Beef in Delhi

Ok, so I hate to admit this, but for the last 2 weeks I have been eating an unidentified meat. The label lists it as Ground Lm Tender Lion (yes, lion - not loin). However, when cooked it tastes, looks and smells exactly like beef.

I am not an idiot, I do realize how stupid I sound saying I've been eating an unidentifiable meat. And that just sums up living in India as an expat. What you thought were your boundaries are simply no longer your boundaries. Yes, 11 months on and I am now comfortable eating random ground meat product.

Another example of my ever shifting boundaries involves a shop called the Pig Po. This shop is a pork butcher, and as far as I know there are two locations. One, is right at the end of my street while the other is in Jor Bagh.

Some time back, Gurgaon Connection - an expat group in Gurgaon - had a chain of mails about where one could procure good pork. Several members chimed in that the PigPo in Jor Bagh was a great option. I quickly chimed in that the Shanti Niketan location was significantly closer to Gurgaon and could save the drive further into Delhi for everyone involved.

Soon, someone took it upon themselves to post that they would never eat pork from the Shanti Niketan location as they had seen a cockroach in the shop case once. Now, if this message had reached me a year back and if the Pig Po had instead the Whole Foods in River North (Chicago), I would have been appalled and considered switching to another yuppie super market.

However, after a year in India - my response was simply - "Oh well, get over it!" What store/restaurant doesn't have a cockroach, mouse, critter lurking around the corner. Nature didn't intend meat to be kept in a freezer for weeks on end in India's heat. Apparently, I was not alone in my get over yourself response - several other expats chimed in with similar stories of rodent spotting in the most Hygienic of shops & restaurants in Gurgaon (Ambi mall, etc) - all indicated they continue to eat out.

On my way home that night, Sally & I discussed dinner. I stopped & bought some fresh pork. Despite what the alarmist in Gurgaon had to say - it tasted great. But definitely not as great as my mystery meat.

15 comments:

D Chaudhury said...

'Nature didn't intend meat to be kept in a freezer for weeks on end in India's heat.'

Great post! Now I only wish some Indians got over their fake squeamishness! >.>

Anonymous said...

Not to sound like your grandma or anything but you did cook the pork thoroughly, didn't you? There is a reason other than cockroaches in the glass case, that Indians in India don't eat a lot of pork. It's called tapeworm. Yes sir, those pigs in India are really, really free-range. You don't know want to know where they've been free-ranging.

shelmes said...

I definitely cook my pork thoroughly. We got sick once from pork at a friend's house - I'm not going through that again!

Gaurav Khurana said...

where did u find the unidentified meat dude im looking for steaks n all here in delhi

Anonymous said...

Maybe, the Big Guy in the Sky is telling you to go Vegetarian.

Live and let live.

While in India, you may want to try vegetarianism.

Because, India does vegetarian like no other place in the world.

Anonymous said...

u get fresh pork meat in gurmandi,rajpura 95 which is situated in north campus...this area is not known to many,becoz it is situated in interior, got to about it from a friend of mine

Kris said...

Superlike

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Unknown said...

You said it mate. Actually the quality of the meat from pigpo is probably the best you get in NCR. Others don't preach about vegetarianism to us carnivores. You might get chewed.

Unknown said...

More over the vegans should mind their leaf as most of the veggies available in NCR are grown in landfill sites and in cess pools of filth. Tape worms are going to be the least of your problems as you would be consuming quite a bit of heavy metals and carcinogens and could glow in the dark on constant consumption not forgetting the accompanied stink.

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