Some people talk of ostensibly simple lifestyle especially when it involves expenditure to the public treasury.
I remember of one Sastrigal (brahmin priest) whom we used to refer to as chukkuvellam sastrigal.( chukkuvellam. is drinking water made aromatic with dried ginger)..
If he is invited for snacks.. first he will decline leaving just enough room to renew the invitation.
Once he sits to eat, he will say that he is on very frugal diet and that he requires only half a idly(the most enduring food item of South India.. usually no one takes less than two of these at a time) to live.
So he will insist on such a small piece of food being served.
He will make a lot of fuss about eating, but in time he will persuade himself and the host also to serve another half idly more...
And this process of persuasion, bargaining, fake protests and all will go on ...
and by the time the sastrigal leaves his plantain leaf, he would have eaten at least a dozen idlies healthily soaked in chutney, sambar and other condiments,
and if there are a few Vadas and Dosas , would eat them them too, and if some naivedya payasam is available..that also will not be rejected... the rigmarole will go on..
Long live chukkuvella sastry and his half idlies.
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