Cutting the Mustard…Oil… (Kolkata)

Nepal was, quite literally, a breath of fresh air after our first month in India. On top of allowing us to renew our visas, our time in the Himalayas was a much-needed opportunity to cure our bus-horn-induced tinnitus, clear our blackened lungs, and purge ourselves of much of the ghee we had ingested on our first India adventure.

We relished the peace of Nepal, and we loved the physical challenge that came with a few weeks of intense hiking, but we could not escape our big-city conditioning.  We soon found ourselves itching to dive back into the crazy, chaotic world that is the Indian metropolis. Kolkata, with its rich history, immense scale, and unique culinary scene, seemed like the perfect place to start.

Kokata’s Hooghly River, a continuation of the Ganges, provides a picturesque, albeit fragrant, backdrop to the city

First Impressions

Kolkata – or Calcutta, as it’s still known in many places, including among many of the locals – carries with it a serious reputation. Once the glory of the British Empire, the city is mostly known for its rapid deterioration following partition, when millions of refugees rushed in from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and the subsequent several decades of economic struggle left much of the population living in dire conditions. Having heard a lot about the city’s later recovery, we were curious to experience modern Kolkata for ourselves.

Leaving the airport in a shiny new Uber car, we found ourselves heading down a wide, well-tarmacked flyover, past pristine buildings, sprawling suburban bars and restaurants, and dazzling purple lights (although maybe they were just dazzling because our most recent experience was the rather more modest Kathmandu). Only the sight of the traditional Ambassador taxis motoring along, and of course the usual kamikaze Indian drivers, gave any hint of the Kolkata most are familiar with.

One thing we immediately noticed, and one that we can’t seem to find any explanation for, is that Kolkata loves to advertise steel. Billboards and vehicles are all adorned with pictures evoking the apparent joys of high-quality steel

We were staying outside the city center, in an upmarket area called Ballygunge. Home to the newest and most ostentatious mall in Kolkata (where Jess accidentally managed to buy a $6 avocado), this part of town was clearly showing us a paper-thin slice of modern Kolkata society. Nevertheless, it was great to have a clean, relatively peaceful place to call home, and we also found that we were just around the corner from some of the Kolkata’s best restaurants. Desperate for a change from Nepali momos and pizza, we got to work sampling their offerings without hesitation.

If you’re going to buy an avocado for $6, you might as well accessorize

One of the more striking Hindu temples was conveniently across the street from where we were staying, complete with some friendly and entrepreneurial guards who had a side business running tours

Food

As we generally do, we dove back into the Indian food scene with alacrity. Kolkata has a somewhat different palette of flavors versus Northwest India, reflecting the Bengali focus on fish, mustard oil, green chilies, and a certain amount of coconut. Mustard oil provides a wonderfully flavorful base level of spice, while the chilies are added nearly raw at the end to bring some pizzazz. Perhaps most entertainingly, additional chilies are served speared on toothpicks, lollipop style, and even children will munch on them between bites of fish curry.

The twitching in Ethan’s lip is either the onset of mercury poisoning or the numbness of the chilis taking full effect. Despite appearances, this was one of our tastiest meals of the month

Fish, swimming happily (in coconut milk)

Can you spot the green chili hiding in the foliage? 

Street food is both a source of daily sustenance for many inhabitants, and a hobby for those with spare time and taste buds. We straddled both camps, and one afternoon found ourselves crawling around clusters of stalls inhaling $0.50 plates of mustard-oil-y noodles.

The full cornucopia of deep fried poultry and accompanying sauces

Truth in advertising at last – this stall essentially served bowls of fried chili peppers with small garnishes of noodles, meats, or vegetables

Those who’ve tipsily sought a fourth meal during the late hours in New York or London are probably aware of the existence of the Kati Roll, an impressively greasy assemblage of meats, vegetables, and/or eggs with spices rolled within an equally impressively greasy paratha bread, and sealed on a hot griddle using yet more grease. Kolkata, as you’ve probably guessed, is the home of the Kati Roll, and we wasted little time in dining upon a couple of these oleaginous monstrosities to our great delight.

The parchment paper didn’t stand a chance. Jess making use of her flautist training to hold the roll with a minimum of grease transference to her hands

Finally, Kolkata is a hub for a series of creative Bengali deserts involving various combinations of nuts, milk, and sweetened syrups, and we experimented with a few of these confections between cups of the obligatory masala chai.

Rossogolla are balls of cottage cheese cooked (and bathed) in syrup. There’s apparently a lot of dispute over who, or even which Indian state, was their originator. ‘Nuff said

It’s not clear whether this label was to indicate a sugar-free dessert option or to suggest some sort of cause and effect relationship

A bit of caffeine helps offset the post-syrup somnolence. Also, the excitement of the obligatory post-tot cup-smashing!

