Dhaba

BY






Dhaba, the word has got different meaning for different folks. To some its the
place where a person stops to satisfy his or her hunger on an endless highways and
for some its a place to gorges on butter laced Paratha , dal makhani and indian
national dish butter chicken just to satisfy his taste buds.

If we look at the word Dhaba, it is believed to come from tiffin box or the Dabba
as it is called by most of the folks in north India.

It all started from Punjab
Punjabis have always been known for their bravery, lavish life styles and their
love for good food. It is often said that where ever a Punjabi goes, his food
follows; the G.T. Road was the first to experience this amazing phenomenon. As
many Punjabis took to the
wheel of the truck and
ventured into the
transportation trade, an
immediate need to feed and
provide shelter to these
drivers plying trucks and
buses on the highway was
felt. The first dhabas came
into being on the fields and
farms that touched the
highway. They created
basic open kitchens with
clay ovens and brass utensils; lanterns for light and hand fans for the summer heat
were available as electrical connections were a rarity back then; hand pumps to
quench the thirst, wash clothes, trucks and bathe were additional perks that
attracted the weary travelers. These open eateries served close to home food with
no frills attached. The menus evolved with time. Delicacies and specialties were
developed. Picture this, the All India Radios AM station playing great music, the
tandoor walas hands clapping periodically; the clatter of skewers heard
intermittently and the hungry travelers feasting and relaxing on the
charpoysthese scenes are still a common sight along our highways; such post
cards from a vibrant Punjab have fascinated all and sundry and made the dhaba
eating a very in thing.

Today a diverse range of dhabas
with a touch of local flavour, dot
the map of India from Kashmir to
Chennai and Mizoram to Kutch.
What makes a dhaba a roaring success; the food, the economies of scale, the
coolness associated with it. What is the deep impact of these food joints as they
leave a social imprint on their immediate society?
First of all, it is definitely the food that makes a dhaba special and popular. For
instance cruising along the NH1 one could choose from various famous dhabas;
some boast of offering the best masala teas. This is our own desi version of tea. A
mixture of fresh milk, generous amount of sugar and tea leaves all brewed with a
hint of cinnamon, ginger etc to provide flavors that can reminds you of India no
matter where ever you are. Our
own masala chai, now adores the
five star menu too.
Other dhabas that can break your
journey would be the vegetarians
haven as they set forth a grand
menu; indulging chanaa bhaturas
for breakfast; the divine tadka daal
with liberal dosage of ghee; the
crisp tandoori rotis and succulent
paneer preparations. The non-vegetarians trot along the length and breadth of the
highways in search of tender juicy kebabs and the best tandoori chicken which has
become the mascot of a Punjabi kitchen. With their mutton and chicken offerings
some dhabas have scripted a tale of rags to riches. It is all a matter of striking the
right cord with the taste buds of the customer.
As dhabas gained popularity, a subtle cultural revolution occurred. Dhabas and
their side effects have a deep connect with all of us. Affluence reached the
sidelines of our highways courtesy these improvised eateries. Governments sat up
and took notice and launched into a program to create tourism nodes along the
roads, these were equipped with rooms and all amenities for night stays and
offered safe parking and good food. Some of these projects are a roaring success
story.
The recent up gradation of fuel pumps into swanky outlets with toilets, convenient
stores and fast food joints all within the same premises things are changing rapidly.
Multinational fast food giants recognized the spending potential of the affluent
Punjabi and came in by the dozen to set up shop.
The dhabas were never to be left behind. The challenge has been well countered by
upgrading to air-conditioned halls; new found awareness and concern for hygiene;
and today dhabas offer food, entertainment zones for children, book shops. They
even delight and bemuse the tourists with a glimpse of the lost heritage and culture
with theme based dhabas that have elaborate displays that provide a museum like
feel to the visitor. Live music and dance, cultural activities, camel rides, fortune
tellers, Ferris wheels, name the selling gimmick in the book and it is being tried by
the dhabas to woo customers.))
We did a survey asking some simple questions about what people really looking
for, when they go to eat at Dhaba.

Taste does matter
It was good food, which tops the
chart. Its simply the hot fresh food,
which bring back the people to
Dhabas. Just the basic tasty food and
people are willing to forget ambience
service.
Are you willing to pay more if
Hygienic condition of your Dhaba
improves?


As we are getting more and more
conscious about Hygienic so that is
one area where Dhaba are lacking
behind as per our survey. People are
ready to pay from 10-20% more in
case Hygienic condition of their
Dhabas improve.


Kind of Food preferred by Patrons

Is Paratha main attraction at
Dhaba?
75% People agree that Dhaba
menu are full of varieties and
everybody has something
available, which he or she likes,
but still almost all people agreed
that its the good old Parathas,
which make Dhabas so inviting.




Overall rating above average Not
bad!
Overall despite all odd on an
average all respondent have rated
their favortite dhaba more than
average.





