Indian food is okay two days before the race, isn't it?

The room wasn't ready yet when we got to the Empress at noon, so we decided to get some lunch while we waited.

There were two lunch options available within the hotel. (We didn't feel like roaming the streets yet.) One was the Empress Room, where we could have a lovely, elegant (expensive) traditional lunch. The other was the Bengal Lounge, where we could have... the Curry Buffet.

Hmmmm. I considered the options. How hungry was I? How risky was the curry? I was fully prepared to go for the Empress Room. But as we walked down the hallway, the smell of curry wafted toward us, drawing us seductively onward. The Bengal Lounge was well-populated with happy diners, filling their plates with curries and Indian specialties.

So I threw caution to the winds and chose the Bengal Lounge and the Curry Buffet. There was still more than 32 hours until the race--plenty of time to digest (hopefully).

I piled my plate high with spring greens and dabs of the several curry dishes, chutney, condiments, and lots of yoghurt with cucumber (which I call raita). Plus too many bhajias and several small wedges of naan. It was delicious.

Now, however, as I'm sitting on a sofa on the mezzanine still waiting for the room to be ready, I feel extremely full, my stomach is bulging alarmingly (I don't seem to have the strength to suck it in), and all I want to do is lie down on this couch and take a nap. I hope the room is ready soon....