Bombay is a new city to me.  I’ve spent the last few days getting a hang of the geography and it’s been a breeze.

Literally.  The monsoon is late this year and every day the city is cleaned and cooled by Portland-esque downpours.  Like Portland too, Mumbai is full of greenery though of a botanical sort more fitting a warm, ocean front climate.

I haven’t posted yet on Bombay because I have a lot of ground to cover, much too much really to do anything more than give the crudest glimpse.  Certainly, that’s all I’m getting. 

I’ve decided that perhaps the best way to post about my food experience in the city is to roughly follow cuisines.  I’m concentrating on Konkani (this is the coastline district of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is a part), Gujurati (just North of Maharashtra), Parsi (the Zoroastrian community here) and Muslim (it’s Ramazan remember, a time of holy fasting and nighttime feasting.)  I’ll throw in some snacks, Sindhi (my friends; hail from present day Pakistan) and if threats (um, promises) are kept some Chinese. 

 See?  Just 5 or 6 major cuisines to sample in my two weeks here.

Here are a few bits so far.

This is the entry to Crawford Market which covers some 60,000 square feet and sells everything from chocolate to puppies.  Old tram tracks are still visible outside, according to my local host Saucy (name changed to protect the guilty).  I daftly forgot to look.

And I spotted this on the marble doorsteps of the Fairyas Hotel.  I guess I’m in trouble.

Saucy sent me here (on Chowpatty Beach)

for kulfi, Indian style ice cream. 

I picked chikoo, my favorite flavor from last time.  What’s a chikoo?

This.

You can buy them in cans in Portland and you shouldn’t.  Ick.  I got a very expensive fresh variety from Zupan’s once, grown in Latin America, but it didn’t compare.  From the Konkan coast, the fruits are sweet and luscious.  The flesh reminds me of brown sugar almost, and they make sublime milkshakes which I haven’t had room for yet.

I did make room for a drink of Old Monk.  Very Old Vatted XXX Rum.  Tastes like butter(scotch).

And Saucy also sent me to this cool joint in Colaba.  He says it’s been around for at least 40 years and the owner hasn’t tried to do more than this alone.  It reminds me of the old school restaurants in Portland which died years back–currently in revival.  (Think Yaws, those of you old enough to know.)

I had Temtation (sic).  What can I say?  Just look and despair.