Mumbai Chaats

The sweetness of the evening snack is so much a need that we cannot avoid it. Sometimes, it becomes a meal more than a snack or a dinner item.

Mumbai the financial capital is also the chaat capital, that has the maximum number of varieties in the evening and dinner snack spreads. The varieties range from Indian, to oriental to continental and some american and european snacks too.

I love the national Vada Pav, which can be had in almost any corner of the city and the best part is all the sauces served for a vada pav is almost the same anywhere you go. It has a six sigma certification for multiple vendors serving the likely tasting food. The varieties in the vada pav, range from a potato pattice, potato, onion and Spinach fritters. 

The second in line is the sandwich, plain or toasted. This is the second standard of this city. The taste is again almost the same, the vegetables used are the same and the slices are wafer thin anywhere you go. The difference is with the amount of butter that is put on the top and the sev (fried chickpea flour noodles).

The third is the sev puri/ bhel puri/ Paani Puri. The sev puri is an amazing item if you want the taste buds to be tickled and yet have fun in stuffing your mouth with a vegetable laden puri. It is definitely not a western etiquette the way you have to stuff your mouth to enjoy the taste of each puri.

The pani puri is another crazy delicacy that is known by different names across the country, gol guppa, puchka, are some of the names used in the north and east for the same. The type of puris are different and the jeera (Cumin) water used is the taste maker along with the tamarind sauce for the sweetness. The varieties are many and each vendor would give a different flavour. It is wise to keep tasting from different vendors till you find the one that serves you the best to your taste and liking.

The Bhel puri is a rice flakes delicacy that is made with the same stuffings as in the Sev Puri but has more quantity and is good for the diet conscious.

The next which is a double entrant as an evening snack and also a breakfast choice is the south indian delicacy, Idli, Medu wada, Dosa and Uttappa. All these are normally bought from the same vendor but the Medu wada and the idli is found among a few. The Dosa and Uttappa have been adding varieties to it every year. You can get chinese idlis, dosa and uttappa. You can have continental varieties and some use it as a tacos option too.

These are only the main dishes that all get into the main stream options of having the varieties in the normal snacks at the majority eatery joints in Mumbai.

Available at every corner street and making it a household requirement. The age, status, creed or religion of the person is not needed to enjoy these wonderful delicacies.

When in India, eat these snacks and you will be a satisfied being of glorified hunger.

Are we a tolerant nation?

​

I don't think we are a tolerant nation, we are an adjusting nation.

We do not tolerate our country, we adjust to it. We do not appreciate the country, we adjust to it.

How is it?

Do we accept our women? Do we tolerate their boldness? 

No, we adjust with quota,reservation, block seats in the bus where they can sit, make compartments in trains where they can stand with some or little dignity.

Do we tolerate the so called under privileged to education and jobs? 

No we don't. We create reservation and seats in schools and colleges for them to sit alongside their country men.

Do we tolerate dissent? 

No we do not. We slap sedition charges, we say these laureates return their awards as they do not know the value of it.

Do we tolerate our children to let them lead a normal happy school life?

No, we don't

We at large are a nation of adjustment and in tolerance. In the name of adjustment we tolerate the nation with our democracy and reservations.

How are we then a tolerant nation?

Shouldn't we remove the caste bias? 

Shouldn't we then abolish the reservation quota? 

Shouldn't we remove exclusive compartments for the women where they can be equally respected by men?

Shouldn't we be a nation to respect our society irrespective of his/her sexual preferences?

It is not the government or the bureaucracy to blame, it is we the people who give them power with our adjusting tolerance and we give them the opportunity to be blatant.

We will fail to be a tolerant nation until we have such wide biases available to adjust with tolerance.

The Gujarati Thali

It's been a while since I traveled out of Mumbai and was destined to go to Ahmedabad. The options of travel were by land and air. The Air options are quick but always has a delay in the transportation.

I took the option travelling by train to enjoy the beauty of sleep while travelling. The night train from mumbai was the most convenient way to travel and the fastest mode of land transport.

I reached Ahmedabad in the middle of the September sun. The rains were scanty this year and the sun was giving back all it could to make it hot and dry. As I reached the station in the early morning, I expected the Rickshaw drivers to crowd me to make their extra buck. luckily I had already booked my stay online and knew where I wanted to go. With a little haggling I was on my way.

The stunner started here, this is a developing city with a population of a little over 3.5 million. The city had only started developing recently and industry development was a work in progress. The streets were comparatively clean (comparing it to Mumbai) and the pot holes were basically invisible.

I was struggling to understand the reason why the streets were so much better in a lesser known city than in Mumbai. Maybe the tar they used on the roads were of a different quality or the politicians and bureaucrats were more involved in the development of the city rather than their own accounts. What ever it was, I was happy that a city in India was developing better than the other so called Metro cities.

The day was spent in meeting and greeting different clients and offices, through the day I kept asking my liaison for a place where we could taste the Gujarati cuisine to enjoy the local makes. It was a  revelation that most of the street vendors were from UP or Bihar and there were none who were the true Gujarati cooks at the local stalls.

Added to this, there were gourmet restaurants, who were seemingly serving authentic Gujarati cuisines for the masses to enjoy. The locals are so absorbed with the globalisation concept that they have forgotten their roots of food they eat. 

Gujarati's are among the few communities who actually enjoy eating out of their homes. The number of restaurants and the variety of cuisines available was amazing to see. From Thai, Continental, Mexican, Lebanese, all were available in the dozen. But all were vegetarian cuisine. The majority of persons in Gujarat are Vegetarians and so the outlets for the Non-vegetarians are limited to choose from but the vegetarian cuisine is so abundant that one does not feel the loss of the meats and tastes.

The beauty of the local cuisine was found in the old Ahmedabad, I venture with a friend to the narrow lanes of the old Ahmedabad to have the ever famous Gujarati Thali. We were wandering like lost souls in a desert determined to find a place that would be close to serving us with the local cuisine. We took a while to understand where we had to go and with a little help from our local contacts we were guided towards the old Ahmedabad streets.

After some asking, some guidance our rickshaw was guided towards the railway station which had a restaurant serving Gujarati Thali. The thali was costing Rs.120 (less than $2)and had unlimited servings. We thought it was heaven, they started with the farsans and chutney and 4 variety of vegetables. then was followed with roti and papad to start the meal. Along with it, we were served with a tray consisting of 6 variety of chutneys. The chutneys varied from the sweet, to spicy and super duper killer spicy hot chillies. 

There were two varieties of dal, a sweet and a spicy version. We tasted both and were delighted at the tastes. This local cuisine was all the more awesome to taste and the price band on it was even more delightful.

Our meal was completed with Gulab Jamuns that were sweet as milk and soft like ice cream. It was such a yummy experience that we craved for more.

Unfortunately, owing to our limited stomachs we could eat only as much as we could and had to forgo the rest of the meal. The end was just complete and our stay in Ahmedabad was fulfilled with this thali. The taste was above all amazing, the service friendly and above all the food was limitless.

One should visit Ahmedabad not for the sites and scenes alone, but also for the amazing chats and foods that are available for all.