I now crave for those deep fried little pulled pieces of dough that I remember from sleep eyed mornings at "Cheena-para" in Kolkata. Now this is not the Tangra China town that wiki briefly snubs you with or even the site that speaks much of it... This is nestled in the heart of Tiritti Bazaar just behind Lal Bazaar police station in Kolkata...
Even Google Maps does a poor job out the tiny capillary-like gullies that lead to exactly to this place... :(
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I vividly remember the longish pieces of wood that shone in the early Kolkata mornings as the man hunched over it and slapped a smallish lump of flour (maida) dough stepped in oil and then stretched it all the way along the length of the wooden little 'plank', gently patting it along the way. Then even as the dough attempted to crawl back, quick as a flash the Chinese chopper would fly though the morning and ratatat the stretched dough into little pieces numbed into submission.
Next the pieces of dough sized like an obese Chiclets would get picked in pairs, stuck with a quick squeeze of the thumb and forefinger, and pulled further into strips, before being dunked into a wok full of smoking oil. Soon You'd get a 'thonga' of these and gobbled them even as your hands scalded with the heat...
I want some now ... :(
p.s.(For all those who are wondering ... Thonga is Bengali for hand made recycled newspaper paper packets. These are still used in lieu of polythene bags in Kolkata. In many places...)
p.p.s. Here is a pic of what James was craving.... It is from a site he posted on FB
(Photo credits - http://www.hawberry.net/2010/12/19/the-spectral-mahua-truck/)
Really, missing all this now.
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