Page 22 - Introducing Cultural Studies

The names of the restaurants are
codes that reveal the changing power
relationship between Indian
restaurants and British society. In the
1960s, Indian restaurants had names
like "Maharajah" and "Last Days of
the Raj". These names were
designed to rekindle fond memories of
the empire that had recently been lost.

During the next phase, the names
changed to "Taj Mahal" and "The
Red Fort". These invoked images of
the rich history and tradition of the
Indian civilization, masking British
pretensions to possession of an
empire while reclaiming their own
history.

In the third stage, the names shed
their colonial connections. They
reveal not only the infusion of new
ethnicities but also a certain self-
confidence that invites Indians to eat
Indian: "Lahore Karahi" and "Bombay
Brasserie".

In the most recent phase, the
Subcontinental restaurants have
again changed their names to
indicate authenticity of expression
and a confidence of having arrived:
"Jalabi Junction", "Cafe Laziz" and
"Soho Spice".

In many of these restaurants, the
cooking area is part of the dining
experience, providing assurance not
just of freshly-cooked food but also
bringing back the direct and tactile
relationship between the hand that
cooks and the hand that eats.

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