Visiting Another World

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Inside the warehouse of India Imports in Los Angeles, California

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010, shortly after 6:00 a.m. I get in the driver’s seat of Sonal’s van for the drive to Los Angeles, California. The reason for our short two-day trip was to visit the suppliers that keep her store stocked with Indian and British goods. Thanks to the one-hour time zone difference between Arizona and California, we arrived at the first supplier before 11:00 am. Nirav is near the downtown L.A. area, and Sonal is here to say hello, order Ready to Eat items and see what’s new. Next up is India Imports, who, we learn, are also handling Deep Frozen Foods. Sonal usually orders Deep Foods from New Jersey, this offers the opportunity to save a little on shipping – if this distributor can consistently have what she needs in inventory.

Little India Market Place in Artesia, California

South on the 110 freeway, we go to Gardena, home of Kostas International, to pick up flour. Not just any flour, though; most Hindus have their favorite brand of flour, or Atta, as it is known. We were picking up 320 pounds of Sujata Atta, a whole wheat flour popular for making chapati and roti. By now, we are starving; it is just past 2:30 pm as we hop back on the 110 south to the 91 freeway east, exiting Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia to visit Little India for something to eat. Lunch is a couple of Indo-Chinese dishes fixed for us by the owner of Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se. In the same plaza, we also visit Ajay at Little India Market Place. Sonal and I met Ajay when he was working for Nirav some years ago he now owns and operates this small grocery with a beautiful display of garlands as you walk in.

Inside the warehouse of House of Spice in Cerritos, California

House of Spice – the granddaddy of and apparent current giant in the Indian food distribution arena was the last business stop of the day. While I enjoy the hospitality of all the business owners who invite me in to look into their operations, it is definitely House of Spice that is the most welcoming, open, and helpful in explaining the current trends and situations regarding the logistics and market conditions that surround the Indian grocery distribution world as it pertains to the western United States. I would like to share with you what I learned, but I suppose that for those of you with no interest in the mechanics of this industry, it would be boring. It’s nearly dark as we wrap up our visit while the workers at House of Spice rush to empty a container of food that arrived the day before from India.

Our hotel is the Rodeway Inn on Artesia Blvd – they have four Indian channels available on the TV in the room. We check-in, and just as quickly as we drop our bags, we get back in the van and head back to Pioneer Blvd. At Sukhadia Sweets, Sonal buys something special for her and her girls, and I bought some coconut and cardamom burfi for Caroline.

Ziba Music and Gifts in Artesia, California

Ziba Music & Gift was still where they have always been, it was encouraging to see them still in business after so many other music resellers have gone out of business. Ziba sells music, movies, and Indian musical instruments. The music on offer ranges from bhangra to Bollywood and Carnatic to lounge. I was here to pick up a copy of the soundtrack to Veer Zaara; after listening to it for so many years, it was time to support the industry and buy a copy.

Snack display at Ras Raj in Artesia, California

Dinner was at Ras Raj. I had the Manchurian Sizzler, and Sonal went for the Chole Bhatura – mine was better, although that is only my perspective. As we waited for our order, half a dozen other dishes pictured on the walls inspired me to want each of them. Being in Little India, it is difficult to pass up dessert, especially when falooda is on offer, so I didn’t pass on falooda – yum.

Inside the Naz8 theater in Artesia, California about to watch "3 Idiots" starring Amir Khan

The last stop of the day, of what by now was becoming a very long day – NAZ8. What is a NAZ8? It is a movie theater a few miles away from Little India that specializes in movies from Bollywood. We were here to watch 3 Idiots starring Amir Khan. While older Hindus would argue that the golden age of Bollywood was in the 50s and 60s, for Caroline and me, it began in the mid-90s and ended in 2009. 3 Idiots was a good film, with great laughs and great acting, even from Kareena Kapoor. The problem is for me that Bollywood is going the way of Hollywood, as in American Pie kind of humor. Not that the Masala film has gotten to that level yet, but the groundwork is being laid. For the first time in a Bollywood movie I have seen, men are seen from behind relieving themselves at the urinal while other men are filmed from overhead sitting on the toilet – all of this as part of one of the musical numbers. If you don’t know Bollywood, then you don’t know how revolutionary this is. All the same, three hours later, we are leaving the theater, and I’m thinking 3 Idiots was pretty good.

