I couldn’t have predicted any part of my experience at Kalachandji’s. Many would become skeptical of the choice to visit a Hare Krishna Temple and Vegetarian restaurant outside of downton Dallas, but trust me it was worth every second.

It began when we pulled into the parking lot of what used to be a church of Christ after a 10 minute drive from campus. We went inside and met our guide right as we walked in. He politely showed us to a closet like room with metal racks for visitors to place their shoes before entering the sanctuary. The sanctuary had wood floor and B. G. Sharma paintings all along the walls. On one side there was a statue of Brabhupad Bhaktivedanta Swami, the founder and leader of the Hare Krishna movement in America until his death in 1977. At the front of the room stood two different statues adorned in clothing of overwhelming color and craftsmanship. These clothes are apparently hand sewn and changed daily for both gender manifestations of Krishna. As we turned to the paintings, our guide explained how each of the images depicted Krishna, the universal spirit, in critical moments of the Vedic lore. In some pictures, Krishna bore a halo of his deity while holding up mountains with ease, or outsmarting an archangel, or dancing with dozens of women simultaneously. In others, however, Krishna’s halo is missing as he steals from a neighbor in one painting and is scolded for it by his mother in the next. Our guide explained that Krishna, is all powerful and all deserving of faith and worship, but he wants more than just a pious fear from his subjects. Krishna wants his subjects to see him as having multiple different kinds of relationships with him so that he can receive the love each person would give to parents, friends, lovers, god, and children all at once. It was a lot of abstract information to process upfront, but it was very interesting once I started to wrap my head around it. As the worship service began our group left the sanctuary and headed to the vegetarian dinner.*

The restaurant end of the building is also operated by temple devotees who serve a cafeteria style all you can eat meal of ancient Vedic dishes. I suspiciously loaded my plate with bitter gourd, rice, and all sorts of dishes that I couldn’t pronounce before heading to the table. The guide had said that “You don’t understand the meaning of food being cooked with love until you’ve had Hare-Krishna food.” He couldn’t have been more right. To them the restaurant is also practice of their craft in honor of Krishna, so every single dish is seasoned, cooked, and flavored to perfection. Sweet, spicy, savory, succulent, and any other culinary adjective falls short of describing the experience of that meal, (and that doesn’t include the 7 glasses of Tamarind tea I had with it.) As a red-blooded American man who is no stranger to a good steak, I was astounded by how much I enjoyed an entirely vegetarian meal made by followers of a 60’s countercultural movement.

All in all, my visit to Kalachandji’s was completely the opposite of what I expected it to be. Despite being surrounded by followers and statues in a small building outside of town, I felt very welcomed and at home there. Throw in a spectacular buffet for only $13, and I’d say it is a “must visit” if you’re ever in the area.

*What you are hearing now is a recording of the Kalachandji’s members singing at the 7 o’clock service. If you think it’s something wild just from listening to it, believe me, it’s a whole different experience in person…”