Patel Brothers, Indian Grocers, Cary, North Carolina, USA.
When I was a student, in the college town where I lived, there used to be only one grocery store that sold spices catering to the small Indian student population. The Asian gentleman who owned this small grocery store called “Asia Stores” kept just one shelf full of Indian groceries. They were generic Indian spices and some Patak’s pickles. We were creative in using these spices to concoct some of the best sambars, rasams and curry varieties.
But when we needed authentic South Indian specialty spices and sambar powders, we needed to travel all the way to Chicago! Oh it was such a luxury to go there once in a while and to step into this little enclave of India that was nestled among the West Ridge Orthodox Jewish community of “Devon Avenue”. We felt like a little Divan ourselves when we visited this place and treated ourselves to sumptuous, exotic North Indian foods, complete with gulab jamuns, and mango lassi! Of course, Gandhi would have been so proud to see this community of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi merchants flourishing as if they were from one amalgamated society.
There were no Mysore Woodlands or Udupi Palace yet, but then the original Patel Brothers and India Saree Palace were already thriving. Devon Avenue also attracted Vaitha Jewelers and East West Appliances and together they formed an incredible alliance in providing anything and everything that an Indian needed. If you were visiting India for the summer, all you had to do was tell them your budget. They would throw together sarees, some jewelry, watches, two in ones, cassette players, and a suitcase to carry them all in. You felt at home there, when you saw the men chewing colorful pans, and expertly spitting on the road. There were Pan Parag, samosas and masala teas to complete your journey. For geeky Indians, we enjoyed hearing stories of Dr. Chandra shopping here with his wife once in a while, or of a time when Lata Mangeshkar ate in one of the restaurants (that had a photo to prove it).
Ever since then, I’ve made a habit of visiting these Little Indias all over the US. Nowadays I even possess well-developed mental criteria to systematically compare these places to my Old Chicago Devon Avenue. Last year I finally made a trip to Edison, NJ, and to Cary, NC. My criteria now include questions like: Are there any Patel Brothers? How big is the India Town? How about Saravana Bhavan? How many varieties of Masala Dosa do they offer? Does it resemble an Indian Bazaar? I neatly tally my score up and see if any of these places can compete with my favorite, Devon Avenue. To my disappointment, none so far can surpass the famous Devon Avenue in Chicago as the top Little India.
ihave been in Chicago for over 52 years and remember what you write. Pre India town we could get no indian groceries in Chicago but had tosend for dhal and tamarind. There were no indian vegetables or curry leaves ever. we sent for groceries to you a turkish store in NY.We have come a long way in chicago.
When I came to central Pennsylvania in the early-1970s, Kalustyan (The Turkish store in NYC referenced above) was the only place for Indian groceries in a 200-mile radius. Kalustyan (under new ownership after the founder’s passing) thrives even today on Lexington Avenue as a multi-ethnic grocery store, but is now surrounded by a myriad of Indian restaurants and grocery stores within a few blocks.
I love to hear more of these stories. Thank you very much for visiting.