British Legacy

Kolkata was the long-time capital of the British Raj, and before that the headquarters of the East India Company. The city was also a center for thinkers and poets, especially those espousing Indian independence, and many of India’s leading intellectuals in the 19^th and 20^th centuries came from Kolkata or spent their formative years there. The growing intellectual firmament led the British to move their capital to the less-restive Delhi in 1911, but the spirit of thought, discussion, and challenge endured, and even today there are signs of the debate culture in coffee shops and on the stoops of historical Kolkata houses.

A typical house in Kolkata’s historic center comes complete with its own stoop, ideally suited for some sociable ruminating and people watching

Along with stoops, political symbols – like the Congress party hand – are visible all over town

Unlike the more modern outskirts, the center of Kolkata seemed, to us at least, an evolved version of the Calcutta that took shape under British rule. Across the central Chowringhee area, grand Victorian buildings dominate the skyline, and historical sports clubs and intellectual societies continue to find a place in daily life. The Maidan, a huge green space sitting in place of what was once a tiger-infested jungle, remains at the heart of city life, as it has done since the mid-18^th century. We spent a day wandering around these sights.

The imposing Victoria Memorial

The Esplanade Mansions were originally dwellings for British civil servants, and are now one of the key photo backdrops tourists seek. We were no different

St. Paul’s Cathedral, a pretty impressive example of gothic architecture on the edge of the Maidan

The Calcutta Rowing Club, yet another example of “wee Britain” to be found in the city. We actually saw a few enterprising oarsmen taking boats out, possibly to the detriment of their lungs

St John’s Church, originally constructed in 1787

The memorial to those who were imprisoned in the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta

The Howrah Bridge, one of the most magnificent structures in Kolkata, especially near sunset

We also stopped in the Indian Museum, which while hosting an impressive collection of artifacts, could use more than a little curation. It felt like an old British cabinet of curiosities in that you were never sure what was on the next shelf. We really could have used an eccentric owner to come and tell us what everything was.

The classical collection…

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Prehistoric elephant ancestors

Ethan trying to blend into the masks exhibit

To the east of the center lies the New Market area, focused on an 1874 shopping arcade which nowadays overflows into the surrounding streets, drawing incredible crowds and by far the most aggressive vendors we’d come across to date. If you can stomach the close bodily contact and the wafting aromas of fish guts, the market is a lively labyrinth of food, electronics, clothing, and curios of every type. Squeezed among fruit vendors and bric-a-brac we even found a few longstanding institutions, including 100-year-old sari shops and a Jewish bakery.

Approaching the entrance before plunging in

It may not be clear from the photo, but this density of people went on for the better part of a mile

Over a century old, Kolkata’s Nahoum & Sons, is jewish bakery that seems to specialize in various geometries of plum cakes

Up close and personal with the confections

Under the British, Kolkata was a thriving trading hub, and it held significant appeal for migrants of every background. At its peak, the Chinese community exceeded 20,000, the Jewish community was around 6,000, and there were large populations of Armenian and Greek origin. In the post-Independence period, these communities virtually disappeared, but their legacy is apparent, from the food to the architecture.

Bowbazar was traditionally a refuge for immigrants of all cultures, separate from the British and Bengali neighborhoods. Today, its streets are absolutely, unbelievably packed with merchants, deliverymen and harried office workers

We had heard on good authority that there were three synagogues still standing in this area, but we had some serious trouble tracking them down. Neveh Shalom synagogue was tucked away behind a cluster of market stalls, up an unassuming set of stairs

The building lies empty today, but is kept in pristine condition thanks to the support of the international community, as well as some kindly (and likely very bored) Indian caretakers who were happy to provide a loaner kippah for our visit

The Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth is the oldest church in the city, first established 1690

The building is surrounded by a packed graveyard, where it’s possible to track many family lines from the 17th century to the 20th

The Portuguese church, which was constructed in 1799 – making it the oldest Catholic church in the city

Beth El Synagogue, currently under renovation

Exploring Further

Beyond the very heart of the city, we found that the combination of the legacy of international trade – and the riches that came with it – and the post-Independence influx of refugees from what is now Bangladesh made for some fascinating touristing. Magnificent mansions and hotels have been turned into dwellings for hundreds or thousands of people by the necessity of absorbing newcomers. Alongside these historical buildings exist numerous slums that were hastily constructed for the overflow of new residents. As the city’s standard of living has improved, these slums have become more livable, while the historic buildings continue to decay, with the two sorts of housing meeting somewhere in the middle.

