As the streets of England turn dark soon after 5pm, Brits around the country start preparations for dinner. The evening meal by our desi standards is a rather early affair, around 7pm at the latest. However, step out onto Wilmslow Road — somewhere around the middle of Manchester city — and there is a peculiar buzz along Rusholme even well after midnight.

Popularly referred to as the Curry Mile, this is the UK`s largest concentration of Asian restaurants, claiming to cater to well over 65,000 hearty diners every week. And if you are craving that homey touch in a gora land, this is without doubt the place where you need to be.

At its simplest, Rusholme is a carbon copy of our good old Burns Road, offering an eclectic assortment of culinary delights from all over Asia, particularly Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This cuisine is served by more than 70 restaurants within a mile`s stretch, ranging from the hardcore desi Nawab, Kebabish and Sizzler to the relatively softer ones like Shere Khan, Lal Qila and numerous others like Shezan, Al Nawaz, Sanam, Hanaan and more.

So what difference has this Asian invasion made in the lives of desis living in England? Well for one, the otherwise predestined mundane eat-in weekends are no more as one can easily step out any time and drive out here, whether for main courses like tikka, seekh kebabs, paaye, biryani, daal, kunna, chaamp, tandoori roti, koftay or for desserts like kulfi, Peshawari icecream, gulaab jaamun, laddoo, ras malai and what not.

For another, it has imparted a huge sense of belonging for desis who would otherwise find the presence of purely gora foods a rather intimidating, not to mention frustrating experience.

However, there is little wonder why traditional English food — with flavourings largely hovering around salt and pepper only — is considered bland by the rich Asian culinary standards. And so places like Kebabish and Nawab are indefatigably catering to swarms of hungry Asian men, women and children every day.

The stark contrast between this set-up and any other gora eatery is also one of a kind burqa-clad ladies screaming at half-a-dozen scampering kids while trying to stuff pieces of plain naan down the throats of their babies as their bearded counterparts dig tenaciously into hunks of mutton chaamp and chicken tikka. Ah, the joy of a good old Asian restaurant is truly priceless.

However, this is just Rusholme; moving away from the Curry Mile, you will find that pockets of desi restaurants and takeaways have also sprung up all over England, pretty much like the regular McDonalds or Subway chains. And though a large number of these are owned and run by long-settled Pakistanis, they still promote themselves as Indian food outlets.

I ask Farooq, owner of Sardar restaurant in Northenden, why this is so and he comments, “It would just confuse the goras. They associate everything with India and to be honest, it doesn`t make much difference to us because

Pakistani and Indian foods are pretty much one and the same.”

Northenden is a small, gora-centric area but there are at least 10 renowned Indian restaurants operating here alone. How have they adapted to English taste buds? I can see a small but well stocked alcoholic beverages bar in one corner of Sardar restaurant and Farooq is quick to comment, “In the past, we have tried to operate without serving alcohol but it just doesn`t work; it would be like offering you curry (saalan) and taking away the roti. For gora diners, alcoholic beverages are absolutely mandatory with their food.” The formula clearly works well for Sardar with its jam-packed floor of diners and still more waiting to be served in the adjoining lounge.

It`s even more fun though when you hear the English enunciating these Indian foods in their sing-song accents. So just for kicks, desis never hesitate to ask their gora friends what their favourite Indian foods are. Eight out of 10 will say, “Chicken tikka masala!” with a ridiculously fervent grin.

And what has become of the bona fide, internationally renowned national English dish, fish and chips? At least as far as food is concerned, times certainly have changed; a number of national polls have revealed that curry has overtaken (or is at least parallel to) the traditional fish and chips as the nation`s favourite food. In fact a recent survey has revealed that the number of fish and chip shops has declined from 25,000 in 1914 to just 8,500 today.
What is more, Britain is now celebrating National Curry Day and National Curry Week as part of its culinary festivities every year. So whether you are a desi or a gora saab, where food is concerned it doesn`t make much difference; people will only go for what they love best. Viva la Asian invasion!