A while back I bought it at one of the many wonderful bookstores along Charing Cross Rd. in London a couple of years ago, and it was sitting in my ‘to read’ pile for a little bit longer than it should have. But I finally got around to reading it. It was called Indian Takeaway by Hardeep Singh. And I have to say I’ve found it to be a lovely book. It was an interesting take on a food journey.
Singh is a Sikh of Indian heritage born in the UK, raised in Scotland, considers himself Scottish through and through. Although unfortunately there might be some to take serious exception to his Scottish identity. (He was afterall born in London!) This presents a bit of an identity crisis for him. So he goes back to India, to various spots, ending in his dad’s hometown. And his idea was to bring English food to people in India. A change over from the traditional food migration of recent years.
It accounts his journeys from the UK to the different cities, what he finds there, the people he meets, the relatives he encounters. There are some interesting stories that one might expect from traveling in India. It’s certainly an interesting overview of India from one with connections to the place. Someone of Indian heritage revisiting a country he’s visited many times via family, doing it on his own and bringing his UK roots with him. I hope Hardeep Singh will consider writing more books of this style, maybe revisiting these footsteps.