Paan Shops

Rothrock · Apr 14th, 2006, 00:49

One of the things I'm looking forward to on my first trip this summer is having paan. I actually live in one of New York City's desi neighborhoods so I have paan quite often here and am familiar with many different ingredients and know what I like.

I was just cruising through a lot of the photographs in the shops section and didn't see any paanwalas. Also did a bit of a search in the forums and didn't find too many posts about one of my favorite treats.

So how about it? Anybody have good paan stories? How to find the best? What makes benares paan famous?

Hyderabadi · Apr 14th, 2006, 02:05

Here's a picture from my gallery:

Hyderabadi · Apr 14th, 2006, 02:06

And a Bidi maker:

crvlvr · Apr 14th, 2006, 04:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by rothrock

What makes benares paan famous?

http://www.uppercrustindia.com/6crust/six/banaras4.htm

Rothrock · Apr 14th, 2006, 05:05

Thank you all so much. Of course after posting I found a couple others, but thank you Hyderabadi. And thanks for that link crvlvr. I will look for the special magahi leaf. I'm sure that isn't the large dark green ones we get here.

On that page those silvered pans are so beautiful. Of course the silver makes my filings hurt, but I might just have to risk it if I see some like that.

Anybody have a good paan story?

basil · Apr 14th, 2006, 05:16

picture no longer exists

crvlvr · Apr 14th, 2006, 09:04

some links to pictures on the net

http://islamabad.metblogs.com/images/2005/12/0007b.jpg
http://www.asiagrace.com/detail.php?i=229
http://www.paan.com/photo.htm
http://primco.org/photo/images/08_in...n_broker.3.jpg
http://www.mti.dmu.ac.uk/~bbattey/india/4/varanasi-paanwalla.jpg
http://www.joesvideos.com/sarah_albu..._psd.sized.jpg
http://www.tomallwood.com/locations/...lkata/paan.php
http://web.mid-day.com/ArticleImages...-paanwala1.jpg

Rothrock · Apr 14th, 2006, 21:30

Wow. I'm loving the fancy set up of that second one. And the aerial view is really nice. I hope I can meet some of these folks when I'm there and get some shots like that.

So nobody has a story? Does anybody here actually eat paan when they visit? Or do you just take the pictures? I'll get ya started:

The first time I had paan in India...
The most delicious paan was from...
This one paan made me sooooo sick that...

Nick-H · Apr 14th, 2006, 22:56

My Ex-GF could tell you paan stories.

She is a nurse in a London Dermatology clinic and sees the mouth cancers that it causes.

freenote · Apr 15th, 2006, 00:38

Am now chewing some of GUPTA'S SARDA 'S Paan. I bought it in Varanasi (Benares) a couple of weeks ago . It's supposed to be the best , tasty, a little moreish ,but i still can't see what is so good about it

scrap2244 · Apr 15th, 2006, 01:35

Am with you freenote - I wasn't a fan of my one and only paan experience in Calcutta. Mine tasted aniseedy and bitter - an acquired taste or just bad paan?!

Rothrock · Apr 18th, 2006, 02:19

Nick-H – my understanding that the big risk is the tobacco that many put in their paan. Personally I don't like that so I'm not too worried, especially with the relatively few I've eaten as well.

freenote – so that must be a premade kind? What does it look like, what texture does it have? I've only ever had the freshly made kind, but I would image the difference would be like most fresh vs. processed things. I'm not familiar with "moreish" what is that?

scrap2244 – I've found it to pretty much an acquired taste. Of course it is totally possible that you got a bad one. I've found that the leaves (at least the kind we get here in New York) tend to be the most succulent in the late winter/early spring. Also of course if you don't like the fennel seed, then don't put that! As for the bitter, kattha is incredibly bitter – I think the word is even used that way in some Hindi songs I've heard. You know – the bitterness of a rejected heart, etc. I think usually the meetha paan doesn't have it, but sometimes it does.

Here in NYC a lot of the shops have the stuff out on the counter and the guys come in and put together their own. I don't have the moxy for that, but I do ask them to put more or less of the different things based upon what I like.

freenote · Apr 18th, 2006, 02:56

Quote :freenote – so that must be a premade kind? What does it look like, what texture does it have? I've only ever had the freshly made kind, but I would image the difference would be like most fresh vs. processed things. I'm not familiar with "moreish" what is that? end quote .
Red in colour ,moist ,chopped pan,and bits of leaf /twig/ seed . etc.
"moreish" = Tasty,could eat a bit more of it !!!

freenote · Apr 18th, 2006, 03:26

Tastes nice

Rothrock · Apr 18th, 2006, 05:56

I've never seen that before. That is definitely interesting. In the grocery here, they do sell something dry that might be similar. Kind of like the roasted fennel mixture you get at the end of a meal, but also with the chopped supari/beetle nut bits. I like that a lot, but it is quite different from the freshly-made-wrapped-in-a-leaf kind. Moreish, I get it! I like it.

I was just reminded of something my Pakistani friend had told me. It is one of their equivalents of an old wive's tale that the redder the paan makes your mouth, the more your future mother-in-law will like you. Has anybody else heard other stories or sayings regarding paan.

Apr 14th, 2006, 00:49	#1
Rothrock Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 97	Paan Shops One of the things I'm looking forward to on my first trip this summer is having paan. I actually live in one of New York City's desi neighborhoods so I have paan quite often here and am familiar with many different ingredients and know what I like. I was just cruising through a lot of the photographs in the shops section and didn't see any paanwalas. Also did a bit of a search in the forums and didn't find too many posts about one of my favorite treats. So how about it? Anybody have good paan stories? How to find the best? What makes benares paan famous?

