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Archiver > INDIA > 1999-03 > 0920524628


From: Ian Poyntz <>
Subject: Re: Indian recipes (was : Picnics)
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 23:17:08 -0600


Hello to all,

JillGrey wrote:

> I was going through a box of letters last night - one of
> those sturdy American care-package cartons from WW2,
> stuffed with over 500 letters. Most of the letters,
> postmarked 'Leicester' had been written to my father by his
> 17 year old bride-to-be shortly after the family's return
> from India. The rest - his replies - were posted from
> wherever he happened to be stationed.

8< snip

> Memories of curry and chupattis had evidently worked their
> magic at some speed ... so one wonders how the ingredients
> could have materialised quite so quickly.
>
> Does anyone else remember attempts to recreate Indian
> mealtimes in wartime Britain?

This brings back a few memories of life in England during and just after
the war. I was just a sprat of a lad then but some things stick in ones
mind.

My father came home in 1946 after almost 7 years of army food. I
clearly remember my mother preparing typical English meals for him -
roast beef or mutton on Sundays and all kinds of things on other days.
Rationing was still severe and many things were not available but my
mother made heroic efforts to provide good meals. However, what really
sticks in my mind was that what my father really wanted was Indian
food. He was much better at it than anyone else in the family and would
produce the most fantastic curries. Sadly, most of his cooking went way
over the heads of us kids. It was too blazingly hot for one thing, and
besides we were more interested in anything that came with chips,
(french fries). I do remember that he was limited by the lack of
ingredients and could only prepare one or two dishes at a time.
Whenever his passion for Indian food became more intense than he could
handle in our kitchen he would drag us off to an Indian restaurant.
These days it's hard to believe, but there weren't too many in London in
the 40's and early 50's. The only one that I remember is Veeraswamy's
on Regent Street which I think is still there.

----------------------------------------------------
Ian Poyntz
Houston, Texas

ICQ# 143177
http://www.hal-pc.org/~poyntz/india.html
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