Episode 093: Taste With Jais - Jaison Chahwala
“Loving Chicago is like loving a woman with a broken nose – you may well find lovelier lovelies, but never a lovely so real” – Nelson Algren
After nearly 22 hours of traveling, he remembers stepping off the plane and walking down the steps onto the tarmac. It was about 5:00 am and the sun was peeking out from behind the tall palm trees. It was hot, humid, and muggy. That’s when it hit him – the smell. It was a fascinating combination of wood smoke, spices, and putrefying garbage. He had never experienced anything quite like it. Like someone coming out of a coma, his senses awoke, and he got the chance to digest what was around him – India.
You can’t predict where life’s going to take you, but with an open mind you can embrace where you are going. Upon landing in Mumbai, he didn’t know what was in store for him. It was his first time traveling abroad as an adult. He didn’t speak the language — nor was he fully involved in the culture — but he had a voracious appetite for food and adventure.
His party and he left the airport and they drove down a dirt road to what their driver boldly called “the best non-vegetarian restaurant in India.” He doesn’t remember the name of the place. he was hungry, tired, and delirious from hours on the road, but he does remember this: it was the best Indian food he had ever eaten. From the lamb curry to the naan – and everything in between – the meal made him question everything he thought he had known about food.
From that point on, with an open mind, he embarked on new discoveries. From the sandscapes of Dubai to the rolling hills of Scotland, he has come to realize that food isn’t just a form of sustenance, or identity – it truly is a form of connection. Discovering foods abroad has become an important way for him to interact with the world around him.
He wants the world to interact with Chicago the same way he has interacted with the world. Chicago is a city with big shoulders and the hub of the United States when it comes to world class dining. Food is a universal language that we all understand, and food in any language is great conversation. Chicago is his home – born and raised – and he wants to welcome you to his home.
Let’s discover food together.
-Jais
@tastewithjais
Sponsors:
