Dhokla and Eiffel Tower

The snacks of culture.

Hi! It has been a long time since I wrote last. I feel that the newsletter is not getting any responses as the replies are fewer. I write for myself but then I also can write it in my mind and not type it so laziness and procrastination helped me to delay it.

—Promotion break—

Anyway, here I am with a topic that one of my friends suggested when I asked for suggestions on Instagram. In case you are not, you can follow me on Instagram at Blahblahblaharsh . And if this is your first letter, you should also check out other letters such as — Gossip and Water Bottles, Travel and Movies, Chair and Footwear, Mental Health and Curtains, Fans and advertisements, Gardening and Economies of effort, Lights and Rejection, Bags and Batman, Doors, and Feminism, Driving and Friendship, or Humor and Instant Messaging! Also, if you reply to this email, I would get your message so do send me your ideas and suggestions.


—Back to the post—

So what are Dhoklas? Dhoklas are light and fluffy snacks that can be made from Chickpea flour or gram flour or any other flour one can think of. They are usually eaten with condiments called chutneys that are made with garlic, tomato, and chilli. Sometimes, they also are savoured with mint coriander chutney. Dhoklas are essentially a Gujarati snack and if you know a Gujarati, you know that they can eat pretty much anything at any time and dance at any time of the year if the beats are of bamboo. ( Say haalo if you get the lame joke).

My experiences with Dhokla have been varied. I disliked having them as a kid because it seemed uninteresting. It was usually served for dinner and I always think that at least one meal of the day should have something interesting and innovative. As I grew up, I started enjoying this item as a snack. I particularly remember eating this in PDPU mess with tomato garlic chutney. They used to call it Edra. When I first read the name, I was so confused as to what is the new dish that I am oblivion about. Upon reaching the mess at the high tea time, I realized that it was just deception served well. I was disappointed until I tasted the chutney and then the chutney infused a new life in me and the Dhoklas.

To give you a context, my mother hates onion and garlic so that is not something I get to eat often. Onion was my father’s favorite vegetable so he would eat it so often and I also got a hang of it. However, Garlic was an alien to me that slowly introduced itself to me. Now, garlic seems to be the magic ingredient to anything I want to cook from pasta to Paneer tikka masala. I like having spices and flavours in my food. Dhokla has that flavour and spice. There is a sprinkle of chilli powder on it. If it is the khaman dhokla, it is served with a spicy chutney just like any other dhokla.

Another form of Dhokla is what my mom makes. She uses Idli and shallow fries by adding some sesame seeds on it. This is a good part of my breakfast and I remember enjoying them everytime I have had them. And of course, mothers are mothers. They would not let you be hungry even if you are millions of miles away.

I have a close friend of mine who lives abroad. He lives in London and we often meet and talk. He comes once in one or two years. But whenever he returns back to London, he has at least two or three bags that are of snacks. And if you know any Gujarati, you know that things like Thepla, Fafda, papad, Chevda, dhokla, Patra, and pretty much everything that you can think of would be there in their bag. There is a joke that sometimes, Gujaratis have more food in their checked-in bag than the aeroplane itself and it is more than enough to feed all the passengers for three to four days.

As I eat Dhoklas for my snacks, I see my friend’s photo of him standing near the Eiffel tower. I think about it and realize how the two different things signify cultures that are poles apart and have very less in common. I do not know much about Paris. I know that pastries and pastry making is an exquisite art there and Paris is renowned for that. Eiffel Tower is often considered to be a very romantic spot and a hot destination for proposals. So here we have Dhoklas, the perennial hunger evading food and the Eiffel tower, the romantic hotspot.

Paris is also known for having arrogant people who would not talk to you if you do not speak French. Gujaratis are known for their business sense and hospitality. It is also said that a few years ago, a Gujarati was denied Visa to Britain because of some case he was involved in. Now, he is so powerful that he rules a country and he does not have to ask for a visa, the countries invite him to visit them. I guess account squared.

Interestingly, the inventor or the senior engineer of the Eiffel Tower is connected to our Bollywood actress- Kalki Koechlin. He is her grandfather and now you know why she is so smart and brilliant. Do not fret or be taken aback if you see her eating dhoklas at Eiffel tower one day. Maybe for a film or maybe for her fun. Who are we to judge??

I think that is all I can think of these two extremely wide and disconnected topics. Both are specific and by far, this has to be the most difficult write up in this series. What do you think of this? Do let me know in the comments or as a reply to this email. Would love to hear your ideas for the same.