offers is a sight to behold as well. I am certain that Tamil Nadu must be the most urbanised state of India, for I see no villages during my journey. Well, let me correct myself - there are villages indeed, but they all look like nice small towns. No sign of the typical North India's unkempt mud houses, stray cattle, smell of cow dung and open drains. The landscape is quite unlike one sees in the North, with coconut groves and banana plantations presenting a soothing and orderly view.
The best part of my road journey, however, is the coffee by the Highway. The famous “KDFC Only Coffee” serves coffee in a set of brass davara and tumbler. The acronym stands for Kumbhakonam Degree Filter Coffee. What they serve is "Only Coffee". I was intrigued by the word “degree”. Later enquiry revealed that the first decoction made in the filter pot is called degree coffee. A degree coffee would also retain its status only if it was made with pure undiluted milk, also known as degree milk. The first decoction from the filter was reserved for the head of the household, others would have to be content with the second degree or the second drain from the powder used for the first degree. I guess they serve third degree coffee in police stations. KDFC is a kind of a minor cult here, though the coffee itself is nothing special. But, one does feel good stopping by the KDFC outlet since they do serve it in style - shining brassware and extremely clean ambience. And, one feels like the head of the household for those few minutes. If not in one’s own household, then let it be at the dhaba. The meaning of "Only" does not seem to have any relevance however since what they serve is a blend of Coffee and Chicory. The tiny eateries that serves snacks and biscuits are sparkling clean and so are the surroundings. I am told that the KDFC thing is not even a franchise. One could just open a coffee outlet and start selling "KDFC Only Coffee". The same can't be said of "KFC Only Chicken" though.
Am I falling in love with Tamil Nadu? You bet I am. There is more to Tamil Nadu than Chennai and it is waiting to be explored.
Sir, The following article that I read sometime back in The Hindu would make an interesting red, I think:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/kumbakonam-degree-coffee/article4034194.ece