panelarrow

Taj Mahal Snacks

| 0 comments

My first impression of Taj Mahal Imports was based on my misconstrued notions of Indian culture. My only exposure or prior knowledge of Indian culture, I picked up in my world civilization class back in high school. So prior to the field trip I had my own pre-conceived notions of what I expected the grocery store to look like; however, once I walked through the door those were wiped clean. The shelves were full of different types of food that I had never heard of before. For example one of the aisles was stacked full of all different types of pickled foods. Another aisle contained different types of ghee, which if you didn’t know is non-refrigerated butter. As I adventured through more of the aisles I realized that the grocery store not only sold food but also other common household goods such as Indian shampoo and different Hindu statues.

IMG_3033

The Indian grocery store, which seemed as normal as an Indian grocery store could be, also had a restaurant/diner area towards the back of the store. This is where our (the class’s) adventure began. I am a picky eater to begin with, I ate mainly chicken fingers for a decent chunk of time during my childhood, so I was hesitant to try one of the Indian dishes but I loved the Indian food that I got at the restaurant. I got pani purri, which are these tiny bowls that are full of vegetables and spicy sauces.

IMG_3034

Its interesting to think about Taj Mahal imports as an “ethnic space” as Sen describes it, because while our class was eating our dishes two Indian women came in and ordered food. The two women were in work clothes so I assume they came in to eat during their lunch breaks. To me, this “ethnic space” was a new experience that exposed me to new foods and a different culture, but to them it acted as a way for them to stay in touch with their heritage by eating Indian food and bringing back food to their household and family.

Taj Mahal Imports is located in a unique area, just off of US 75, its surrounded by other ethnic restaurants and stores. This includes Masami Japanese Sushi and Cuisine, Aboca’s Italian Grill, Mediterranean Café, and Addis Abeba Ethiopian Food. The convergence of different ethnic restaurants might be because as Sen says “ethnic stores are contact zones where multiple social groups interact” (Sen 4). Areas like the one we visited on our field trip are sites where “global culture is consumed, commodified, and produced” (Sen 4). The area acts as a place for different social and ethnic groups to experience different cultures as well as provide a place for ethnicity to be practiced. Stores such as Taj Mahal Imports are important to the global network of Indian goods because they help circulate products that would otherwise be unavailable to Indian people in America or other parts of the world. These stores help keep Indian culture alive outside of India.

Leave a Reply

Required fields are marked *.


Skip to toolbar