"The aroma from a boiling pot of water after adding tea leaves, an inch of ginger and some cardamom is just incredible! The freshness and the fragrance of tea leaves rejuvenates our body thoroughly. Just a sip of ‘chai’, as they call it, makes you feel that extra blood flowing through your body and you feel absolutely energetic.
After a long hard day, tea often serves as the ‘energy drink’
to most of the population. It is a stimulant that kick starts your day as well. Students often have sips in between their packed study schedule just
to revitalize and refresh their mind. Its helps each one of us to energize our
state of mind.
I am sure you do depend on this buddy daily, especially, between
your work hours to speed up your pace at office. But having an entire cup of hot
aromatic tea is not possible for the working class since they can’t afford to
waste that much time. So something had to be done for refreshment of their mind
within this short break.
TADDAA!!! Cutting Chai! With all these peculiarities, Mumbai
came up with the concept of Cutting Chai. And this concept of chai was mainly
introduced for the mill workers or the corporate office people who have short
breaks from their work. So it’s a total hit for them. It is nothing but a
half-cup or a half portion of chai served in cute glasses. Its just a cutting
of entire cup of chai. So it is CUTTING
CHAI.
Also the cost being low( normally ranging from `5 to `10), it was still a bigger hit for the labourers. It is affordable also and they are energized as well! Best part is, it is available only at roadside stalls. You can’t order a cutting chai in any restaurant or hotel. Only and only a roadside bhaiyya will serve you with the best masala cutting chai. And I bet on it, he is awesome!
Also the cost being low( normally ranging from `5 to `10), it was still a bigger hit for the labourers. It is affordable also and they are energized as well! Best part is, it is available only at roadside stalls. You can’t order a cutting chai in any restaurant or hotel. Only and only a roadside bhaiyya will serve you with the best masala cutting chai. And I bet on it, he is awesome!
The asli maza of
cutting chai is during monsoons. Mumbai always had its own way of celebrating
this season. Along with the earth and trees, Mumbaikars rejoice on those first
showers and celebrate the arrival of rains in their own Bambaiya style. When it’s pouring heavily, you have to have a
cutting chai-maska pao with a plate of bhaji or a vada pav and there, you just had an
awesome monsoon day! Toddling through puddles, unsteady umbrella, directionless
breeze and cutting chai with vada pav is a perfect monsoon day for Mumbaikars.
Now that monsoon has arrived, I hope, you won’t miss on the
cutting chai-maska pao and vada pav/bhaji pav.
Happy Monsoon everyone. Enjoy!
-picture courtesy
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