On Sat, Jun 6, 2009 at 5:19 PM, Kiran Jonnalagadda <j...@pobox.com> wrote: > > > > Incidentally, something I didn't grow up with and therefore encountered > with > surprise in the homes of relatives: it is a great offense to serve rice > before any other item. Serving rice first apparently implies you're too > poor > to eat anything else. > > Is this common practice elsewhere?
I found this major difference between serving of food in Iyer and Iyengar (two different kinds of Tamizh Brahmins): in Iyer households and feasts, the rice is served after several items have been served and before the sambar, rasam, and thayir (yogurt)...in Iyengar households, the rice is always served first. I have heard my aunts (Iyers) laughing about it and saying "these Iyengars are crazy" or the equivalent! In today's buffet/serve yourself world, of course, it's all irrelevant. Deepa.
