Hi all I got a telephone call on the night of 14 June 2014 from a fellow Goan excited that World Goa Day had been celebrated at the Hilton Waterloo and asking me whether I went for it. I had to inform him that World Goa Day is celebrated on 19/20 August and was not in June. As an adult Goykar he wanted to argue saying he saw it on the internet. I had to correct him and asked me to set his search engine on World Goa Day for the complete story and informed him that if our peon thinking coolie administrator leaders are allowed to change Christmas Day from 25 December to any month or day of the year that suited them, they would!
Just because it is on the internet it is not always the right story and has to be verified. As you know by now, "Goans do not tell the right story". There is a food map of India that can identify the local area. In India every day is a celebration whether it is full moon, half moon or no moon and in Goa too every day is a celebration from village feasts, birthdays, cazars, etc. Going to work on the other hand is another matter with late starts, long lunches, what a happy life with the luxury of time. It is to be welcomed that the proprietor of the Assado restaurant in London, England where this event was held Mr Cyrus Todiwala (not to be confused with our bespoke Toddy walas from Bicholim, Colvale, Siolim, purveyors of fine caju feni our national drink in Goa) is enthusiastic about introducing sorpotel, feijoada, prawn masala, pork vindaloo, cordeiro xacutti, caldeen, pork cutlets, chicken cafreal to the British public. However, we should also bear in mind that Mr Todiwala and others Indian restaurant owners are businessmen and know that the Goan brand sells well, brings life to the menu and is a money spinner bringing in the customers. So whether what they serve is authentic Goan food is itself a matter of Goan confusion. Only niz Goykars (proper Goans) will know the real taste. The Goan label is also appearing more and more in the United Kingdom on microwave meals found in Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury, Tesco, and other supermarkets in addition to cook-in sauces, ready made soups, powder masalas, pickles, etc. bringing in revenue through the golden line of supermarket shelf space as they sell over 50,000 units per day. Nearly 16 years ago, I attended a Goan food festival at a small Indian roadside restaurant in Forest Hill, South East London where a banner across the road advertised a Goan food festival meant to be for one week only. Rose and I turned up on a Thursday night only to be kept waiting in the waiting room for almost an hour. The restaurant manager told us had we turned up without booking on Friday, Saturday or Sunday he would have turned us away. Having tasted the rechard mackeral, the taste was not the masala that I know so I called the manager who told me that the Goan chef had left. Goan chefs are probably hired, their work is copied, they then lose their jobs. The festival which was to be a week ran for over 3 months fully booked due the popularity of our food. In the past, authentic good Goan food could be found at our Goan socials. Sadly, today the management of our Goan and village organisations in London struggle to get Goan caterers serving authentic Goan dishes which take all day to cook and five minutes to eat as need is met with greed and caterers take short cuts depriving our younger generation of the real taste of our dishes and enlightening our nostalgic tastebuds at a reasonable cost. Once again, let me remind everyone, World Goa Day is celebrated on 19/20 August and for the story look up World Goa Day in your search engine. If you planning any celebrations, share it with us on goanet even if it is a pop up picnic, friendly football or just talking to friends and family wishing them a happy World Goa Day on 19/20 AUGUST. Melvyn Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 24 June 2014
