Imagine yourself being hungry after completing left-over work at your school, college, or office. Or you may have had a complete dinner but ‘food’ came up as an alternative to insomnia and boredom. While making a choice of whether to go for Chinese or for Indian, the first reality of life struck hard. Availability of food! You might not have anything at home to eat. You decide to go out for a fresh early-morning meal. Now, comes the second reality of life. Do you have enough money to get some? Certainly, you would like to look for something which is budget-friendly and worth-while.

The fresh air of the dawn wants you to walk down the tramlines and search for anything that fits the requirements. Or maybe, a yellow taxi ride before a ‘go crazy and eat’ session. Your search can no doubt make a stoppage at the popularly known ‘Old China Market’, The Territi Bazaar of Kolkata.

The sky is getting clear and the stoves of the small stalls giving some extravaganza to the search for food at 5 o’clock… You see pork and chicken dumplings getting fried deep. And the steam from the momo-maker, giving an authentic aroma… Yes, the steamed dumplings.

There is no good food till you wait for it. The urge multiples and you tend to be restless. Why not see the history for the time being? Would you wonder how this series of stalls given by the Chinese people affirm the feeling of being home, in the city?! Something that is economic and worth eating! Perhaps, don’t look just by the historical existence of opium dens in that area, but by the variation of crowds, you get to see here. The tanneries run by the Chinese Indian Nationals were traditionally tagged with a dogma of ‘not a respectable profession’ by the prejudiced upper-class Hindus. However, the significance of leather goods showed their demand…

Your food is served, and your sole concentration is upon the pork dumplings. Indeed, you are too hungry… Your food is over by just five minutes of time. You take a flashback of your sudden eye movement towards a stall with fishball soups and Fish Sui Mais, while scrolling the pages of the past in your mind. You seek to have it. After checking your budget, you are left with the option of having anyone. You have to make a decision… Always on you…

The touch of Indian flavors upon home-made Chinese food would want more… You anyway have to try the Breaded Pork Chops, and a little dessert to take that pleasure of a meal’. A heavy meal with a collection of experience and a collection of diversity; in terms of ethnicity and culture, in terms of history and it’s brought down narrations, and in terms of food choices.

Coconut may not be your type of food habit. But, you can still try. The fresh coconut balls. Or, stick to your usual fondness for rice, but in a different style. A dessert of sticky rice. Try not going later than 6:30-7:00 am in the morning. You will obviously not want to see the Bazaar turning into a Parking lot for officer-goers to park their vehicles.

Well, you would definitely come back to have the chicken pies and the sesame seeds sweet balls, some other day, if your available requirements are in place… Till then, think about how to survive further to come back and experience, Territi Bazaar, the momos with the fishball soup!