Super Bowl or any Sunday – an excuse to get together and eat

          Similar to many other cultures, Desis need and want an excuse to get together and eat. Almost everything we do revolves around food. When an event is being thought of being hosted, after creating a guest list, the next thing to do is decide on the menu. Although I have never really been to a Super Bowl party that wasn't hosted by another fellow desi, I do have lots of friends that aren't desi, don’t get me wrong.

          While my non-desi friends watch the game for the game, most desis I know of will watch the game either because there’s nothing else on TV, for the halftime show, or for the commercials. Everyone loves Super Bowl commercials. There are those that follow the games and know what football is about, but there is a vast majority of us (meaning desis) that use football and Super Bowl Sunday as an excuse to have a get together.

          At a desi party, Super Bowl or not, you may find the typical chips of all sorts and various dips, you may also find a fruit and veggie platter, and maybe even pizza and wings. Depending on the host and guests, there may or may not be beer, but there will be Pepsi (or coke), lots of it. Another thing you may find is crunchy triangles stuffed with meat or veggies, these are samosas, and are usually deep fried. You may even find other desi snacks, such as the popular street food item, Chaat, which is a chickpea salad type of appetizer. Don’t be surprised if the table has colorful rice with chicken or beef and potatoes poking out, this is Biryani. Other entrees may be chicken Tikka – spicy grilled chicken, or some form of kababs. 

Samosa

Chickpea Salad - Desi Style

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Tikka

          You can be rest assured that if you are in fact going to a Desi’s residence for a party, you will most probably be able to smell the spices and the food from the driveway. You might even find various candles burning inside the house along with different types of plug in devices, and maybe even coffee beans being used for decoration to mask the smell. If you can smell it, chances are it is home cooked. Now excuse me while I go run for the next hour, being Desi and staying in shape is a lot more work than you’d think.