East or West?

Santosh Pawar,of Shreyas Caterers says,“We generally cook Maharashtrian food,but occasionally,depending on what our costumers demand,we have to cook Chinese or Punjabi food. But since we are used to Maharashtrian dishes,sometimes we can’t help but put some spices that are traditionally used only in West India. But the customers seem to like the slightly homely taste that our ‘version’ of the food has.”

Pawar says,“The average Indian does not want to have purely continental or Mexican food. He would be puzzled over the kind of sauces used,much of the food for him would be very bland. However,by adding just a few Indian spices,just a hint of Indian sauces,the customer is ready to accept the food. With enthusiasm. There are few takers even for sizzlers in their original format,but add a few Indian ingredients,and the customer will eat it with gusto.”

However,Ravish Arora of Polka Dots,Aundh,who calls his restaurant ‘purist’ as far as cuisines are concerned,disagrees. “Adding Indian ingredients like jeera powder might add a new dimension to an already existing continental dish,but it certainly doesn’t make it more palatable for the Indian tongue.” He feels that the mixing of cuisines is entirely upto the discretion,and indeed the creativity of the chef. “The recipes of such dishes are essentially weak,you cannot sustain these dishes for long. The creation of such dishes are just short-term marketing gimmicks,they are not really meant survive in the long run.”

Nikheel Shirodkar,Ibis Pune,is of the opinion that the reaction that ‘fusion-food’ has received in Pune is unexpectedly low. “In other cities,like Mumbai,fusion food has caught on well. However,for some reason,in Pune,fusion-food has bombed. It’s almost as if the city’s residents have not understood the concept of having mixed cuisine.”

Pawar says that the popularity of continental food has risen sharply over the last few years. “Perhaps its something to do with the large influx of people into Pune over the last few years,but nowdays there are far more takers for Western food than even a few years ago.” Arora also agrees. “Indian cuisines are far,far more popular than their Western counterparts,so in order to succeed,most restaurants just declare themselves to be ‘multi-cuisine’. However,the very fact that the number of multi-cuisine restaurants is on the rise suggests that continental food is becoming more popular.”