Of Dahi Kachoris and Shoplifting

Dirty hands, check. Grimy sweat of non personal origin left over after a local train journey, check. Suspicious levels of hygiene and a crowd to rival concerts – all ready to eat Chaat in Bombay. Today I ate again what I feel is the best Dahi Kachori in the world– a huge kachori stuffed and layered with chutney, tomatoes, onions, sev and sweet dahi slopping over your fingers in a paper plate barely big enough to bear its content.  The multitudes of textures and flavors and the perfectly sweet dahi mixed with the tangy chutneys dripping on your feet as you bite into this wonderful UFO shaped creation. This is at Sri Ram sweets in Sai Baba Nagar Borivali, Mumbai. The place I grew up in. Many thanks to the Gujaratis, over here you would be forgiven to think you are in Gujarat. Their unending taste for fast food brings along many of these delights I miss everyday in Bangalore.

This was my after school succor. Some Dhokla, some dahi puri, some sev puri, some ras malai and on rare occasions a round of pani puri. Afternoon snacks meant many trips to Sri Rams for some chat. I used to eat poorly when growing up, was super thin and didn’t have much of any appetite. But this, bring it on anytime anywhere. I just had dinner and am salivating again.

Trips back are made so much better with food. And recollection of misadventures.

Now I am a law abiding citizen, usually when the traffic’s light. So while going through the place of from my formative years, I passed by an old building which used to have a shopping centre, perhaps the first modern ones in the country.  A chocolate fish shaped like a dolphin was the rage back then. Back then when we bought something, we pointed to stuff and pay the shopkeeper. Shopping mart was a new thing and I didn’t understand it completely when I was 5 years old. Nobody guarding the goods, just goodies on shelves which you could probably just pop into your pocket especially the dolphin – perhaps I thought its like an amusement park where you pay an entry fee and freak out.  The Mart closed down very soon, unfortunately. I hope it was the financial conditions rather than my ignorance. Anyways I am sure to have written enough to get me on a list. I am worried my Mom would read this.