Devon Street of Chicago is well known for its domination of Indian Restaurants. The environment covered by this area has been crowded with people from diverse backgrounds but mainly Indians who are attracted by the cuisines in Chicago. The surrounding has mainly put their focus on detail and individual service which are their main characteristics that put them at the apex in the entire region. Chicago Street of Devon is also majorly known for its inhabitation by Indian restaurants and stores. It is a multicultural street found in the city. The main businesses in the city are run by people from various parts of the world that includes the Pakistanis, Russians and those from Iraq. The street also caters for people from different religious backgrounds ranging from the Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, Christians and the Muslim society. The most predominant community in the area is the Jews but despite this fact they all work together and get along well (Koval 62).
In Devon every individual has a favorite meal. One can have a lunch or dinner spot from the wide range of cuisines and prices. The most popular joints in the area are Hema’s kitchen in Devon Avenue and also Tiffin Restaurant in the same area. The main reason for their popularity is their cooking that is more familiar to American foods. The production of thick yoghurt sauce, biryani, tandoori and rogan josh are the dishes associated with India and the city of Hyderabad. Devon gives an excellent Southern Indian delicacies and Pakistani fare. With the kind of food that is available in the cuisines, one cannot talk of the extravagant nature of the hotels which is seen from the curtains and carpets displayed in the rooms. The food in the hotels is in plenty that one can feed four adults with one order of savory broiled kebabs. In most occasions, Devon makes Indians taste home away from home delicacies. It brings great secret oasis that replaces Indian foods. Chicago Street of Devon is well known for its restaurants whose characteristics are known world over. Most of the restaurants provide a warm environment for its customers and suits all groups of people. One of such restaurants is Ghareeb Nawaz. Ghareeb is named after the poor. Its reputation has spread all over for its ability to provide cheap and freshly prepared home baked Pakistan food (Pocius 82).
Breakfast in Devon entails Paratha, a griddled wheat bread, complete with an egg or seasoned potato together with halwa puri. This goes together with three crisp,puffy fried bread, served with somewhat sweet sooji halwa and curried potato. All these food go for 3$. Biryanis too are among the best food in the street and also the thali which is an amazing deal. With 4$ one can have a veggie combo with a choice of bread from chapatti, paratha and naan. It is also served with a good portion of rice and a pickle of its own. Various other types of food are a deal. These are in a range of veggie kebabs which is a combination of dense disk potatoes, chick peas and eggs. Along the east side of Indo-Pak strip, lies the warmly restaurant of Ali Khawaja that is well known for its tasteful naan. The restaurant room is jam-packed with well engraved and smooth tables complete with high backed chairs. The walls have decor by Pakistani handicrafts to give it a homely look. Its food, just like other Devon restaurants are a deal. Its high standard lamb, goat, beef and chicken complete with jugs of soy and lousiana hot sauce (Ray 59).
Chicago Street of Devon also displays the extent at which religious diversity has brought co-existence within the society. Since 1893 when the first parliament in Chicago held the world fair, Chicago has stood to be a model of interfaith acts in the world. It is a city rich in cultural and ethnic diversity. Active religious groups and committed worshippers are found in the area. Several active organizations are in existence with the main aim of ensuring that there is cooperation between different religious groups. Because of this, interfaith cooperation has been incorporated in many neighborhoods in the city. The area in the Devon Avenue has also gotten these into their neighborhoods (Spencer 32).
Devon Avenue was initially named church road and it is situated at the middle of the most diverse community in the city of Chicago. When one goes down the street of Chicago the diversity is evident not only the ethical diversity but also the cultural part. Street signs are a place that is an example of the religious and cultural differences. The strong presence of Jews in the neighborhood is shown through an intersection of Golda Meir Boulevard with the Honorary Rabbi H. When you go further down there is an evidence of interfaith diversity through the intersection of Golda Meir Boulevard and Mother Teresa road. Various street names have been dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali and Jinnah which is a sign of a big population of Indians in the area that is from both Hindu and Muslim religion (Koval 48).
Across the neighborhood, there are various religious and cultural centers which reflect this diversity. Samuel G Bellows Educational and Cultural centers acts as a synagogue, social hall, resource center and youth center for Jews from Eastern Europe. Chicago Community Kolle gives chances for the Jews to further their studies. In one or two blocks of Devon lies the Chicago branch of Islamic Circle of North America and Jamia Masjid to cater for the local Muslims. Muslims can also get resources from the Chicago Sunni Society (Faubion and Marcus 49).
Christians too have their own diversity in the neighborhood as well. There is the South Asian Friendship Centre where the staff is Christians who always conduct outreach programmes into the South Asians in the area. In there are St Timothy Catholic church and the Ethiopian Evalengical church together with other ministries which enriches the diversity. One other exciting trend in the neighborhood that reflects the synergy among faiths is the repurposing and how they share the space. The North side tabernacle is housed within the Hebrew school with the sign of the new owner put beneath the older. At the same time St James Presbyterian church shares its space with three other communities in the surrounding.
Religion in Devon Street has been embedded deeply in culture and the economy of the surrounding. Muslims around the area make a choice from the surrounding meat stores like the Zabiha Meat Market while the Jews keep Kosher in Kosher Foods and the Kosher Shop in New York. The statues and pictures which depict the Muslim cultures have been embedded at the entrance of many Indian restaurants. Muslims at the same time can purchase books and other gifts from IQRA Book Centre and also from Islamic Books and Things.
Works Cited
Faubion, James D. and George E. Marcus. Fieldwork is Not what it Used to be: Learning
Anthropology's Method in a Time of Transition. London: Cornell University Press, 2009.
Print.
Koval, John P. The New Chicago: A Social and Cultural Analysis. New York: Temple
Pocius, Marilyn. A Cook's Guide to Chicago: Where to Find Everything You Need and Lots of
Things You Didn't Know You Did. New York: Lake Claremont Press, 2006. Print.
Ray, Arpita. Street Societies Re-invented: An Exploratory Study of the Indian Community in
Chicago. New York: ProQuest, 2008. Print.
Spencer, Frank. History of Physical Anthropology. New York: Taylor & Francis, 1997. Print.
