TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: If you don’t have fish, eat chicken and eggs! The non-vegetarian restaurants across Goa have begun staring at fish scarcity prompting them to promote chicken and egg dishes on their menus.
On the first day of the strike, fish eaters had to shell out little extra on fish foods than the usual rates while quite a few non-vegetarian restaurants in the city could serve only chicken and eggs.
Anandashram, serving typical Goan food, has stacked fish only for a day and half which means if trawlers remain anchored it will not be able to serve fish.
Subhash Haldankar, eldest of the four brothers running the popular restaurant, said the strike forced them to marginally increase the rates of fish plates.
“We had to increase the price by approximately Rs 10-20 per plate. From tomorrow (Wednesday) chicken food will be increased by Rs 10 per plate. We are helpless but the hike will be only till the strike period,” he assured.
The restaurant usually sees a rush every Wednesday for non-vegetarian food with huge demand for seafood. “Though our stock is for limited period, fish being perishable, other non-vegetarian food like chicken biryani, egg masala among others and vegetarian food will certainly be available,” said Haldankar.
Many restaurateurs claimed that Kingfish, otherwise sold at Rs 300 per kilo was hiked by Rs 200 and 100 pieces of mackerels were sold at Rs 2,500 (Rs 25 per piece) since the indefinite strike was announced.
Café Tato, which runs a chain of restaurants in Panjim and Margao, conceded its new outlet in the most active commercial area ~ Patto ~ could barely serve fish. “Nothing in fish could be served. We had limited stock as we thought the strike would be only for a day or two,” owner Pradip Dhuri said adding he was in Mumbai when the strike call was given.
The restaurant has assured not to hike the rates of other non-vegetarian items.
Its vegetarian restaurant, located near the Panjim Municipal Garden, received usual response from vegetarian eaters. “The response is as usual. People knew there won’t be fish from today. We get many vegetarian customers daily,” said Sunil Dhuri hoping the crisis will end soon.
The Secretariat canteen at Porvorim, which could have earned additional bucks with the ongoing assembly session, had also stacked fish only for a day or two. Their fish thali with two Sardines costs Rs 40 and special fish thali with black pomfret is priced Rs 60, which is said to be their usual rates.
Manager of a mini-restaurant in Porvorim said Tuesday was the last day they could serve fish to its customers.
Fish eaters however did not mind spending a little extra on fish. An ardent fish eater, Shamin, said she had to spend Rs 50 for two small pieces of cooked Lady Fish, which would otherwise cost Rs 30.
Fish dishes are set to go off the menu of restaurants if the fishing trawlers continue the indefinite strike pending Centre’s decision about whether to roll back the diesel hike. The strike in Maharashtra and Karnataka has also affected imports.
