In light of a recent letter to the editor (scroll down to read), we’ve decided to re-post this story, which was originally published in the October 2009 issue of seveneightfive.

If you live in Topeka, you’re aware of the recent litigation surrounding Globe Indian Cusine, a locally-owned restaurant on 10th & Quincy.  Back in April, a server there died of pneumonia and owner Amarpreet (Latti) Singh was charged with harboring illegal aliens for commercial gain.  Since the charges were reported, even before a conclusive trial could be held, The Globe’s business has dramatically decreased as unsure patrons withdrew their support.  The family that depends on the those customers were dealt a double blow as they struggled to make ends meet while paying court fees and lawyers. 
I’ll admit it, reading a news clip is all it took for me to make up my mind to stop visiting The Globe.   Unthinkingly, I took my money instead to other restaurants, corporations like Subway, Applebee’s, Chipotle.  I wasn’t willing to support unfair labor practices.  I held this firm stance for a couple of months, until my daughter’s second birthday. Her father and I told her that she could have any kind of food she wanted.  It just so happens that what she wanted was sweet lassi, a yogurt drink.  She wanted paneer, the indian-style pressed cheese.  She wanted mango ice cream with two pink birthday candles wedged in.  I made a concession, and we went out for Indian. 

If it’s been a while since you’ve been to The Globe, you may have forgotten what I suddenly remembered that evening.  That when you walk into the restaurant, warmth and exotic, mouth-watering smells greet you.  The bells on the door clang their welcome, and unfamiliar music drones softly from speakers.  Surjeed Kaur, with an uncertain smile, gestures you to a table.  She doesn’t understand a lot of English, save what enables her to be a completely capable server.  If you eat at the Globe often, Surjeed will remember exactly what you order.  She will make sure that your children are comfortable, even smile as they throw handfuls of rice onto the ground.  She will dotingly swoop in with a pitcher of cold water to refresh your glass again and again as you gulp down the most amazing (and spicy) Indian dishes – food that is as beautiful as it is fragrant as it is delicious.

A little boy plays peekaboo with you around the edge of the booth he sits in.  Four year-old Arunparatap (or just plain Aru), can be found lingering in his parents’ restaurant most days.  He is skillful at discovering which customers are lovers of children, and will tricycle by tables or play peekaboo around the edge of a booth before he is feeling emboldened enough to draw near.  After his mother, Tirath Kaur, makes sure that customers aren’t being bothered, Aru is free to engage his new friends in a conversation, perhaps about spoons.  Big spoons and little spoons.  Aru likes big spoons best.

His nine year-old sister, Rachelle, is nearby poring over schoolwork with a number two pencil.  She chats easily with her mother, who hovers lovingly over her children while keeping an eye tuned into the bustle of the restaurant.
Tirath’s bright smile is disarming; she has the natural ability to make people feel comfortable.  It’s evident that she enjoys an environment that keeps her in contact with others.  “Friends and family are always around to help out, and we are always making new friends,” she beams.  It feels as if we have been invited into their home.  The family eats most of their meals here and unanimously agree that they never get tired of the food.  At home, however, Tirath instead of Latti is in charge of the cooking. 
Unseen in the bright, airy kitchen, Surjeed’s husband, Mandel, patiently stirs a humongous pot of paneer with a paddle.  Once separated, the paneer will be drained, hung in cheesecloth, pressed, cubed, and then stored for use over the next week.
Latti orbits the kitchen quickly, throwing fresh vegetables into a pan with expert unmeasured dashes of spices.  “Our bread is the freshest – homemade,” he confides.  When ordered, the oven-baked flatbread begins with a ball of homemade dough that Latti slaps back and forth until it is flat and perfectly round. He then presses it against the side of a coal-fired clay oven, where it bubbles and browns before Latti deftly pulls out the naan with a hooked metal stick.   Latti remains straightfaced and determined as he cooks, in a clean white apron that he removes when he answers the phones or rings up customers at the counter.  He is a thoughtful man, but cheerful, and always inquiring about your family – even the distant sister from out of town who dined with you two years ago. 
He reflects that about 90% of the customers who visit are regulars – “downtown employees, state employees, Indian customers, Americans..”  but that he remembers and misses the faces of those who haven’t been around in a many months.  “Many people are surprised to discover that we have not closed down.  We are still open!” he voices emphatically.

 
Some long-time customers go out of their way to come to the Globe.  While we dine, a man from Des Moines picks up an immense takeout order.  “We tried some of the restaurants in Iowa – we don’t like them,” he pronounces plainly.
When we leave, everyone smiles and waves.  As we exit, the bells clang again, muted, and the cold darkness of downtown Topeka ushers us quickly into the car.  
Currently, Latti Singh awaits sentencing.  As media sponges, we are free to believe that he was exploiting a worker that died.  We are also free to believe that the worker just became sick and that the Immigration and Naturalization Service, under the Bush Administration, were urged to prosecute anything that looked suspicious.  Or, we can ignore the media altogether and forgo the burden of personally judging the guilt or innocence of a man.  We can carefully choose to bring our business to a family that benefits from our help and support – now as they struggle with the court system, and in the coming months as a patriarch could be removed from the family who depends on him.
Our money is powerful.  Not only can we withhold it from the things we disapprove of, but we can also use it to support the things we believe in: hard-working people, local business, invigorating the culture of Topeka, and a family that needs the support of its community. 

[October 2009 | Melissa Sewell | Colin MacMillan | Nathan Ham Photography]

March 12 Letter to the Editor 

I have lived in Topeka most of my 43 years. In that time I have eaten at a large number of establishments throughout the city, as well as many places around the Shawnee county area.

I, like many people in the world, am very passionate about many things. One of my passions is cooking, and another is eating.

About 2 years ago I was asked by a co-worker if I wanted to join her and several other co-workers for lunch at Globe. I explained that I had never heard of Globe Indian Cuisine, but I was willing to try anything once.

When I arrived at Globe, I looked at the outside of the business and thought to myself, “wow, what a hole in the wall this is.” I assure you that the moment I walked in the door, and was hit by the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen, I knew that I had been introduced to something very special. My experience at Globe was that of many emotions. I was worried when I saw the building from the street, I was amazed by the sights, sounds and smells from the moment I opened the door, I was reassured by the smiles and personal attention I received from the entire staff, and I was excited about the wonderful flavors of everything I put on my plate.

I was a law enforcement officer for many years, and I am currently a corrections officer, and I am not afraid to tell you that I did not for one minute even consider not going to Globe after I heard about the charges filed against the owner.

Don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say, I am not saying that I don’t care what he may have done, I am just saying this; everyone in this country is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law after being judged by a jury of his or her peers. Also, if he is found guilty, it’s not the restaurant’s fault, it will be his. Why should we let an establishment go under just because one person may or may not have made a mistake or had a lapse in good judgement?

I have made Globe Indian Cuisine one of my regular stops for lunch for the last two years now, and have no plans to stop any time soon. I was there just yesterday with more of my co-workers.

From my first unexpected culinary experience at Globe two years ago, all the way to yesterday, I have not found a better, more inviting or delicious lunch experience!

I give Globe Indian Cuisine 2 huge thumbs up!

 K. E. Fosdick