Starved for choice

I love food. I want choice and I need choice. Without it, I feel burdened. There are tons of varieties available in India and I can't say I have tried them all but they are, still a part of Indian cuisine. I want choice, not just in the dishes but also in the cuisines available to me. Having traveled to a few countries, I have tasted some really exceptional and delicious dishes and some, I actually prefer to some Indian dishes. I am one of those who live to eat and I don't care which cuisine it is, so long as it is delicious. 

Living in India is a challenge for a foodie like me because the choices are so limited when it comes to eating good food from international cuisines. There are some restaurants who make half-baked attempts at providing an authentic international gourmet experience and fail miserably. Their so-called authentic dishes would be laughed at in the countries where those cuisines come from. For example, the ubiquitous Manchurian, a Chinese dish as most consider it to be, is not known in China and was actually invented in India. The Shezwan or the Szechwan, is not that at all. It's actually Sichuan. And yes, some one may point out that it is an English spelling but Sichuan comes closest to the original pronunciation.  Although it is common all over the world to adapt to the local tastes and I am not against that but where do I go for an authentic experience? Did you know that adding Chicken on Pizza is considered almost a crime in Italy? An Italian, proud of his Pizza will yell at you for doing that. Many Italians have never ever heard of Dominos or Pizza Hut. But these horrible excuses for Pizzas are still extremely popular. I love them too, but I have decided to consider them as another dish altogether.

I love burgers and the pleasure of a really delicious good quality burger is something amazing. McDonald's and Burger King are horrible places to go for a burger. Even in the US, where these chains started and where, possibly the burger also became so popular, are not considered as good places to go and eat a burger. They are definitely junk food there. But in India, I still remember the first McD's in Mumbai at Bandra in the late 90's and the waiting time was a couple of hours just to get in. Such was the craze! And now, Burger King is entering the Indian market as well. As if we are not already saturated by low-quality international chains, Burger King feels that it can further penetrate this market, perennially starved for choice. At least, Burger King plans to offer a mutton burger but McD's only offers Chicken and Fish! There are veggie options too and they should without any doubt have those, but why not have a mutton burger? The Maharaja Mac used to be mutton but now it's only chicken. Now in India, we also can't have Beef and Pork products at a lot of places due to religious reasons and I can understand that for these fast-food chains who earn from the masses. But the restaurants which are trying to sell burgers, and promoting them, should offer excellent options and with different meats. A veggie burger is fine once in a while if one wants a change. But, if I want to have a proper burger, then I want a really good, meaty burger and unfortunately, I can't get that. 

The dessert scene in Mumbai is pathetic. If I want a dessert, I am again starved for choice. There are a couple of good places that have come up in the last few years but I can't tell you one really amazing place to get a variety of excellent desserts. The places that exist and are considered as really good, are still only passable to a large extent. I can get amazing Indian desserts in Mumbai and I can think of lots of places but I have no place to go for an amazing cheesecake with at least a couple of flavours. Why isn't The Cheesecake Factory coming to India? The food at The Cheesecake Factory is not the best but their cheesecake is arguably the best ever!

Starbucks started its operations in India a few years ago and it has become really popular. Again, much of the credit to its popularity is due to its brand name and I seriously wonder if people actually enjoy its coffee. I have tasted much better and they don't even cost 50% of what it costs at Starbucks. I admit, I too was once attracted to it, but once I had better and I knew better, I am still in search of a really good coffee shop in Mumbai, where the focus is only on coffee. All the entrepreneurs and restauranteurs in Mumbai certainly have enough money to buy a couple or even one really good espresso machine and train baristas and also import some great coffee, if it is not available in India. I will gladly go to their coffee shop if they are able to serve a cup of amazing coffee, even if it is far away. 

Dunkin Donuts entered India and their coffee, although not great, is okay. They are known for their donuts and they seem to be doing a decent job of it. The one chain I am really happy about entering India is Krispy Kreme. Their donuts are as unhealthy as they can get but they are damn delicious!

KFC is another chain that I am glad about, however, only for the fried chicken.Yes, it's unhealthy but they do make good fried chicken!

People complain that Indians don't understand, but they won't if they don't know better. People who travel, have tasted the best, they do know better. People who haven't traveled, show them what is better and they are smart enough to understand. Don't assume. More and more Indians are traveling around the world and getting to know more and more of international food. They will surely want to have it once in a while. And being a country of more than a billion people, even a few people coming to you once in a while is still quite a lot. But, the pricing needs to be right. Serve great food and at reasonable prices and there is no reason why there shouldn't be lines out the door, in a country where food such a huge pass-time.