{"id":5224,"date":"2016-10-17T17:21:03","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T17:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/?p=5224"},"modified":"2018-07-31T13:56:59","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T13:56:59","slug":"part-2-indias-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/part-2-indias-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2: Indias in America"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u0928\u092e\u0938\u094d\u0924\u0947 \u0938\u092c \u0932\u094b\u0917<\/strong>\/Namaste sab log<\/em> (Hello everyone)! As part two of the three-part series \u201cIndians in America\u201d (the first part <\/a>looked at the history of Indian immigration to the United States), this blog talks about some of my personal experiences with \u201cLittle Indias\u201d in the U.S.! These microcosms of different Indian cultures have grown up mostly in big cities throughout the States as a result of Indian immigration, making it possible to try Indian delicacies, watch Indian movies in the theatre and shop for Indian music and clothing without having to make the long journey to the country itself.<\/p>\n

Little India of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City and Little India of Houston, Texas<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Probably one of the most famous and largest Little Indias in the U.S., the Indian enclave in Jackson Heights, New York City was the site of a memorable, culinary \u201cfirst\u201d for me. It was here and not in India, ironically enough, that I tried \u201cpaan\u201d<\/strong> (\u092a\u093e\u0928<\/strong>, masc. noun) for the first time. For those unacquainted with this South Asian speciality, it is basically made from a leaf of the betel tree that is filled with areca nut and sometimes tobacco and rolled into a distinctive shape. Not being a fan of tobacco myself, I tried what is called \u201cmitha paan\u201d<\/strong> (\u092e\u0940\u0920\u093e \u092a\u093e\u0928<\/strong>) or sweet paan, which contains only aromatic ingredients that aid in digestion and freshen your breath after a meal. These ingredients are most often katha<\/strong> (\u0915\u0924\u094d\u0925\u093e, <\/strong>masc. noun) paste (an extract of the acacia tree) or mukhwas<\/strong> (\u092e\u0941\u0916\u0935\u093e\u0938, <\/strong>masc. noun) (a digestive aid that can contain fennel seeds, anise seeds, coconut and sesame seeds). After a heavy meal of ghee dosa at the South Indian restaurant Saravana Bhavan, you can visit one of the many small shops that line the streets of this Little India and ask to have \u201cmitha paan\u201d (\u092e\u0940\u0920\u093e \u092a\u093e\u0928<\/strong>) freshly rolled in front of you, which you can chew at your leisure while riding the subway to your next destination.<\/p>\n

When I lived in Texas, one of my favorite places to drive to was Hillcroft Avenue in Houston, Texas, which not only features Indian restaurants but also a plethora of clothing and grocery stores and places to buy music and movies. Yet, despite the mind-blowing variety of the shops, my usual destination would be to one of the Bollywood theaters nearby, where my sister and I would get our Shahrukh Khan (\u0936\u093e\u0939\u0930\u0941\u0916\u093c \u0916\u093c\u093e\u0928<\/strong>) fix with films like Swades<\/em> (\u0938\u094d\u0935\u0926\u0947\u0938<\/strong> or, in Standard Hindi, \u0938\u094d\u0935\u0926\u0947\u0936<\/strong>) and Veer Zaara<\/em> (\u0935\u0940\u0930 \u091c\u093c\u093e\u0930\u093e<\/strong>). One of the greatest things about these theaters (other than the ridiculously long movies featuring multiple song and dance numbers) are the snacks: while you\u2019re enjoying your movie, you can nibble on samosas (\u0938\u092e\u094b\u0938\u093e<\/strong>, masc. noun) and sip chai (\u091a\u093e\u092f<\/strong>, fem. noun) rather than enduring the usual mundane fare of buttery popcorn and a super-sized coke.<\/p>\n

Little India of Berkeley, California \u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When I first moved to Berkeley to attend graduate school, I was pleasantly surprised to find a large section of University Avenue, one of the main streets in town, entirely devoted to Indian and Pakistani shops and restaurants. One of my favorite places to go is a grocery store owned by a family from the state of Maharashtra<\/strong> (\u092e\u0939\u093e\u0930\u093e\u0937\u094d\u091f\u094d\u0930<\/strong>) called Bombay Spice House, where you can find anything from Ayurvedic beauty products, Aam Papar<\/strong> (\u0906\u092e \u092a\u093e\u092a\u0921\u093c<\/strong>, a type of chewy candy made from mango pulp), Kaju Katli<\/strong> (\u0915\u093e\u091c\u0942 \u0915\u0924\u0932\u0940<\/strong>, or a kind of fudgy sweet in a roll shape that contains cashew and pistachio paste) and Peda<\/strong> (\u092a\u0947\u0921\u093c\u093e<\/strong>, another sweet made of thickened milk and often yellow in color) to quell those sweet cravings to frozen convenience foods like Aloo Tikki<\/strong> (\u0906\u0932\u0942 \u091f\u093f\u0915\u094d\u0915\u0940<\/strong>, a type of potato patty with spices, often fried) and Mooli Paratha<\/strong> (\u092e\u0942\u0932\u0940 \u092a\u0930\u093e\u0920\u093e<\/strong>, a fried, unleavened flatbread stuffed with radishes and spices) to satisfy your hankerings for Indian food at home.<\/p>\n