Old buildings have been subdivided, and re-subdivided, creating dense and winding networks of rooms and corridors – the number of letter boxes here provide a hint of what’s above, as well as the ad-hoc fashion in which the new residents organized things

Heading north, you reach the former haunt of educated, wealthy Bengali residents – despite flaking paint jobs and rusting railings, the glamour of the colonial era city is still apparent

Based on our data, every kid in Kolkata plays cricket 100% of the time. These guys are fortunate enough to have a field…

…but it’s standard practice to occupy a whole side street. As a pedestrian, one rapidly becomes adept at dodging flying cricket balls

In the backstreets of northern Kolkata we found some impressive instances of quirky neighborhood charm

Supposedly this house is haunted – we made like the locals and quickened our pace on this particular street

Aspirational murals decorate the walls outside a famous gym

Compared to the crush of the central city, some neighborhoods feel downright sleepy, but it gives the casual visitor a great chance to observe old buildings and grab a bite at some local food stands

With the help of an amazing local guide, who dedicated a few hours to showing us around one afternoon, we found ourselves in the famous potters’ quarter of Kumortuli, where hand-shaped clay statues are prepared en masse ahead of religious festivals. Unlike many of Kolkata’s traditional artisans, this community has persevered and continues to pass their craft from generation to generation, taking their clay from the local river and “recycling” it by dissolving the statues in the water once they have been used.

Preparing the “skeleton” of wood

Mud-based “flesh” is layered on top of the frame

Finally, skilled craftsmen complete the details of heads and skin

Mass production!

A bit of skill tutoring by one of the old masters to a pupil

The finished product

Many of these festivals worship Kali, the patron goddess of Kolkata, and we rapidly became acquainted with her many-armed black form and her long, red tongue. Among other more typically godly things like creation, she is most jarringly the goddess of destruction, and her worship historically has involved a large amount of animal sacrifice. Even today there are occasional goat sacrifices in the city, and our visit to her central temple, the stunning Kalighat, had an eeriness that was hard to forget.

City Culture

Politically, Kolkata had a long period as one of the few places with an elected communist government, and although they were voted out five years ago, and free-market reforms were begun back in the 1990s, this history is clearly apparent. Perhaps the most obvious sign is the Lenin statue in the middle of town, but a focus on public services and a disinclination for commerce – nothing opens before 10 AM, even coffee shops – round this out. Economically, the city has done much better since the 1990s, but in our discussions with younger people we learned that jobs are hard to come by, so youth in search of work often decamp to bustling Mumbai.

The comrade himself

The Kolkata Metro was the first built in India, and despite its age is a quick way of getting between parts of a city that often suffers terrible traffic

Typists plying their craft on the edge of a busy sidewalk. These gentlemen are to be commended for their splendid attire despite the oppressive heat. How they focus on their work given the abundant distractions boggles our minds

Signs of Mother Teresa abound wherever you go in the city

Unsurprisingly, then, Kolkata is known for being relatively laid-back for an Indian city, and its citizens have a reputation for long discussions in coffee shops, bars, and public places. While we weren’t objective evaluators, our forays did reinforce this impression relative to Delhi and Mumbai. Aside from extended conversations over libations, cricket is another pillar of civic life – it’s by far the most important sport in India, although football (soccer) is growing fast, especially in Kolkata. We lucked out in terms of sports since our visit coincided with both a cricket test versus England, and the semifinals of the Indian Super League (football), in which the local Kolkata team was playing. Bars were packed and TV stores had massive crowds gathered outside as people sought to watch a few minutes of sport en route to work.

Cheekily catching a few “overs” en route to work

We also had an absolutely fantastic evening out with a new friend we made who was visiting Kolkata for a wedding and stayed in the same Airbnb we did. He graciously invited us out to a stellar night with the bride, groom, and many of their friends, replete with gallon beer chalices filled with local microbrews (megabrews?), flaming shots and the associated eyebrow fires, and loads of 1990s pop music. Much fun was had.

Amid all the excitement, Ethan’s illness bill finally came due. A combination of hard living, hard touristing, and hard eating led to a seriously scorching fever in the wee hours of the morning, coupled with a series of painful symptoms whose details need no elaboration. Jess in turn hid her enjoyment of Ethan’s comeuppance, and made some brave sallies to stock up on medicine, rehydration salts, and soup mix. Fortunately the home remedies were rapidly successful.

During Ethan’s day of convalescence we dove into our host’s wonderful book collection while reclining in splendor on an indoor porch swing. While we read many books about India during our time in the country, our favorites were those by William Dalrymple, an enthusiastic and entertaining chronicler of the subcontinent. For those looking for a book about India combining a good dose of wry humor with an aggressive desire to explore, we recommend you pick up one of his volumes.

Making the best of a bad situation. With a porch swing