Everyone in Sri Lanka, including me, has b.o. It can’t be from lack of hygiene because people wash frequently. It must be from the onion, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, Maldivean dried fish and chilli infused curries. There is nothing that is not on fire.

Rice and curry may be the cornerstone of Sri Lankan cuisine, but short eats fill in the gaps. Short eats are savory pastries, golf ball sized croquettes, patties, doughnuts and buns. They may be filled with beef, chicken, fish, egg or vegetables, have flakey crusts or be breaded and fried, but short eats are always greasy and always spicy. When you sit down at a table in a “hotel,” which is Sri Lankan for greasy spoon, you’re served a platter heaped high with a variety of short eats, along with a squeeze jar of hot sauce just in case you want to raise the temperature even more. Eat all you want, leave the rest, get charged for whatever you’ve ingested and the platter gets reloaded for the next patron.