Steamed dumplings quenching my evening hunger and providing
a taste of the Chinese menu. But there is something more to it than ordinary. One
evening I reached the spot where the so called dumpling station is set up
everyday a bit earlier. Then out of nowhere a white Maruti Omni car comes laden
with five guys. If you are imagining these people’s faces as from the
north-east region of our country, I am sorry to say but these thoughts are
propelling racism. Recognize them as people from an identity of their work rather
than that of a race. So, getting back to the topic, one individual got out of
the van. He placed the big metal steamer with three compartments on the ground.
One of the other fellows took out a small LPG cylinder and a stove from back of
the van. And off went the van.
The stand or the table was locked from a pole and he swiftly
unlocked it and set it ready. It took him nearly five to seven minutes to setup
his metal steamer while lining up the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dumplings
in different compartments and water in lowermost one. As the water starts boiling from
the heat and turns to steam, it rises, it steams the dumplings layer by layer.
And while this process is going on he took out a banner from his backpack
saying MOMO CORNER, with prices mentioned on it specifically. When one asks for
a plate of dumpling it is also accompanied with a red spicy sauce that we as
Indians like a lot but nowadays the white mayonnaise is also complementing the flavor.
This dumpling station is a unit like many other units
scattered all across the city. It is a manufacturing, marketing and selling
scheme in itself like any other product in today’s world. Just imagine the when
dumplings are made by the people at their homes and how in the evening it
reaches different stations through vans like this one. Imagine all the
other van members selling dumplings on their everyday spots and in the night
coming back by the same van to their homes, pooling in their profits and
getting ready for next day’s work. They do the research too, if an area
requires more of non-vegetarian the next day they make sure to do so, by
studying the figures of previous day. Sometimes some innovation is also put in
like paneer momos and a batch of it is prepared for coming day.
Overall I thank them for bringing this Chinese delicacy in every corner of the street. For my mind is full of thoughts and is sometimes hungry so I say “Non-veg momos kaise lagye bhai? “
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