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Dhaka Day by Day

Eating Out — Chinese!

by Tasneem Mosaddeq
Dhaka was once know as the city of mosques. At present it would not be a misnomer to call this metropolis the city of Chinese restaurants. There is hardly any area in Dhaka where a Chinese restaurant has not erupted as yet. Though, a couple of restaurants have recently opened serving European and other Fhr Eastern food at exorbitant prices. And there are the equally expensive cafes and restaurants at the five star hotels catering delicacies from all over the world.l But for those who cannot afford these fancy places and yet want to dine out in apparently hygienic and atr-conditioncd luxury it is the indelible Chinese restaurant.
Ealing at any of these Chinese restaurants is a memorable experience — good and otherwise. The interior decor is invariably Chinese lan-
terns. dragons and splashes of red. At present the trend is for more elaborate decoration, but the patrons really do not get a chance to admire these work of art. because of very unusual lighting effects. Restaurants all over the world create a relaxed mood with dim lights and soft music. But reducing the lights to near darkness can create only confusion. In
majority of these restaurants one has to grope and stumble in the dark to find an empty table.
• And then once seated it is difficult to converse because the person sitting next looks like a phantom against the eerie blue and red lights. Placing the order proves to be an ordeal as it is impossible to decipher the menu peering In semi-darkness.
I remember once, an obliging water helped With a torch. Anyway, when the food arrives one's senses are put to the ultimate test. Not much can be said about the presentation of the dishes, because not much is visible. And in the pallid glow of blue, green and red lights all the items appear mushy. So. instead of guessing we pile our plates al random with all the food and consume a mixture of prawns, chicken, vegetable. rice and noodles with a confusion of spicy, tangy and salty taste combined together. Pro fuse use of monosodium glutamate or more commonly tasling salt robs the food of the nat ural flavour of ingredients. Therefore, garlic prawn and lemon chicken smell the same A much travelled aunt who is an avid sampler of food refers to the fare served in most of our Chinese restaurants as "Beng-Chi", short for Bengali-Chinese food. A blending of our cuisine with the quick stir fry and boiling method of Chinese cooking.
It is very well to enjoy a particular type of food but that does not justify the mushrooming
of only one sort of restaurant at the exclusion of eating places of similar standard serving our focal dishes. It is rather difficult for visitors who do not enjoy our Chinese preparations. An acquaintance from England was quite disappointed at not being able to locate restaurants serving our curries. And for those who are allergic to tasting salt the choice is more limited. A young cuisine afraid of being left out from family or friends' eating out gatherings at the Chinese restaurants has started carrying antiallergic medicines to control the itching that starts immediately after he takes anything which has monosodium glutamate in ft. And whenever we want to treat friends from abroad to our gastronomic delights we have to Invite them over to the house. Agreed, it is all a part
of our eastern hospitality. But preparing several delicacies at short notice can at time stretch the hospitality to unnecessary limits. Moreover, Chinese cannot be the only alternative to eating at home. And when visitors drop in at meal time, the lady of the house gets all flustered trying to accommodate extra people at the table. As there are no decent take-aways or
restaurants catering local food it is rather difficult for her to arrange for the extra curry and rice. And serving mandarin fish and chow mein with beef curry and dal would certainly embarrass the guest for his ill timed vtyit.
Then there are the odd in-betwecn-meal hours when shopping or working one needs that extra bit of calorie for energy. We usually go into the nearest confectionery or general store and revive ourselves with chilled soft drinks and whatever snacks are available. But in the evenings the thirst for tea is difficult to quench i[ one happens to be out of the house. I still recall how 1 had to take an Irish friend all the way to our five star hotel for tea and snacks at the end of our shopping. She wondered, how in a city like Dhaka brimming with Chinese restaurants there were no proper cafes where you could stretch tired legs and laze over hot. strong lea and serumptuous local snacks.
We have such a rich and varied cuisine, recipes handed down the generations. And instead of promoting and integrating our food commercially. with the present social pace we have altogether neglected it for the concoction which goes by the name of Chinese. Lately. the Beng-Chi food has become a social cull threatening to change our palate. Even wedding receptions are being held at the Chinese restaurants. And people have started preferring fried rice and fried chicken to the traditional blrtyanl. murag pulao and mutton rezala.