Watching Hindu television at the Rodeway Inn and Motel in Artesia, California

Without an alarm or wake-up call, I’m up early, turn on the TV, and check the Indian stations. Cricket, cricket, soap opera, and an old movie. I decided against the absurd chase scenes in this movie not featuring an actor I can recognize and tune in to the news about cricket. I don’t particularly like cricket, or sports for that matter, but the difference of it all and the great lettering in the onscreen graphics had me entranced for a short time. Starbucks called me from across the street, and soon, I was replenishing my caffeine stores.

Spices on display at Rani Foods in Los Angeles, California

Ajay over at Little India Market Place told us that Rani Foods wasn’t far away, so they were our first stop of the day. Another good place to find out more interesting facts regarding FDA involvement with food suppliers in India, embargos against particular products, who is really behind some of the popular brands Indians insist are the best, and how the Indian food industry is changing.

A new container of British foods unpacked and ready to be shelved at Piccadilly Imports in Los Angeles, California

At Piccadilly Imports, we spend a good part of the day with Emma and Ben, learning why certain British foods are, at times, impossible to find in the American market. Be warned, lovers of Smarties: the FDA has banned Smarties in the U.S. until the blue Smarties are removed, as the food coloring is not approved for the American market. Later Ben shows me a cherry red 1961 Porsche parked in the warehouse, which he has restored. It seems that the food industry is about to take the backseat as he looks to expand his time into more ‘me’ time and maybe less career time. Emma takes her time to walk around the shelves while we slowly shop and check out some products we knew nothing of, such as the case of award-winning Scottish Haggis made in America that will now be on the shelves of Indo Euro Foods in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sugar cane and various vegetables packed and ready for shipment from Samra Produce in Los Angeles, California

The last distributor to visit is on the edge of the downtown Los Angeles area, Samra Produce. Samra specializes in Indian and Oriental vegetables. If you are in need of guvar, tindoora, bitter melon, Thai chilies, Indian eggplant, or sin qua, Samra likely has it – as long as it’s in season. With the vegetables loaded into the van, we are once again heading back to Little India.

Street signs in Little India located in Artesia, California

Lunch was at Tangy Tomato on Pioneer Blvd. We had the buffet, and while I would have enjoyed the foods being warmer than they were, they were well-spiced, flavorful, and all-around pretty good. The Sag Paneer was my favorite, as was the hot fresh garlic naan. With stomachs full, we head back over to House of Spice to pick up a few items they packed up for us; the van is almost full. Around the corner, we meet up with the girls of Nanak Foods as Sonal has a client with an immediate need for paneer who cannot wait for her next shipment. It is now getting late; there is no way to avoid the afternoon rush hour as millions clog the freeways on their way home. It takes us almost two hours to finally get through the 50 miles of traffic jam and see a break on the road that allows us to start driving home faster than 25 miles per hour. It’s midnight when we get back to Phoenix.

Happy Birthday Kushbu

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Kushbu, Hemu, and Sonal Patel having a sweet to celebrate Kushbu's birthday at Cheese Cake Factory in Phoenix, Arizona

On the left is Kushbu, today she turned 17, she was only 9 years old when we met her back in 2002. Her sister Hemu is in the middle, she’s visiting from Tucson where she is studying nursing, and is only a year and a half away from finishing that. On the right is our friend Sonal, mom to Hemu and Kushbu. It is the recognition of young people’s life milestones that really gives the appearance of time flying by. While us older people go about our routines the wrinkles may become more pronounced, we might put on some weight, and many of us add some grey, but as children go from grade school to high school to getting drivers licenses and then contemplating college it becomes brutally apparent that some serious amounts of time are passing so we must be getting older. The five of us went out for dinner and afterward went over to the Cheese Cake Factory for some dessert and a good old-fashioned out-of-tune rendition of the birthday song. The only person missing from the picture is Ba, their grandmother, who is in India right now on vacation – I can’t wait for her to return as she is the best cook of Gujarati food, ever. Anyway, we had a great time out with the Patels only wishing this happened more often.

