Humans of Olympics: The Gujarati parents taking advantage of Olympics to introduce kids to Indian food
In rainy Paris, Loukmanjee and his family eagerly awaited authentic Indian food at India House.
Two young girls were standing next to a man in his fifties waiting patiently for the food to show up on a rainy weekend afternoon in Paris. Despite no words being exchanged between them, the body language was comfortable while they waited. It was a Gujarati businessman Saifuddin Loukmanjee, 52, originally from Jamnagar, who came to Paris via Madagascar 35 years ago, and his daughters Sarah, 15, and Anisha, 10, waiting to get their hands on a bowl of mini sambar idlis and vada pav that they had ordered at one of the food counters in India House at Parc de la Villette on the fringes of the city where most of the national hospitality houses have been set up.
Despite the rain, Loukmanjee waited patiently with his daughters, wife Lamya, mother-in-law Monique Mamodaly and neighbours to walk into India House and feast on some authentic Indian food that wasn’t chicken tikka masala, butter paneer and “naan bread.” “I found out about this place from my mother-in-law who came to know about it from my aunt via a WhatsApp group chat. The food is not expensive and it tastes great. I am very excited to go try some more dishes on the menu,” said Loukmanjee.
Also Read: Catch HT's comprehensive coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics here
Sarah and Anisha, Parisians by birth, speak French and Gujarati but understand a bit of English which made this interview possible. Both are excited about the Olympics and are rooting for France to win several medals. Their mother Lamya, while looking forward to all the sports action, was much happier about the experiences and engaging events that have come with the mega sporting event, she said tapping her feet to the Bollywood music that was playing in the background.