THE PEOPLING OF NEW YORK: MHC @ Lehman

On 73^rd street and 37^th ave, Jackson Heights,  sits an elevated restaurant that is very symbolic of Bangladeshi cuisine, Alauddin Sweetmeat. Upon entering, we immediately noticed the beautifully displayed sweets to the left side, with a range of colors, textures, and sizes. Right next to the sweets section is a canteen-style lunch counter packed with typically Bangladeshi foods such as various types of biriyani (rice with meat) and curries. The prepared foods can be eaten in house or packed to go.

There is a little lounge on the right side, where we sat down with a cold drink and momentarily spoke with the welcoming and Flip-video-friendly owner of the restaurant, who mentioned that Alauddin Sweetmeat is the-place-to-go for authentic Bangladeshi food. This is what makes this chain restaurant, originally founded in Bangladesh, so popular amongst Bangladeshi and Indian Americans. Furthermore, a neighborhood populated predominantly by southern Asians (Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian) like Jackson Heights is the best place for such a restaurant because it caters mostly to such ethnicities.

After ordering, we took a seat in one of the tables in the main dinning room. This section is quite large and can sit a considerable number of people. There are two outer rows of spacious booths, and two rows of tables in the center, with four chairs to a table. There is a TV on each of the three walls, which are all playing traditional Bangladeshi music videos and cinema. The red and white theme and the overall layout of the restaurant is simple, modern, and well organized. Aside from aesthetics, we also noted that the place was noticeably sanitary and well kept, especially compared to certain Chinese restaurants that are within few blocks distance. At 2pm, it was surprising to find most of the restaurant filled with customers, majority of whom were Bangladeshi. The only three non-Bangladeshi persons in the restaurant were Caucasians, Ivan and a pregnant couple that did not seem to be new to the restaurant.

Since it was Ivan’s first time at a traditionally Bangladeshi restaurant, I thought we would get something taste-buds-safe, not too spicy or oily. We ordered onesamosa and one shingara, so that we can compare them and get a sense of the Bangladeshi taste. These two are similar to each other, as tea is to coffee, in that both are eaten as a quick snack in the middle of the day. From the two, I thought Ivan would enjoy the samosa more than the shinaga, because it’s my personal favorite and it is stuffed with chicken. The samosa looks very much like the adapted sambusa that would be served at an Ethiopian restaurant, but has a distinct flavor. It’s an egg-roll-wrapper type sheet stuffed with chicken, coriander leaves, potato, and various spices.

I had the shingara, which typically, as in this case, is filled with potatoes, pine nuts, spinach, and various spices. Unlike the samosa, which is thin and triangular, the shingara has a round pyramid shape and its outer layer is not egg-roll-wrapper material but kneaded dough. I gave a corner piece to Ivan, and he liked the pine nut and potato in it, but said that he preferred the samosa to the shingara. As anticipated, Ivan enjoyed it and said that he would love to try out other Bangladeshi restaurants with me soon.

The experience at Alauddin Sweetmeat and talk with its owner gave Ivan and myself insight as to how restaurants in Jackson Heights cater to the ethnicities within the neighborhood. Though the restaurant may not have the same traditional decorations as restaurants in Dhaka would, its simplicity, modernity, and nostalgic Bangladeshi food keeps its customers satisfied.