Haleem

While my mum and dad were here, we went out for an Indian meal one night. When mum and I had had our fill, it disgusted me, but didn’t surprise me, to see my dad pick up the silver curry dishes and a spoon and polish off the leftovers until not a drop remained.

Well, it wasn’t until yesterday that I learnt that this type of thing is not only accepted in Bangladesh (etiquette, when it comes to food, is not really a priority), you can actually order it off the menu. And it is called Haleem.

Yesterday I was in a “restaurant” (I use the term loosely) with my friend Sohel in Hajigonj. He felt like a little snack, so he decided to order Haleem. I was intrigued to find out what it was as I’d never heard of it before.

A few minutes later, it arrived at the table. A little bowl full of goat curry and one of those big spoons you get at Asian-style restaurants. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it soup. It was much more like gravy with bits of meat in it.

So the term “Haleem” therefore must translate as: “Can I have the goat curry with extra sauce? And a spoon, please.”