Sometimes when a friend is not feeling like himself, you do not need to ask too many questions. You just call him, make a plan, and hope that good food can do at least some of the work.
I was travelling to Bangalore for a conference. Devesh had been living there for a month or two, and from our conversations I could sense that he was slightly off. Not sad exactly. Not unhappy exactly. Just not completely himself.
Obviously, as a responsible friend, I decided that the solution was to take him out and feed him an unreasonable amount of food.
We went out with Samarth, Devesh, Anshuman and Suhani. Our first stop was Andhra Bhavan. We ordered a proper meal, but the prawn roast was the highlight. It was spicy, warm and full of flavour. The kind of dish where you continue eating even when your mouth is asking for a small break.
After that, we went to Corner House. There is a dessert there called Death by Chocolate. The name sounds dramatic until the bowl arrives. Then you realise they were not exaggerating.
Vanilla ice cream. Brownie. Chocolate sauce. More chocolate than any reasonable person needs. And somehow, despite the excess, you continue eating. Every spoon feels like a bad decision, but a very enjoyable bad decision.
I think friendship is sometimes very simple. You may not always know the correct thing to say. You may not be able to solve what the other person is dealing with. But you can show up. You can sit across a table. You can order prawn roast. You can laugh about a dessert with an unnecessarily threatening name.
Good weather. Good friends. Great food. And a little death by chocolate to feel slightly more alive.