For more than a century, Tunday Kababi, Lucknow’s iconic kebab shop, has satisfied connoisseurs with its delicious galawati kebabs made from buffalo meat. On any given day, the restaurant in the heart of old Lucknow’s Chowk locality bustles with customers, who do not mind waiting in long queues for a bite of their favourite kebabs.
But all that had changed on Thursday with only a couple of tables occupied and most waiters sitting idle. There was an unusual calm at the place, a far cry from its daily business.
“ Aap khud hi dekh sakte hai, kaisa sannata hai. Aaram se baithe hai hum, aam dino mein baithne ki fursat nahi hoti . (You can see for yourself how deserted the place is. Under normal conditions, we would not have a moment to rest),” says Tunday’s caretaker Mohammad Farooq.
The iconic restaurant has been hit hard by a shortage of buffalo meat following the State government’s crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses.
As buffalo meat is no longer available, Tunday Kababi’s Chowk outlet was forced to shut down on Wednesday. It reopened on Thursday but with the USP of its menu missing. For the first time since its inception, the restaurant served mutton and chicken kebabs, instead of its mainstay, beef. Stickers pasted on the walls of the outlet informed customers of the change.
“This is for the first time in my 62 years of life that this joint is selling chicken kebabs. We have always sold beef. The customers come here especially for bade ka kabab (beef kebabs) and do not care much about other meat,” says Mr. Farooq.
Customers unhappy
As their favourite items go missing from the menu, the flow of customers has also dipped. Mohammad Tauqeer, a retired government official, arrived at the outlet to purchase his favourite beef kebabs and paranthe but was disappointed. Would he try the chicken or mutton kebabs? “I am not interested [in mutton and chicken]. I just don’t get the same taste,” Mr. Tauqeer said, as he walked off empty-handed.
Abbas (29), arrived to encounter the same dilemma. He, was, however, ready to give the new items a try. “I am a foodie. It is difficult to replace the taste [of beef kebabs]. It is not the same,” he said.
In its election manifesto, the BJP promised to shut down all mechanised abattoirs and illegal slaughterhouses in U.P.
Within a couple of days after coming to power, the Adityanath government swung into action, sealing slaughterhouses allegedly running without licence.
“We welcome the move to shut illegal slaughterhouses. We request the government to ensure that those slaughterhouses with licence be allowed to run,” said Mr. Farooq.
