TheAmer-Indians
In this week’s episode, Luke travels to the outer reaches of London’s underground train network to meet James in Little Chalfont, to explore the places that increasing numbers of South Asian diasporas go when they move on from West London, and how they help transform those places and their cuisines.
**Starters** (01.29-12-12)
Ahead of their lunch with Vimal Dalal – a production editor on The Migration Menu and a one-time Southallian – James and Luke outline the history of post-World War II settlement in the suburbs and semi-rural towns that surround London. They discuss the appeal of such places – including the lure of selective school education – to those who first travelled from South Asia to London, settling in places like Southall, and the impact of these more recent movements on the suburban culinatry landscape.
**Mains** (12:12-25:52)
James and Luke meet Vimal outside The Kokum (www.thekokum.co.uk) for a pan-Indian inspired lunch, during which they hear the migration story of Vimal’s family, from Gujarat and Tanzania, to Southall in the 1980s and, via Hayes, to Little Chalfont, a village near Amersham, in Buckinghamshire.
**Dessert** (25:52-33:05)
After lunch chat reflects on how the suburban curry house has been transformed by more recent waves of migration out from the inner cities, which have also expanded the range of South Asian groceries and vegetables available in local shops. New arrivals also find themselves supported by groups like the Amer-Indians, through which social events and business networks are co-ordinated. James and Luke also reflect on how a nostalgic vision of pre-war Britain came to be shared by some members of the South Asian diasporas who came to settle here.
**The Menu**
Masala Papad
Palak Patta Chaat
Tandoori Soya Chaap
Mumbai Prawns Koliwada
Malai Kofta
Vegetable Handi
Kombdi Rassa
Jackfruit Dum Biryani
Chilli Garlic Coriander Naan
Works Cited:
Baumann, Gerd. 1996. Contesting Culture: Discourse of Identity in Multi-Ethnic London. Cambridge University Press.
Caplan, Lionel. 1999. “Gifting and receiving: Anglo-Indian Charity and its Beneficiaries in Madras”. In Tradition, Pluralism and Identity: In Honour of T. N. Madan, edited by V. Das, D. Gupta and P. Uberoi, 283–305. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
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