There is a certain arrogance that surfaces when I visit Madras. The kind of arrogance which makes me refuse recommendations that I would otherwise gladly accept in any other city. Madras is different to me, it is my hometown after all. I did not need to be told anything about it and hated accepting the fact that a extended time away had me estranged from this place I once called home.
Growing up, the word ice cream resonated with one phrase, lets go to Milky Way. Aptly named after the galaxy we abode in, it was heaven on earth for a pre-adolescent teen. Nestled in the bustling Ethiraj Salai, it was the place to be if a cold desert was your craving.
A decade away from the city and a lot had changed. Nostalgia and my aforementioned arrogance made me hop into an Auto Rickshaw and head to that heavenly solace from the maddening Madras heat. Long story short, heaven had changed and the ice cream was horrendous to say the least. My attempt at keeping this write up PG-13 prohibits me from using vocabulary that may more accurately describe their offerings these days, but lets just say I was extremely disappointed. Maybe I had eaten better or Milky Way had gotten worse, who knew.
Image courtesy - https://instagram.com/nofiltersri/
I walked out, disgusted. And did what any other respectable millennial would do. I pulled out my trusty smartphone and googled - “Best Dessert Places Chennai”.
That’s when the gods of my arrogance and my sweet tooth conspired to lead to me what I later realized to be this amazingly definitive guide to desert places in the city. Was I letting myself fall into the hands of a propaganda driven list on the internet?
Propaganda it was not! I tried a few places they had curated on that list and was blown away. I was ready to let my guard down and accept the fact that the city had changed and so had our way of getting recommendations.
I realized that Frilp put a new twist on the social aspect of asking for recommendations. While the act of seeking or dishing out advice from friends and experts was nothing new - Frilp made it more accessible.
I cannot wait for the day when Frilp is the de-facto method of getting recommendations both from within and outside your circle.
I just cannot wait to ring a friend and say “Hey, lets try something new for dinner. Lets Frilp it!”About Srivatsa Ray
Srivatsa Ray is a full time traveller and part time food critic. His hobby has something to do with technology and computers, which happens to generate him income. Follow his journey at instagram.com/nofiltersri