Of course, another favorite of the locals is Vik\u2019s Chaat House and Market; true to its name, Vik\u2019s serves a wide variety of tasty chaat or street snacks like Dahi Pakora<\/strong> (\u0926\u0939\u0940 \u092a\u0915\u094b\u0921\u093c\u093e<\/strong>, fried vegetables dipped in batter and soaked in curd) and Sev Puri<\/strong> (\u0938\u0947\u0935 \u092a\u0942\u0930\u0940<\/strong>, a mixture of crunchy noodles or “sev,” “puri” or deep-fried, hollow balls of usually wheat flour as well as chutneys and spices) as well as a large range of \u201cBengali sweets” (usually not authentically Bengali but known as such in North India, they are a collection of brightly colored, extremely rich sweets). Or, if you\u2019d rather eat at home, you can buy all of the ingredients you would ever need at the Market in the same building.<\/p>\n

Little India of Artesia, California<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s impossible to forget your first taste of Chaat<\/strong> (\u091a\u093e\u091f<\/strong>, masc. noun). A term that encompasses a seemingly endless variety of street food popular throughout India, chaat is a mixture of flavors, colors and textures that never fails to enthrall the taste buds. My first encounter with this delectable snack was in a chaat caf\u00e9 in the Little India of Artesia, California, which is close to Los Angeles. This Little India is actually the largest of its kind in Southern California. There, I tried \u201cdahi vada<\/strong>\u201d (\u0926\u0939\u0940 \u0935\u0921\u093c\u093e<\/strong>) for the first time and fell in love with the silky texture and tart flavor of the \u201cdahi<\/strong>\u201d (\u0926\u0939\u0940<\/strong>, masc. noun) or curd, the fried balls of chickpea flour or boondi<\/strong> (\u092c\u0942\u0902\u0926\u0940<\/strong>), the vada or fried balls of flour as they slowly softened in a pool of dahi and the sight of the multi-colored chutneys (\u091a\u091f\u0928\u0940<\/strong>), both coriander (\u0927\u0928\u093f\u092f\u093e\/<\/strong>Dhaniyaa<\/em>) and tamarind (\u0907\u092e\u0932\u0940\/Imli<\/em><\/strong>), as they blended together like streaks of paint on a canvas. And, of course you can\u2019t forget the most fundamental ingredient of chaat: chaat masala (\u091a\u093e\u091f \u092e\u0938\u093e\u0932\u093e)<\/strong>. This is a blend of spices (including but not limited to: amchoor\/\u0905\u092e\u091a\u0942\u0930<\/strong> or dried mango powder, cumin, coriander, dried ginger, kala namak\/\u0915\u093e\u0932\u093e \u0928\u092e\u0915<\/strong> or black salt and chili powder) that gives this street food its distinctive (and addictive) savory, tart and spicy flavor.<\/p>\n

Besides dahi vada, one of the most popular chaats is pani puri<\/strong> (\u092a\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u092a\u0942\u0930\u0940<\/strong>), also known as gol gappe<\/strong> (\u0917\u094b\u0932 \u0917\u092a\u094d\u092a\u0947<\/strong>), which my mom tried for the first time and fell in love with while we were visiting Amritsar. It consists of hollow spheres of fried dough (puri<\/em>\/\u092a\u0942\u0930\u0940<\/strong>) whose tops you are supposed to crack open deftly with a spoon and fill with flavored water (the \u201cpani\u201d part), tamarind chutney, and a mixture of potatoes and chickpeas (this is just one iteration of the classic). If you\u2019d like to order your own chaat in a Little India or in actual India, here\u2019s a conversation to help you get started:<\/p>\n

