Food, Glorious Food

So I have come to the thought that maybe it's just Gujus that don't particularly like western food. Which is surprising when so many of them have lived in the US. Now Ahmedabad has I think 6 million people, and there are restaurants that serve western food, but it is generally very disappointing. It usually tastes nothing like what it is supposed to. They always add masala. One restaurant had pad thai on the menu. I skeptically asked if it had lots of peanuts in it. He assured me that yes it did. When it got to my plate it was just a bunch of noodles with chili sauce that had none of the peanut flavor it should. Oh, and ketchup. What is WITH the ketchup? Seriously, NO KETCHUP ON PIZZA. Nooooooooo! Just No! I usually acknowledge that people should be free to eat what they want. But here I put my foot down. It is a crime, no, a sin, how much they douse their pizza in ketchup. In times of grumpiness, I have truly had to restrain myself from grabbing the ketchup bottle out of the hands some poor Guju at PizzaHut.

However already in Chandigarh I have found many good spots. Yesterday I was very happy to see a honey-mustard chicken sandwich on the menu. I suspiciously asked the waiter if there was any masala on the sandwich. He said no, but I didn't believe him. But lo, and behold, it was good and not Indian-ized. Not only that, but there was also a side salad. And by 'salad' I don't mean the usual slices of cucumber and dry-up carrots, but actual LETTUCE. Yes, it was a real salad with lettuce and dressing. oh it was good, expensive, but good.

I noticed there was a KFC not far from my hotel. Now I hadn't been to one in India, so I thought this was a good time. In Singapore everything was pretty much the same. I had some of their nice mashed potatoes. Well, in India apparently they don't have them. Actually in one place they had advertised a chicken thali meal. I slapped my forehead on this one. They had completely indianized it, and instead of mashed potates and all that, you got a rice plate with chicken.

Anyway at this place, on the menu they had a 'BoxMaster.' As I could not figure out what is was from the picture, I had to try it. Basically it was chicken strips with lettuce and dressing with an aloo (potato) spicy patty wrapped in a tortilla. Where did this idea come from?? I have no clue, but it was pretty good. And of course in India, there is always the ubiquitous veggie selection, even at KFC.

But not only that! I found a restaurant the shopping area of Sector 9 called Backpacker. There was a QUICHE! yes, quiche! Not only that but it had ham! And it tasted exactly as a quiche should! And it came with a salad of lettuce with olives. It was great! I was so excited by the menu items that I couldn't resist ordering the baked mushrooms as well. And guess what! They were stuffed mushroom caps, and they tasted like they should as well! Expensive, but sooooo good.
Ok anyway, I had to say it. I've been sick of Indian food, sorry, but the masala (spices) are getting to me. And yes, I have considered that as I am leaving soon, maybe I should be getting in some last Indian food. Well, I've had some...the spices didn't...come out well. So I'll just be excited by my findings here!

I read online that there is a Ruby Tuesday's here in Chandigarh...I'm holding my breath to see if it's the real thing... I'll let you know.