From Parantha to Pizza!

I walked to the table next to the one that the cutest girl in the restaurant had occupied. She was dressed in the finest of the Indian silk that could have ever been produced. The loops hanging I gazed at her and then he walked to her and greeted her! It was the waiter, not her boyfriend that I am referring to. I somewhat developed an inquisitiveness for what her order would be. There she went – “I would have…. ummm… chicken lasagna with a goblet of sparkling water”. The replica of true traditional Indian turned into something that made me ponder over the emergence of the new ‘Parantha to Pizza’ times!

As we sit on our desk and wonder what to order for dinner after a long day at work, jotting options would surely not be a Herculean task. At the same time, choosing from the options we come across is indeed a task that takes up most of our time. The four page, take-away menu sitting on our desk does not ease the things a bit either. We think to zero it on something and ditch the idea for we know it may be too full of calories and spices and not sure what else. It looks like the immensity of the options to choose from often leaves us baffled when it comes to the hour of choice.  

Not only the delicacies but also the places to eat at are increasing towards an all time high. The city no longer satiates its hunger at the chosen few, old-school eating joints where one would be welcomed by a gatekeeper dressed in red, served by a server in black and white. The city has indeed seen a major shift towards the non-contemporary restaurants and eating joints. No doubt that the choice of food offered at the fast food joints may not be the best in a dietician’ book but when asked to comment on the same, Mohit – an MBA student replies “I don’t care”. One would surely give a nod to fast-food because it is ‘easy to grab’ and as the name itself suggests – apt for the FAST pace that we seem to be running at today.  The city now offers almost every chain of fast-food restaurants that only the metros did a few years ago. Just for instance, the Café Coffee Day outlets are now spread across the city and grabbing a piping hot cup of latte is not synonymous with a 30 minute drive to the outlet, like it was till a few years ago. Same implies to the famous pizza brands like Domino’s and Pizza Hut. On the move, at a party, in a meeting – pizzas are just a phone call away. Every time I develop a craving for a cheesy, delectable pizza; I ask myself “Hungry Kya?” and to answer that I dial the number and order my favorite with extra cheese!

It just does not end here; more of the international brands are entering the market as of recent weeks.  With Taco Bell after opening its first Indian outlet in Bangalore, may have the city as its next favorite destination to float a franchisee at. We the dwellers will welcome it with open arms and add another link to the chain that spells the revolution from Parantha to Pizza!