What's for lunch?

 People like to think of cities in terms of one single narrative or label (for e.g., “Hyderabad, the city of Nizams”, “the spirit of Mumbai”, “Paris, the city of romance”), but cities are living, breathing, complex creatures. More so are the places where people eat. Today’s cities aren’t defined by just the people who have been inhabiting them for centuries. Migrants of all shades and classes move in and out, businesses shut down and new ones come up, and local needs evolve. The main street in Koramangala’s 5th Block is an unsung example of how places centred around eating are anything but inanimate. This is not a regular tourist spot, but more of a tiny sub-culture that evolved because of two things - the famous Jyoti Nivas College (a women’s college that attracts large numbers of young people of both sexes, unsurprisingly, to its vicinity), and the presence of several offices and co-working spaces in the area. It is famous for its several food joints catering to almost every wallet and palate. Where the street crosses the Jyoti Nivas College lane, is an explosion of eateries. Can the “ratings” based, sterile listings on the Swiggys and Zomatos of your phone do justice to the variety you see in the bustle? Can they describe the sheer chaos that you see here, spoiling you for choice even as the clock ticks past lunchtime and you are yet to make up your mind about where you want to eat? Can they describe the range - the small messes run by Biharis, Rajasthanis and Odias, which serve simple and hearty Indian lunches at less than the price of an average McDonald’s burger, to fancy Italian and South Asian restaurants that are great for when the boss pays, to the juice shop in the corner that serves up juices and sandwiches in a jiffy?