Apr 14th, 2006, 02:05	#2
Hyderabadi Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: GA,USA. Posts: 1,533	Here's a picture from my gallery: __________________ "*There’s nothing common about common sense.*" - Internets.

Apr 14th, 2006, 05:16	#6
basil Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: back home Posts: 6	picture no longer exists Last edited by basil : Jun 26th, 2006 at 17:29.

Apr 14th, 2006, 22:56	#9
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 35,900	My Ex-GF could tell you paan stories. She is a nurse in a London Dermatology clinic and sees the mouth cancers that it causes. __________________ ... Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (2)

Apr 18th, 2006, 03:26	#14
freenote senior member refused Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: cornwall UK Posts: 1,944	Sweet Paan? Tastes nice Attached Thumbnails

Apr 14th, 2006, 02:06	#3
Hyderabadi Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: GA,USA. Posts: 1,533	And a Bidi maker:

Apr 14th, 2006, 05:05	#5
Rothrock Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 97	Thank you all so much. Of course after posting I found a couple others, but thank you Hyderabadi. And thanks for that link crvlvr. I will look for the special magahi leaf. I'm sure that isn't the large dark green ones we get here. On that page those silvered pans are so beautiful. Of course the silver makes my filings hurt, but I might just have to risk it if I see some like that. Anybody have a good paan story?

Apr 14th, 2006, 09:04	#7
crvlvr Guru Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood Posts: 4,648	some links to pictures on the net http://islamabad.metblogs.com/images/2005/12/0007b.jpg http://www.asiagrace.com/detail.php?i=229 http://www.paan.com/photo.htm http://primco.org/photo/images/08_in...n_broker.3.jpg http://www.mti.dmu.ac.uk/~bbattey/india/4/varanasi-paanwalla.jpg http://www.joesvideos.com/sarah_albu..._psd.sized.jpg http://www.tomallwood.com/locations/...lkata/paan.php http://web.mid-day.com/ArticleImages...-paanwala1.jpg

Apr 14th, 2006, 21:30	#8
Rothrock Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 97	Wow. I'm loving the fancy set up of that second one. And the aerial view is really nice. I hope I can meet some of these folks when I'm there and get some shots like that. So nobody has a story? Does anybody here actually eat paan when they visit? Or do you just take the pictures? I'll get ya started: The first time I had paan in India... The most delicious paan was from... This one paan made me sooooo sick that...

Apr 15th, 2006, 00:38	#10
freenote senior member refused Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: cornwall UK Posts: 1,944	Am now chewing some of GUPTA'S SARDA 'S Paan. I bought it in Varanasi (Benares) a couple of weeks ago . It's supposed to be the best , tasty, a little moreish ,but i still can't see what is so good about it

Apr 15th, 2006, 01:35	#11
scrap2244 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: London Posts: 9	Am with you freenote - I wasn't a fan of my one and only paan experience in Calcutta. Mine tasted aniseedy and bitter - an acquired taste or just bad paan?!

Apr 18th, 2006, 02:19	#12
Rothrock Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 97	Nick-H – my understanding that the big risk is the tobacco that many put in their paan. Personally I don't like that so I'm not too worried, especially with the relatively few I've eaten as well. freenote – so that must be a premade kind? What does it look like, what texture does it have? I've only ever had the freshly made kind, but I would image the difference would be like most fresh vs. processed things. I'm not familiar with "moreish" what is that? scrap2244 – I've found it to pretty much an acquired taste. Of course it is totally possible that you got a bad one. I've found that the leaves (at least the kind we get here in New York) tend to be the most succulent in the late winter/early spring. Also of course if you don't like the fennel seed, then don't put that! As for the bitter, kattha is incredibly bitter – I think the word is even used that way in some Hindi songs I've heard. You know – the bitterness of a rejected heart, etc. I think usually the meetha paan doesn't have it, but sometimes it does. Here in NYC a lot of the shops have the stuff out on the counter and the guys come in and put together their own. I don't have the moxy for that, but I do ask them to put more or less of the different things based upon what I like.

Apr 18th, 2006, 02:56	#13
freenote senior member refused Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: cornwall UK Posts: 1,944	Quote :freenote – so that must be a premade kind? What does it look like, what texture does it have? I've only ever had the freshly made kind, but I would image the difference would be like most fresh vs. processed things. I'm not familiar with "moreish" what is that? end quote . Red in colour ,moist ,chopped pan,and bits of leaf /twig/ seed . etc. "moreish" = Tasty,could eat a bit more of it !!!

Apr 18th, 2006, 05:56	#15
Rothrock Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 97	I've never seen that before. That is definitely interesting. In the grocery here, they do sell something dry that might be similar. Kind of like the roasted fennel mixture you get at the end of a meal, but also with the chopped supari/beetle nut bits. I like that a lot, but it is quite different from the freshly-made-wrapped-in-a-leaf kind. Moreish, I get it! I like it. I was just reminded of something my Pakistani friend had told me. It is one of their equivalents of an old wive's tale that the redder the paan makes your mouth, the more your future mother-in-law will like you. Has anybody else heard other stories or sayings regarding paan.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Furniture shops, Goa	Lillywoo1	India Expat Area	1	Apr 2nd, 2006 12:28
the best shops in Rajasthan	wolverhampton	Rajasthan	0	Jan 23rd, 2006 03:23
Photos of shops ~ Please	mira4bai4	Chai and Chat	38	Jul 30th, 2005 13:54
Paan	DoDi	Chai and Chat	6	May 14th, 2005 13:37
paan: the strangest thing I have ever eaten	jean-gab	Indian Cooking and Cuisine	27	May 8th, 2004 02:46