JAY JOSHI
The holy month of Shravan has now begun. This month wields tremendous religious significance for Hindus, and there is a tradition of fasting during this time.
While Mondays in Shravan are marked with a complete fast for some, sticking only to certain foods, a sort of ‘partial fast’ is observed on other days of Shravan. During this time, non-vegetarians abstain from fish and meat, while vegetarians avoid consuming onion and garlic.
Religious significance aside, Shravan is a rather testing time for foodies and businesses related to food. Restaurants are believed to typically face a downturn in business during this time, but now that picture seems to be changing, thanks to the emergence of ‘Shravan Thali.’
A number of restaurants around Goa offer a special Shravan thali during the holy month, enabling customers to have ‘the best of both worlds’ by providing an opportunity to enjoy delicious restaurant style dishes while also maintaining the religious observance.
Hotel Delmon is one of the big establishments in Panaji that has a tradition of offering Shravan Thali for over a decade. “We basically offer Saraswat food without onion and garlic, and serve dishes such as Udid Methi, Chanyachi Usal etc.,” informed the assembly manager and in-charge of Delmon’s ‘Tinge’ restaurant, Bosco Fernandes. “Since Shravan has just started, we are now picking up business. We offer a different menu every day bringing a range of deserts, he stated, adding that the restaurant served Shravan thali only on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, serving the usual vegetarian thali on other days, but that too is without onion and garlic. The Shravan thali at Delmon is currently priced at Rs 230.
“We offer Shravan thali three days a week. It has traditional Goan items such as mooga gaathi, chonyache tonak and desserts such as shira. These items are served in addition to usual thali items such as chapatis, vegetables and rice, and all the delicacies are prepared without onion and garli,” informed the manager from India Cafe, Panaji. The thali is priced at Rs 110. “Our business is doing quite well, because professionals working in different offices are our regular customers and they appreciate the special thali,” the restauranteur said.
Ananthashram from Vasco is also noted for serving the special Shravan thali for the past six years. Currently the thali is priced at around Rs 300. “In our thali we put out a number of traditional sweets such as modak, puran poli, patoli etc,” said the manager speaking on behalf of restaurant owner Shripad Shetye. He further averred that Shravan thali of the restaurant has become an attraction in town and the eatery serves an estimated 50-60 Shravan thalis per day.
However, even as restaurants are doing good business, many Goan people who are non-vegetarians are now finding ways to make food spicy and tasty without the usual flavours of fish and meat. Homemakers are looking for options to substitute fish with a number of other delicacies. Pratibha Gawas from Pernem on the other hand observes a kind of ‘moral flexibility’ during the month of Shravan. “We cook seasonal vegetables with spices during the season. We do not bring fish and meat at home, but if we feel like having it, we do so outside,” she quips.
Another establishment noted for Shravan special thali is Nanutel in Margao. Priced at Rs 280 plus taxes, the Thali mainly offers traditional Goan food. “We serve around 30 Shravan thalis per day, but the business has been down in the past couple of days owing to heavy rains,” informed the restaurant manager.
Aishwarya Prabhu, a homemaker from Kundai shares, “Well, there is no fish and meat during Shravan, so we cook vegetables in the same spices and gravies we use for meat preparations. We make ‘Alu Wadi’ (colocasia leaf rolls) . The delicacy is then further cooked with spices to give an illusion of a mutton dish,” she stated.
Thus, the adage ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ seems to ring true during the month of Shravan, as businesses and homemakers faced with dietary restrictions continue to innovate and develop new ways of making food spicy and tasty.
In case of Shraddha Naik from Priol, it is a different story. “I makes lots of hot chutneys and sometimes cook paneer to make it through Shravan without fish. During this time, a lot of ‘Bhaajni flour’ is used by many people to add flavour to the food. Vegetarian food is too bland for my taste, and I can live with Bhaajni,” says Naik.
