|
Indian
food, virtually synonymous with "curry" in Japan, is
gaining popularity in the country it was
reported recently.
Chinese and
Thai food, the other favourites, are gradually being replaced by
hundreds of Indian restaurants mushrooming across the islands.
There has
also been an unprecedented rise in food imports from India.
The Japanese
are so fascinated with Indian food that even restaurants owned by
Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans display the Indian Tricolour
and add the prefix "Indian" to the names of the eateries -
such as restaurant chains like Siddique's Indian Pakistani, which has
over 20 outlets, and Indian Sri Lankan.
"The
Japanese identify 'Indian' with good and delicious food. If a
restaurant serving South Asian fare does not have the Indian tag, the
Japanese will not go to it," explained Mohammad Sageer, a chef
working for Potahar who came from Islamabad eight years ago.
Potahar, in
Shinzuku, Tokyo, is owned by a Pakistani but an Indian flag hangs
outside. The small eatery caters to over 100 people, mostly Japanese,
who queue up for "curry and naan" during lunchtime. |
