Wag the Dog

In Tangra, the east Kolkata colony for more than 2,000 of the estimated 7,000-strong Chinese community in Kolkata, dishes prepared exclusively for the day8212;like Mafa, Jain Toy and Tain Ban8212;gastronomically bind the Xings with other families residing in the area.

It is almost obligatory for Chinese families to prepare such food on New Year8217;s Day, says Xing, for it compulsively underlines the heritage of the land they left behind many years ago, in their search for food, shelter and prosperity in flourishing Kolkata.

While items like Mafa and Jain Toy8212;both sweet dishes8212;are prepared for personal gratification, there is a bigger significance behind preparing the sweet and sticky Tain Ban, made of glutinous rice powder. 8216;8216;It is offered to the God of the Kitchen. Because it is very sticky, the God of the Kitchen8217;s lips are glued when he goes to report our failings over the previous year to the highest god in heaven,8217;8217; says Xing.

But Xing, as the patriarch of one of the oldest families in Tangra, has not failed to notice the subtle changes sweeping through the immigrant population in the area, many of whom have started buying much of the New Year food off shop shelves instead of going through the lengthy rigours of preparing them at home. 8216;8216;Earlier the Tain Ban used to be 188221; long, now even its size has come down to a mere plate-length,8217;8217; he says.

In the case of the traditional How Si Fatchoy, which is made from oysters and a hair-like vegetable called Fatchoy, acquired from China and Hong Kong, the government there has clamped down on its mass scale production and import. 8216;8216;That makes it difficult for us to prepare the food here,8217;8217; says Xing.

But the sense of expectancy that brought the likes of Xing to India and Kolkata, guides the preparation of fish item Yue, which also loosely means savings and profit in the Chinese language. 8216;8216;The whole fish, either fried or steamed, and consumed by the household, is the best way to pray for prosperity in the New Year,8217;8217; says Xing8217;s daughter, Jennifer.

In Tangra, home also to the once-flourishing tannery industry owned by the Chinese community, the 8216;8216;going has become especially tough after the Supreme Court ordered the relocation of polluting tanneries to the outskirts of the city,8217;8217; says a member of the Chinese association. But while many tanneries have faced the heat from government agencies, some owners have turned to the lucrative restaurant business in Tangra, which is now home to over 30 restaurants serving 8216;8216;authentic8217;8217; Chinese food. Xing8217;s Big Boss restaurant is one such to have emerged from the confusion of relocating tanneries and plummeting profits and, he admits, 8216;8216;the restaurant has provided dividends.8217;8217;

8216;8216;The last few years have been especially difficult for us,8217;8217; says Xing, 8216;8216;but we live in hope.8217;8217;

The Year of the Dog might bring him better news. If not, the Yue certainly will.