Discovering authentic Bangladeshi cuisine with Alec Paterson in London
How far are you willing to go to immerse yourself in a cuisine so fine, and a culture so beautiful that it would drastically change your life for the better? How motivated are you to learn and understand this cuisine and its culinary roots, that you make that a prime objective to explore? One man, Alec Paterson, can answer this question with great confidence. Especially considering that he visited Bangladesh once and instantly fell in love with what it had to offer, not just to his taste buds, but to his life as well.
Alec Paterson is the CEO of Dotlines Food, which is a part of the parent company Dotlines. The company has three startups that are currently active, ranging from curries, teas, and most notable, pickles. As it stands right now, his main aim is to bring the rich and undoubtedly extravagant Bangladeshi cuisine to the competitive food culture of London. His love for Bangladeshi food has inspired him to open a full-fledged Bangladeshi restaurant in the heart of London that will showcase true Bangladeshi cuisine to the world and put Bangladesh as a serious contender in the global cuisine market.
He came across a friend who was visiting England at the time for business purposes regarding the Eastern Pickle Company. That friend was amidst numerous Bangladeshis specifically in London, but was unable to find authentic Bangladeshi food, so they had the brilliant idea of inviting Alec back to Dhaka to experience what true Bangladeshi food was. With some convincing from his job, Alec then took his friend up on their offer and visited Dhaka for a couple of days. And this is what virtually changed his life forever.
He indulged himself fully into the Bangladeshi cuisine, eating a wide variety of foods including street foods, which even us locals don't indulge in as frequently, to rich hearty meals in friends' and colleagues' homes, which really opened his eyes to what this cuisine had to offer. He promised himself that this brief visit was not enough to experience everything and decided to return again, this time for a longer period and really had a good chance to experience the local food scene.
The time he spent here really fascinated him, trying different types of food and really inspired him to bring this piece of culinary art back to his homeland. He even resigned from his previous job and took up the new role as CEO of Dotlines Food UK to be the spearhead of highlighting this cuisine on a global scale. "My aim for coming here, other than absolutely stuffing myself with the delicious food, is to bring these delicacies back home to London. We've been eating the same old chicken tikka masala for 50 or so years, and now, it's time to taste what real Bangladeshi food tastes like," stated Alec.
"We essentially have to crack London as it's such a competitive atmosphere and once you can get it going in London, other cities will flock to the idea of it, and chain reaction will begin which will put Bangladesh and its food on the global map," expressed Alec.
Despite the culture shocks and tremendous legal hoops, Alec Paterson really strives to enunciate his love for Bangladeshi food and he sincerely wishes to put Bangladeshi cuisine on the global map as a uniquely recognisable cuisine that people from all over can enjoy.