Bombay mix diaries part 2

In the south of india, and most amusingly to us meat guzzling westerners, restaurants describe themselves as either veg or non-veg.i have also come across many treats that are not quite bombay mix but are worthy of review. I shall label the elements of the simple taxonomy as 'mix' and 'non-mix' for categorial purposes.  From kodaikanal i picked up a diverse selection of non-mix items as well as one mix item under the big brand haldirams which seems to have monopoly on the mix and non-mix food categories. Which is a shame as i was really hoping for loads of local mix options to choose from.

Haldirams khatta meetha (pic 1, left). Wow a real surprise for the taste buds. Sweet, sour and savoury all at once. Juicy nuts and light crispy rice flakes coupled with the tang make this a very interesting mix and flavoursome experience. One that i was not expecting and one that puts it right at the top of the pile for this review series. 8.5/10.

Sky brand dhal (pic 1, right), first of the non-mix treats. To be honest, when i first saw this i was half tempted not to bother. I ate a packet of some dry spiced peas from a stall in kanyakumari and it was like munching through toasted gravel. But, being what seems to be the underdog brand on the street and from which i have had solid results, i put faith in sky and bought the packet. What a surprise! Whilst not pulling up any trees it was much better than anticipated and no trip to the dentist was required, the peas were lightly crunchy and there was plenty of spice and salt. 6/10.

Properly into non-mix territory now with some packaged sweets, coconut laddu and seasame balls (pic 2). Jesus wept. I'm never coming this far into no-man's land ever again. The seasame balls were like burnt balls of coal coated in various molten bitumens with a flavour of cremated chinese food and a bouquet of benzene. The laddu have to be one of the driest things this side of the gobi desert. There's more water contained in the martian rocks that have fallen to earth and half vapourised in the atmosphere on the way down. Sweet, crumbling dust balls sucking the very life force of your soul through your tongue. You can't escape, only swallow and hope that you dont get chronic constipation as the molecules of sugary sponge soak up every last drop of water in your system. 0/10.

Disclaimer: here and following the last review i feel i must leap to the defence of (actual) indian sweets. We've had real laddu from stalls that are soaked in glistening syrup, soft, moist and sweet. Mostly wonderful and these packaged items are like the knock off rip off footy shirts with zero authenticity whose existence must really offend the makers of the real deal.