NikonGear'23
Images => People, Portraits, Street, PJ & Cityscapes => Topic started by: Anirban Halder on August 19, 2016, 13:27:56
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India is fairly divided over consumption of Tea vs Coffee. Tea is predominantly "Chai" and rarely green or black tea; very popular in Northern India.
Coffee (or Filter Coffee) is everywhere in Southern India. Some are small shop, some are large ones. But they are everywhere. Here's few pics shot at different parts of India.
Let me start with Tea first:
#1. Chaiwala at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh:
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8853/28979725132_eebe8ed236_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/L9QEDj)
#2.
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8356/28466884333_8a175f0314_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KnwdWz)
#3. Tea shop in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Chai/Tea in Gujarat contains more milk/cream than tea leaves.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8035/29051971746_2e4b1be7fe_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LgdX3A)
#4.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8012/29051968606_f587022b70_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LgdW7s)
#5. Tea in making...
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8020/29051975446_1fd813d4b5_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LgdY9o)
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#6. Some likes to drink from cup/saucer
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8537/29008199841_7c22223999_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LcmBbz)
#7. Another chai-wala in Ahmedabad
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8360/28466819553_c16e03e5ff_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KnvTFF)
#8. You pay little less if you don't need fancy cup/saucer.
(https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8440/29008183551_269d17d769_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LcmwkH)
#9. This tea-stall is also someone's living.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8825/29051963646_afe4550893_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LgdUCW)
To be continued... :)
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Anirban, these are beautiful and colorful images!
I am a coffee and ice-tea guy, I guess I am divided :)
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I'm eager to know the coffee-side now.
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Thanks Jakov. Glad that you mentioned. There's no room for ice in either tea or coffee in India unless you go to the fancy coffee shops a.k.a Starbucks or Coffee Day (Indian Starbucks)! ;D
#10. Speaking of colorful..
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8361/29052400486_b8158c4c7e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Lgg9uE)
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Chai, 'characharachara' everywhere in India, railwaystations, streetcorners etc, couldnt stomache the sweet dudhchai, always asking for kale cha chiney nahe.
Expressive series illustrative of the streetlife.
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Wow Wonderful Colorful Love these More.
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Chai, 'characharachara' every in for India, railwaystations, streetcorners everywhere, couldnt stomache the sweet dudhchai, always asking for kale cha chiney nahe.
Expressive series illustrative of the streetlife.
Thank you Fons. You seem to have vivid memories of chai-walas in India. :D
I'm also kale cha (black tea) person.
I'm eager to know the coffee-side now.
Here you go Airy. :)
#11. Filter coffee machine and coffee decoction
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8469/28466875453_d00e84f0ff_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Knwbit)
#12. Make sure milk is burning hot.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8548/29051996176_29d646fcc8_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Lge5iN)
#13. Pour it with style
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8169/28466869643_20b98a0556_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Knw9zi)
#14. "Brahmin's Coffee bar". You get only one kind of coffee here "Filter Coffee".
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8450/29052701476_3a0c7a389a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LghFY9)
#15. Of-course South Indian breakfast with coffee.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8420/28980368262_26730cfd37_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/L9TXPL)
#16. Inside "Brahmin's Coffee bar"
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7601/29085472875_3b6a2f3ee3_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LjbDLg)
#17.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7546/28464259814_adde715ae7_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KnhLLf)
#18. Coffee glass is too hot to hold so the extra glass.. :D
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8501/28467806443_f425801202_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KnAX42)
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Very informative and pleasant to see.
Thank you for sharing these pics.
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Thank you Frank, Aguinaldo.
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very informative, without beeing just a documentary shot.
It is street life in an excellent way and staying with one
theme makes it tangible for people like me
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I love any sort of tea, the Indian chai is no exception! And I'm kind of tea addict. Thanks, Anirban, for stimulating my addiction! :D
Does "wala" mean "shop" or "stand"?
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"Wala" would mean "guy", as in chaï-wala or Bengali-wala (guy from Bengal) ! :-)
In my young days, those shops were precious stops along the roads, for the truckers. Charpoïl and chaï for everyone ! Mostly in thick glasses (never saw a cup) ans so hot you couldn't really hold it. Drinking it so hot was a sort of art, but then it did cool you on, on very hot days !
I've still kept the habit to drink tepid or slightly hot on summer days (my family thinks I'm a bit nut) :-)
Most of our trips (to get to lorries that were either hijacked or broken down) were along the Great Trunk road or North to Nepal via Assam. I didn't see a lot of coffee in those parts !
Thank you for those nice pictures... :-)
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Great series, Anirban. But why do they 'waste' their coffee with milk? ;)
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"Wala" would mean "guy", as in chaï-wala or Bengali-wala (guy from Bengal) ! :-)
In my young days, those shops were precious stops along the roads, for the truckers. Charpoïl and chaï for everyone ! Mostly in thick glasses (never saw a cup) ans so hot you couldn't really hold it. Drinking it so hot was a sort of art, but then it did cool you on, on very hot days !
