I was hungry, scary sugar out-of-whack, feed me right now hungry.  In Springfield, Missouri is a restaurant called the Gem of India.  Indian food sounded perfect  and I love Chicken Tikka Masala, so in I went, alone and unsupervised.The buffet was in full swing, this place was busy.  Now, Chicken Tikka Marsala borders on being a religious experience for me so the buffet simply won’t cut it, the sauce is too mild and the temperature of the food is never “just right”.  Yes, I’m THAT guy.  The waiter, grudgingly, provides a menu, I order and then start gnawing on the table, waiting impatiently.

Quickly it arrives in a large bowl along with rice, Garlic Naan bread and Chai tea.  Add rice to the plate, then sauce, tear up the Naan…first bite, Wow! Perfect, too perfect.  I was using a fork but then discovered a large serving spoon nearby.  I could double the volume with this glorious instrument.  So I did.

I soon hear giggling to my right, it’s the staff watching me eat.  I notice that even the cook came out.  There I sat, my mouth stuffed completely full, oblivious to the world, a huge spoon in my right hand and a fork in my left (apparently I forgot to put it down) stuffing my face like a pelican and still finding room for the bread, while slurping down the tea.  It was THAT good.  The cook said something in “Indian”, most likely warning the staff to not get too close.  The waiter then cautiously approached asking if I was “OK”.  My mouth was too full to answer, so I mumbled out “Pepsi” and tried to smile which I’m sure only made it worse.  I then quickly finished and was scraping the shine off the plate when I was complimented by the waiter who said “normally this will feed two people”.  I surveyed the damage in front of me, they would need a new table-cloth and a vacuum.

In my defense, the “crud” I caught recently in Vietnam, had taken 6 pounds of my normal 162, so I was trying to efficiently maximize my dietary intake and also Lilly wasn’t there to supervise, so it’s her fault.

Gem of India makes a scary good Chicken Tikka Masala and when they let me come back, I’ll be enjoying it again.  If you’re traveling through Springfield, Gem of India is well worth the visit.  Remember to use your Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x Points) to pay the bill.  Gem of India, 211 W Battlefield Street, Springfield MO.