Join the club

Theres a common anecdote among oldtime members of the swanky seafacing Breach Candy Club Before Independence a sign used to hang outside the elite club mdash which features a giant Indiashaped swimming pool mdash that allegedly read ldquoIndians and dogs are not allowedrdquo shares Vritika Lalwani founder of Praxis a community where form theory and practice meet across design and art Cut to now Mumbaikars are either vying to get into the club or busy parading their exclusive membership This interplay of exclusion and inclusion which can be studied across the cityrsquos colonialera clubs and their defining culinary experience is at the heart of Praxisrsquo upcoming workshop Guest SpecialThe Cricket Club of India Pic CourtesyMallika ChandraThe interactive session will be hosted in collaboration with Sneha Mehta and Mallika Chandra of Play Fare an independent multidisciplinary research project which investigates the food culture in the cityrsquos colonialera clubs During the session participants will timetravel through the menus of Willingdon Sports Club Bombay Gymkhana The Cricket Club of India CCI Royal Bombay Yacht Club and Breach Candy Club all of which cropped up in then Bombay between the late 19th century and early 20th century reveals MehtaGimletldquoOne of the themes that wersquove been exploring is the idea of feeling like outsiders what it means to be excluded from certain places or situations and how one deals with exclusion We were also exploring what happens when yoursquore looking at the world while yoursquore inside or part of a cliquerdquo Lalwani tells us So it made sense to explore these themes visagravevis the colonialera club menus because as Indians we were initially outsiders to the club culture And now wersquore on the inside with club memberships becoming a display of status symbol and a show of exclusivity ldquoWersquoll reflect on identity and exclusion through the lens of foodrdquo she addsMenu at the Willingdon Sports ClubThe colonialera clubs points out Chandra are a great example of how a group of people mdash the British mdash were trying to feel at home in an unfamiliar space Despite trying to turn these clubs into very British spaces they had to manage with Indian ingredients or cooks ldquoThis led to hybridisation in food and drinksrdquo Take for instance the ubiquitous cheese chilli toast a club classic thatrsquos found at sandwichwallahrsquos thelas kiosks across the city often with their own desi twists It came up at a time when the British were trying to recreate their food here However since toasters werenrsquot available in India then theyrsquod toast bread through a makeshift device over coal ldquoIt resulted in burnt and unevenly toasted bread To mask the taste a cheesy salty mixture was developed But the green chillies that were added to it are such an Indian addition It reflects the skills of the Indian cooks at these placesrdquo Chandra informs usMallika Chandra and Sneha MehtaOther such hybrid inventions include chicken Manchurian and gin and tonic GampT Chef Nelson Wang of CCI came up with this Chindian hit when club members requested something ldquonewrdquo while GampT was a cocktail that was devised to keep malaria at bay ldquoThey realised that tonic water has quinine which was used to treat malaria So they combined it with the British favourite mdash ginrdquo Mehta tells usVritika LalwaniOther than many such stories also on the menu for the workshop are cheese chilli toasts and a nonalcoholic version of GampT ldquoWersquoll have the participants reflect on their own feelings of exclusion too based on which theyrsquoll curate their own menurdquo Mehta signs offOn October 7 6 pmAt Zen Cafe Kala GhodaLog on to praxisarts on Instagram for registration linkCost Rs 1000 per head