Dhaka Kabab & Biryani House (Anna Gura)
On our visit to Jackson Heights Kazi and I decided to go into a small restaurant to wait out the rain. At the time neither of us were hungry but we both decided that since we were going to sit there for a little while we should order something to eat and pass the time. This small, simple restaurant, which is new to Jackson Heights, is called “Dhaka Kabab & Biryani House.”
Right before the rain started we were in the middle of interviewing the different business owners in Jackson Heights. We were mainly focusing on the businesses along 73rd street, and from what it seemed they were primarily constricted to Bangladeshi and Indian businesses. There were a few owned by Hispanics and Asians but the overwhelming majority were owned by Bangladeshis and Indians.
It was around two o’clock when we stepped in, and other than the workers there was barely anyone there. There are about 20 tables, and only 5 were taken. By the time our “Mooli Paratha” came out about half of the restaurant was full. By three it was packed. While we were sitting I didn’t get a chance to look around and see who made up the majority of the customers, but when I was coming out of the restroom I had a chance to observe the clientele.
What I found interesting is that not only were 90 % of the customers Bangladeshi, but also that they were all men. The only woman other than me was the waitress. It was wonderful to see that almost every one of the customers and workers knew each other, and I guess this restaurant serves as a place where they can come and spend time with their friends. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought that they were all one big family. Just looking at this restaurant shows a lot about the community within which it stands, showing how these people make up such a big part of it and showing how close knit it is.
Walking along 73rd street we ran into many different kinds of restaurants and businesses. Some were Asian and Hispanic, but the majority were Indian and Bangladeshi. By walking along this one street one can sense the diversity that makes up this community. When I was peering into all of the stores I had enormous respect for how they functioned, and I could sense that there was a real community among them. There seemed to be a certain mutual equality not only among the owners but also between the owners and the customers themselves. Even if I happened to see something that would normally gross me out (like a skinned animal stuffed into a shopping cart being pushed across the street), I found myself being more and more amazed by what these people have done there and how they have managed to come together and get along.