Our own favorite Dhaba - Laxman Da dhaba

The Dhabas in and around IIFT are one amongst the most popular food joints
among south Delhi students
The most famous amongst the lot is the Dhaba- Popularly known as "Laxman ka
Dhaba", which is chiefly famous for its delicious and heavy parathas
It's located in the heart of the Qutub Institutional area of Delhi right opposite to the
Indian Institute of Foreign trade and one can see groups of students from various
institutes thronging the place.
People love it for the whole gamut of paranthas , maggi or a cup of tea to name a
few items from the menu list.
Origin
It was set around 17-20 years back. Currently it is jointly owned by a group of young
boys from areas like North East and U.P who, work hard day in and out to satisfy the
taste buds of the budding young professionals.
Ambience
To begin with, a comment on the ambience of the
Laxman Dhaba, which like most others includes
buzzing flies, grime and an envelope of fumes
surrounding it.
The eating area is limited to a few plastic tables and
chairs. The rest is open sky with a canopy of trees and
the charred interiors of the tandoor, a huge clay stove
filled with charcoal to roast the meat or prepare the
rotis adds to the charm of the place.

The energy surrounding it
One must see the time around 1 PM or 5 PM when one can see hoards of students
coming in and going out and relaxing at the joint. It is the meeting point for students
from the surrounding B schools Fore, IMI, IIFT and many more which makes the
atmosphere quite electric and vibrant.


Revenue
As asked from Vishnu the young lad from Dhaba , the average daily sale could be
anywhere around Rs 4000-Rs 6000.
During the vacation of the colleges in June/July the sale dips down. But that doesnt
lower their spirits as they have a customer base from the non-student backgrounds as
well who just stroll down to the place to have a bite.
Popularity
The popularity of the joint can be gauged from the no. of blogs and pages created on
social networking sites like Facebook and Pagalguy to name amongst a few which has
hordes of people liking the place and commenting upon the same.
The Dhaba now have a celebrity endorsement too in its name in the form of a banner
hung right infront on the brick wall of the joint of Famous Bollywood star Ranbir
Kapoor visiting the place to promote one of his films.



Favorite among all iiftian our own
Laxman Da Dhaba. Survey findings
are clearly telling its popularity.
Many respondents are regular at
this dhaba and most respondent
have at least heard about it if not
visited it.












Laxman da Dhaba speciality

The menu of this Dhaba starts by We Believe in Quality Service.

The simple vegetarian meal served could be Paratha of different kinds depending on
the type of vegetable stuffing one wishes to have the Aloo Parathas (Potato parathas)
which are mashed potatoes stuffed
between flat bread made out of
kneaded Atta (wheat flour) is the
most popular. Parathas, with
cooked mashed and spiced
vegetables as stuffing such as Gobi
(Cauliflower) are also popular for
breakfast with yoghurt or curds or tea. Vegetarian meal for lunch or dinner
consists of Chana (Horse gram) masala.(mixture), Channa Pindi, vegetables and
lentils, Sarson Ka Saag, Palak Paneer, Barwan Karela and Subz Korma, Rajma
(kidney beans) or Kadhi (curd curry).

One major attraction of this Dhaba is Non-vegetarian Paranthas. Chicken Paranthas,
Keema Parantha, Egg Paranthas etc. The Keema Paranathas have been loved by the
Bollywood Star Ranbeer Kapoor also. We can see youngsters from different parts of
the city coming to this Dhaba for Non Veg Paranthas. There Special Family mix
parantha is speciality in Paranthas with size big enough to serve 2-3 people.
This is confirm by our survey also. No matter what varieties Dhaba servies Parathas
are always numero uno choice of cutomer.

Punjabi food without Dals would be incomplete and therefore Sukhi Dal, Dhuli Urad
Dal, Dal Makhni, and Rajmah Masala complement every meal. The Dals are made of
whole pulses like Black Gram, Green Gram and Bengal Gram. They are cooked on a
slow fire, often simmered for hours till they turn creamy and then are flavoured with
spices and rounded off with malai (cream) to get a rich finish.

Paneer (cottage cheese a low fat item) dishes are a must in a vegetarian menu.
Several delectable items are made out of the Paneer, the bland derivative of milk,
innovatively cooked as the Kadai Paneer and Makhani Paneer. It is cooked with every
kind of vegetable, the popular dishes of such variety are Palak Paneer or Saag
Paneer (pureed creamed spinach with homemade cheese cubes), Mutter Paneer, etc.

Naan and Paratha (fried bread layered with cooked, mashed and spiced vegetables,
fried on pan), rotis made of
maize flour (Makke-di-
Roti), Chappatis made out of
the flour of maize and Rumali
Rotis (multilayered bread) are
typical Punjabi breads. Khasta
Roti, Methi Paratha and
Lasooni (Garlic) Nan are also
popular.

