Celebration Lunch: Zaiqa

As a treat, a bunch of us braved the oppressive heat and walked down Orleans to Zaiqa for lunch. We had been working nonstop all morning to meet a 1:00 PM deadline, and were ravenous by this point.

Zaiqa is a great Indian/Pakistani restaurant, on Orleans about a block or so north of Chicago. It’s a total cab drive hangout and, with the exception of Chelsea who accompanied us one time… I can’t recall seeing another woman in the place.

The food may not be pretty to look at, but it’s damn delicious. If you’re a fan of Indian food, this is definitely a place to check out. It’s gritty and no-frills, but oh so good. The regulars definitely run the place, but the clientele are typically kind (if not simply indifferent to outsiders).

One thing to try, if you do come here: the Meetapan (I’m not sure if I’m spelling this right). It’s a bunch of spices, coconut shavings, some kind of paste and seeds, all rolled into a leaf. I think it’s meat as an after-meal snack – something to lighten the breath, aid digestion and, according to Justin and Ben, packs one heck of a buzz.

You’re not meant to eat any of it, really. Mostly, you take big bites of it, chew it in your mouth, and spit out big red trails of saliva as you walk down the sidewalk. It’s a hoot, mostly because from a distance, it looks like you’re tripping your balls off on some really strong peyote.

Every time we get some of this stuff, the same thing happens. Justin and Ben both go through theirs quickly, and I take one bite and then call it quits. It sort of tastes like a mouth full of crunchy incense.

Here’s a closeup of what it looks like. And just now, I found the old blog entry I made about this stuff, back in 2003 – similar language and all.

And to top it off, I was able to get video of the process. This was some two years in the making, I guess.