Christmas With The Chans

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Elizabeth and Alfred Chan owners of Little Rangoon Taste of Burma

From China King in Chandler to Szechuan Palace in Phoenix over to Totties Asian Fusion in Scottsdale today on Christmas day, we have had the opportunity over the last couple of months to try some new foods. These are our guides on our path into Dim Sum and more traditional Chinese food: they are owners of Little Rangoon – Taste of Burma restaurant. They are Alfred and Elizabeth Chan. Most of our time with the Chans who are from Burma has been as diners at their restaurant. On the rare occasion that their own restaurant is closed such as on a holiday, we have been able to join them for lunch such as on Thanksgiving and now today on Christmas. Sadly, I don’t foresee another holiday coming up any time soon, but, since their restaurant is closed on Mondays I have met them a couple of times then. Today, Caroline and I visited Totties with Alfred, Elizabeth, and their daughter Rosalind and were treated to more than a half dozen items prepared by Tottie herself for us to sample, along with a dessert sampler tray of nine different ice-creams and a kabocha squash custard – all was yummy. Our thanks go to Tottie and her family for welcoming us to such an opulent treat today.

Over the past few years, we have met some great people including Sonal Patel and her immediate family along with her extended family which seems to be nearly every other Hindu in the Phoenix area. We have enjoyed our time shared with Rob and Jerry out at Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm as we do the rare moments with an old friend down in Tucson, Arturo Silva. Recently a Turkish friend and his German girlfriend stepped back into our lives for a short few days – how we wish we had far more time to spend with these two. But this is our problem with these people who we come to enjoy being with, we have too little time to divide our attention among these really wonderful friends but would like to let them know how much we appreciate this rare ability to laugh with one another.

On Monday, the Chans and I will be meeting for lunch again, hopefully at Great Wall Cuisine on Camelback in Phoenix and then going to Alfred and Elizabeth’s to watch part of the original Chinese five-hour version of Red Cliff with Tony Leung (one of Caroline’s favorite Chinese actors, the other is Andy Lau). So, Sonal, if you are reading this, when are we going out on a Monday when your shop is closed?

Engagement

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Rachna Patel on the day of her engagement to Niral Patel in Phoenix, Arizona

On Saturday morning we arose early and drove around the block to Suru and Anju Patel’s so I could begin taking photos of their daughter as she prepared for her engagement later in the morning. It was about five years ago we went to our first Hindu wedding when their older daughter Alka was married. Today, though, it was Rachna’s turn at beginning the process of moving towards marriage. The engagement ceremony was held at her fiance’s parent’s home. Dinesh and Panna welcomed about 40 friends and family to witness Niral and Rachna become engaged. Mrs. Rajaguru presided over the formalities, she is Kushbu and Shital’s mom and it was Kushbu who was the second engagement we attended. After the ceremony, we took a short drive to a local clubhouse for a reception with approximately 75 guests invited for this part of the day’s activities. Lunch was catered by a local temple that prepared undhiyu (a favorite of mine), tindoora, rice, puris, and one of my other favorites, shrikhand, for dessert. Sonal’s daughters Kushbu and Hemu performed a dance number with Satchi and Poorvi as a small entertainment moment in between speeches given to honor Rachna and Niral – the two are to be wed next fall.

Taner and Verena

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Taner and Verena from Berlin, Germany visiting John and Caroline Wise in Phoenix, Arizona

After a sixteen-year gap in communication, where not a word is spoken, an email exchanged, or a phone call made, it might be more typical that two once compatible personas have grown apart and, upon meeting that long lost friend, the spark that once brought the friendship to bear is simply no longer there. A week ago after an anonymous nearly cryptic email challenged us to remember someone from our past we learned that Taner would be visiting the United States and he would be traveling with his girlfriend Verena.

Last night, after arriving in Las Vegas a few days earlier from Berlin, Germany, Taner and Verena were knocking at our door. Would we like Verena? We know German women and they are typically tight-lipped and not easily amused. Would we still like Taner’s company? Caroline’s and my life is greatly different from our bohemian, decadent, hedonistic, and self-indulgent days when we lived in Frankfurt. Who would Taner be after all these years, a button-down business guy, an elitist art snob, a junkie? As they pass through our door and polite handshakes and hugs are exchanged I need a few minutes to stare into Taner’s face to find him behind the greying hair and beard. Meanwhile, Caroline gets busy talking with Verena. The chemistry is still there. Sixteen years of time are compressed and erased. We are about to find common ground that will likely rewarm a long-dormant friendship. As our talk extends into the late night, Caroline and Verena laugh while Taner and I reminisce and talk about our move to Phoenix and his to Berlin. They leave around 1:30 a.m.

