On my way to India in January, I entertained myself by reading the Air India inflight magazine Shubh Yatra in which Anoothi Vishal, the features editor at New Dehli’s daily newspaper Business Standard, set out to answer what will define eating out in India in 2014.
Before I get to the goods (because after all, haven’t we about finished reading the U.S. 2014 food trends?), let me share a little of my own observation about India dining trends in three words: curry and rice.
I happen to like curry and rice. But I had already acquired a waterborne/foodborne illness three days into the 14-day trip. My stomach whimpered for milder fare from then on. But alas, spicy food is considered “proper food.” I’m paraphrasing a host who, on day 13, took the group of five of us to a restaurant he was sure would satisfy.
On the way to this mystery restaurant, I was sitting in the back seat recalling that in the U.S., 47% of the food dollar is spent at restaurants. Mind you, the U.S. population is about 316 million, compared to India’s 1.2 billion. If 47% of their food dollar went to restaurants, I’d be seeing a lot more restaurants out the window. So I asked the host if in India folks eat out very much. No, only if people want junk food, defined as hamburgers, he said with a sniff. Otherwise, they eat proper meals at home. Interesting, because up until then, I was dreaming that he was leading us to hamburgers.
We arrived at the restaurant, which had a bar/grill on the second floor and a proper fine-dining restaurant on the third floor. The five of us found a table in the bar/grill and looked at the menu. Burgers and pizza! My stomach relaxed for the first time in more than a week. No more twisting and churning at the thought of curry.
We waited for our host before ordering. Now just where was he? Soon he appeared. He had been wondering where we were. He was up on the third floor at the proper restaurant waiting for us! Oops. We followed him upstairs. I looked at the menu. Curry and rice. Churn, churn, churn.
But now, back to the magazine article and what (theoretically) will define eating out in India in 2014. I’ll warn you in advance, it sounds like the U.S. list five years ago.
- Buying and serving local items. The article cites a chef at a new restaurant going to a farm and picking out fruits and vegetables and cooking with them.
- High-profile chefs and their restaurants from other countries opening a location in India. “Le Cirque, the acclaimed New York restaurant, for instance, has opened in Mumbai in a smaller, more intimate and more casual avatar different from its Delhi flagship restaurant.”
- New techniques and equipment used to present traditional or classic dishes. Think sous vide and Spanish josper ovens and tandoori chicken.
- Speakeasies. That is watering holes that serve as a hangout.
- Traditional Indian dishes are “in.” (Curry and rice anyone?)
In a culture where eating at home is standard, as it must be in a country with such a high poverty level, restaurants will never lead food trends. They won’t even make a dent. Folks will eat what they always have and pass it on to the next generation. I’d say their cuisine is set.
Tell me what you think.
Jody
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