Dhaba Impact

Man requires food for his survival. But while some people eat to live, some live to eat. I fall into the second category. The ambiance, the music played in the backdrop hardly matters to me. What matters the most is the taste of the food. Tasty food has a deep impact upon me.

I believe you get the tastiest food in the dhabas. It is freshly prepared. They do not have storage facilities like those in the five star hotels. Their food is freshly prepared. This good food has a positive impact on our bodies. In this post I am going to discuss the deep impact which these dhabas and their delicious food has had upon me.

While in Bengal I liked the bhaat and maccher jhol which is served in the dhabas. Believe me you can get the most delicious maccher jhol only in the dhabas in Bengal. I love the dhabas and their food. Such has been the impact of that delicious maccher jhol that its taste still lingers on my taste buds.

Yes outwardly the dhabas may not look clean and hygienic. The floor may be muddy and the water may be running upon it. The latrines may be primitive. However the food is healthy. The piping hot roties come directly from the earthen ovens into your plates. The vegetables used in cooking are always fresh. Even the paneer and butter used in cooking is freshly prepared. Freshly cut green chillies, onion, lemon add to the taste of the food.

I ate kulcha for the first time at a dhaba. Dhaba has introduced me to variety of foods in India. Most of my memories in Dhabas are with my friends. Sourabh who loved the chicken roasted in the Dhabas. You wouldn’t believe me, but let me tell you that Sourabh would ask others to eat less, so that he could get an extra share of the chicken. Now that may not sound very sophisticated. But that shows how open and true you can be with your friends. Dhabas remind me of Dhiren also. We would call him Phattu. He would be full with the first serving. He would goad us to get out of the dhaba at the earliest. He would say with all men around there was hardly any feast for the eyes.

We would forget all our worries on the string cot of the dhaba. The delicious food would take us to a different place all together. We would bond with our friends across a plate of dal makhani and countless rotis. Dhaba after all was much cheaper too. So even my friends from humble backgrounds could afford to throw parties on their birthdays.

Dhabas I believe are a great levellers. Both the rich and the poor sit across and enjoy good food. All the inequalities melt away. Such is the impact of dhabas on my life. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.