Journalism of Courage
Even though Im based in Mumbai,a place which has a great food culture,Im not a hard-core foodie. I keep coming to Pune all the time for work,but hardly indulge in eating out. I stay at my relatives place most of the time,or just drive back home at night.
But I remember this one food experience that I always associate with Pune. I was in the city to record songs for my film 1909. We worked till late,along with the films music director Pradeep Vaidya and other musicians. We had to go to work early next morning.
The next day,we were on our way to work at 8 am and Pradeep,on a whim,took me to WIEE canteen in the older parts of the city. He told me that it was a great place for misal and the guy who makes it does it only for a few hours every morning. The shop was tucked away near Shagun,behind the Nagpur Hutatma Kendra on Laxmi road. It was a small establishment,and the menu was limited to tea,a few snacks and misal.
I have eaten misal at several places all across Maharashtra,including Mumbai and Kolhapur,but the misal I ate at this place was so different. The bright amber rassa was served on freshly-made poha and topped with farsan and finely chopped onions. It was neither spicy nor bland,and was served with fresh and soft slices of pav. As we dug into our misal,we realised that several people had woken up early,just to eat the food there.
I have eaten at several places since,but that morning in old Pune will be my favourite misal experience for a long time.