I've still kept the habit to drink tepid or slightly hot on summer days (my family thinks I'm a bit nut) :-)
Most of our trips (to get to lorries that were either hijacked or broken down) were along the Great Trunk road or North to Nepal via Assam. I didn't see a lot of coffee in those parts !
Thanks, Jacques! That makes sense. I drink hot tea even in the dog days.
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India is fairly divided over consumption of Tea vs Coffee. Tea is predominantly "Chai" and rarely green or black tea; very popular in Northern India.
Great series Anirban.
I can only add one further observation - it's almost unheard of for people in England to put hot milk into their tea. However I found it hard to get anything but this when in Delhi.
My first attempt was at the airport, where they basically made tea using a standard Barista's coffee bar setup. This included pouring a great splash of hot foamed milk into the cup.
Cappuccino tea? Yuk
But good strong chai, with plenty of cardamom & sugar, made by these guys?
Yes I'm happy with that :)
(https://nikongear.net/revival/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbase.com%2Fcelidh%2Fimage%2F149224587%2Foriginal.jpg&hash=e4b3e3c1eebaff53c62fcec07e24cf51f53d971a)
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Outstanding street pictures ! I love it.
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I can only add one further observation - it's almost unheard of for people in England to put hot milk into their tea.
That's strange! Here in Japan, the tea with hot milk is called "Royal Milk Tea". :D
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Great series, Anirban. But why do they 'waste' their coffee with milk? ;)
I hate milk. I love tea and coffee. I love the pictures. I sure do not fancy to drink this milky soup.
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Fantastic series !
I'm a coffee lover
The best I had so far has been in Singapore, followed for what I brew at home with dark roasted coffee from "Chiapas Mexico" using a french press
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Here in Japan, the tea with hot milk is called "Royal Milk Tea".
That sounds like a quote from the film Pulp Fiction (maybe what you'd finish the meal with after you've had a "Chicken Royale'.)
I can even hear John Travolta saying it, and Samuel L Jackson replying "They What???!"
I hate milk. I love tea and coffee. I love the pictures. I sure do not fancy to drink this milky soup.
My picture above was taken in Delhi in December, walking round the town before it had fully woken up. It was chilly and the drink this guy handed me was full of warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom. As I held it, it warmed my hands. As I sipped it, the warmth spread down into my body and then, into my soul and lifted my spirits.
It wasn't tea as I drink back home (which I want to be lighter and thirst quenching, which I don't think you'd describe either chai or coffee as). And like Frank I now drink mainly green tea & Oolongs. But in the winter, I will still boil up the tea and spices and make chai from time to time.
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One final question for Anirban.
What's the weirdest gear or technique you've ever seen used to make chai?
I think you had a few examples of it being poured from a great height into the cups.
When my daughter lived in India, she settled on a place that made the best tasting chai.....but the guy had no tea strainer so poured the final brew into her cup using what she decided must have been an old sock.
After going back a second time and not suffering any ill effects, she decided it was safe!!!
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When I served in Singapore and Malaysia(1960/70s) the Sikh cha wallah always used condensed milk from tins!
PS I should have said the condensed milk was used in tea!
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....the Sikh cha wallahs always used condensed milk from tins!
I've seen Indian families who now live in Trinidad do the same for coffee.
Guess for people who take sugar, it covers that (plus the 'cream' that some people like in coffee) in one hit.
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Colin, the condensed milk was used in tea!
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Good work!
Excellent set of interesting shots that tell stories.
Well done.
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Great series, Anirban. But why do they 'waste' their coffee with milk? ;)
Thank you John. Indian filter coffee is terribly strong and tastes horrible without milk. I guess that's why the tradition. :)
Jacques - thanks for the good words and the memoir. I'm so glad that these photos evoked such response. I wish you had some of those photos to share when you travelled India.
Akira - thank a lot. If you don't mind milk with tea i.e. chai, then "Banarasi chai" is the best for you. I had this Kanpur and this is the best chai I have till date.
"Banarsi" means from Varanasi a heritage city in India. Their chai is full of cream, cardamom and other spices something similar to Colin explained above.
Here's "Banarsi Tea Stall". You see they also have disposable **clay glasses** if you are not worried about dis-washing quality.
#19. First goes cream/milk in the glasses. Then sugar.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8273/28827562640_e90168875d_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KVoN35)
#20. Then tea decoction ...
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8259/29036978891_8e1d51d36c_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LeU7c6)
#21. And you "Banarsi Chai" is ready...
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7747/28495570523_5a42e2e6eb_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Kq4fm4)
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Thank you Robert, Mike, Colin, Armando, MFloyd for the good words. Glad you enjoyed this series.
