Will Americans and Brits like the spicy Indian food cooked by Indian chefs?
–
Indian chefs set Gulf test
By Sanjeev Srivastava
BBC India correspondent
The chefs will soon be feeding troops by the thousand
From Bombay to the Gulf and from spicy food to continental cuisine - Indian chefs face a new challenge.
By the end of the week 900 Indian chefs will be flying into Kuwait to feed coalition forces.
A recruitment company in Bombay, also known as Mumbai, has been hiring staff and the response has been enthusiastic.
Ashwin D’Penha, a young chef preparing to leave, knows the transition may be tough.
But he does not want to let go of an opportunity which may change his life forever.
For him nothing is more important right now than getting a chef’s job to serve coalition troops.
I am going basically to look for a new opportunity so that I become something in life to see a new future
Indian chef
“This opportunity will never come again. It will be great… I am going abroad at this tender age and there will be a very bright future for me when I come back,” says Ashwin.
“I will get a better job in a good restaurant or somewhere abroad.”
Ashwin is not the only one. Thousands of hopefuls are doing the rounds of the recruitment agency hiring for the coalition forces.
New future
The job offer is only for three months. It is also a 12-hour work day in sweltering desert heat.
Ashwin hopes the job will change his life
But no one is complaining as the salary offered is six to 10 times higher than the going rate in India.
“I am taking up a job in Kuwait. It is an opportunity for me and at the same time I will be making money,” said one chef.
“I am going basically to look for a new opportunity so that I become something in life to see a new future,” said another.
For at least a few candidates, a job in the Gulf may prove to be a turning point in their career.
In a country of a billion plus people there is no shortage of talent and skill sets, but opportunities are few and far between.
They have to cook for around 20-25,000 people at a time
Dreams
It is not just about cooking - Indians are also preferred as they speak English.
The fact that millions of Indians already work in the Gulf also helps.
“We are looking for people who have both the attitude and the aptitude… to work in the catering environment and the desert area and the war-like situation out there,” said Pratik Thakkar of Royal Consultants.
“They have to cook for around 20-25,000 people at a time.”
Ashwin is going not just to serve coalition troops but also to help feed his family back home.
His dream is realised but many more wait in hope - for opportunities in a post-war Iraq which could help secure their future.