Indian-Italian and Auto-Rickshaws

Travelled across town to the most fabulous Italian restaurant here in Bangalore this evening. Very fancy place with live (low-key) music, and delicious food. As mentioned in previous blogs, Bangalore is filled with more awesome restaurants than any city in which I have ever lived. I had not been to an Italian one here yet, and this was a great experience. In the US, the best Italian restaurants are run by…well….a family with some kind of Italian background, whether 1st or 4th generation. They must have “Italian blood” to create such a tasty marinara. So when I began eating this excellent food, I immediately blurted out “Are there Indians back there in the kitchen cooking this Italian food?”. Kudos to the Indian chef cooking this excellent food at Toscano’s in Bangalore! Unforgettable pasta.

We travelled there by auto-rickshaw, which is always a fun experience. On the streets of India, there are buses, recycling trucks, cars, motorcycles, pedestrians and a LOT of AUTO RICKSHAWS. Being in a rickshaw is like riding in the back of a super fast golf cart. With no golf clubs, and a meter is running. You talk to the driver before you ever step in and agree on a price. The current state of auto-rickshaws in Bangalore is shaken up a bit by the influx of Uber cabs. Lots of competition on the roads for your business. Therefore a rickshaw for a 25 minute ride can cost the same as an Uber cab. Rickshaw drivers seem to have a kinmanship, and wherever 2 or 3 are gathered, they are always talking, and “seem to know each other”, though as Bangalore is so huge, they could very well have just met. If there are 2 or 3 lined up (outside a hotel or restaurant) and you haggle a price for a ride without an agreement, you can walk to the next one, to try to get a better deal. However, they seem to be “banded together with an unspoken agreement” or bond that they are not going to undercut each other. I have only witnessed this a few times, so my perception could be completely “off” here. As with the current state of competition, how could this be working? Also, most interestingly, rickshaw drivers are the most sought out group in Bangalore for “asking directions”, and in the 5 minutes we stopped and paid, a car drove up and asked for some directions. Also, last week, while out with colleagues, we also stopped to seek out a rickshaw driver for directions. (Bangalore is huge and no one (except rickshaw drivers) know where anything is. Haha)

I took some pics (just with my phone, quickly) inside the restaurant, above, and also while riding in the rickshaw, below. We are super close to a white car if you cannot tell (inches). I simply do not know how these drivers get so close, and do not hit each other constantly, and yet remain so laid back at the same time. There is a bar which the passengers in the back can grip. It was probably added so the passengers do not grab onto the rickshaw drivers!

Another exciting night out in Bangalore, which I thoroughly enjoyed!