The Adventures of Sally Tomato, Cosmonaut

Though I consider myself an equal opportunity dater, South Asian men don't really fit the look of men I'm typically attracted to. Or so I thought.

Thinking back, I do recall being somewhat attracted to my roommate's Bengali boyfriend. And then there was Tulsi, this really cute Nepalese student in grad school. They both had this lovely brown skin. It's somehow not brown like mine, though. Maybe that's why I'm secretly attracted to them - they're like exotic black people.

I first consciously noted a proclivity for South Asian men the last time I went to visit my grandmother in D.C. We went with some of grandfather's friends from the 50s to a restaurant that was probably the height of chic--in the 50s. It's a bit run down now, with slightly gauche red leather booth cushions, sticky-shellacked dark wood, a lackluster view of the Potomac, and mediocre seafood.

Oh, but the busboy. That man awakened the fire in my belly. The heat came off his body like steam off bathwater, his breath grazed my neck as he reached from behind me to refill my water glass. We locked eyes over a serving cart, and I thought I'd faint.

Still, I didn't recognize this attraction for what it was. I figured maybe I was just feeling a mite frisky after three solid days indoors watching game shows and reading. He was, after all, the first man under 80 I'd seen in a week.

Then India Palace opened, and I could ignore the truth no longer. A middle-aged man with dark skin and a big fluffy black moustache, twinkling black eyes, and a tall white turban glanced back at me as he was passing my table. And there's the heat. Mother of god, the smouldering heat. Suddenly, I became aware of all the men in the restaurant. My eyes started darting around. Indian men in the kitchen with turbans, Indian men laughing with their families at tables, an Indian man ringing people out at the register. I became hyper aware of everything: the sweet cardamom in my biryani, the slow burn starting in my mouth, the cold water tracing down my throat, the warmth between my legs...