Dhaba Diving

June 8th – India

Dhaba Diving:

I’m on my way to the village to check on production and quite frankly, I’m starving…we left at the crack of dawn to avoid the heat and traffic from Calcutta.

I have to go check on a bunch of handloom scarves that an American corporate client of mine ordered. This is really Suchita’s job – and this is one of the reasons I had to fire her. But it’s okay – since I always like to set down some standards for the weavers on each large order…. and going through each piece myself is the only way to do it.

But back to my stomach:

On the highways of India, there is often very little to eat…just little roadside shacks selling tea and sometimes ancient looking biscuits.

So everyone relies on roadside eateries called ‘dhabas.’ I approach dhabas and driving in India the same way: it’s best not to look.

If I really look at how the food is made…and spend too much attention to all the things that might go wrong, I’ll never eat anything.


Here is a quick peak of my breakfast being made….you can't beat the atmosphere!

This guy actually made me the most delicious paratha stuff with spicy potatoes. I love that dhabas usually only have ONE thing on the menu - take it or leave it. Today it was aloo paratha with fresh yogurt...a typical Punjabi breakfast.

My first experience with dhaba was because of a young student I hired as a translator in Karnataka . After we finished our interviews she asked if I wanted to try some chicken kebabs. We drove right up to this darkened shack and waited on some broken down old benches.

I nervously watched as the cook waved away a mass of flies who were laying near the frying vat before he started our meal. My mind made a quick reference through all the diseases I might catch - but ultimately my stomach won.

This is a typical dhaba. Sometimes they have open air kitchens but this one is has a structure.

I ate everything. I didn’t die or feel bad in any way….and by now I’ve eaten hundreds of meals in dhabas…and I have yet to get sick!

It is actually kind of amazing - I've tried all kinds of tasty things while on the road. These delicious little stuffed peppers in Orissa and amazing mango lassis in M.P...and lots and lots of fried fish in West Bengal!