Being a New York City dweller and a lover of ethnic foods I often do head out on the subway to Queens, the most ethnically diverse borough of New York City for it is here that I get the chance to satisfy my pangs of homesickness and experience the authentic flavors of the cuisine of my home country, India.
Queens in fact has many multicultural enclaves where people from many different communities and nationalities live together in perfect harmony. One such enclave is the area called Jackson Heights which is located in the north western part of the borough. If Singapore has it’s Serangoon Road , Kuala Lumpur it’s Masjid Jamek and London it’s South hall New York has it’s own 'Little India' located here on Roosevelt Avenue and 74th street . The locality is fondly known as “ Jaikishen Heights” amongst the South Asian community.
However it is not only immigrants from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh that make up the cultural melting pot that is Jackson Heights but it also has sizeable number of Latin Americans and Asian American populations. Apart from this there are also the original inhabitants of the area who are of multi generational European descent and this population is now being boosted by relatively recent immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia.
The restaurants and stores located in Jackson Heights reflect the diverse ethnic makeup of the locality, for instance along 74th street and Roosevelt avenue are stores that cater to almost all the needs of the South Asian community of New York. Supermarkets like Patel Brothers, Apna Bazar, Sabzi Mandi carry vast varieties of South Asian spices, nuts, vegetables, frozen and prepared foods as well as toiletries and magazines and newspapers from the subcontinent. While supermarkets like Trade Fair on adjoining 37th Avenue caters to the various needs of the Latin American Community and the New York Hap Chong Market, a Korean Supermarket on nearby Broadway meets the requirements of the Asian American population.
The area also boasts of some truly wonderful Pakistani restaurants called “Shaheen” and “Kebab King” which are famous for their succulent kebabs. Jackson Heights is also home to “Sammy’s Halal”, a street vendor cart located on the corner of 73rd street which won New York's prestigious 'Vendy' award in 2006. Maharaja and Delhi Palace are two Indian restaurants of Jackson Heights which are also well known for their Indian sweets and delectable South Asian fare.
Like Jackson Heights, the last two stops on the N & W trains from Manhattan, gives you access to yet another multicultural enclave of New York which is Astoria. Bounded by the East River, Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island city, Astoria is a neighborhood which is home to an equally diverse population made up of the Irish, Greeks, people of Middle Eastern origin and Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi folk. There area was developed by the famous piano manufacturing company called Steinway and sons whose German craftsman lived in the area. Astoria also has many ethnic restaurants and stores which cater to the tastes of its diverse population.
To discover and explore the many culinary delights of this wonderful culturally rich and diverse borough of New York City you might want to head out to the home of the US open, the USTA's Billie Jean King Tennis Center located in Flushing Meadows , Queens for the annual gathering of more than 40 of Queen's ethnic restaurants. This annual event is called Queens, a Taste of the World and it is to be held this year on Monday the 14th of April from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.
The festival this year too is being organized by the official tourism bureau of Queens called Discover Queens and tickets for the event cost $85 per head. This ticket will get you all the food and drink you want from the various stalls manned by the borough's finest restaurants and eateries. For more information about this gastronomic adventure, participating restaurants and tickets do visit http://www.queensny.org
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Photos originally posted on http://www.flickr.com by wallg,ianqui,Kris and Andrew Baron.
