We've now been back in Mumbai for several days and it was initially a bit of a culture shock after Nairobi. To sum up the good aspects of leaving Nairobi: no more compound life (as seen in these pictures, the brick fence topped by electrified wire is a common sight in city residences and fine stores); the feeling of freedom at being able to walk around town again; no more uber-expensive taxi rides the minute you step out of the compound. And we didn't even visit Kibera, one of the biggest slums in the world, in this very segregated city in which the wealthy are justifiably afraid of being made to part with their wealth in a brusque and sudden manner.
During our stay, Misha read a newspaper story about a man who stepped out of his compound and became the victim of a carjacking. He was taken to an ATM, made to withdraw lots of money, put back in the car and driven to another ATM, bound and gagged. However, near the other ATM, the car was ambushed by a group of robbers. After a shootout, the carjackers were killed. The robbers found this guy in the backseat and asked him for money. However, they saw the headlights of a passing car and ran away. The man walked to a local police station and led the police back to the car, where they found two of his dead captors with his money in their pockets. Everything ended happily...
... The bad about leaving Nairobi for Mumbai: no more city nature, especially not like the 100+ square-mile safari park in Nairobi proper where we saw, among other things, a rhino and her baby strolling majestically through the savannah grass--or animals in general unless you count the odd bovine Mumbaiker. (The picture here shows the youngest occupant of the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage in Nairobi).
The in-between: the toxic smells of car exhaust fumes in Nairobi being replaced by the combined smells of human waste and rotting fruit on the drive from Mumbai airport; no more gorging on vast quantities of meat cooking on an infernal stove and discovering that real beef and lamb have a gamey taste at the same restaurant-cum-night club where we were robbed, Carnivore (I guess we never learn).
... The bad about leaving Nairobi for Mumbai: no more city nature, especially not like the 100+ square-mile safari park in Nairobi proper where we saw, among other things, a rhino and her baby strolling majestically through the savannah grass--or animals in general unless you count the odd bovine Mumbaiker. (The picture here shows the youngest occupant of the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage in Nairobi).
The in-between: the toxic smells of car exhaust fumes in Nairobi being replaced by the combined smells of human waste and rotting fruit on the drive from Mumbai airport; no more gorging on vast quantities of meat cooking on an infernal stove and discovering that real beef and lamb have a gamey taste at the same restaurant-cum-night club where we were robbed, Carnivore (I guess we never learn).
Ah, that drive past Dharavi! I know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the flavor of meat. I have been shopping at a halal butcher lately, and now I cannot even bring myself to eat New Zealand lamb, which tastes so bland and wooly in comparison.
Never been to a halal butcher in the U.S., but perhaps I should try. Like you, I've discovered the difference in the taste of meat can be really staggering, and I'm certainly no carnivore.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of markets, have you been to Bhuleshwar already? There are some fascinating markets there. Paru and I had a good time going through them. In fact, this months Saveur has a long article about these markets. If you go to Crawford Market, housed inside a British era building, do not buy the line that you have to have a licensed porter to show you around. There is a sign near the entrance to that effect, but the only thing it means is that if you actually happen to need a porter, do use the licensed one. At any rate, the building is nice, but inside, it is nothing special, the fruit is imported and plastic wrapped.
ReplyDeleteBhuleshwar is much more interesting! I especially loved the wholesale market, where you see sacks and sacks of different kinds of rice and grain.
Thank you--we will plan to go to Bhuleshwar.
ReplyDeleteWe went to Crawford Market back in April; it was a Sunday and it was half-closed. There were wonderful mangoes and also some other fruit... including, bizarrely, Washington State Granny Smith apples, like you say.
I keep thinking of you during my gastronomic discoveries here--the mangoes, the wonderful litchies, and lately, kulfi, a new obsession.