London Indian cuisine and my other thoughts

London Indian cuisine

When I was in London, I often go to Indian restaurant, but usually couldn’t find a Chinese with the same taste.  Many Chinese feel difficult to get used to the curry smell of Indian cuisine. This is understandable as most Chinese have never been exposed to curry since childhood. But just like the late Chinese chairman Liu Shaoqi who tried to give people a bit self reliance during Mao’s time and said, "Household production is like stinky tofu, it smells stinky but tastes delicious." Curry is the same as "household production", it smells strange and spicy, but can taste really good.

Another aspect that makes Chinese people not like Indian cuisine is the appearance, as it seems in Indian dishes, everything is mixed together, unlike Chinese dishes that have a standard of being exquisite in color, flavor and taste simultaneously, or so as they boast.  But Chinese food is not always exquisite and may not be so good-looking at all. I think the Chinese are a bit biased in this regard.

But during the Meiji Restoration, some Japanese looked down upon both Chinese and Indian food, thinking that all ingredients in Chinese and Indian food are mixed together.  It is believed that the food composition of civilized people, such as in Western dishes, should be clearly separated.

This is certainly not always true as Western soups most times cut ingredients like vegetables to the atomic level and you drink soup like drinking vitamin enriched water.

Anyway I think the most deterring factor to eat Indian food is the clinching power of curry smell on clothing and possibility to create stronger BO.  It could be even more annoying if you use perfume to hide the smell.  But in this regard Chinese hot pots have the same impact.

Since the food of each country has its own advantages and disadvantages, I don’t think it’s necessary to think too much. Deliciousness is the only criterion for judging the quality of food.  Don't reject unfamiliar things so much, don't be too subjective, and dare to try, otherwise you are setting too many limits for yourself?  Try it, you will find that when done well, the aroma and taste of curry is like no other!  After all, India has been richer than China in agricultural products since ancient times, with better climate and soil and has put a lot of effort into cooking.

I've been to a lot of Indian restaurants in London, but what I miss the most personally is a small shop.  It is not far from Baker Street, which is famous for the Sherlock Holmes story. From there, you go west along Marylebone Street, turn left when you see Seymour Place, and very soon you will see this shop on the left. The number is 132 and the name is Romna.  I went there a lot because I was working at the nearby BNP Paribas at the time, and besides, there was a gym further down the road where I sometimes went for a swim.   

When I came to this small restaurant, the host knows what I like to eat, so I don’t need to ask.  This dish is Spinach Chicken, pronounced as Saag Chicken, or Chicken Sagg.  Readers, if you order this at an Indian store next time, you will sound like an authentic pro.

According to the wiki: Chicken saag (saag murgh) is a North Indian-style chicken curry featuring bite-sized pieces of fried chicken cooked in a seasoned sauce containing mustard greens, spinach, or a combination of both. In India, the term "saag" refers to any curry green leafy vegetable, but spinach is an important one, though the leaves will be cut into so small pieces you get only a green color.  You can serve it with flatbread (such as naan, roti or paratha), steamed jeera rice sprinkled with cumin seeds, and cucumber raita.

Because of Indian food, I get to know the name of an Indian: Madhul Jafri (Hindi: मधुर जाफ़री, August 13, 1933 -), Wiki says she is an Indian actress.  She won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival.  But all I know of her is the one who introduced Indian food to the West.  She taught people how to cook Indian food on TV and wrote a memoir about how her extended family cooked when she was a child, which I read to get a sense of what life was like for wealthy families in India in the first half of the twentieth century.

To be honest, I’m amazed by the elegance of this lady.  She makes me think that Indians are indeed more integrated into Western society than Chinese.

To put it bluntly, Indians have been MPs, ministers and prime ministers in the UK, and executives of large companies around the world, and presidential candidates in the United States.  I think they are successful not just because they dare to fight, but because they fight as a proper citizen with all-round capabilities.  Discrimination in a immigration country is inevitable, we should protest if that happens, but we cannot indulge ourselves in such fights. It is more important just to believe you are able to do anything if you want.  And it’s true.

Integration requires many aspects, especially daring to try unfamiliar things. Maybe trying Indian food is a good starting point. Just a fun point.

In Hong Kong, there is also a Seymour Road, which is a street driving uphill in the mid-levels of Hong Kong Island.  This road starts from the east of Hop Yat Church, near the intersection of Bonham Road, Hospital Road and Caine Road, and goes up to No. 55 Robinson Road.  These roads form the link between the two cities in my life.