The best I had so far has been in Singapore, followed for what I brew at home with dark roasted coffee from "Chiapas Mexico" using a french press
Thank you Armando. I will remember to try this when I will visit Singapore (ah, someday).
When I served in Singapore and Malaysia(1960/70s) the Sikh cha wallah always used condensed milk from tins!
PS I should have said the condensed milk was used in tea!
Yes, that's for people who prefer even extra cream. :)
I hate milk. I love tea and coffee. I love the pictures. I sure do not fancy to drink this milky soup.
I was about to write even before you posted, that you are probably gonna throw up by seeing this photos. ;D ;D
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My picture above was taken in Delhi in December, walking round the town before it had fully woken up. It was chilly and the drink this guy handed me was full of warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom. As I held it, it warmed my hands. As I sipped it, the warmth spread down into my body and then, into my soul and lifted my spirits.
It wasn't tea as I drink back home (which I want to be lighter and thirst quenching, which I don't think you'd describe either chai or coffee as). And like Frank I now drink mainly green tea & Oolongs. But in the winter, I will still boil up the tea and spices and make chai from time to time.
That's a good photo Colin.
I had exact same experience in Kanpur at "Banarsi tea stall". Chilly morning and I loved this tea so much that I went back there few more times while visiting Kanpur (a town 6hours from Delhi) for work. I'm so glad you experienced this and how you have explained what "Indian Chai" is, I could never done this better.
Thank you Colin. And yes, I hate those airport tea/coffee as well. They are horrible!!
#22. Crowd outside and inside "Banarsi tea stall" on a chilly morning...
The guy on "rickshaw" send his driver to get the chai..
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8236/29081610666_fb2fe9d781_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LiQREs)
#23.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8093/29081595786_a3dc1655b4_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LiQMeU)
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One final question for Anirban.
What's the weirdest gear or technique you've ever seen used to make chai?
I think you had a few examples of it being poured from a great height into the cups.
When my daughter lived in India, she settled on a place that made the best tasting chai.....but the guy had no tea strainer so poured the final brew into her cup using what she decided must have been an old sock.
After going back a second time and not suffering any ill effects, she decided it was safe!!!
Those "socks" looking strainers are very common in west bengal as well. In-fact you can actually buy them. I wish I had a photo of one of those.
Yes, pouring from heights is used for making little bit of foam on top.
Nothing hits me as "weirdest gear" since India in country of "jugaad"! :D
#24. Speaking of weirdest, I think these kettles were never ever washed which improved the taste of chai as well.
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8045/29114528555_4c6725805d_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LmKz1g)
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Love those tea / coffee stalls.
Reading through the thread while drinking cappuccino based on Monsooned Malabar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsooned_Malabar) beans from India.
cheers
afx
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Anirban, you are so right the stall holder needs to get his "Brillo Pads" out and give the outside of the kettles a good scrub. ;D
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It never ceases to amaze me on what a great learning exchange Nikongear is - and not just photography!!!
... India is the country of "jugaad"! :D
Ahh, you mean like
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Laptoptv.jpg)
So for those of you who haven't Googled some of the terms Anirban used, here's an explanation that I think we can apply to many other aspects of our lives!!
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This thread reminds me a bit of one we had for "market stalls"
They are each an excellent opportunity for themes, some challenging light & photographic skills needed, great mixture of subject matter and usually the chance to include people and variety from all around the world.
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Love the action, audience and steam on #23, Anirban. Great atmospheric overview.
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Love those tea / coffee stalls.
Reading through the thread while drinking cappuccino based on Monsooned Malabar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsooned_Malabar) beans from India.
cheers
afx
Hope you are enjoying both, the thread and monsooned malabar. :)
Anirban, you are so right the stall holder needs to get his "Brillo Pads" out and give the outside of the kettles a good scrub. ;D
I think he is afraid then his chai will never taste the same. :D
It never ceases to amaze me on what a great learning exchange Nikongear is - and not just photography!!!
Ahh, you mean
....
You got that right Colin. :D
This thread reminds me a bit of one we had for "market stalls"
They are each an excellent opportunity for themes, some challenging light & photographic skills needed...
Couldn't agree more. The more populated they are, the more street photo opportunities.
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#23 ... wow, awesome image !
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Amazing series ;) Drinking Coffee,,, 8)
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Thank you John, Armando, Erik for the kind words. :)
#25. In Karnataka, at most of the traditional coffee joints (known as "Darshini") there won't be any place to sit down. Pay first, then get your coffee, drink it and leave.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8062/28463583794_777ccfad3b_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KneiNJ)
#26.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8481/28798592350_757f6600ee_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KSQjbj)
#27. Queue for coffee and chit-chat after coffee.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7559/28463587824_f6533ce850_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Knek1d)
#28. Well, there are always exceptions.. You can't stop people from sitting on the window sill. :)
P.S: don't miss the shoes.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8049/28463565684_3c66839bae_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Knedqu)