“Do parathay or ek doodh patti”
“Ustaad, do parathay or ek doodh patti!” (Two parathas and one cup tea). That was the first voice I heard as I entered into the New Bismillah Afridi hotel and restaurant, located near my residence in North Karachi. It was about 7:30am and almost all tables were occupied. The whole environment was bursting with the mesmerising smell of parathas being fried and sounds of eggs crackling in the same flat pan.
This dhaba (roadside tea hotel) is located on my way to the bus stop, from where I catch my university bus. During the four years I have attended university, I have repeatedly seen the usual breakfast routine with speedy service but somehow, never had enough time to chat with the servers. What struck me every time I saw them was their tireless energy in those early hours of the day. Be it the server, the tea-maker or the paratha cook, every one looked so focused, smoothly carrying out their tedious daily tasks, efficiently runing their dhaba.
You will find dhabas in every nook and cranny of Karachi, and most of them are owned and managed by Pathans. The main clientele of such dhabas are menial workers, students and blue collar workers who visit these affordable eating places for breakfast or to spend some leisure time over a cup of tea after a hectic day. Here they can watch TV or enjoy some popular film music and somtimes old favourites. It is now a trend for young people to hang out at dhabas in the evening, savouring a variety of parathas and tea.
Some like a cup of tea in the open air, for others dhabas are like a second home
At a time when even the well-to-do feel the financial crunch, for the common man it is impossible to afford tea or a meal in a cafe or a fancy restaurant. Roadside dhabas also provide a decent meal at reasonable rates, although the quality of food is debatable. Nonetheless, dhabas in Karachi are rapidly expanding making it a lucrative enterprise in times when it is hard to setup a business.
With the rise in dhaba culture in Karachi, you see families eating hot parathas with a steaming daal fry or just sipping doodh patti or kahwa, late into the night. The food is freshly cooked and full of flavour.