Title - Bon Vivant | The Railway Chefs of Shornur Junction

Among all the meals served here, it’s the breakfast that’s the best.
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If you travel by train to Kerala, chances are that you would’ve eaten at this railway Junction. If you are a non-resident malayalee going home every summer or for Onam, this is one place you will remember fondly.  Shornur Junction.
Shornur, the main railway junction of Kerala, where the line from Chennai and rest of the South joins the North-South Axis. A branch line stretches to Nilambur  from here and I assume that it was well used for transporting timber, many decades ago.
Today it’s the place where the non-electrified stretch to the North meets the main line. Almost all major trains stop here and they stop here longer than at most stations for technical reasons. For the passengers, this is one big chance to stretch their legs and fill their stomachs. And there’s a wide range of things to choose from, at any given hour of the day. The Kerala-style appams, vada, dosa and banana fritters to the Kerala-style lunch and dinner with its large boiled rice. If you are coming in from the other parts of India, remember that the preferred lunch in Kerala is non-vegetarian and not the standard fare you get elsewhere. Here, you have the option of having a fish lunch, usually a mackerel curry which is the fish of the masses. You can also have a chicken lunch.  And yes, the Malabari Style Biryani.  Banana fritters and Vada are available all day round.
Among all the meals served here, it’s the breakfast that’s the best. What sets this apart from what you get at restaurants and at home is the stew or curry gravy. They are toned down, the colours are subdued and has a special taste that had become associated with Indian Railways in Palghat Section of Southern Railway of which Shornur is the centre.
It’s also a good idea to shun the pantry fare and wait for Shornur. The food on the platform is usually piping hot. And if you are the kind who is scared to jump on to the platform for fear of the train leaving abruptly without a whistle, don’t worry, all the hot goodies are delivered at your window or in your coach too.