The simplest of the Punjabi meal served in a Dhaba could be Tandoorias or Rotis or
Phulkas with Dal and/or Raita (Raita is spiced yogurt with vegetables) and Muthi-Piaz
(onions split open by smashing them with a fist).
The menu will not just get finshed here. Other different cuisines are also available in
this dhaba in wide range. The Chinese one includes chowmein, Chinese Rolls, soups
etc. Famous amongst all of us Maggi is also served here with special taste added to
it.
This Dhaba does not just end up here with its effort to satisfy its customers. They
provide free home delivery service to their customers within a range of 4 kms and that
too on just a bicycle. The doorstep service is famous amongst IIFT hostel students.
They do not have to be worried if there are hungry during late night. Also they even
provide the service for private parties like kitty parties and the birthday Parties.


OH YAARA. AE LAXMAN DA DHABA HEGA.!!!!

LOCATION: There is nothing quite like telling young Delhiites what the city used to
be like 30 years ago. People hanging out near Qutub Institutional Area those days with
friends had no place beyond IIT and JNU but a wild jungle. Vasant Kunj was still to
come up and stepping beyond the campus of either of the two institutes was literally
like going into the wilderness. The dhaba is right next to the Indian Institute of
Foreign Trade. The Dhaba, is bang opposite the wall of the Katwaria Sarai cremation
ground! Be that as it may, it is a great place for paranthas.
BLOGS and FACEBOOK PAGE: The Laxman dhaba has a facebook page created by
its own lovers with many likes added to it. Many people share there pleasant
experiences on it. Students have shared their love by posting the feedbacks or by
writing blogs on sites like hindu.com, pagalguy.com. People have also expressed their
liking by tweeting on the twitter also






Superstars even love it
Accompanied by Ranbir's trainer Pradeep, and producer Hiren Gandhi, the team
made a quick stopover at Laxman Fast Food at the Qutub Institutional Area road late
into the night and dug into a dozen keema and anda paranthas, at a place discovered
by Pradeep during his college days in Delhi.


The DHABA at IIFT has gained immense popularity, thanks to the students
community surrounding this hangout of Fun & Laughter. It traces its origins way back
2 decades when the Qutab Institutional area was getting developed and the culture of
eating roadside like in highways was gaining popularity in cities also.

With students particularly it has always been a case of less money & DHABAs have
come to a great rescue by offering delicious Indian food, particularly at mouth-
watering adding to their popularity manifold. At IIFT also, DHABAs have been of
huge support to the students not just at IIFT but to the students at FORE & IMI also.
They remain open till late in the night making it all the more convenient for students
studying and hanging out at night to venture there and have their tummy full with
delicious food.
Yes Its cool to eat at Dhaba!

We also tried finding if there is
anything else besides tasty food
which brings peope back to Dhaba
and the answer is 60% people feels it cool to eat at Dhaba. No wonder lot of food
blog, food article and Dhabas visited by celebrities have made them a cool place to
eat. The second reason was that people love to reminisce, they just want to remember
good old day from their student life and try to visit the same place, which they used to
visit earlier.




Coming back to Dhaba culture in larger perspective the evolution of highway eating is
fascinating and so is the social footprint. Scores of dhabas have become nodal points
for prostitution that goes on to be the main cause for the spread of the HIV virus and
AIDS. Often the spread has been attributed to truck drivers and national level
programs have been put in place to fight the HIV and AIDS menace. Most of these
programs with active NGO participation are targeting the dhabas where the truck
drivers are put through awareness and counseling sessions. The very reason that
dhabas mushroom at will makes data collection and a structured approach difficult.
Another negative impact of the dhabas is child labour as quite often children from
poor village families drop out from schools and serve in a dhaba. Washing dishes and
serving tables for a measly sum, these school dropouts defeat the dream of an
educated India that can propel us to greater things in the future. Again counsel and
stricter action against the defaulting owners is being put into practice and we hear of
raids on some infamous dhabas through media coverage.
A highway drive by night is a different experience all together. Brightly lit with 100w
bulbs, fancy blinkers and neon signs, the dhabas are all dressed to party and invite you
into the wee hours of the night. Equally well lit are the liquor shops and drinking
places. Strategically placed next to the dhabas, a marriage of convenience affords the
luxury of sitting and drinking while piping hot food is served. Though warning signs
all along the highway advice against drinking and driving, but are often not heeded
and terrible accidents occur. Apart from this a growing challenge of drug pedaling has
come up before the law enforcing agencies. The dhabas are again in the firing line as
such transactions occur at dhabas, some selling them openly when demanded.
Despite the ill effects and the flip side, a majority adores the dhaba experience. It is a
foodies delight and a story of a wonderful culinary triumph that is written everyday
along the great highways of our nation. A thriving economy, complete with a variety
of offerings in food, hygiene standards and parking space; the Indian dhaba food
experience is one to be savored with delight for this shudh swadeshi flavour bears a
Made in India stamp all over.