Although Indian by decent, I also consider myself British and, now after 10 years in SF, American too. Other than six years spent at boarding school in India, I was born and brought up in Hounslow, London. Which may as well be Punjab, India. I don’t lie when I say almost everyone there was Punjabi, and if not, then they’re from some other part of India. (If you’ve seen Bend It Like Beckham, that was filmed in my town.)
There are a couple disadvantages to being raised in such a lack of diversity, such as everyone pronouncing jalapeno and tortilla exactly as they are spelled, or (on a more irritating note) people always being interested in whom you were dating and whether/when you are getting married.
However, there are some serious advantages to being submerged in everything Indian:
- Language – it was very easy to keep alive my family’s mother tongue of Punjabi. Practically all my friends’s parents and grandparents spoke Punjabi.
- Threading – this is a serious advantage for Punjabi women….you can go to any corner and get your eyebrows looking fantastic within seconds!
- Music – I witnessed some amazing fusion Indian/western music and dance. Bally Sagoo remixes are amongst my favourite.
- Food – I learned to make countless dishes from friends and family, and more importantly, I internalized what they were supposed to taste like.
- Culture – I learned about the festivals and religious events celebrated in India and just the general Punjabi nature of being. Most Friday nights there’d be a dozen dinner and dances going on, where you’d be guaranteed to get a basic chicken curry, bhangra and a punch up.
In San Francisco, I sometimes miss some of those things Indian (other than people getting into your business), but I’ve found some true gems here to satisfy that part of me:
- Yoga Tree in the Castro is truly epic yoga. I’m learning Sanskrit verses like never before.
- Bibi of Bibi’s Skin Care & Threading on Fillmore Street for threading is by far the best I’ve ever had. A true artist. I’ve even received compliments by strangers on the street on my eyebrows.
- Seema Shah teaches my little daughter and a bunch of other adorable 5 years olds some truly original bollywood dance moves. She’s still building her website, so contact me if you want to reach her.
- Stanford’s Holi Mela is the best Holi celebration outside of India.
- El Sobrante Gurdwara is a beautiful Sikh temple in the hills north of Berkeley where you’ll find some of the most original (and free) Punjabi food in existence, as well as some peace of mind if you visit it when it’s not busy.
- And of course I hope that Kasa Indian Eatery stands amongst the list as serving some of the most authentic home style Punjabi food.
As for dinner and dances, you’ll find those around the Bay Area but not many in the City itself.
This June 5th however, the American Indian Foundation are putting on a swanky dinner and dance gala with Kasa food, performances by Seema and her dance group and more at R-80, a very cool venue in Potrero Hill. All proceeds go to the very noble cause of providing funds to under served children’s education in India. You won’t find your your basic chicken curry and hopefully no punch ups, but the Kasa crew will be making kati rolls, Indian chickpea salad, Gobi Fritters, Mini Chicken Kofte and there will be lots of dancing!