Early in the morning, we get together again to continue where we left off just hours before. With time short as I understand the necessity to get on the road no matter how wonderful it might be to find yourself back with an old friend where one can’t help but wish there was more time available than reality is dictating, we get in the car and onto the road so I can give Taner and Verena a small sense about the city we live in. Our first stop is at Tonopah Rob’s farm. Coming from Berlin I felt they would appreciate the surreality of farming in the desert and I wanted them to meet Rob’s turkeys which I was fairly certain these two would never have seen before. Having not eaten breakfast these two were hungry by early afternoon and were wanting the best hamburger I knew of. Claim Jumper won out over In-N-Out with the Widowmaker burger being ordered for both Taner and Verena who said it was the best burger they’d ever had. I couldn’t disagree, it’s my favorite too.

After lunch, we picked up Caroline and drove to a local Walmart for them to witness our American consumption a la Gargantua. The patrons of Walmart in all their glorious peculiarities didn’t miss a beat in earning the awkward stares of tourists in shock at how extreme not only the variety offered on the store shelves are but the diversity of strangely clad obese people driving rascals through the autobahn wide isles of America’s shopping behemoth can be. From Walmart, it was a drive across Phoenix to Lee Lee’s Oriental Market. The colors, packaging, and exotic new products were too much for Taner who was soon armed with Caroline’s camera so he might be more discreet in capturing the fish heads, neon, and brightly packaged foodstuffs without having a store worker asking him to leave. As the theme seemed to be working we once more got in the car and this time drove to Ranch Market on Roosevelt Street.

Ranch Market is a Mexican grocery with blaring music, fluorescently bright pink, yellow, and green cakes, and entire cow heads on display in the meat counter. Our first stop was at the aqua Frescas counter to buy a horchata (rice milk), jamaica (hibiscus), Sandia (watermelon), and a limonade. We walked by the prepared hot foods, the tortilla makers in the corner, and inspected the chicharrones (fried pig skins), mountains of chili peppers in various shapes and sizes, coconuts, tamarinds, and nopales (cactus). Caroline and Verena wandered one way, Taner and I the other – this was better than nightclubbing. After Taner shot a few dozen photos a very polite security officer informed us that one or two photos were ok but that we should put the camera away.

Dinner for Caroline and I was at Lone Star Steakhouse, Taner and Verena were still full from the burger. Back at our apartment, Taner and I tried to work out a loose itinerary they might use as inspiration for the rest of their three-week American southwest vacation. We talked and planned until nearly three in the morning before we pushed them out to their hotel. In the morning I made a breakfast of potatoes, eggs, and bacon for the four of us, packed them an ice chest with frozen mango, walnuts, almonds, dried apple rings, dried apricots, and some other assorted snacks, then armed them with road maps before printing the itinerary with a few last-minute changes and, finally, encouraging these two to get going on their road trip that might take them to Monument Valley, Moab, across Nevada, into Oregon, the Redwoods, San Francisco, and back to Vegas. We had a blast visiting with Taner and Verena and sincerely hope that we’ll see these two again much sooner than later. How very perfect this last forty-eight hours have been – thanks Taner and Verena for including us in your travels.

A Hindu Wedding – Day 2

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Yagnesh Rajnikant Damania getting married in Phoenix, Arizona

Things at a Hindu wedding are not so simple as getting dressed in your best clothes, there is the community preparation part that draws out a lot of laughter. From various prayers, joinings, sweets, a coconut, this milk and turmeric washing, to dances welcoming the bride and groom after they’ve gotten dressed in their wedding clothes, these events have many moving parts that rely on friends and family to help organize everything.

Rinku Shah getting married in Phoenix, Arizona

And then the ceremony begins with many rituals, prayers, and symbolic offerings to usher in a life of happiness.

Yagnesh Rajnikant Damania and Rinku Shah getting married in Phoenix, Arizona

And then they are man and wife!

Jutta Engelhardt at Rinku's wedding in Phoenix, Arizona

With my mother-in-law Jutta still in America, the Shah family extended the invitation to her and helped supply her with clothes appropriate for the day.

Caroline Wise at Rinku's wedding in Phoenix, Arizona

My wife is sooo hot.