Karachi is a culturally rich city. Besides sandy beaches, it has historical sites, structures of architectural marvels, centres for the advancement of performing art, institutions for teaching, training and promotion of fine arts and literature and even a number of diverse extra-academic delights without which the portrayal of the city remains incomplete.
There is plenty to see and plenty to learn. But to experience the real diversity unique with this city of Pakistan one should leave out art and literature on weekends and try to get a feel of the variety of comestibles its food streets offer after the sunset has dimmed its colour and night has begun to fall. These crudely prepared delicacies at roadside restaurants are distinct in style and classy in quality. The journey from one end to another through a food street is always mouthwatering. It has got its own romance.
Though the art of cooking has not been acknowledged as one of the branches of fine arts and has always been classified as a subject of home economics but its importance and commercial value has always been recognized. Many novel recipes and innovations in the art of cooking have given new names and tastes to various seemingly simple dishes that are now available at these restaurants. The way these roadside restaurants have flourished because of their secretive recipes and their owners have become rich is phenomenal. Many of them have moved out of their khokhas "jhaunpar hotels" into properly constructed restaurants in just a few years. Credit should go to their ingenuity. These eateries are of all sizes and tastes where gourmets of any nationality can relish food of their choice, or of their country, served in their native style.
There are many restaurants famous for their continental specialties. These restaurants have distinctive touch of culinary marksmanship noticeable from the aroma and presentation of the food. However, the roadside restaurants and eateries that have attraction for foreign as well as Pakistani tourists have their own products to offer. The range of food is vegetable to cereals to seafood. Beef, mutton and chicken are also available at these restaurants for those who want to indulge in overeating.
These eateries vary in their locations. It is from humid seashore and sandy beach open-space restaurants to fully covered air-conditioned restaurants. Whether it is an open space eating place or a restaurant in covered premises, both of them can be remembered by the variety and taste of the food they offer.
For example seashore restaurants sell good fish, prawns and crabs besides beef, mutton and chicken preparations. They are mostly known as machi hotel (fish hotel), jhinga hotel (prawn hotel), kekra hotel (crab hotel) etc. At times these places have folk singers and dancers who perform even for pittance. Eunuchs and effeminate also throng these eateries and perform to earn their livelihood. To the surprise of a tourist these folk performers, except eunuchs and effeminate, are usually from the interior of Sindh or from the Saraiki belt of the Punjab but none of them is either a Shidi, a local Makrani or from the fishermen community.
The Clifton area has Jehangir Kothari Parade. It is constructed in red bricks brought from Jaipur. Its succession of stairs used to lead to seashore in good olden days. The brutal reclamation of land by the successive civic bodies for housing projects has destroyed its beauty and ruined the artistry of architecture of this historical monument. Where the stairs of the Parade used to end and cowry shops begin, a chain of seashore restaurants has opened.
These restaurants amid noisy tides that constantly hit stones at the shore embankment and splash waters that twinkle like real pearls in the moonlight pull customers. The aroma of spicy rich food, mutton seikh kabab, roasted lamb legs and it's melting fats, chicken tikka and roasted quails are some of the eaters' delights at these places. The accompanying sound of ting-a-ling sending message to Katakat lovers is also tempting. Lemo pani (lemon water), jasmine tea and soft drinks that are post dinner delights are also available on demand.
The eateries alongside the Boat Basin are also attractive but they neither offer variety nor stuff different in quality than available at the Clifton beach. However, leaving the Boat Basin and the Clifton beach behind, one that enters the Burns Road after the sunset finds himself in an entirely different world of food and soft drinks extravaganza.
Till 1947 this locality was a posh residential area and no commercial activity was permitted. After migration of people from India a large number of people who had migrated from Delhi settled in this area. They brought their rich Delhi cultures and culinary art for the delight of those who were hitherto ignorant of the Mogul food culture. In addition to Delhiwalas, there are shops, which boost of Meerath, Badaiyoun and Lucknow. Bombaywalas are also not far behind these people. They sell their bhailpuri and allied products. People take their food either on footpaths or inside a restaurant. To get a seat inside a restaurant means waiting for about 30 to 45 minutes outside the restaurant.
It is about a two-kilometer stretch at the Burns-Road and Farere Road, which houses most sought after food shops and restaurants in the city. These food shops have variety. Their oily and spicy foods include nihari, payay, Karhai gosht, haleem, khichra, dahi baray, pakoray, cholay-channay, goal gappay, Seikh Kebab, shami kabab, chicken tikka, roghani naan, sheermal, kulchay and many more dishes one would wish to try. To quench thirst after a wholesome food there are shops of lassi and other popular soft drinks.
The entire portion of this food street has five to six storied old buildings dating back to 1923-1932. Some are even older and still in good condition. Mostly yellowish stone is used in the construction of these buildings. Many of them have excellent wooden windows, doors and ventilators as well. Coloured glasses, preferably blue, green and red are used to decorate these fittings. The balconies have carved iron and wooden frames which have maintained their beauty. Who knows as to how many heart-rending love stories these balconies are witness to and how many young men and women who lived in adjacent balconies sixty years ago still live their and remember their adolescence.
The ground floor accommodations of these buildings have now been converted into shops and restaurants. Some have milk shops and a few have opened sweetmeat shops. The architectural beauty of these buildings has been lost in the eateries and similar shops such as bakeries, fruit merchants and auto mechanics. Neither the owners of these buildings and occupants of the flats nor any government agency responsible to preserve archeological heritage of Karachi is there to check the growing tendency of defacing the original face of the city for money that too is losing its purchasing power. The conversion of national heritage into commercial heritage is growing unchecked and undeterred.
Moving out of these food streets and reaching Tariq Road, Bahadurabad and Hasan Square is another experience. The food is of the same kind from one end to another of these streets except that they all excel in preparing brain masala and bihari kabab. But strangely enough those who are selling Behari kabab on Tariq Road are mostly either from the Punjab or from the North Western Frontier Province. There is not a single Behari who is in the business of eateries selling Behari kabab on this section of roadside restaurants.
Those who go for variety in food and the ambiance of an eating place that adds to dinner delights now travel to the Super Highway. On this highway there are a number of open-air restaurants that excel in roasted meet and prepare Balochi style sajji. Some of them serve in conventional maiz-kursi (dining table and chair) style and some strictly in Afghan or Peshawar styles. To the surprise of many these restaurants are located far away in the isolation of eastern Karachi. The gangs of criminals and kidnappers for ransom infest some of these isolated places but the open-air restaurants have made foolproof security arrangements. These restaurants are good places for quality food at affordable price. They also provide an opportunity to breathe fresh air, a rare commodity in urban Karachi.
Food at these restaurants is usually not available in deep freezers but is prepared fresh only on orders. One has to wait for 40-45 minutes before the food is served. In the meantime children can enjoy rides and swings and elders soft drinks. Families are encouraged to visit these eateries.
Karachi with all its diversity of mood and make-up is still attractive, accommodating and a loveable city. The food street scenario is just one aspect of Karachi's personality. Just give a try and explore what else the city has for you - besides home cooked food.