Sometimes when you read through the site stats you notice a blog that you’ve never heard generating an immense amount of traffic. This month, it was Mahanandi, the Indian food and life blog of local Indira Singari.

Now, see, I don’t like Indian food. No, that’s not true. I hate Indian food. There’s something in curry that tastes like dirt to me. And that leads to awkward conversations come dinner time.

FRIEND: We’re going out for Indian.
ME: I don’t like Indian food.
FRIEND: Oh, come on! Indian is good.
ME: No, it’s not. Curry tastes like dirt to me.
FRIEND: What kind of colonialist bigot are you?
ME: No, it really tastes like dirt to me! I hate the taste.
FRIEND: I don’t understand. There’s no dirt in curry.
ME: I KNOW!
FRIEND: Oh, come on, be a sport. This place has great red curry.
ME: ARRGH!!!!

So maybe I’m the wrong person to be looking at this site.

And yet, such beautiful food porn. And the writing is just as gorgeous:

Diminished appetite and constant need for something cool, it’s that kind of hot day here in Seattle.

To revive the sweltering spirits, I had to prepare something pleasant. Sweet and juicy, in rich mahogany color, Washington state’s own beautiful bing cherries came to the rescue. Few cherries halved, pitted and mixed with yogurt, then refrigerated for half an hour. Preparing chilled cherry yogurt at home is a simple process with delightful results.

This is what makes a good blog: It makes you respect something you don’t like, maybe even pine a little for it. Good writing about things you don’t like or understand always beats bland writing about good things.

Curry will always taste like dirt to me, but I think I’ll give the red pepper chutney a shot this weekend. Meanwhile, Mahanandi heads for the blog roll.