Of Mutton Dhansaks, Bombay Ducks and Raspberry Soda!

By Priya Sheth

Being a vegetarian is not always the best thing especially when you have friends who wine and dine on carnivorous cuisines. Take my case for instance. The Parsi eatery was abuzz with peals of laughter, the noise of an occasional mobile phone ring and the clamour of utensils in the background. 

The ten by ten tables were covered with checkered tablecloths and a steel tissue holder stood tight in the corner. The Parsi gentleman at the billing counter stood up at  intervals to direct young and old diners to the unoccupied tables. There was something, perhaps about this eatery that brought people from all over the bustling city together. The kind 'welcome, dikra' and 'hope you had a good time, dikra' also did the trick. 

For my friends - it was mostly the 'Mutton Dhansak' and 'Bombay Duck and the 'Chicken Berry Pulav' that lured them to the eatery. For me, it was the Raspberry Soda and Caramel Custard. The ubiquitous 'No Reservations/No Talking/No Smoking/Tender exact change' board standing at the entrance on most days was slyly hidden behind the board mentioning the special 'Ginger lemon soda' board by a group of youngsters 

Parsi food, which has a big fan-following in the city is as difficult to find as Parsis are in Mumbai. As the waiter walked by our table with a bowl of steaming Kheema Berry Pulav on his tray - hunger pangs grew as loud as sirens around me. The Menu which was mostly the chalky hand-written blackboard - had 'Today's Special' written in bold. It was not as if it made any difference to diners because they mostly ordered every item on the menu - which consisted of five or six dishes - so that they don't miss out on regulars as well as the specialities of the Day. 

And while, the waiter quickly scribbled down our order in his tiny pocket notebook -  five voices screamed eight different things across the table, I looked down sheepishly. As the waiter glanced towards me - I quietly asked, "What's your specialty for vegetarians?"

There was some laughter on my table and then silence. Our waiter, scratched his head and then said, "Why not try our Ginger Lemon soda and we could try to give you some Veg Dhansak?" I opted for the safest option on the menu -  Raspberry Soda. I had seen the red drink in the Pepsi-sponsored refrigerator at the entrance. 

As the afternoon progressed, the line at the entrance got longer. The bench near the entrance was already occupied and all eyes were waiting for an empty table. And as a voice in the kitchen shouted, table four - my waiter scrambled to the entrance of the kitchen and soon our table had the "Meal for the Gods," my friends said. 

If you were to ask me, these humble Parsi eateries could give tough competition to the fancy continental cafes mushrooming across the city. The mirrored walls, the tiled floors, peeling boards, humble pricing and the homely decor - gave satisfaction to the diners who licked the Mutton Dhansak off their fingers. A tad different from the fork and spoon culture of the cosmopolitan city.     

These twenty-odd years in the city have taught me two things. One - Vegetarians are an endangered species and Two -a hungry stomach can make you pay your month's salary in just one meal! 

In my case, I spent only fifty rupees on my Raspberry soda