Photo: The New York Times

Society20. September 2019

California’s Punjabi Truckers Enjoy a Taste of Home on the Highway

Home-cooking on the highway: hundreds of Punjabi truck-drivers in the west of the United States make a stop for their homeland’s best dishes. A modest family-run food truck in Bakersfield, California has turned into a favorite spot for the ethnic truckers.

Tucked between a truck wash and a repair shop, truckers on the go can’t resist stopping by the Punjabi Dhaba, named after roadside restaurants in India and Pakistan, to take a break from the highway and enjoy a hearty dish cooked from scratch.

California alone has over 100,000 truck drivers, and counting. Though the majority of truckers in the United States has traditionally consisted of white males, immigrants from the Indian state of Punjab have been expanding what it means to be a truck driver in California, while considerably easing the shortage of drivers in recent years.

Punjabi Dhaba offers the growing Punjabi community a space that is reminiscent of home, with familiar food, a vast parking space and free bilingual Punjabi Trucking magazines.

Local families, children, and truck drivers passing through the industrial region all gather together in a shaded dining area to enjoy some freshly-made warm parathas – pan-fried Indian flatbread – and dishes from the small but highly irresistible menu.

Source:
Gulf News

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