It’s amazing how much Mumbai has changed, especially over the last few years. When I came back from college many years ago, I found that much of what was familiar to me by then was now available closer to home, often in the local markets. And it was wonderful to find everything from my favourite chewing gum to the brand of tissues I liked to take my makeup off. But what has been even better is the fabulous range of food that the city was so rapidly opening up to. From sushi to satay, burgers to banana splits, everything seemed to be available and popular.
This thought came from a taxi ride I took a few days ago. I was headed to a part of town that I had not been to for goodness knows how many years, riding there in a taxi because I remembered it as being crowded and dirty and cramped, certainly no place I would be happy taking my new (and rather large, I must admit) chariot to. The taxi was in decent shape, the driver drove decently, too. So I was not as hassled and frazzled as I am wont to be when I go anywhere in a black-and-yellow rattletrap and even managed to be a little kempt and properly presented once I got there. And on the way I noticed all manner of delight in the direction of food, from the small street stalls to the more interesting small eating places and bigger restaurants that catered to a rather more discerning clientele.
What really sparked my interest was a small falafel restaurant. Refreshing in its green and cream paintwork, it showed off its offerings on small boards stuck on the wall outside (or perhaps it was the window, I could not really tell. And it printed its menu alongside, with hummus, falafel, pita bread, salad, et al advertised for the interested to read before they made choices to go in or not. I was tempted to stop, but was in a hurry to get where I was going without being soaked in sweat and wanted to get back to work before it ran away from me towards a closely combated deadline.
It set me thinking. One of the most popular eating places close to where I work is a large American chain, the Hard Rock Café, which offers up huge helpings for a decent price – not everyday fare for either waistline or wallet, I have to say. Not too far away is a whole slew of Chinese restaurants, from tiny hole in the wall streetside eateries to more lush and plush spreads where the waiters wear funny hats and the table linen is so stiffly starched that the napkins slide right off any lap, however large. Then there is a sweet little café under the trees that varies between nouvelle and modern western food, combining jalapeno bagels with grilled salmon, couscous with baked vegetables and sinful chocolate cakes with low-calorie fruit tarts.
The turnover of restaurants in Mumbai is as quick as the service at fast food chains. A burger joint may persist, but a Thai food eatery is not likely to last as long, even if the cuisine is very like the Indian menu – lots of chillies, exotic flavour blending miraculously into each other and fresh veggies that retain their individual taste and texture. Lebanese food is making surprising inroads into the Mumbai stomach, with its again-familiar flavours of cumin, chilli, cinnamon and lemon, along with garlic and cilantro (or parsley, which is not a common part of our kitchen stocks). And there is more. Sushi and teppenyaki bars jostle for space with health drinks and bagel-wiches. Rustic Italian vies with traditional tapas. Mexican and Middle Eastern live happily side by side. And French co-exists with good old American.
What I am waiting for is more native African and perhaps Slavic cooking to hit the city’s food-line. Then it will be a truly global experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment