 Vegetarian meals were eaten in a " communal " dining area , where food was vulnerable to aggressive monkeys and crows . Accounts of the food vary , some calling it spicy while others said it was bland . Lennon described the food as " lousy " , while Pattie Boyd says it was delicious . Menu items included chickpeas mixed with cumin seeds , whole wheat dough baked over a fire , spiced eggplant , potatoes that had been picked locally , and , for breakfast , cornflakes , toast and coffee . Starr had problems with the diet because of his past illnesses : " The food was impossible for me , because I 'm allergic to so many different things , so I took two suitcases with me : one of clothes and one of Heinz beans " and eggs . After dinner , the musicians gathered on the roof of Harrison 's bungalow to talk and listen to the Ganges river . Sometimes they listened to records and played guitar or sitar while their wives gathered in one of their rooms and discussed life as the partner of a Beatle . 
