The Best Ways To Be A Bangalorean

It’s true. Fast food in Bangalore has a whole new meaning. Head over to the nearest Darshini and grab a quick idli-vada, dosa or kesari bhath. From large chains to small hole-in-the-wall counters selling delicious food, this city has it all.
Must try- Veena Stores in Malleshwaram; Brahmin’s Coffee Bar in Basavanagudi and a small nameless eatery on Jewellers’ Street, off Commercial Street. Follow Love, Sex and Dosa; the journey of three young guys, still in search of their favourite dosa in the city.

Don’t deny it. If you are a true-blue Bangalorean, you have definitely looked down upon every other city and boasted about the weather in namma Bengaluru. Gorgeous Pink Poui trees flowering all over the city, lakes in the heart of the city and a drizzle whenever it gets too hot. Once you live in the garden city, you are sure to be spoilt for life.

Urban legends have been written on the traffic in the city. The scene is stereotypical. Lane discipline is a foreign word. Bikers have surprisingly little regard for their own life. Horns are honked as if there is no tomorrow. Welcome to the dreaded Bangalore traffic, where a four kilometer stretch can take you an hour to navigate and the noise levels can drive you batty. Add to that hawkers at signals, pedestrians literally running for their life, potholes the size of craters; and you have got yourself a typical day in the life of a Bangalorean.

Once you have got a taste of the frothy, strong, filter coffee in the city, nothing else feels the same again. You may try all the the cappuccinos, frappes and americanos on offer, but nothing will hit the spot as good, old filter coffee can.
Must try : Coffee double-sugar at Airlines Hotel and the strong filter coffee at By 2 Coffee, Malleshwaram.

Or whiskey, or rum-and-coke. Much before it was the IT capital of India, Bangalore was the pub capital of the country. With a number of microbreweries sprouting in various parts of the city, the beer drinking experience has reached a new high. An eclectic mix of old-style pubs blaring rock music and new kitsch, urban breweries dispensing varied flavours of beer and music; Bangalore has something for everyone. Sunday brunches, sun-downers and happy hours are on the agenda of almost every person living here.
Must try – Pecos for its old-Bangalore charm of beer, dosa-chicken curry and beef tacos. Guzzlers where rock music meets peanut masala, lager beer and rum-and-coke. Try the newer breweries for some delicious craft beer – Toit, Arbour Brewing Company, The Biere Club and Windmill Craftworks, among many others.

Grab a friend and a coffee and brainstorm over a new startup idea and chances are that you will soon be funded. Bangalore is the startup capital of the country, with budding young entrepreneurs making full use of this buzzing environment. The latest to catch everyone’s attention is a slew of innovative food technology companies that have made life much easier for the IT going, double income households that are predominant in the city.

Chill da macha (relax bro) is something you hear quite often in this laidback city of Bangalore. The motto of swalpa adjust maadi (please adjust a little) applies to all and sundry and chumma (usually meaning kiss in India but meaning ‘just like that’ in Bangalore) has a whole new meaning here. Standing the test of time, these words are almost the standard against which one would measure the authenticity of a Bangalorean. No matter where you are originally from, if you live long enough in Bangalore, the local lingo will creep into your mind and psyche before you have a chance to fathom whats hit you.
Whether from any part of India or the world, be prepared to get engulfed into the chaos and warmth of the city. With or without these seven steps, Bangalore is sure to carve a niche in your heart, traffic and all. After all, Bangalore is like that only da macha.