Abdul knew how to make a glass of sweet
& salty fresh lime water. He would bring a glass of sugared fresh
lime water to the table and then use the salt shaker. As he shook
some salt out of the shaker he would say 'Lime water sweet and
salty'.
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| The interiors of the cafe, Monroe and the Titanic share space. |
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| The catholic menu |
Abdul worked in the Irani cafe close to
where I am currently staying. He was from Uttar Pradesh and had been
working at this cafe for the last 30 years. As soon as we sat in the
cafe he came to take our orders. But we were more interested in its
décor. 'Take your time' he said in Hindi and left, he came to our
table twice before we placed our order. After the décor time was
spent going through the menu which seemed to be as catholic as the
owners beliefs.
 |
| Sai Baba hangs out with two founding fathers. |
Everything from an 'Irani Wrestler
Omelette' a five egg dish, which Abdul said would have us shaking
in our chairs if we ate it, to Maggi Noodles transmogrified into
something more edible. It was all there on the menu slipped between
the table and its glass top.
 | |
| Irani Specialities |
Every religious place has a unofficial
place for hedonism close bye. I am told that the Catholics who visit
the Don Bosco church on sunday visit this Irani cafe for breakfast
post their spiritual meal. One has spoken about man's inability to
live on just love and fresh air but it seems that spiritual food is
not the manna which sustains.
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Samir Nazareth is the author of '1400 Bananas, 76 Towns & 1 Million People'. Read an excerpt of the book here. Read more about the book here
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