Today Katie and I had our last long and lazy breakfast at the Hotel De 'l Orient. Since our arrival to Pondicherry from Auroville, we have treated ourselves to 1 - 2 hour long breakfasts. A festival of fresh squeezed fruit juices, eggs any style, warm croissants, muesli & curd (my favorite), local fruit and an endless well of herbal teas and masala chai. 
Before, during and after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai the Hotel De 'l Orient has been a sacred space for us. Every morning Katie and I arrived at the hotel's restaurant greeted by warm and eager smiling faces, The Hindu and the most friendly and attentive service.
A wise Indian man by the name Ramesh owner of the hot new North Indian restaurant Dal Roti on Lily Street in Fort Cochin, told me one morning that he only served lunch and dinner because he believes that most people prefer to start their day with a native breakfast. He couldn't be more right when describing my preferred morning meal. Don't get me wrong I love dosa, idli, pongal, chapati and vada served with hot sambar and chutney, just as much as the next girl, but nothing beats a perfectly chilled and fermented curd with tasty and crunchy muesli and fresh sweet bananas.
A short lesson on breakfast:
English 1463, from break (v.) + fast (n.). Cf. Fr. déjeuner "to breakfast," from L. dis-jejunare "to break the fast." The verb is from 1679. The Engl derives from the concept that sleep prevents eating, thus an involuntary fast occurs during sleep; this fast is broken by the first meal - called breakfast.
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