Five foreigners — three from England and two from Italy. The one thing they have in common is Calcutta. Be it five months here or five years, Calcutta is to them a home away from home. A city that has given them work or family or a new lease of life, or all of that and more. t2 shakes the foreign hand...

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANNAMARIA FORGIONE

She and her husband Frank opened Fire and Ice on July 16, 2005 in Calcutta after its super success in Kathmandu. Anna comes all the way from her hometown Naples and though she feels Kathmandu is her real home, Calcutta is not far behind. She shuttles between the two cities on work while son Steve manages the kitchen opposite Jeevan Deep in her absence.

Hometown: Naples.

Moved here in: 2004.

Turning point: I was living in Nepal when I was invited by the Italian consulate to take part in the Italian National Day celebrations in Calcutta. Previously I had heard many good things about Calcutta through my Nepali friends and I thought why not have another Fire and Ice here?

Calcutta as home: Actually, Kathmandu is my home but I enjoy being able to travel back and forth between these two cities. I find that there is also a big connection and many similarities between Calcutta and my hometown Napoli. They have been elected “twin cities” and, in fact, many parts of Calcutta remind me of Napoli. The gregarious spirit of Calcuttans reminds me of my countrymen, the Neapolitans., Both groups have a lot in common — they are noisy and enjoy life!

What Calcutta has given me: Calcutta has taught me many things and it is difficult to pick just one or two. But over the years that I have been here I have learnt so much more about India, its culture and exciting history. To a very small extent I feel that I have become part of it.

What I miss: I do not get the chance to visit my home town Napoli, as much as I would like to. I would say that I miss the open markets the most. Stalls full of so many varieties of fish, selections of fruit and vegetables and flowers. The smells and the colours that make Italy so famous. I miss the nights out to the theatre to listen to the beautiful operas.

Hangout zones in town: I spend most of my time in Fire and Ice but also like to explore the shops and various other restaurants, galleries around Calcutta with my very special Bengali friends.

 

NICK HAWKINS

He came to India five years ago, first to Mumbai. He worked as an ace bartender for two-and-a-half-years at a couple of restaurants including Red Light Lounge and Olive and then did a short stint for Bacardi. From Mumbai, Nick moved as a consultant to The Taj, Chennai, where he stayed for two years. Goa was his next big leap and with his Mizo wife (who he met in Mumbai and married in 2004) Nick opened Yo Momo! his own restaurant. Then, Calcutta came calling and the 30-year-old bartender shifted base to Zara at South City Mall, making this his second home.

Hometown: Southport, north England, close to Manchester.

Moved here in: June-July 2008.

Turning point: I met the general manager of Zara, Sebastian Galvez, when I was working in Chennai and we became good friends. The group was expanding and they decided to get me here. That explains my rendezvous with the city of joy.

Calcutta as home: My heart is in Goa but if I had to choose a city that is most like home, it would be Calcutta. I chose to come here. People here are always up for a good time, they don’t have a chip on their shoulder. I like the Chinese influence on the food, too! Chinatown is one place where I’ve eaten the best Chinese food in India. And Hindi as a language is easy, a lot easier than Tamil.

What Calcutta has given me: Job satisfaction. The food-driven environment is very motivating. I enjoy making good cocktails, good food… and culturally, it’s a rich city, too. It’s good to see a different side of India. Plus, it’s all a learning experience for the bartenders. Nothing is more satisfying than watching these guys go forward and get higher positions in the company or in other jobs.

What I miss: I missed the supermarkets till I came to Calcutta; thankfully, there are so many here! I miss my dogs, a German shepherd and a Doberman. I don’t get a chance to visit England as much as I would like to and I’ve been home for only a week in the last five years!

Hangout zones in town: I’m still new to the city but I like Roxy, Someplace Else and The Blue Potato Trattoria.

One thing I’d like to change about Calcutta: The traffic!

 

DAVIDE CANANZI

He began his culinary career at 13, “cleaning potatoes during vacations” in a hotel in Sardegna in Italy, where his mother was executive chef. As a chef, he felt he was missing the experience in the East. “Everyone was talking about India and I thought something good must be there,” he smiles. There was no looking back. Calcutta is not just the hub of his work, the city has also given him a family!

Hometown: Sardegna, Italy.

Moved here in: March 1994.

Turning point: In Calcutta, I joined Hyatt Regency. I thought in two years, after the contract with Hyatt would get over, I would move to another country. But I fell in love with the city. In September 2004 I met Suparna, and we got married in December the same year!

Calcutta as home: I started to like Calcutta when I began to see more of it, because I didn’t know what Calcutta really was before. I got involved in the social life, started learning the language and developing a taste for the cuisine. My son Mauro, 3, and daughter Sharon, almost 2, were born here. And in August 2006, instead of moving out I joined The Park. I was there till October 2007 and then joined Ambuja in November 2007. (Davide is now the corporate expatriate chef, in charge of food and beverage in all Ambuja projects.)

What Calcutta has given me: A Bengali wife! Calcutta is teaching me everything. It’s a new experience each time I leave home. I have even picked up Bengali thanks to my wife and in-laws.

