Gujarat: The non-vegetarian gourmet’s paradise in India

Where in India is there a rush to open restaurants that cater to non-vegetarians? Surprise, surprise, it’s Ahmedabad. “When homegrown fried chicken chain, Bangs, set shop in Ahmedabad last November, it had trouble convincing its franchisee to invest enough in the brand. But as word got around, the budget outlet started drawing walk-ins of around 300 a day. The sales are now double that of its outlets in Mangalore, Indore and Chennai, cities conventionally known to have a strong non-vegetarian appetite. In fact, the same franchisee is now racing ahead to open two more outlets in Ahmedabad as Bangs expands to Vadodara and Surat this fiscal,” says T he Economic Times. [caption id=“attachment_119888” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Now you can choose from Pizza Hut, KFC, or the home-grown Khyber.”]  [/caption] While it seems to be surprising, if one attempted to know more about Gujarat, one would learn that 70 percent of the state’s population is non-vegetarian. “Senior sociologist professor Ghanshyam Shah believes the myth that Gujarat is a vegetarian state was exploded a decade ago by a survey of Anthropological Survey of India, which said 70 percent of the state was non-vegetarian. “Ten per cent Muslims, seven percent Dalits, 40 percent OBCs and 14 percent Adivasis are all meat eating,” he says. “Among the OBCs, only smaller artisan communities like Prajapatis and Suthars, forming seven percent, are traditionally vegetarian. Among upper castes, Rajputs are traditionally meat eaters”, repors the Times of India. While, mathematically, the majority of the population is non-vegetarian, the vegetarian minority enjoys the share of voice, and the restaurateurs cannot afford to antagonise them. “American multinational Kentucky Friend Chicken (KFC) will, for the first time, have its waiters wear different-coloured uniforms while serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers to placate protests in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat city it enters later this month. The steps for Ahmedabad include different coloured uniforms for staff members, separate counters for veg & non-veg orders, separate cooking areas indicated by markings on the wall, official sources said,” reports the Economic Times. It could be the mobility of the new Indian which has propelled this revolution. What would students at an institution such as IIM Ahmedabad who have been brought up on a non-vegetarian diet do for their fix? “For the non-vegetarian cuisine, head to Upper Crust at Vijay Char Rasta - the shop primarily known for its cakes and pastries, but serves excellent non-vegetarian food like chicken sandwiches and sizzles. Curries, opposite AMA, is another promising option to try some Indian style non-vegetarian dishes like specially grilled fish, butter chicken and tawa chicken. Khyber, the roof-top restaurant at Fortune Landmark Hotel, Usmapura, serves non-vegetarian food till late in the night in an amazing ambience that just improves the experience of fine-dining. For those pinched in the wallets, La Bella in Khanpur, Khamasa galli and Bhatiar galli are the places to go for fresh, spicy non-vegetarian food at economical rates,” is a one paragraph primer on the IIM website. The increased industrialisation in the state sees an increased travel by corporate executives to Ahmedabad – and many of them aren’t Gujarati or vegetarian. Till recently, they had to make do with vegetarian food. Not any more, though; they can choose from Pizza Hut, KFC, or the home-grown Khyber.