The sound of an Indian language, the sight of Indians , Chats, Indian food , Indian snacks, Indian temples and yes Indian movies!I get plenty of this in Vancouver and sometimes more than what I could ask for. From Priya pickles to Parle G biscuits. Can you believe it , the Indian stores sell Pan Pasand and our 'cool drinks' Fanta!
As I shop in Indian stores, it startles me how much the world has become a global village. As I ponder about this, I am drawn to the weight of something added to my shopping cart. My husband just added a tin of my all time favorite ;a tin of Haldiram Rasagulla's and smiles at me. I smile and reach out to add the Good Day biscuits.As I head towards the billing counter, my eyes search the racks if there is anything I can add, smelling the cloves and cardamom in the spice section. I spot the 'pori urundai' , balls of puffed rice and jaggery that is generally made in South India while celebrating Karthigai, a celebration of lights. I couldn't resist picking a packet. In addition to getting Indian specific food items , there are Tamil Stores, more specific to where I come from. Thanks to the Punjabi's and Sri Lankan Tamils who have made our cuisine so accessible in these parts of the world. As we finish our shopping, we keep the bags of Indian groceries in our Car and head back to the Indian restaurant across the street. This street , a part of a long Street,Main Street , is called Little India in Vancouver. The boards are in Punjabi and Hindi. We walk past merchandise of an array of Indian salwars and Saree's. As I look and feel the happiness of our bright colors , my eyes catch a phrase 'Gol Gappa' in one of the side streets. Indian aunties in Saree's walk past with a bags of groceries. Few feets away a group of Indian elderly men in kurta's gossip and chit chat. I chance upon another shop window with Indian idols, a big statue of Ganapathi and Lakshmi adorn the shelfs. I smile as I glance the names of the shops . Our Indian shop names are so unique to what I see here.They are so Indian and thats what makes them unique. We enter one of the Indian Restaurants and I order my Delhi Chat with kachori's. My husband decides between hot Samosa's and Kachori's.Our order is served and we relish the chaat listening to Bollywood music as we glance across to a television above where Rani Mukherjee is dancing around Salman Khan!Do I miss India?! Except for parents and relatives I get pretty much everything. As I finish the chaat and order coffee, I remember the Tamil Nadu famous 'Saravana Bhavan' here on Broadway with their Dosa's , Idli's , Adai's and steamy Chennai coffee.Dosa's and my mind travels to a shop called Dosa Corner where you get so many different kind of dosas! Our recent favourite is 'Dakshin' a restaurant in Surrey. I love their paneer Tikka Masala and Daal Makhni. Their roti's are awesome. My husband loves their Chettinad style delicacies.
After our fill of samosa's and chaat, we pay the bill and walk out with a spoonful of sounf in our mouths.
Food makes you feel so alive and it carries such a personal baggage. Life is good with good food around especially when you are so far away ,across oceans and lands from where it came from! Feels so much in India without the two thousand dollar India ticket.Now, thats a bargain :-)
