Sunday, April 20, 2008

Indian restaurateurs in UK take to streets

Can a Polish cook tarka dal to the right level of spice? Or, is a Bulgarian migrant here culturally sensitive enough to rustle up 'chicken tikka masala' widely considered Britains national dish?
No, say owners of Indian restaurants who are currently struggling to deliver orders due to severe staff shortage.
New immigration rules prevent the owners from recruiting chefs from the Indian sub-continent, and many owners and consumers are facing an acute problem.
This crisis facing the 3.5-billion-pound Indian restaurant industry is scheduled to hit the streets of London on Sunday as thousands of chefs, owners and consumers stage a three-hour protest against restrictive immigration rules.
The protest has been joined by Chinese and Turkish restaurant industries, which are also facing similar staff shortage problems.
The protest has been organised by the newly formed Ethnic Catering Alliance, representing over 40,000 restaurants.
Connoisseurs of Indian cuisine believe that cooking food is a cultural process that needs the right material and cultural inputs.
They believe that without years of experience and sensitivity, it cannot be performed by people outside the Indian cultural zone.
But Indian restaurant owners here have been encouraged to employ Polish, Bulgarian or other migrants from the expanded European Union who do not need permits to work in Britain

Courtesy:ndtv.com

Complete artical HERE

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