Harlem & Food
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Bald provides several reasons as to why the racial makeup of New York City would be attractive to Indians - what I found the most interesting was the parallels he drew between Muslim and Jewish eating habits. It was possible that Muslim immigrants were drawn to the Lower East Side due to the presence of kosher butchers, as this would allow them the closest approximation to halal meat in the US (Bald 166). The large population of immigrants in the city also allowed them to blend in, which is why many immigrants were drawn to New York in the first place. Eventually, many of the ex-seafaring Indian/Muslim immigrants turned to working in restaurants or setting up their own, since Indian restaurants proved to be an important communal space for those of them in Harlem (Bald 175). While the Indian restaurants in midtown Manhattan often played up the Orientalism factor in order to attract non-Indian, upper-class clientele, the restaurants in Harlem were largely intended to provide a sense of community (Bald 176). I find it extremely interesting how food can be used in multiple such ways, both to protect your own sense of identity and to capitalise on it in order to survive in a new country.