volume 7, number 7 July 2002
New Mexico's Premier Food, Arts and Lifestyle Magazine

There comes a time, even for a part-time food and travel writer, when I become satiated with restaurant food. Our general diet of whatever-the-immediate-world-has-to-offer has its good and bad points. The good is of course in its variety; even a town like Albuquerque has more and more in the way of traditional world cuisine, and its endless variations on the theme. The downside is the havoc that can be wreaked on our systems by this interplay of foods.

For the Ayurvedic philosophy, this typical grazing-where-you-will is the setup for at best a life easily out of balance, and at worst, a playground for disease. Ayurveda literally means "science of life," and is a 5,000-year-old East Indian system for harmonizing the individual with the environment. Here in Albuquerque, we have the Ayurvedic Institute, one of the most comprehensive of its kind in the United States. It was founded in the 1980s by Dr. Vasant Lad of Pune, of India, renowned as one of the top Ayurvedic doctors in the world.

I've been driving around the drought-parched streets of the Southwest this week, looking at the dying trees and listening to Dr. Lad's tapes on Ayurvedic concepts. His voice is soothing and reminds me of Donovan (think of his speaking part on his song "Atlantis"). My favorite line so far is: "Every individual is a living book; how to read it is an art we will learn."

Whether I will truly take on an ayurvedic lifestyle is as much up for grabs as what I'll be having for dinner tomorrow night. But I now have an alternative for those days, which happen more and more frequently, when I want a simple, well-cooked and balanced meal. The place is Annapurna, and the food is organic, vegan and yes, follows the ayurvedic philosophy. The proprietress is Yashoda Naidoo, of South Indian origin, born in South Africa and raised in Australia and England. For many years Yashoda was a CPA—until she finally had enough of the corporate world. Lazing in her hammock in the summer of 2000 , she had a daydream of an ayurvedic restaurant—a daydream that became reality in January of this year. She had been a follower of this kind of cooking since birth, and was tired of restaurants where the vegetarian meals are cooked alongside those containing meat. That summer she started her business bringing home-cooked meals to offices and the Ayurvedic Institute staff and students. Here were some of the best ayurvedic doctors and treatments in the world with nothing in the community to complement them culinarily. Swamped with orders since her first day in business, she knew she had to open a centrally located location for a growing group of eclectic customers.

Annapurna, which translates to "the goddess of food and plenty," is truly a little oasis in an adobe building on San Mateo Boulevard just north of Copper. Scenes of India on a tranquil deep blue grace the walls of the tea room, and a fountain of water running from a brass teapot splashes by the front door. At one table are casually dressed University types, one who chants "Om" before partaking of his meal. Other tables have families from India. One of the things I like best about the place is that, like many eateries in the rest of the world, there is one basic meal served, which changes slightly daily. On certain days I just don't want to look at a menu and make a lot of little decisions. The "special" usually consists of a pungent lentil-based soup, followed by basmati rice and vegetables in a savory light sauce made in part from chickpea flour, accompanied by a chapati.

Yashoda harmonizes each day's menu in the traditional ayurvedic way. There are three basic individual types, or doshas (you can self-diagnose somewhat based on your answers to questions on the placemats) which are balanced, along with the season, daily temperature, and availability of produce on the market. "Once you get your system used to eating according to your constitution you basically don't get sick," she says. Yashoda also has plans to make her food more available to UNM cancer support groups.

If you go for nothing else, try the authentic chai tea. Yashoda's model is the roadside chai stands in India where the tea is served in clay cups. Her chai is a world away from the wax box variety at health food stores, and she uses whole spices, fresh ginger and organic Assam tea. Currently Annapurna is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday; dinner is a definite possibility for the future.

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