What I miss: I don’t miss anything about home! I was born in Italy but there’s nothing that is in Italy that isn’t here in Calcutta. The people are similar, too.

Hangout zones in town: We like to try out new haunts. The dhabas are a favourite place to eat but we prefer our dinners in friends’ houses. I have a lot of foreign friends and most of them are from the consulates.

One thing I’d like to change about Calcutta: The traffic!

 

SHAUN KENWORTHY

He came to India in 2000 “just to get out of London for a year”. But that one year stretched to another, and the next, till one fine day the chef-turned-restaurateur realised that Calcutta was now his new home!

Hometown: Manchester.

Moved here in: November 2001.

Turning point: My year’s contract with Indian Habitat Centre in Delhi was almost over. I didn’t plan to stay there and there were no jobs in the UK after 9/11. That’s when The Park happened and I joined the hotel and was with them from 2001-end to 2005-end, flitting between Delhi, Chennai and Calcutta.

Calcutta as home: Calcutta’s been home for almost seven years now. The more you look at Calcutta, the more it’s like Manchester — an old working-class city, full of smog and pollution. And Park Street reminds me of London. The Bengalis, too, are like the French of India. They’re full of ‘we’re-the-supreme-race-of-India’ attitude but I quite like it. Money doesn’t matter as long as we have the culture! I got married to Pinky (in picture right) in October 2004 and we had a son. But my son died. It was a traumatic time so I’ve seen the best and the worst in this city. I’m also quite adventurous. When I first got here, I would jump on a bus and see where it took me. It’s still the best way to see the city I tell my friends who come to visit me. And you can’t get lost in Calcutta — there are cabs everywhere.

What I miss: My parents, they’re getting old. I also have a son and daughter from my previous relationship and I don’t get time for them. I would love to go home thrice a year but I manage to go about once.

Hangout zones in town: I’m not like most foreigners. I don’t spend all my time with foreigners and I have a lot of Indian friends. We eat at each other’s homes and if I’m not there, you’ll find me at The Park. Or at home, with my legs up and watching TV.

One thing I’d like to change about Calcutta: Less pollution, better roads and less bureaucracy.

 

BRIDGET VASWANI

She may not be as well known as the rest but Bridget is an example of a foreign wife well-settled in a Calcutta household. She moved here in January 2006 from Avondale, Pennsylvania after she got married to Nikhil (in picture right). So far, Bridget is doing a pretty good job of adjusting at home and outside. “The first time I came here I wasn’t used to people taking baths on the street. Or the poverty. But you get used to it,” she smiles. Working full-time, managing the operations for a software company takes up most of her time. And the rest of it goes in trying to pick up Bengali and bingeing on food. “I’m a sucker for the dhaba,” she says when it comes to Indian food. “Calcutta is an easy city to become a part of and it’s almost like home now.” One thing she’d like to change? “Maybe the pace, it gets a little slow here,” she signs off.

 

PAUL WALSH

Otherwise soft-spoken and introvert-ish, his British friends reveal Paul is quite the opposite when he’s roughing it out on a rugby pitch or chilling in a bar! Five-and-a-half years in the city and his heart has found a second home in Calcutta as the director of Future Hope on Rowland Row.

Hometown: Chester, northwest England.

Moved here in: 2003.

Turning point: I was posted here in the British Deputy High Commission and I was there for a few years until I wished for a break from my career and started working with Future Hope.

Calcutta as home: This city has a warmth and charm that’s difficult to describe. Anyone I know who visits and spends some time here falls in love with Calcutta. It is dirty and smelly and noisy in many ways but you can’t escape its warmth! The people here are tough and you have to admire that. It’s tough to thrive in such an environment but we do. Calcutta may be a colonial city but apart from some of the clubs, one can hardly say it has a colonial hangover. It has its own identity.

What I miss: Sausage, egg and chips! I miss my family… my mother. I also miss Dansberg beer, it’s so difficult to get it in bars here! I try to go back home twice a year… I have a brother who’s in London.

Hangout zones in town: Calcutta is a city where it’s important to keep busy. Jungle Crows is the club I run, it is a rugby team and I play regularly with my boys. I also love the streetfood in Calcutta. I can walk down the road and have sabji and rice, chowmein or kati rolls. But I don’t miss kati rolls back home… Why would you want kati rolls when you have hot dogs?!

One thing I’d like to change about Calcutta: It’s such a complex place that it’s wishful thinking to be able to change anything! Maybe I’d want less pollution. One reason people want to leave is because it’s unhealthy. Every day I get stuck in a traffic jam, I think I should go back! There are so many people here, millions of them stuck in this tiny place. I also wish the city had a beach! But most of all, I’d like to make Calcutta a better place for children. Small changes make a big difference.

A FEW OF THEIR FAVOURITE THINGS

Annamaria: Architecture, Bengali food at Oh! Calcutta, the freshness of Indian art.

Nick: The Chinese influence on streetfood; food in China Town!

Davide: Bengali food (especially home-made food cooked by my mother-in-law), the close joint family structure.

Shaun: Kumartuli, Bengalis, live music. And my wife!

Paul: Bengali cuisine, the brilliant street food — sabji and rice and chowmein.