Anokaa Restaurant

Indian food has been enjoyed in our family for generations – my sister and I were practically brought up on it. We would be surprised if my nephew, Harry, didn’t have a curry before his birthday in June, though we’ll be holding back on the Lamb Madras for a while.

To celebrate Leonie’s birthday, we went to a local restaurant in Salisbury called the Anokaa. Although my family have always gone to a different restaurant in Salisbury, my sister and I prefer the Anokaa. It’s newer, more people go there and the food is considerably better. I’m also convinced they give you more papadums – a definite plus when you get mango chutney on the side.

Balloons and Jacks

We had a great dinner highlighted by the appearance of the magician, Matt Daniel-Baker, at our table who performed some tricks for us. I’m always amazed whenever I see the big names on TV pull of big stage tricks. I’ve also seen Derren Brown live in Bournemouth, but nothing compares to when it’s performed right in front of you. Daniel-Baker was friendly, funny and, most importantly, amazingly good at his job. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s performed in front of big names such as Barack Obama and Victoria Beckham.

Leonie being amazed!

But our meal out made me think of a few things – like the tricks we saw that night, the power of family tradition is both elusive and astounding. Just because generations do something before us, why should we do always do it? This conservative attitude is prevalent in all English families, and is exemplified in the elaborate decorum of the Royal family.

At a glance, it seems that the Royal family often dominates England. From William and Kate’s upcoming wedding and it’s control over the headlines to when over a million people lined London roads in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. The procession lasted four miles – an estimated two and half billion people watched the funeral on TV – the whole country froze in silence.

Procession of Princess Diana

I was too young to realise what had happened, or understand the importance of the occasion, but respect for the Royal family has been ingrained upon the nation consciousness. I believe family traditions on par with the Royal family are evident in all families of England.

Admittedly, my sister and I prefer the Anokaa to the traditional family restaurant, but this isn’t just because it has better food, as mentioned before. We would never have made the switch had we not known the owner. The reason we know him is because he used to be a waiter in the traditional family Indian restaurant. My sister and I have known him for as long as we can remember. But why is this relevant to family traditions?

The waiter was the son of the traditional restaurant’s owner. In other words, that waiter branched off from his father to start a new business literally less than a mile down the road. In a way, isn’t our preference of the Anokaa parallel to the waiter’s choice to start up anew? I believe that although family tradition is significantly conservative, it also breeds new ideas and ultimately encourages progress.