SUMMER SPECIAL .......Gola Khaoge?

Gola Khaoge?

Before we bid summer goodbye  you go around Mumbai on a cool gola journey looking at the past, the real story today, bizzare inventions, and modern, 'alcohol-induced' trends

Mumbai may have many popular golawalas, but my best memories remain in the little lane leading to Elizabeth Hospital in Walkeshwar. From noon to night, all year round, our tall, dark, ever-smiling golawala would stand right outside the maidan closeby, manning his cart on wheels lined with orange, kachi kairi, kala khatta, rose and pineapple sherbets in smart square Johnny Walker bottles. Fascinated we’d watch him scrape the slab of ice side to side on his basic wooden ice shaver, collect the shards and mold them with his hands around a wooden stick, bent at the end. My order was, and always is, the mixed gola with all flavours, except pineapple. Ew! Many react, even golawalas, but my taste buds love it. With the same practiced hands, he would pour them on the gola, one by one, creating rainbow bands until kala khatta masked them all with black. And then, he’d squeeze lemon and sprinkle masala from a plastic talcum powder bottle. After some noisy slurping, my cousins and I would giggle looking at each others newly coloured lips and tongues, and in true Indian style get the most bang for our buck—‘‘uncle thoda aur sherbet, thoda aur masala”. Fewer golawalas, more flavours Cut to the present, and a lot has changed. The golawala from my childhood is no more to be seen and even his basic ice shaver is to be found only in few areas—Shivaji Park, Juhu beach, the odd lane and slums. Most street vendors now use green paint-coated metalic ones with a side wheel that’s spun to crush ice, and plastic glasses have taken over glass ones. Snazzier machines catering to housewives and restaurateurs are available too. Many say that the number of golawalas has dwindled, but neither the BMC nor the city's hawker unions have records to confirm or contradict this observation. Though what we do know is that while you still have a few ice factories in town, near Minerva and Mazgaon, most have moved to Vashi. And what about reports that golawalas buy ice from morgues? Though the fear caught on in cities too, the reports came from villagers. ''Today, ice isn't even used in morgues thanks to modern refrigeration facilities,'' says Bahman Hamdari, partner at Davar and Co. known for its syrups and squashes. But as per MCGM’s health officer, Dr. Keskar, ''Our tests show that contimination is largely in the ice due to hygene levels of its source as well as transport facilities that get infested with rats. We advice against eating off the street.'' Ice comes in two varieties regular for `2 - 3 per kg and filter water ice that costs `8 - 10 per kg. While as kids we would merrily bargain with the golawala to save pocket money even though it was merely sold at `5, today a handful decent places sell it at even `15. Most price it anywhere between `30 and `200. This also includes the branded segment pioneered by Gogola in 2008; its seven outlets are spreadacross the state, including Carter Road. About 10 - 12 years ago, malai golas—once uncommon and largely comprising Gujarat-style dish ones with dry fruits—milkmaid (Amul's has gained loyalty over Nestle's) as substitute kickstarted the trend of stick malai golas such as choco chip (with Hershey's drizzle and chocolate chips), strawberry, blueberry...with Manama crushes. Few use Mapro. Fruity flavours have picked up even for regular golas, so at most popular stalls (branded or otherwise) you’ll find watermelon, litchi, guava, kiwi, ripe mango, raspberry and sometimes candy-inspired pan masala and cool mint too. Blue butterscotch & other trade secrets The most curious of all changes though, is how golawalas have made butterscotch blue! How is it possible when the ice cream is yellow? Hasnain Mamuwala of the 90-year-old wholesale flavour store in Crawford Market, T. Ali Mahomed & Co. (TAMCO), the go-to place for most golawalas, explains, “They mix the butterscotch flavour (it’s colourless like essence) and blue colour.'' No one knows how it started, but vendors recall the blue twist first caught on in Juhu. Giving insight on the general modus operandi, he adds,‘‘Golawalas in the `15 category would use emulsion (flavour colour) to make sherbets and those selling at `30 may use additional colour for a more attractive look. Those priced upwards still, would use both as well as flavour extracts so their orange or other sherbets stand out from others”. Colours can be pure or blended (salt dyes), but Hasnain says, “Though purity ensures little usage for great results, and better consumer health, not even high-end eateries use pure colours; they are very expensive. But nature identical ones (30-50% natural ingredients) are picking up.” TAMCO is a one stop for all of this, and more, with domestic and international emulsion and colour brands from SS Kelkar and Bush to Kerry and Givaudan costing `150 – `400/litre depending on the quality. A bottle makes 3 ltr of syrup.Golawalas also save cost on sugar—many use sacharine and sucralose (eg. Equal tablets), the sweetest of all. TAMCO's own emulsions, blended in Chennai and Bangalore, are available in regular flavours as well as new ones of cola khatta and lemon. Interestingly, the same ingredients are used to make cold drinks. Hasnain sells ice shavers too (Rajkot manufactures 80% of Indian ones), but golawalas only account for 5 - 10% of his business, like that of other flavour stockists in Princess Street. They all keep essences for bakeries, oils and syrups for the hospitality industry and powdered colours for pharma companies. Ice pop rocks & chuski margarita When the humble vada pav and bheja tawa fry can find their way to fine dine tables, it's no surprise that golas have caught the fancy of hip cafes and pubs too. The White Owl has beer popsicles in apple cider flavour and Woodside Inn offers rum-based, coffee and cosmopolitan flavoured golas on ice cream sticks. New entrant to the trend, Mamagoto has introduced blueberry and litchi pop rocks, served with vodka. Though they look like solid spheres of ice dipped into a glass of slush, the preparation method—mixing the water, vodka and fruit pulp and frozen in a rubber mould with a plastic stick—ensures that the pop rocks have the same crushed-ice feel of regular golas. Farzi Cafe's Chuski Margarita with raw mango and lime juice takes the conical chai-glass shape and is stylishly dipped in more of the cocktail filling the salt-rimmed margarita glass, is quite strong. Slurp and go cheers!

Pooja Bhula

DNAINDIA 5JUN16