It's raining here in Mumbai. Not just any rain, but the heavy, hot rain the is the monsoon. As I write this, the street hawkers (sellers) rush to cover their wares; bangles, clothes, knock off shoes and watches, as well as a multitude of trinkets that are all bartered for, as no price is set. They will try and sell to you, whether you need it, want it, like it - or not. I quickly duck into a McDonalds near the Gateway to India. (Yes, McDonalds, one of the few places with free wifi access, BUT no hamburgers; only lamb and chicken as the cow is sacred in Hinduism.) I order a Cafe Americano -black coffee and try to wait out the thunderous tattoo of raindrops. |
I stopped at the Leopold Cafe for a light lunch. Ordered the tandoori mushroom tikka and garlic naan bread. The Leopold cafe has been around in Mumbai since the 1871. It was the location one of the terrorist attacks in 2008. Bullet holes are still visible in the walls and the clock that was hit still bears the time the attack occurred. |
As some of you may know, you eat only with your right hand in other parts of the world (I will explain this in a later post). Also, it is preferred that you eat with your hands rather than utensils. It is believed that doing so makes the food taste better and brings you a connection with it. When in India I chose to do as the Indians do, I used my fingers of my right hand to eat. |
Tearing a piece of naan, I pinched the bread around the food and used that to bring it to my mouth. This lead to a lot of finger licking that allowed me to fit in with the locals. Here is a short video of eating my lunch.