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As I start writing this article, I automatically say a prayer,"Om Ganesha". Those two words in themselves guarantee my heart that no obstacles will come my way as I start writing.
Almost all meals are preceded by a prayer."Saying Grace' as it is known to the western world,is very much a part of a traditional Indian meal.

Dietary customs in India ? They are as varied as the geography in India.That being so, instead of attempting the dietary customs of all of India, I will focus on the South Indian, Hindu Brahmin's dietary custom.

Traditionally, the meal is served on a Banana leaf. The shape of the leaf matters. While a casual diner may be served on a leaf of any shape, the guest of honor always gets a perfect leaf. It tapers to one side and is a straight blunt cut on the other side. The blunt side is always to the left and the tapering side is to the right. Of course, the leaf is washed and cleaned.It is also a well known fact that such a meal is purely vegetarian. It excludes vegetables like Onions and Garlic, since they are not considered worthy of a priestly meal.

Then comes the serving of the meal, generally by members of the host family or the cooks. Nowhere,in traditional meal partaking , does the diner serve himself. Each item has a specified space. It is a common saying that one can tell the upbringing of a Brahmin by the way he or she serves ! Salt is always served on the upper left hand corner of the leaf, by the blunt end. A glob of ghee is served on the lower right hand side, by the tapering end.No self respecting Brahmin will be caught without serving Ghee! The top part of the leaf is reserved for curries, chatnis,pickles and lentil salads, all served in small portions to begin with. A sweet dish, the Payasam which is like a pudding,occupies the lower right corner.Yellow rice is served on the side.white rice is served in the center, followed by a topping of lentil soup. At this point, the serving halts.

The chief guest, a male member, picks up his glass of water and encircles his leaf with a steady stream of water.He then keeps three morsels of rice, outside of this stream of water, on the right hand side.The significance of this ritual dates back to yester years. Most people then used to eat on the bare ground. There were certainly some ants crawling around. Harmless critters, looking for some food could easily crawl on the banana leaf. The circle of water kept them away. As if to atone for this sin, the man placed three morsels of rice , to which the

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