Monthly Archives: February 2024

Bun Maska and Irani Chai

Hospitality and Art, , ,

This is a favourite and well known snack at any time of the day. Breakfast could begin with it and the masala omelette .

Today there are very few Irani restaurants in Mumbai or Pune. Many have either sold their businesses as their younger children are not interested in running such restaurants or have moved on to other fields of industry.

I was happy to accompany some dear friends to the famous Irani Cafe for breakfast in Pune.

The Cafe was crowded. It had a sit out with a number of tables available. We got one at a corner. It had the name of the cafe prominently displayed on the wall.

The most interesting part was the menu.

Besides the food items and rates displayed, at the center of the card, there were amusing instructions. You may read some like : no sleeping , no running away, no talking loudly and even more amusing ones as you read the menu card.

Interesting instructions on the menu card

I was keen on having their bun maska , masala omelette and chai out of the full variety of menu items

The bun was soft and well layered inside with butter . The taste was exhilarating and of a quality more than I expected . I would have enjoyed it on its own, but also tried the masala omelette. This combined well with the bun maska.

Finally came the chai . Oh, that chai set it off . I enjoyed it so much that I ordered another cup and it left me quite satisfied .

The chai came in the typical small striped sturdy glass being used in such restaurants.

Our chats became more enjoyable and animated with the hearty breakfast. Some had toast/butter/jam, others bun maska, and cheese omelette

I hope to visit this cafe again.

The traditional Irani restaurants have existed for a long time. They have typical Irani/Parsee dishes. Some even compete with recent popular dishes.

The older restaurants would have marble topped tables and round backed chairs. The waiter would have a serviette or maybe a towel thrown over his shoulder.

Today service has changed and modernised. Some favourites on the menu are still retained .

Let’s hope that these restaurants do not disappear. They bring back some great memories when I step into one.

Why don’t you visit the Irani Cafe in Pune ?

The Sketchers at Matharpacady

hobby, pastime, Hospitality and Art, , , ,

On our return home from the Sunday church service a surprise awaited us.

A group of artists were busy sketching the various homes at Matharpacady .

Here there are quaint homes, which are an artists delight .

Zanabka has been bringing these groups on a regular basis .

I got talking to her and then photographed a few pictures as a memory of this village which may vanish and give way to skyscrapers . She mentined this as a norm and how very few such oarts remain in Mumbai today .

Later there was another surprise for me when I saw a young man doing caricatures . One of them was of me . He drew this while I was busy with my camera .

These few moments made my day .

It left me with a wish that our homes in Matharpacady in some way do not disappear in a few years .

The oratory at the heart of Matharpacady

A day’s fishing

#Nature, To be excellent, , , ,

It was a warm sunny morning, when we got ready to go fishing with my grandpa at one of the rivers in Goa. I was about 9 years old.

Rods and bait at hand we accompanied him across the fields of Guirim .

I attached the bait of a fresh shrimp to my hook and cast the line into the river .

Then I felt a tug, and was quite happy. Slowly I pulled the line up with my rod and ‘voila!’ The bait had gone and ‘no fish’ .

Again I followed the routine of attaching bait and casting for another fish, with the same result .

By this time my grandpa had caught a couple of fish .

I asked him, “How is it you are able to catch them so easily ?”

“ Vincent, you need to be quick to pull out your rod when you get a sufficient tug and hook the fish up to pull out .”

That was easier said than done .

After some more tries. I caught, first an eel and then a crab .

That was very frustrating. My brother in the meanwhile lost his patience and began hitting the surface of water .

“ Stop it,” softly and sternly cautioned my grandpa ,” You will frighten the fish away .

Subsequently we moved sufficient spaces away along the river to continue fishing .

I was finally rewarded with a catch of a 3” fish called ‘thope’.

Our neighbour, Karidhar, with ease, kept on catching one fish after another from the same river. What a man ! I wondered.

Today I am a keen aquarist. With observation and interest, I have followed their breeding habits and even helped to rear them and increase their numbers. At different times, I have had Siamese fighters, angel fish, blue gouramis, neon tetras, guppies, discus fish, widow tetras and black mollies.

My aquarium today

Have you heard of the Master calling out to Simon, and James and John to follow him. He told them ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ ( Mark 1:14-20)

They left their nets to follow Jesus .

They were content catching fish, but Jesus called them to change lives of others.

So they subsequently learnt to share the Good News of Jesus : ‘ God loves you.’

What is your response?

Only as an example /fishing at Betim promenade

Photographs by Vincent

Goa’s Paowala (Poder)

Profiles, ,

Have you heard of Goa’s Paowala also called Poder ?

I’m sure you will come to know him when you visit Goa or are a Goan resident.

He is the man who delivers bread every morning at your doorstep .

Pao is the konkani word which means ‘bread’ in engish . It’s the local language in Goa. Portuguese, English, Marathi and even Hindi is spoken

There is a typical characteristic of this man. He makes his presence felt with a horn on his cycle

The baker’s horn

. At the rear of his cycle he has a huge basket with a variety of breads .

I love the Poiee the best .

The others are

Katriche Pao : with a scissor cut shape

Paozine: mini stuffed round roll ( with a

sausage filling ) also called Choris Pao.

Unde : hard crusted bread and soft inside

Pao: a soft square of bread

Kankon : bangle shaped bread

The Poiee is a whole wheat bread with a large round shape and hollow inside . It has a little bran at the top

Poiee

Today the Paowala even comes on a motorcycle. Generally the round basket has a blue cover .

I’ve waited anxiously for the sound of his horn to collect the Poiee or the standard Pao if I’m late for the Poiee.

The Poiee is so famous that one can order it at some restaurants .

However all POIES are not authentic. Some don’t have the typical round and hollow shape.

Besides seeing the real Paowala , I happened to see a huge model of one at Chimbel . It was made for an event, and literally out-standing . Since it was being de-constructed the model was headless.

A model of the Paowala

If you have lived in Mumbai ( formerly known as Bombay) then you may have heard of the ‘Maka Pao’ . Without any offence to anyone , a Goan was jokingly called a Maka Pao which simply means Maka Pao Zai translated in English as ‘I want bread’. I’m one , for your information. …and a proud Goan😉