It was my senior year of high school. Most of my friends graduated a year before me, and some went on to college. My best friend, Jonnathon, was taking World Religion and Thought with Ken Hada, associate professor of English and languages. The class was taking a field trip to OKC to visit a Hindu temple and an Indian restaurant. Jonnathon invited me to go, and being interested in religion, I accepted.
We got to the restaurant after visiting a service at the beautiful temple that Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was richly decorated with tapestries and statuary. Walking in, my eyes took in the beauty of the restaurant and my nose took in the almost otherworldly smells coming from the open buffet. If for no other reason, at that point I was very glad I tagged along.
The names of the food were posted above the trays in the buffet, but that didn't help much except signal to me what included meat and what didn't. I was glad that many followers of Hinduism are vegetarians, like me, because it is often difficult to find meat-free dishes in Oklahoma restaurants.
I picked out some spinach with paneer cheese, fried, korma, and a few others dishes whose names I couldn't pronounce. This was the first time I had ever eaten Indian food so I wasn't quite sure what to do. I was offered mango lasi when I got back to the table, and my apprehension faded as the fruity, creamy flavor flooded my taste buds. It was delicious and I couldn't wait to try the food.
I started with the korma and instantly fell in love. There were spices and flavors I had never tasted before. It was utterly and gloriously alien, like manna from heaven. Indeed, I wondered if the food in heaven would be this good. The spinach and paneer was wonderful as well.
(I am being cut off by my professor. This may continue later.)
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