By Esther Williams
How often have we heard of Sri Lankans living abroad craving for their hoppers and hot-hot katta sambol? There's no denying that our tastebuds tingle and long for that special flavour of our own type of food, food that we've grown up with.
As all those who relocate to different countries go about setting up home and organizing their living and working environment, it is usually the housewives who start making enquiries to track down stores that sell specialty products of their home countries. Once this is done, when they can prepare and savour food that tastes like it does at home, they feel they can tackle any other change. It is this more than anything else that helps them settle into a new country.
In most cosmopolitan cities that have a large expatriate community, such shops invariably spring up. A good example is Chinatown found in most major cities in the world. And Colombo too has its share of specialty stores and restaurants.
Singaporean Annie says that she goes to Beemas for thammy (rice), siangliou (spices) and other shiuo (food) items. Situated on the second floor of the Colpetty Market, Beema's has a wide range of imported food and beverages. Wholesale importers such as East West Agencies and East Asia Agencies provide them with produce mainly from Singapore. Both hotels and families - Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Europeans make up their clientele.
Sheikh Azarm, Proprietor of Beema's says that theirs is the only shop that sells even perishable items like salted eggs and spring roll pastry. "We are able to meet specific demands within a two-week time frame," he says. The store only stocks up on special, not easily found products (wine, sauces, soups, candy, snacks, etc.) and leaves the more common items to other shops.
Besides food items, imported cleaning agents, magazines and videocassettes are also available. "Our customers are very satisfied. I only have a problem if I cannot deliver on time," he laughs. Their prices are very competitive as they strive for a large turnover, he adds.
Beemas supplies around 10% of their products, says Japanese businessman, Mr. Yanagihara. For other raw materials and fish (salmon, herring, tuna and cuttle fish) he goes to the Nihonbashi Japanese restaurant.
Next door to Beemas is Branas that caters to both expats and locals. Crammed with imported goods that are sold at a very small mark-up, patronage in the form of regular customers, Sri Lankan and others of different nationalities is assured.
Catering to the Koreans is Ilme Food (Pvt) Ltd. on Park Road. Having opened three years ago, the shop besides importing Korean and Japanese products also has a unit that makes traditional Korean food such as kimchi - a popular dish made with vegetable weed and chillie pepper.
"Many Sri Lankans also visit the store for their koo (soup) and other instant foods that have easy-to-make directions," says Chan Hong Jung, Ilme's Marketing Manager. The fast-moving items are the ready-to-eat noodles, beans, fish, cucumber and cabbage kimchi and kimpab (rice, vegetable and meat wrapped in seaweed), all of which are loved by most Koreans. Other popular products are their ham, sausage, Beef Dasida, noodles of different flavours and Pocari Sweet, a drink enriched with minerals.
"Our shop is very popular among the Koreans," says Ms. Kim, the store's Director Manager. "In fact, they hear of it in Korea itself, even before they come here!" K-Mart is another shop that sells Korean items.
Tucked down one of the side streets of Pettah, close to the Kathiresan Temple is the Indian specialty store, Saravanas. Frequented by both North and South Indians, the store stocks an amazing variety of Indian produce from instant mixes for the popular idlis, dosas and bajjis, to the much loved pickles, tuvar dhal (a kind of parippu used for sambar) and Indian rice.
The voices of shop assistants rattling off large lists of provisions with their helpers scurrying about to assemble and pack the goods ordered, is the scene that greets you, very much like in Madras.
"Ours is the only shop that sells pure vegetarian Indian items, so people from all over Colombo visit us," says Saravanas' proprietor, Bala Krishnan. They import all the popular brands of ghee and pickles, based on demand and only keep a small profit margin of 2-3%. The import of rice is allowed only when they are given a quota, that is if there is a shortage within the country, he says.
Masalas for North Indian fare such as channa masala (chick peas), pav bhajji and other delicacies that one might taste at Indian Restaurants, are simple enough to make at home using the readily available Indian brands. In addition, Indian oil, coffee powder and herb and spice powders in different combinations for rasam, sambar and other flavourful curries are obtainable at the store. Working mothers prefer these timesaving curry powders to those made at home.
"I make it a point to go there at least once a month, it is almost like picking up things from a store in Madras," says Mahalakshmi who finds the cost of items less than at the large supermarkets.
So the next time you want to serve up delicious gulab jamoons or dosas, put down 'visit to Saravanas' on top of your shopping list. If you're more adventurous, you may want to try kimchi, or the Japanese Miso soup and thakuwan, a yellow raddish!
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