While returning home after work, a few routine thought* always cross our minds. Did I lock the cabinet? Did I sign those documents? Where have 1 kept the keys? And so on.

But by the time you are on a rickshaw or on your car. Just out of the blue, a tug at the stomach makes you realize. Oh God ! I am hungry It's almost dark by that Utjie and now with this cold (though mild)

home, where Mostaklm has tljree appointed cooks. He believes that good taste of any food depends on the quality of ingredients used and Just a good sense of cooking.

The meat he uses, beef and chicken, specially comes from the best shop In the town and all these preparations require only proper mixing of spices, vinegar, salt and not to mention time.

Time - because

really long for some, hot things to munch.

At these hours of the day, the burgers, or pizzas and sand withes won't really satisfy your palate as much as a bowl of corn soup or hot crisp keema tikka (meat chop) or boti kabab and fried chaap would do. But your wife or mother won't exactly under stand your mind or the demand of your • stomach at that time.

The only way you could sabsfyyour hunger now. is by going to Mostaklm Bhat's small shop nepr the Geneva camp, Mohammadpur.

Mostaklm. 45-year-old. has sei up this small venture eight years ago. With little help and small investment, he started this unusual moglai food business.

Moglai or shaht khana (rich food) is always a favourite with people here. Even though Mostakim's shop doesn't offer you palao or kachi (steamed rice with meat), his fried chicken-tikka. fried dhaap. fried geela kolija . liver and heart gives you a slight taste of moglai gourmet specials. All these you get. only for Tk 3 to Tk 15.

His small shop is actually a medium-size wooden bedstead and four to five wooden benches, few big stainless steel's bowls, plates anti cups. Two gas stoves placed on tripods attached to a small gas cylinder, which has to be , pumped every now and then. He has two. king-size frying pans. His roof is actually ■ made of canvas tied with ropes to lightposts and bamboos. The mostiunusual thtng about the shop is it's name, it has no particular name, people Just know it by the fried foods it offers and sometimes by the owner. Mostaklm.

• This absolutely down-to-earth shop by the roadside offers you the best food, says the customers who often come here, from as far as MotIJheel or Mirpur.

The shop opens exactly at 5 O'clock with six people working mechanically round the clock till .10 pm. The meat Is always processed from

these foods have to be tended and kep) aside to soften for at least 10 to eight hours. This process is only supervised by Mostakim's two bro-l hers at home. Thus the process of mixing, that is half cooking, begins early at dawn every day.

"It takes no time to cook, the stuff is half done at home, we Just deep fry it in the evening and serve." explain^ Shahed

Bhai.' Mostaklm s brother who looks after the shop whenever the central figure is away. "Our shop is so well known throughout the city that business is always excellent excepts for the Ramazan month." he says. At a time 25 people can sit and eat. he says.

In spite of the unhygienic environment, the near-by drain, cats and.dogs roaming around, the rush is always the same, "no one ever complained of diarrhoeas or dysentery, except for the stomach ache from over eating." says an employee proudly.

Mostakim's family stay in the camp and is quite well off Comparer! to his fellow colleagues and neighbours. Around his shop there are also open staffs selling piytyis (a pulse chop with onions) purls, paratha. and of course tea. cigarettes and soft drinks.

Mostakim's dally sale is extremely satisfactory. "in about an hour’s time after opening, we usually sell around Tk. 600 on an average." says -Shahed. It hardly takes an effort to dispose with our 35 to 40 kgs of meat approximately everyday.” he explains.

Mostaklm has started another shop in old Dhaka for the last four months.

Determination and enterprise are the key to the success of his business. No matter what 1 your social status or living conditions are. your drive for living better and eating better will take Siu to the heights you have set for yourpelf.

ustaklm. a resident of the Geneva camp, a stranded Pakistani in Bangladesh is only a living proof of the fact.