A taste of India on a Logan square street

Ahhhh, paan, my weakness

Missing all things India, while in Chicago, I made Kelly drive us up to the Desi section of Devon Avenue. We perused markets and walked past windows of gold jewelry and saris and smelled spices that transported me home. And then we finally found what I had wanted most: paan.

Kelly also became my victim, because she agreed to try paan — my kind of paan, tobacco paan — without really knowing what it was. I explained a bit about tobacco and betel nut and offered to get her the mitai version, but she wanted to have whatever I was having. Kel is brave, longtime friend.

From a little convenience store we got it wrapped to-go, after I surprised the paanwallah by ordering in Hindi.

I also explained that I would document her eating it for blogging purposes. The photos below are the outcome of that fun afternoon experiment on the street outside her apartment in Logan Square.

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