Delhi
Belly
Procrastination.
I've been meaning to start my own blog since a long, long time ago, but always
seemed to be ‘too busy’ for it… (Yeah
right… Chicken!) When I lived in Pittsburgh I was too tired of watching the
kids (or too hangover! :P) and now that I’m in India I've been writing for
everyone except myself. Well, when you wake up ‘feeling like the end is close’
and are forced to be on bed while your body struggles to get rid of a criminal
infection messing up with your stomach, you know the day has come! What a great
story to start a blog! :D
First at all, I
gotta say this is the most common disease for foreigners in India, where the
spices, heavy gravies, unclean water and poor hygiene of some places, often
leave an UNFORGETTABLE memory in the travelers. But after 7 months in this
beautiful country, I thought I had overcome all. Wrong! Always taking pride on
my ‘princess’ face and homeless stomach’, I indulged myself (waaaay too much!)
in the pleasures of greasy Somosas, Kulfi Falluda and spicy Momos; exploring
the heart of India from its main artery: the STREET FOOD. Until last Tuesday,
when I woke up shivering, feverish and with a painful rock as a stomach.
Anyway! It’s
all part of the experience, right? ;) Fully recovered after a week of forced vacations, I’m ready to explain
in detail how I got myself into this sh… mess, and why I still love my
perpetrator: irremediable Stockholm Syndrome. Contradictory advice: don’t miss
the chance to try them too! Just make sure the place where you get them is
clean; I never had any major problem with food when I was living in Chandigarh
or even when I bought from street vendors in Hauz Khas or Great Kailash… But
this time I think I went too far eating a bunch of snacks on the streets of
Chandni Chowk and Chor Bazar… My bad!
A little less conversation, a little more
action please! Here are the PICS.
Let’s start
with the sweets; India is the P-A-R-A-D-I-S-E of sugar! And if you have a
sweet-tooth like me, the moment you taste the Carrot Halva or a piece of Burfi,
you’ll see heaven. Don’t be shy and ask for a box to fill with a piece of every
kind! It will be cheap and delicious. But sweets are a whole world that needs
to be described in detail in a further post. There’s just one that needs to be
mention here:
Here is the
king of queens; the most oily, juicy and tasty treat: Jalebi. They are
basically wheat flour pretzels, soaked in sugar syrup, deep fried and served
with some kind of gravy called Rabri, made out of condensed milk, sugar, spices and nuts. Yummyyyy!
The Top 6 Delhiites Street Delicacies
1. Paneer ka Chilla is the Indian
version of a Mexican Quesadilla; it is a ‘pancake’ stuffed with onions,
peppers, tomatoes, cottage cheese (paneer)
and a bunch of spices –Of course!- served with mint sauce. Perfect for a quick
emergency breakfast, lunch or dinner. Good, but not that “exotic” for me.
2.
Shakarkandi is the Hindi word for sweet potato, but trust me, you haven’t
tasted this kind! The wise ‘Street
Master Chefs’ roast them, chop them and season them with lemon and Masala while
you close and open your eyes. No oil. No butter. No sugar. No pain! NO GAIN :D
You can feel how it melts in your mouth and enjoy without any guilt.
3. Same as the delicious Shakarkandi, Bhutta is a very common street snack in many cultures, including mine; I used to have it roasted with butter and salt, until I moved here and started craving for a good, roasted corn with lemon and Masala.
Financial Summary:
Assorted sweets
in a box: 100 Rs.
Jallebi with
Rabri: 70 Rs. (It was GIGANTIC!)
Shakarkand: 30
Rs.
Bhutta: 10 Rs.
Kachori: 10 Rs.
Mong Dal Ladoo:
20 Rs.
Bhel Puri: 30
Rs.
In 270 Rs.
(4.26 US Dollar or $8800 Colombian pesos) you can give your taste buds a truly
Indian experience. But be careful! Or you’ll end up spending 200 extra for a
nice cocktail of Norflox-TX, Imodium and Gatorade.