Imagine you were roaming in the streets of Rome and all you could see were these quaint little eateries all serving Indian food : puri bhaji, idli, dosa, chana bhatura.
This is how a tourist in Hauz khas Village,Shahpur Jat or Meherchand market(all in Delhi) must be feeling considering the mushrooming of restaurants all vying with each other serving lasagna,pizza,ciabatta bread,capuchinos and lattes of the world.
If this tourist wanted a taste of a typical Indian cuisine,chances are he wouldn't be able to..at least not in these areas.And this is when India has a heritage of an extremely rich and a versatile cuisine.
So where have we gone wrong?Failure in taking pride in our Indian-ess or eagerness to ape the west?
Why do we consider to be hip equals to be not Indian?Whether it is in dressing,food or language.
Mumbai to a certain extent takes pride in its local cuisine and there are innumerable paubhaji,vada pav joints that are hygienic & quick to serve and their hand churned ice creams are to die for and can give a run for their money to any Italian gelato.I went to an eatery having a khichdi festival..out of the world khichdi served in authentic brass thalis with brass katoris..now that's what I call taking pride in being an Indian.(I can't see a Delhite going to any restaurant having a khichdi festival).
What I would like to suggest is a restaurant in a typical tourist area serving Indian snacky food like poha,matra chaat,idli,dosa,pau bhaji,vada pav..we do have Haldiram but it's not a sit down and is not in these areas.
Experiment with new ideas,there's nothing wrong in starting an English style tea house or pizzeria, however, do not look down upon anything that is Indian...take pride in your roots.
This is how a tourist in Hauz khas Village,Shahpur Jat or Meherchand market(all in Delhi) must be feeling considering the mushrooming of restaurants all vying with each other serving lasagna,pizza,ciabatta bread,capuchinos and lattes of the world.
If this tourist wanted a taste of a typical Indian cuisine,chances are he wouldn't be able to..at least not in these areas.And this is when India has a heritage of an extremely rich and a versatile cuisine.
So where have we gone wrong?Failure in taking pride in our Indian-ess or eagerness to ape the west?
Why do we consider to be hip equals to be not Indian?Whether it is in dressing,food or language.
Mumbai to a certain extent takes pride in its local cuisine and there are innumerable paubhaji,vada pav joints that are hygienic & quick to serve and their hand churned ice creams are to die for and can give a run for their money to any Italian gelato.I went to an eatery having a khichdi festival..out of the world khichdi served in authentic brass thalis with brass katoris..now that's what I call taking pride in being an Indian.(I can't see a Delhite going to any restaurant having a khichdi festival).
What I would like to suggest is a restaurant in a typical tourist area serving Indian snacky food like poha,matra chaat,idli,dosa,pau bhaji,vada pav..we do have Haldiram but it's not a sit down and is not in these areas.
Experiment with new ideas,there's nothing wrong in starting an English style tea house or pizzeria, however, do not look down upon anything that is Indian...take pride in your roots.
