On a hard, intense shoot over days, four of us, made our way from Bombay to Pune to Latur. Food, real food, as in big on delicious, flexible on hygiene local shops, is one of the great pleasures of such travels. We ate our way through thin, spicy mutton curries and bhakris, biryanis with a boiled egg in their tummies,golden yellow tambda rassa, dalcha and Nilanga rice for Rs 10, a divine drink called Bajirao Mastani, its flavours fluorescent, reminiscent of very cold Energee at Aarey stalls in Bombay summers. Finally though, a day arrives when your exhaustion is deep and your tongue craves familiarity over adventure. That day arrived in Latur. Scanning the menu, I spied it. Chilli Cheese Toast. Only the world’s bestest snack.

I am devoted to chilli cheese toast and I am also a fundamentalist in the matter of chilli cheese toast. I am not sure I can be friends with people who don’t like chilli cheese toast. Look, chilli cheese toast really should have only: grated processed cheese, green chillis medium chopped and white bread. I’ll concede to a little dhaniya patta. Some people add chopped onions and a beaten egg. Chalo I am willing to go that far. Kissan tomato ketchup was and remains a must as accompaniment.