O' DBC, thou art great!

Sometimes people tell you. Sometimes you see it yourself, And sometimes you just know it.I know, now, I am really over the hill.

Corner House has been a part of growing up in Bangalore for at least a few decades. People who went there during their days at school and college return to try and capture a whiff of their own youthful exuberance. Well,that may be a tad too romantic for a few. But the fact remains that the place serves an amazing variety of no-frills ice cream based delectable goodies. Boys, girls, men and women, kids and seniors throng these parlours.

We -many of my family and friends- have been enamoured by the sensual pleasure of the creamy, chocolaty and dewy treats of this small but growing chain of ice cream parlours. The pièce de résistance of Corner House is 'Death By Chocolate'. The name says it all. One serving of this sundae is one too many. A couple of scoops of vanilla, two slices of warm chocolate brownies, oodles of chocolate sauce, a few soft sweet cherries and tablespoon of assorted nuts. The simple combination is too chocolaty for even the best fans of chocolate. The sweetest tooths (sic) of the world could be humbled by the deadly concoction that goes by the nickname 'DBC'. Not any kind of preparation can ready you for the DBC. Half-way into the chocolaty binge, you feel you have had enough chocolate for a lifetime. Your pride takes you a couple of spoonfuls further. Your determination takes you ahead a little more and only the strongest can claim to have downed the full serving of the cocktail.

After almost five months, the yearning for some tasty ice cream at the good ol' parlour brought a smile on me and a smirk on my wife's face. Battling a sudden downpour to which even visitors to Bangalore have gotten used to, we drove eagerly towards the local mecca of ice cream desserts. I had not tried my hand at DBC in over two years. The last time I had was during our courtship, when I was familiarising S with Bangalore's hidden charms. S had failed miserably at the DBC challenge. I had had to finish the serving then. My eagerness and determination to overcome the DBC challenge was growing, as we parked the car.

At half past nine, even in a rainy evening, the place was busy. We were greeted by the chatter and laughter that thrives in this place. Surely, people don't visit a dessert place if they have nothing to celebrate, however small. I remembered the many visits to this place even as S was finding it difficult to make up her mind. I kept pointing at DBC even as she kept ignoring the direction of my fingers. But DBC it had to be for me. While S started on her Black Forest and mocha combination, I chatted up with the owner. He asked if I wanted DBC packed. NO! I will have it here, I said pompously. S shook her head in revulsion, when I placed the half-liter bowl on the table.

I will not delve into my scrambles...But a few minutes later I was at the counter asking the tender to give me a lid for the ice-cream bowl he had given me. He nodded and turned around to pick one up. 'I could do this in college, now it is too much' I said shaking my head. A couple of other guys and the owner just laughed. He knows what DBC stands for. He has seen many whimper down to their knees in their fight with DBC. It's a fight they invite themselves too. Only a few prevail.

Earlier, when I was at the counter DBC, a geeky chap in his early twenties had been placing an order for a DBC. The fellow had proudly exclaimed to his friends 'Come on guys, I have ordered DBC. Let's attack!'. I could see this fellow happily winning his challenge today. I remembered such days when DBC would have had a predetermined result; my win. I could have done that then, but not anymore, I thought as I carried home an almost full serving of DBC. A couple of spoonfuls or three and I had had it. I needed help or time or both. This is what I mean when I say that I know I am over the hill.

DBC has taken a new meaning for me- 'Duped by chocolate' or 'Defeated by Chocolate'.

O'DBC, thou art great! I secede.

S had the last laugh today.Yours truly went home sad but wiser.