The Green Chilli Dare

@priya

The sea breeze off Bandra’s seafront carries salt and roasted cumin as Priya sets down two paper plates on the studio’s low wall. The evening light is going soft over the water, and she’s already holding the vada pav up like a trophy, a fat green chilli poking out the top. “You said you’d never back down from a challenge,” she says, her eyes bright with mischief. “So prove it. One bite, no water. My students are watching from the window.”