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Desi News Corp - Desi News - July 2009 - Index

DESI NEWS FILE PHOTOS
36 Desi News July 2009
Hot enough for ya?
Udupi Palace is set to serve up the vegetarian
answer to the hot dog eating competition
in partnership with the Festival of India and
the Toronto Vegetarian Association
The early evening of
Monday, July 13, will
see the Second Annual
Spicy Dosa Eating Contest,
taking place at Yonge-Dundas
Square, where competitors will
battle for both first prize and
bragging rights.
Contestants have been
training for the past month in
preparation for the gastrointestinal
inferno that they will
endure – they will have just two
minutes to eat as many spicy
dosas as possible.
Dosas, a South Indian delicacy,
are crepes made of lentils
and rice that are high in protein
and carbohydrates. They vary
in spice-level, but for the Spicy
Dosa Eating Contest, competitors
will be presented with
the fierier brand of dosa.
The Spicy Dosa Eating Contest
is the brainchild of Udupi
Palace owner Hubert D’ Mello,
who grew up in Mumbai. He
opened the 120-seat restaurant
in 2001 to serve dosas and
several other dishes influenced
by southern India.
Last year’s winner, Mitchell
Gerskup, ate an impressive six
spicy dosas in the span of two
minutes. “Due to the overwhelming
success of last year’s
contest, we are very excited to
once again showcase the zest
and spice of South India,” says
D’Mello. “The response has
been great so far!”
Toronto Vegetarian Association
will provide information
to visitors at Yonge-
Dundas Square along with
recipes and helpful tips on how
to transition to a healthy
vegetarian diet. “A vegetarian
diet is not all about salads – it
can be flavourful and spicy as
proven by this event,” comments
Toronto Vegetarian Association’s
executive director
David Alexander.
The contest is presented as
part of a pre-festival party at
Yonge-Dundas Square, hosted
by the Festival of India. The
day-long festival will give
Torontonians a preview of the
weekend-long celebrations set
for July 18-19. “We are thrilled
to be presenting a taste of the
Festival of India thro-ugh our
pre-festival party at Yonge-
Dundas Square,” says Krishna
Sharma, chairperson for the
Festival of India. “The Spicy
Dosa Eating Contest is set to
prove that while vege-tarianism
is still a healthy alternative, it
can have a wild streak, too!”
Udupi Palace, located at
desiLICIOUS!
1460 Gerrard Street East, Toronto,
is an award-winning
restaurant recognized as the
premier Indian establishment
in Gerrard India Bazaar since
2002. It offers authentic regional
South Indian vegetarian
cuisine.
The 37th Annual
Festival of India
The 37th Annual Festival of
India, a celebration of South
Asian culture, will be celebrated
from July 18-19.
Unique to this festival is the
seamless integration of thousands
of years of spiritual tradition
with modern lifestyles.
Close to 40,000 people participate
every year in the two-day
festival which aims to both
inform and entertain through
yoga, spirituality, music, dance
and arts.
The festival takes place on
Centre Island where attractions
include a free vegetarian feast;
non-stop arts and culture
showcase; a one-day yoga
festival, Yoga Meltdown; South
Asian Bazaar; spiritual exhibits,
drama and much more!
About Toronto
Vegetarian Association
Founded in 1945, the Toronto
Vegetarian Association is
a volunteer-driven charitable
organization devoted to providing
information and support
to people who are interested in
making healthier, greener,
more peaceful food choices
through programs such as the
Veggie Challenge which provides
daily emails with helpful
tips and recipes to participants,
The annual Vegetarian Food
Fair, held at Harbourfront
Centre, hosts free cooking
demonstrations and talks,
September 11-13, and veg.ca
which provides nutritional
information, upcoming vegetarian
related events and listings
of restaurants in the city.
• For more information, please contact
Mishka Alarcon or Krishna
Sharma at 416-544-9800, 416-
616-5136, malarcon@veg.ca or
ksharma@feedyoursoul.to or visit
www.veg.ca or www.feedyoursoul.to.