Life is an adventure. The adventure depends on how flexible you are to change and absorb risks. I do not know whether I am an adventurous person by nature. Although, I do have some experiences being adventurous in the past.
One would be taking a hike on the Kirigalpoththa mountain trail. It was raining consistently, and the path was slippery. The bottom line was that it was a tough climb. Bucky and I, with a few friends including Halik, Roel, and Indi, felt adventurous that day, so we decided to hike despite the bad weather. When we got to the summit, we felt a sense of achievement. It was a beautiful sight. But the problem was it was gradually getting covered with mist. Bucky and I initiated the hike coming down from the mountain. With the sense of achievement fresh in our minds, we completely forgot how slippery the slope was. I'm sure I slipped at least 40 times down the slippery slope. If it wasn't for Bucky, I would've gone right off the cliff. When we reached the bottom of the mountain, my favorite pants had become one-half of a skirt! It was an adventure in my mid-twenties, when we spent all of our money on this trip, mind you, we didn't have much!
Sometimes adventure can be dramatic and might even involve a near-death situation. I think I have had two of those or maybe three. One of those incidents involved me flying off the bike over my dad and landing on the road 25-30 meters in front of the bike. Well, it was not an adventure but an accident, and the helmet I wore saved my life. If not, I would've been gone at the tender age of 13. But the other two were adventurous events that had a sense of intensity. And a story for another day!
From childhood, I have been asked not to run fast, swim in the sea or a river, shower after 6 pm, climb walls, ride the bicycle beyond our lane top, and the 'not to do list' goes on. Now I understand that my parents were trying to protect me. Also, I know they've loved me the best they can for 38 years. But the problem was that I had to spend quite some time unlearning the fear that was installed, during the process in my childhood.
I used to play rugby in school. I knew I was not very good at it because we had five national players in the squad, and I was not one of them. So I had to become a decent player to be in the team. The problem was I panicked every time I got the ball. In other words, I was pissing my pants off every time I got the ball!
Later on, I realized this happened because my parents always asked me not to go behind the ball. To unlearn this fear, I had to practice extra hard, take extra hits, and run additional five rounds before and after practice. I was determined to prove to inner Ramzi that I could be in the squad with all these decorated national players. After five months of hard work trying to overcome my fear, and most importantly, to my surprise, I was named to the 18-man squad in 2002 to represent Wesley. Unfortunately, a week later, I had to choose between being a prefect or being a rugby player. I made my choice. It was one of those hard ones, a story for a later date.
Sometimes you have to fight your fears to be a little adventurous. It is necessary to be open, face the failures that life throws at you, and be open-minded to explore what is out there. But most importantly, you need to be committed to work on your fears because the debris will always find a way to lurk back into your system and slowly take over.
So today, in my food adventure, I would like to feature Sri Lankan Street food from Aluth Kade. You need to be a bit fearless and open-minded to explore food. The whole experience is simply mind-blowing. The vendors use special effects to make the presentation memorable and unique.
Since we both were in that mood of adventure, we went for the dangerous Fire Poori. These guys weren't kidding about the fire because we had to eat the Poori with the fire on. It was a unique experience, and the Poori was a-mazing. The fire gave it a pleasant smokey flavor. We also tried Pani Poori and Dahi Poori, which exploded with flavor. It was the best start we could ask for in our street food adventure!
Then I went for the main event - the beef sandwich. These guys made the beef sandwich as if they were doing a TV show! They used fire so much, and I thought if I had used it, I would definitely have the whole place burnt down. But these guys were experts, and the show was simply breathtaking. The sandwich was delicious, and the best part was that the beef was tender, and the combination with the egg did the trick on me.
Since Thevuni didn't want sandwiches, we went for chili parotta with chicken. The problem was I was full as I can be, and Thevuni had to take care of the whole thing. When the serving arrived, we were shocked to see the chili parotta in a Sawan! There was chicken, spiced gravy, and lentil curry, which was rich in flavor, and the sawan served at least four people! We only managed to eat half because it was too much to handle, and that was an example of us being too adventurous!
Aluth Kade's street food is a definite treat. One thing for sure next time we go, we should go with a group of friends; to give us a chance to try everything they offer, including the biriyani that smelled amazing! If you are heading that way, go with an open mind and an empty stomach, and don't forget to enjoy the spectacle!
It was certainly an adventure! We’ve got to do it again ❤️