Indian meal times

mangrove

When are they generally?

noflylist

Later by western standards. 1PM Lunch, After 8PM Dinner

mangrove

Thanks for your response... does this mean that it would be hard to get a meal at 6pm or... that you risk getting old lunch food?

PeakXV

8, 1-2, 8 is what I've grown accustom to - especially works well in the heat. But Indians are very accommodating ... and you can eat most anytime you like really. The big hotels have very set hours for their large restaurants .... but they always have a grill, pub, or cafe open that you can grab dosa, sandwich, soup or something to get you to the main meal.

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mangrove

Well that's good to know, thanks Peak!

machadinha

This isn't generally a problem but I've had it in Tamil Nadu that dinner was eaten at lunchtime and vice versa and so in one place I never managed to get a warm meal no matter what effort we took, our timing always seemed off. Minor annoyance, impractical though at the time.

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mangrove

We will be fine either way. Was just curious to find out how different it would be. So used to eating dinner early here - but we will adapt.

Snacks must be eaten too I'm guessing. Later afternoon perhaps?

SANJAY_DEL

There are the "fast food" eating joints that open around 10 or 11 in the morning and stay open till 11 pm, so you can have snacks whenever you wish.
For formal dining in, restaurants may open around 8 onwards till midnight. It varies from place to place.
The more touristy an area, the livelier it gets.
In big cities there are 24 hour coffee shops that offer a range of snacks on the menu.
Pubs and bars also stay open till late.

machadinha

As noted, I think generally you can pretty much eat what you like when you like it. It can really vary from the one town to the next city and may require some adaptation. The kind of eateries serving office clerks and the likes may follow their pattern (but will probably serve you inbetween all the same, may be this morning's food as a result); southern "meals" type of places (simple thali joints) may put a "meals" sign outside when lunch or dinner is being served; snack stalls may set up at the end of the day; etc. There'll usually be something to eat around, and various types of snacks will usually see you through the off hours. Not being so scared of street food will help, going hungry with all sorts of vendors around seems like a waste. You may find yourself stuck with curry for breakfast sometimes, or nothing but omelettes instead. The more touristed places will be well-geared to visitors and their eating patterns. In smaller/less visited places you may really have to take note of eating times & adjust to the local menu.

mangrove

Thanks Sanjay and Mach!

I am sure we will not starve Cafes and eateries sound great!

One thing, Mach - you mentioned that you can sometimes get stuck with curry for breakfast. Wouldn't (in the north) parathas be available or porridge? I even thought many Indians would eat Dal - but that might be a misunderstanding. That all sounds yummy to me.

machadinha

Well, yes, "curry" in the generic sense I meant and as a bit of an exaggeration; as in yesterday's leftovers of whatever sturdy meal that you may not really feel like having for breakfast. This is rare though.

I hear cuisines are spreading more and more; parathas and idlis and the likes I associate with the south mostly, up north it was more like dosas (southern really) and chapatis and puris I think. Or dhal indeed perhaps. Not to mention the dreaded greasy omelette with ketchup & soggy toast. Besides, guess what you eat with your chapati or puris etc... (in the mornings, more like sabzi or bhaji i.e. some simple light "curry"-like sauce or vegetable mixture really). Well there's chapati and jam, not really my taste

I don't know, it's sometimes a matter of just accepting what's being served I guess. In the big cities this will rarely be a problem (although I'm thinking of curry indeed in the very early morning in Varanasi, I guess they had yet to start cooking). It's not a problem of going hungry so much as of the menu being pretty bland or tedious sometimes if you're unlucky. In the cities "western" breakfasts will usually be available, with varying degrees of effectiveness, I wasn't a great fan, but it can make for a bit of variation.

Anyway don't worry about it too much, India can be a real culinary delight & trying out all those local goodies is half the fun. I guess it's a lot to do with where and how you travel too.

mt.kailash

Depending on where you are there's usually several options at breakfast time,though I date the time that I made a proper connection to India when ,at a Brahmin run dhaba in N.India,the sole breakfast item was curried cauliflower and puris-a great combination but at 7am??? I was an instant convert .Most places offer omlette/bread or fried eggs and toast (when I stay in paharganj I just go to a stall on the main road and buy this for breakfast)
Most places have "traveller" restaurants whe you can buy various combinations of eggs,hash browns,porage,toastbutterjam.
In South India breakfast is usually iddlies and sambar or masala dosa.The masala dosa can have practically any vegetable filling-it's usually potato but in the India Coffee House chain in Kerala it's usually curried beetroot and in a posh place in Bangalore the filling was cashew nuts and plantain..(YUK!!!)
In between meals snacks are always available- samosas,veg cutlet etc.
I don't often eat meat in India-usually it's too much hassle.Having said that ,the manager at my hotel took me out for a meal in Delhi and ordered up an enormous plate of chicken drumsticks stuffed with a delicious red paste.(it turned out the paste was a mixture of mutton brains and spices!)so be prepared for a few surprises if you do.

cyberhippie

Mangrove if all else fails there's eggs!!

Mach your going to get strung up for saying Parothas are southern dishes and Dosas Northern!! I'm staying well out of it

mangrove

Eww!

I was also considering to go vegetarian. I don't eat much meat at home, so I wouldn't in India either. This is making me think harder about it.

mangrove

HAHA I was thinking the same, but I just ignored it!