I went to get some milk today for my cereal. It was Rs. 155 for a liter of Ambewela (which I bought) and Rs. 165 for 250g of Rathi powdered milk. I mention this only because milk is the latest flash point in Sri Lanka’s ongoing consumer trauma. Just a few days ago, local farmers were so pissed at low profitability that they were pouring milk down the Hatton streets, even bathing in it. In response, the government has raised taxes on (imported) milk powder by 15%. The end result, however, is one more higher priced consumer good.

Honestly, I’m not a fan. Of Avurudu sweets. Kawum a bit, but I’ve more than my share this season. Mun kawum, kokis, I honestly find them all dry, dusty and not that good. Not that I don’t love Avurudu and the giving and stuff. I just don’t think Sri Lankan sweets are that good.

Sri Lanka is known for its tea. Our iced tea, however, is usually imported (I think, and I’m referring to the bottled kind). Come to think of it, the bottled kind is a rarity, I have no idea where it comes from. That’s why I was intrigued to try this bottle, by Akbar Brothers, a local brand.

It’s mango season, in my landlord’s garden at least. Almost every morning I get a sackful of mangoes, or the landlady slides them in the door. They’re good mangos but I honestly don’t know what to do with them anymore. Everything smells like mango now, my breath, the fridge, the garbage, the kitchen. Even the water tastes like mango. I give bags away to anyone that visits, I feed the cows, but I still have more.

Rumor is that Sri Lanka’s Pizza Hut is not serving halal food. They’ve clarified that their food is halal (not pork, prepared in a certain way), but that the certification has lapsed. This is still a major problem for the brand.

Apparently Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga has said that the name Ministry Of Crab violates the Constitution and possibly the company registrars act. This is all based on an off-hand joke Mahinda made about how many Ministries he has. I’m going to go with a no.

To buy a good rice and curry you need to find shops which are still home businesses, usually nameless and hidden on the street. If you know where to look, these are the best meals in the city.

Ministry Of Crab is damn good. You get a food high, seriously. They take whatever makes traditional Sri Lankan seafood good, distill it, refine it and lather it over the biggest crustaceans I have seen in my life. Damn good, really. Took some friends from China and the place did Sri Lanka proud.

Restaurants take great effort to entice tourists and locals, and they charge for it. Then they go and spoil it all by putting out boards saying stuff like ‘Wrack of Lamb’ and offering ‘Samwiches’ on the menu. I’m not saying spoken English needs to be perfect, but for a menu or advertisement, it just makes the food look bad.

The Guardian talks about mobile shopping in Jaffna, ie, people delivering coconuts, bread and fish door to door. We have the same thing in Colombo, in Dehiwela at least. In the morning the short-eat trishaw comes around, then the fish and vegetables, basically anything you could need. Coconuts just fall from the tree.