An Encounter with Three Teenage Girls and a Math Problem.

Of Emotions, History, Education, and Youth.

This Saturday morning, I was running errands and decided to stop for a quick brunch—a plate of steaming hot fermented lentil and rice cakes known as idlis, served with freshly made coconut chutney, spicy lentil dal, and a hot South Indian filter coffee (brewed with a filter similar to an Indian version of the moka pot).

Idlis are a beloved South Indian …