Customer (\u0917\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0939\u0915\/\u0916\u093c\u0930\u0940\u0926\u093e\u0930): \u0939\u0947\u0932\u094b (optional: \u092d\u093e\u0908 \u0938\u093e\u0939\u092c \u092f\u093e \u092c\u0939\u0928 \u091c\u0940), \u092e\u0941\u091d\u0947 \u0915\u0941\u091b \u091a\u093e\u091f \u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f \u0964\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Customer (grahak\/kharidaar): Helo, (optional: bhai sahab ya behen ji), mujhe kuch chaat chahiye.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Customer: Hello, (optional: bhai sahab\/brother (respectful) or behen ji\/sister (respectful), you can also use \u0926\u0940\u0926\u0940\/didi\u00a0<\/strong>for a woman who seems the same age or younger than you) I want some chaat. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Server (\u092c\u0948\u0930\u093e\/\u0938\u0930\u094d\u0935\u0930): \u0905\u091a\u094d\u091b\u093e, \u0915\u094c\u0928\u0938\u093e \u091a\u093e\u091f \u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f \u0906\u092a\u0915\u094b?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Server (bera\/sarvar): Accha, kaunsa chaat chahiye aapko? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Server: Okay, which chaat do you want?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer (\u0917\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0939\u0915\/\u0916\u093c\u0930\u0940\u0926\u093e\u0930) (looking at bowls of chaat in a display case): \u092f\u0939 \u0939\u0930\u0947\u0935\u093e\u0932\u093e \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u092e\u091c\u093c\u0947\u0926\u093e\u0930 \u0932\u0917\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 (pointing)\u0964 \u0906\u092a \u092c\u0924\u093e\u0907\u090f, \u0907\u0938\u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0915\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0915\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0939\u0948?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Customer: Yah harevala bahut mazedaar lagta hai. Aap bataiye, isme kya kya hai? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Customer: This green one looks very tasty. (Please) tell (me), what all is in it ?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Server (\u092c\u0948\u0930\u093e\/\u0938\u0930\u094d\u0935\u0930): \u092f\u0939 \u092d\u0947\u0932 \u092a\u0942\u0930\u0940 \u0939\u0948 \u0964 \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u0939\u0940 \u0938\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0926 \u0939\u0948; \u091c\u093c\u094d\u092f\u093e\u0926\u093e\u0924\u093e\u0930 \u0932\u094b\u0917 \u0907\u0938\u0915\u094b \u00a0\u092a\u0938\u0902\u0926 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902 \u0964 \u0907\u0938\u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092e\u0942\u0922\u093c\u0940 (\u091a\u093e\u0935\u0932 \u0938\u0947 \u092c\u0928\u093e \u0939\u0941\u0906 \u0939\u0948 \u0905\u094c\u0930 \u0905\u0901\u0917\u094d\u0930\u0947\u091c\u093c\u0940 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0907\u0938\u0915\u094b \u201cpuffed rice\u201d \u0915\u0939\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902), \u0905\u0932\u0917 \u0905\u0932\u0917 \u0938\u092c\u094d\u091c\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901 \u0905\u094c\u0930 \u0907\u092e\u0932\u0940 \u0915\u0940 \u091a\u091f\u0928\u0940 \u0939\u0948 \u0964 \u0906\u092a\u0915\u094b \u0915\u0941\u091b \u0926\u0947 \u0926\u0942\u0901?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Server: Yah Bhel Puri hai. Bahut hi svaad hai; zyaadatar log isko pasand karte hain. Isme moorhi (chaaval se bana huaa hai aur angrezi me isko “puffed rice” kehte hain), alag alag sabziyaan aur imli ki chatnee hai. Aapko kuch de duun? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Server: This is Bhel Puri. It’s very flavorful\/tasty; most people like this one. There’s moorhi (it’s made from rice and is called “puffed rice” in English), different kinds of vegetables and tamarind chutney in it. Shall I give you some?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer (\u0917\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0939\u0915\/\u0916\u093c\u0930\u0940\u0926\u093e\u0930): \u0939\u093e\u0901, \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u091a\u0915\u0915\u0947 \u0926\u0947\u0916\u0942\u0901\u0917\u093e\/\u0926\u0947\u0916\u0942\u0901\u0917\u0940 \u0964 (tastes it) \u0939\u093e\u0901, \u092f\u0939\u0940 \u091a\u0932\u0947\u0917\u093e; \u092e\u0941\u091d\u0947 \u0907\u0938\u0915\u093e \u090f\u0915 \u092a\u094d\u0932\u0947\u091f \u0926\u0947 \u0926\u0940\u091c\u093f\u090f \u0964 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Customer: Haan, main chakke dekhunga\/dekhungi. Haan, yahi chalega; mujhe iska ek plate de dijiye.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Customer: Yes, I will try it (taste it) and see. Yes, this will do; please give me a plate of this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Server (\u092c\u0948\u0930\u093e\/\u0938\u0930\u094d\u0935\u0930): \u091c\u093c\u0930\u0942\u0930, \u0926\u0947 \u0926\u0942\u0901\u0917\u093e\/\u0926\u0942\u0901\u0917\u0940 \u0964 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Server: Zaroor, de doonga\/doongi.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Server: Of course, I’ll give you (some). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stay tuned until next time, when I’ll publish part 3 of this series, which will be about Indians in popular media and culture! In the meantime, in keeping with the theme of Indian imports to America, check out Penn Masala’s rendition of “The Evolution of Bollywood Music”:<\/p>\n