Aftermath of My Story- Four Weeks and Some Street Food

During the launch of the book Blogchatter Book of Food, as an author, the first question I was asked by Ritcha was, "Where did this idea come from?" and she was talking about my story, " Four Weeks and Some Street Food". My reply was " All the places mentioned have been experienced by me." And that was so true. The four eateries that were part of my story were very much real, and I often visited them with friends and family. 

So, last summer, after I received the much-awaited email from the Blogchatter editorial team about my story being selected for the Anthology, I thought of paying homage to those eateries by deciding to take my daughter to those places and try out the exact foods that I had spoken about. 

My 10-year-old, whose love for food revolves around whenever she goes out with me, while she has at-home hunger pangs that strictly depend upon the menu of the day. Food of her choice (read: noodles, pasta, sandwiches, spicy chicken curry with poori) - she is very hungry. The food she despises (read: every kind of vegetable, rice, Dal) - she has lost her appetite. So, it was easy to convince her to be my companion for this Food Adventure with the promise of some delicious street food.

I wanted my first destination to be the Puchka vendor that I had mentioned in the story. I was sure he would be there. It's like a generational business for them. I used to think that before, because whenever I had been there, someone was making and selling puchkas, the only thing was that the person kept changing. Before this summer, when I visited that place last year, he was there; at least some vendor was present at that spot. But believe me, things were different this summer. There was no vendor; that spot was empty, vacant. In all the years I was a school student, I swear I had always seen a puchka vendor, but that day...nothing! It was disappointing, more so because my 10-year-old, who was hungry, was fuming by the time, " Mummy, your story is just a story." 

To prove that my story is not just a story, but a collection of memories from my street food hunting adventures, I took her to my second destination the very next day. Luckily, the place is still there, buzzing and booming just as before, with its reputation for serving and satiating taste buds across South Kolkata. I will not name the place; let me leave a few things untold for you to read.

The 3rd destination that I had to visit was easier to target. It was a day when we went to watch a newly released Bengali Thriller film. Luckily, the restaurant was just opposite the theatre, at least it used to be. However, that entire building had now become a popular chain of eateries, known for their fish dishes, much to my dislike. So again I had to go through my daughter's scrutinising gaze. To add to my disappointment, my husband informed me that he was aware the particular restaurant I was looking for had no longer existed. Although raging, I could not blame him entirely; first, I had not informed him beforehand, and second, he had no knowledge of my story at the time. (now also)

The final destination was a miss; again, I will skip the name of the place, leaving it for you to discover from the book. That place is like a puzzle book; it had always been. Before, I had struggled every time I went there to find out. This time, the problem was the day I had chosen to visit. I visit Gariahat for shopping, to buy things for my house. ( Those who are aware of the place will know how an impulsive shopper can behave in that place). My hands were filled with bags of brooms, pen stands, cushion covers, umbrellas, knives, and many other things in one hand, along with my junior on the other. So, I passed to and fro from all the probable locations to locate the exact narrow lane that leads to the shop, but no luck. I repeated my movements many times, juggling the bags, but could not find it. Frustrated and tired, I gave up and decided to return home. So, even now, I am not sure if that place is still there or not.

This was the aftermath, the result of my homage to the story "Four Weeks and Some Street Food" from the Blogchatter Book of Foods. To read my story and all the other delectable food stories, you can get your copy here.

This post is a part of #Realandrhythmbloghop hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #Everyconversationmatters blog hop series