Kulhads. They are a rarity in Delhi tea shops. There is one guy in CR Park market one who gives chai in kulhads for 15 rupees and in plastic cups for 10. So, every time we land there, I get one Kulhad and then ask for refills. So, if there are 3 people, it is not 3 cups of tea at one go. It is one cup (15) plus two refills (20).
That effectively saves 20 rupees, plays foul with the teaman’s economics and gives you the dirty please sure that you get only when you are being cheap.
In Kolkata, no chance. From the smallest smallest to the big shops, everyone had kulhads and it was not the elite cool thing that it has become.
Contrast this with Bhubaneswar. This time when I was there, every dahi bara vendor had moved from leaf plates to plastic ones. Every single one of them. I don’t what is behind the kulhad epidemic in Kolkata but wish it can be replicated and I wont have to trick the CR Park guy anymore.
