Picture of the Day: Atum Bum Siri Paaye

Posted on March 12, 2007
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Food, Photo of the Day, Society
15 Comments
Total Views: 36720

Adil Najam

Sometimes a picture says itself all that needs to be said.

This one does so on the billboard at the back of the guy in this traditional Siri Paye (should we say, ‘Head and Hooves’; someone please help me with the proper English term for this!) shop in Lakshmi Chowk, Lahore. Here is what the board says:

Main Text:
Desi bakray kay atum bumm Sri Paaye.

Other Text:
Aik baar khao gay, baar baar aoo gay!
Behtareen masaalouN say tayar shodda!
Amritsar waalouN ki fakhriya peshkash!

So, you have a Pakistani bill board, mentioning Atom Bombs, Amritsar, and the heads and hooves of a severed animal! The results, one might guess, must be ‘Politically Delicious!’

Is comparing food to Atom Bombs really the best way to attract customers?

Yes we want an explosion of taste; but how big an explosion! From the look of things in this picture, however, its a sales pitch that seems to work. I guess national pride, culinary passions, and that whiff of nostalgia added by the Amritsar mention are a winning formula. Plus, nothing like food to get us Lahoris excited.

As with our earlier post about Nihari in Karachi, I will refrain from explaining exactly what Siri Paye is, but maybe some reader will. Thanks to reader Asma for telling me about this wonderful picture, which is posted on Flickr by Edge of Space, but taken by ~Fursid. There is very interesting, very Pakistani, banter between them there. Our thanks to all for the wonderful memories this picture brings back.

15 responses to “Picture of the Day: Atum Bum Siri Paaye”

  1. Moeen Bhatti says:

    What a picture!! This is Lahore & I love it & miss it like anything!! There is NO translation of “Siri Paaye.” Siri Paaye has a ‘culture’ and even if are you able to translate it, it will loose its spirit, its meaning!! When I think of siri paayas, it brings a whole picture infront of my eyes; the lakshami chowk, phaja’s place, the sound of rakshaws, the traffic, the dust,the busy people, the girls with their drivers and boys chasing them, throwing their phone nos. etc etc.

  2. Pervaiz Munir Alvi says:

    “Punjabi cross with Mughlai”

    Indscribe:
    Pakistan is no stranger to Mughal cuisine. Lahore was capital of Akbar-Jahangir-Shahjahan from 1584 to 1638 and that is where the Mughlia (not Mughlai) palate was developed. Come to Lahore and they will knock your socks off by feeding you Mughal cuisine from Roasted Leg-of-Lamb to Tikka Kabab to Lahori Fish. You will forget your Lucknow and Delhi.

  3. Pervaiz Munir Alvi says:

    Adil: Here they sell “Pig-feet”, “Pig-ears”, “Chicken-wings”, “Ox-tail” and “Fish-Head”. “Soul food” is the term often used. So I guess we could call it “Lamb-Head-Feet”. For those who do not know, the “Lamb-Head-Feet-Soup” is best when consumed with boiled Basmatti white rice. Also tongue omelette or sandwich is good too.

  4. Indscribe says:

    Adil Bhail, how do you get such amazing pictures with such regularity? In chaTori galis in Lucknow and Delhi, I have seen good signboards but none matches this one. And so politically right–Laxmi Chowk, Amristar.

    Is this murgh-chholay a common dish, I never heard it in India. Such a deadly combination–Punjabi cross with Mughlai. Aap ne nosh farmaye atom-bomb paye ya sirf tasviir par hi iktifaa ki hai?

  5. Foodie says:

    Sometimes, if the Sri paie are not cooked right you actualy DO have an atom bomb explode in your stomach… and it is not pretty :-)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*