Monday, April 6, 2020

A vegetarian lunch at Tikal, Guatemala- by K J S Chatrath

I visited 5 central American countries with a Group in 2018. The trip was to start from Antigua, Guatemala. I reached there 4 days in advance as I was very keen to visit Tikal, a UNESCO Heritage site having Mayan pyramids and other archeological wonders.


I took a one day return trip from Antigua and was in Tikal by around 10 am...After hectic walking to see this breathtaking site, we were taken for lunch in a restaurant located inside the archeological zone. Lunch was included in the price of the trip. I had signalled before hand that I was a vegetarian. The lunch was served. While the non-vegetarians got a sumptuous  main dish, what I got as the main vegetarian dish reinforced my view that this world is a very unequal place.

 Soup

 Main dish for the vegetarians
 Something like sauce (chutney)

I am of the strong unshakable belief that Indian cuisine is the best in the world and what is called a bon repas by the Westerners is nothing but a plate of  bland, boiled half cooked stuff - but beautifully decorated.

No, not for me.