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Shiv Vada Pav for Marathi Manoos in India

by Sanjay Jha | November 24, 2008 at 11:14 pm

799 views | 7 Recommendations | 3 comments

Vada Pao, a fried potato mixture sandwiched between buns, is a popular snack in India's commercial capital Mumbai. The vada pav is to Mumbai, what the burger is to the US and athough no one really has any clue of how it all began, the humble mashed potato packed into a bun has never had problems finding takers. And now the famous vada pav is in for a makeover. A local political party the Shiv Sena is now all set to glorify the humble vada pao, a favourite snack of Mumbaikars. Calling it the patent of the party, Sena chief Bal Thackeray has said in an editorial in his mouthpiece Saamna that the snack would be renamed “Shiv vada pao”.

International fast food giants McDonald’s is in talks with the Shiv Sena who wishes to market its own brand of Mumbai's favourite snack...the Shiv vada. In a bid to consolidate its son-of-the-soil stand, the Sena is going all out to woo vada pao vendors and unionise them.

Mumbaikars were in for a tasty treat on Monday as the Shiv Sena formally announced the launch of its ethnic fast food chain the Shiv Vada Pav 27 popular vada pav vendors competed in the competition to chose the taste of the new vada pav chain and foodies relished every bite.

It’s said that the way to a person's heart is through their stomach and it seems with this fast food chain, the Shiv Sena is trying to regain lost ground in the Marathi mindscape.

"We have started this especially for the Marathi crowd and we want to prove that Marathi people are in every way competent,” Shiv Sena President, Uddhav Thackeray.

But to counter the MNS's anti North Indian tirade, the Shiv Sena also invited prominent Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari to sample the fare.

The Shiv vada pav chain is expected to create employment for Maharashtrian youth and party chief Uddhav Thackeray had this favour to ask from Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

"If he thinks good of Maharashtra then the food should not only be served in stations in Maharashtra but also all other railway stations," adds Uddhav Thackeray.

The chain is expected to start operations in Mumbai and Pune from January 2009.

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Amitjha

at 23:39 on November 24th, 2008

Nice story , delicious but politics behind this regional identity crisis make it dangerously spicy.

Paschen

at 06:39 on November 25th, 2008

Great post and I like the Snack my self as I visited this area, however, why rename it and why unify it as well?

Is the charm not in its diversity just as Curry would be? Now McDonald's starting this may be interesting however I much prefer the Vendors version as I prefer Small Vendors Burgers to McDonald's Theirs.

How do the People respond to those changes and Patent of the party, well that is a bid to much. Politics, Religion and culture as well as food do not mix to well.

lappet (not verified)

at 13:18 on December 24th, 2008

Are you sure Mac is launching vada pav? 5 years back, when I was in school, TOI published an article that Mac was thinking of launching vada pav. I went straight to the Linking Road Mac after school and asked, "Vada pav hai kya?", to which the girl at the counter glared at me. I thought what the hell, must have been a hoax and ordered my usual Mc Aloo Tikki!!!!