That notwithstanding, people eat it like beefs going out of style. "Its fresh, its fragrant, its delicious, its cheap. Poor mans redemption, rich mans passion. The most democratic food we know in Lucknow! Where else can one eat a galvat ka kabab and a paran-tha for Rs 4?" asks renowned gourmet, Begum Raffia Hussain, 53, of Chowk. "My earliest memory is of going to Tundey and gorging on kababs with my Dad. Old General Umrao Singh of Rajast-han, an old family friend, would get off the train, first visit Tundey, next hed come visiting us." Faisal Khan, self-employed businessman, fourth-generation Luckn-owi explains how to best savour the Tunda Taste: "Eat them fresh. They are tender because of the papaya he puts in the meat, delicious because hes a master blender of masalas. Theyre fragrant because of the kewra, rich because of the tallow he uses." The kabab masala is a family secret incorporating 160 ingredients and costs over Rs 2,000 per kilo to make. Says an oldtimer: "Freshness is the essence. "