A Melange Of Flavors
Matthew could not help laughing out loud. He blamed it on the crow.
There he was, minding his own business, sitting on the boulevard of Marine Drive, a beautiful necklace-shaped road in Mumbai, one of the busiest cities of India. The boulevard separated the city from the Arabian Sea which was looking tumultuous at this time of the evening.
He had been enjoying the cool breeze when he happened to look up. A crow was trying to go against the direction of the breeze which resulted in its suspension in the air. The crow seemed to enjoy this and kept doing it again and again, making Matthew laugh at its antics.
Even the birds and animals of Mumbai were interesting characters.
Matthew, originally from the USA had been staying in Mumbai since a month. The magazine for which he worked was celebrating its 10th anniversary and was featuring special articles on intriguing cities of the world. Mumbai definitely made it to the list. He found the city mesmerizing. And yet, he found himself at a loss as to how to start the write-up. He wanted an introduction befitting the enigmatic city.
He set off on a walk around the boulevard, hoping that inspiration would strike him. Numerous vendors were standing on the road selling the special delicacies of Mumbai. One particular vendor caught his attention. He was selling paani-puri, a delicacy that Matthew had heard a lot about and was yet to taste.
Today he decided to give it a try.
“Bhaiyya, ek ...” he managed to say. In his month-long tryst with the city, he had learnt few words and enjoyed the delightful reaction of the people when he spoke the same. The vendor didn’t disappoint. With a broad smile, he nodded and handed a small paper-cup to him. He dipped the puri in a green concoction and placed it inside the cup.
Matthew looked around to see how people were eating it. Then mimicking them, he tucked the entire puri into his mouth.
There was an instant explosion of flavors - tangy, spicy, minty, salty and sweet. Matthew closed his eyes as he savored the delicious mélange. Paani-puri deserved every ounce of hype surrounding it.
When he opened his eyes, he saw there was another puri in his paper-cup and the vendor was holding one in his hand, waiting for Matthew to finish it.
“There’s more!?” Matthew asked in amazement.
“One plate, six, Sir…” the vendor said with a smile.
“Bring it on!” Matthew exclaimed and within minutes, he had had his fill.
And just like that, an idea struck him.
At his room in the hotel, he started typing on his laptop:
A Mélange Of Flavors
Before I start writing about Mumbai, I want to describe its trademark delicacy – a snack named Paani-puri which is a delicious combination of various flavors – minty, tangy, salty, spicy and sweet. So is the city. Paani-puri embodies the very spirit of Mumbai – a little bit of everything and then some more...
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