EATING OUT IN PUNE - HERITAGE CUISINE

THE DEATH OF PUNE'S CULINARY HERITAGE
By
VIKRAM KARVE


Here is the link to my article in THE PUNEKAR ezine published today:

http://www.thepunekar.com/2011/11/15/the-death-of-pune%E2%80%99s-culinary-heritage/

The full article is given below for you to read:

A PUNEKAR WALKS DOWN MEMORY LANE

Part 5

THE DEATH OF PUNE’S CULINARY HERITAGE

By

VIKRAM KARVE

A few days ago we went to see a movie at City Pride Satara Road Pune, and since there was some time for the movie to start, we decided to take a stroll and suddenly I saw a board saying: “Today’s Special - Dahi Ice Cream”. We entered Gujar Mastani House and I straightaway ordered Dahi Ice Cream while my less adventurous wife ordered her favourite Bajirao Mastani. The moment I put the first spoon of Dahi Ice Cream in my mouth my mind harked back to the Pune of the 1960s when we used to relish Dahi Ice Cream served by Bua in the heart of the city. Those days Ice Cream was a special treat, and there were three famous Ice Cream Parlours in the city, each with its Signature Flavour – Bua for unique Dahi (Curds) Ice Cream which I have not tasted anywhere else in India, Ganu Shinde for its inimitable Amba ( Mango) Ice Cream and Kaware for its unmatched green Pista Ice Cream. All these places served churned ice cream (made in a similar way to the “pot” ice cream we made at home) and if you wanted factory made Kwality Ice Cream you had to go to Kwality’s on East Street where you could enjoy delicious creamy slices of Vanilla or Strawberry Ice Cream or my favourite – the delicious the fulfilling Triple Sundae.

Like Dahi Ice Cream, yesteryear Pune had many signature dishes which could be called the heritage cuisine of Pune. If you wanted to relish the inimitable Puneri Mutton Rassa with Poli or Bhakri you went to Asara Bhojanalaya in Shukrawar Peth or to Jeevan on Tilak Road or Poonam in Deccan Gymkhana. Asara has shut down, Jeevan has metamorphosed into Grahak Peth Departmental Store and Poonam is now a pure vegetarian hotel. Sweet Home, on Kumthekar Road, which was famous for its Upaasachi Sabudana Khichadi and Piyush seems to have vanished (my daughter does not even knew what Piyush is, but she surely knows all about lassi and falooda and milk shakes). Places like Bedekar (the original Puneri Misal joint) and Santosh Bhuvan are fast becoming relics of the past and so are the numerous khanawals and bhojanalayas in the heart of the city which are dying a slow death because of dwindling patronage. With the proliferation of Kolhapuri and Malvani eateries all over the city I wonder whether you get assal Puneri Non-Veg anymore? While Shreyas and Durvankur are still going strong, slowly but surely Gujarati and Rajasthani Thali restaurants are outnumbering Maharashtrian Thali restaurants.

In the Pune I once knew, heritage cuisine was not restricted to Maharashtrian Cuisine – it also included all sorts of dishes from various cultures which were unique to Pune. Like Shrewsbury Biscuits from Kayani Bakery, the inimitable Chinese Dishes served by Kamling on East Street, Dorabjee’s Biryani and Parsi Food, those delectable Mutton Samosas at Naaz, West End’s Soda Fountain – so many places, many of whom could not withstand the culinary invasion. You had a number of Irani Restaurants, most of whom have shut down, except for Good Luck which is still going strong. It is gratifying to see so many pretty young things thronging to Good Luck which in yesteryear Pune was strictly an all-male preserve.

One of the saddest days of my life was when I noticed a coffee shop in the place of my beloved Naaz. Latif, another heritage restaurant on East Street, also seems to have shut down. A few places are still stoically holding out, some even flourishing, like Chitale (for its matchless Amba Barfi and Bakar Wadi), Kayani Bakery, The Place on Moledina Road next to  Manney’s (the birthplace of sizzlers), Burger King and many more, but many heritage eateries have found it difficult to withstand the Culinary Cultural Invasion from the “Tandoori Chicken and Paneer Makhani” North and “Idli Sambar, Dosa, Uttapam” South, and now we have an onslaught of international cuisine.

Pune was once a pensioners paradise and always welcomed persons from all over but they blended into the culture of Pune. It was the IT Boom in the late 1990s onwards that altered the demographics of Pune, started transforming Pune into a faceless metropolis and soon Pune’s unique culinary culture was overwhelmed as restaurants opened to cater to the huge number of upwardly mobile techies who yearned for pizzas, burgers and pastas and popular national and international cuisines. The opening of private educational institutes and the concomitant influx of students from all over India and abroad also contributed to this cultural metamorphosis. Thus, today you find Punjabi, South Indian, Bengali, Gujarati, Kolhapuri, Malvani and even International, all types of cuisine proliferating rapidly – except the unique signature dishes of Pune which are slowly disappearing. Having exotic Coffees at one of those coffee shop chains is the “in thing” rather than relishing a cup of amrutatulya chaha.

Slowly but surely, all this “globalization” and “liberalization” is killing the identity of Pune and destroying its culinary heritage. The way things are going, soon Pune will be like any other faceless metropolis. You can already see this happening in some localities, especially in the suburbs.

Ask any youngster and they will tell you that today it is not the Peths or Camp but Koregaon Park which is the new food district of Pune. But what you get in Koregaon Park is not the Signature Cuisine of Pune – it is cuisine you can get in any cosmopolitan city of India  and abroad. Every city has its signature food and most cities strive to maintain their culinary heritage. One must introspect as to why Punekars do not seem to be that passionate about preserving their culinary heritage. 

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

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