First Course By Saba Imtiaz Daal fry, chicken tikka, fried fish, sabzi ghotala (a vegetable curry with an egg scrambled through), and chicken jalfrezi are brought to the counter alongside a tower of naan or chapatis, fresh from the tandoor. These are just a sampling of lunches from Khairabad, one of last Iranian-origin cafes in Karachi. Most Iranian cafes closed down as the owners left, passed away, or were squeezed out as the land became more valuable, but Khairabad continues to thrive. Pair with: Chicken Tikka By Mitchell Kuga Hawaii’s best lunch is two scoops of white rice, macaroni salad slathered in mayo, and a choice of meat (always greasy), all piled into a styrofoam container. The Hawaiian plate lunch is an amalgamation of immigrant tastes: plantation workers taking culinary staples from Asia and transforming them under the strain of limitations that only working-class people living on islands can understand. Pair with: Macaroni Salad |