Okay, so I was born in Delhi! But life took me on this enormous journey across the country and through various schools ( 6 to be precise) and then I got married and left the shores of India. But does that stop my being a Dilli wali? Yes and no
The flavours of Delhi still linger in my mind. The chaat at Bengali market, the kulcha chole (especially the ones with paneer in Hanuman Mandir), the kulfi with translucent falooda served with a dash of Rooh Afzah. Yes, Delhi is food all the way! All Delhi-ites are foodies according to me.Where else can you find paranthe wali gal a street named after the unbeatable parathas you get there! The
Check out anytime of the day. People are always eating! Mid-afternoon there are people eating chaat, gol gappas and fruit chaat, dosas, chana bhatura, you just name it, and they are eating it! Meet a Delhi-ite anywhere and they are happy to invite you for dinner, lunch or even tea!
Walk into the saree store and as you admire the sarees the shop keeper will pipe up ji kuch thanda mangaoon? Pakore khaoge? Of course you tuck into the pakoras ( if its raining) or piping hot samosas ( in winter) or syrupy sweet lassi ( in summers of course!). Its a great marketing strategy, for on a full stomach, its hard to say no, and almost invariably one ends up buying something! Delhi to me is food all the way! So what if its big Mac, Pizzerias and KFC now, people are still eating tandoori pizzas and chicken tikka nuggets.