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The polls had just closed as I hovered outside Kabab King, the fluorescent-lit, late-night biryani joint that Zohran Mamdani calls his favorite restaurant. Jackson Heights, Queens, is lined with similar South Asian spots, with piles of spices and to-go containers in every window, this one stands out. It’s where Mamdani often ate during his historic campaign. It’s also where he was recorded eating biryani with his hands , a moment his opponents tried to spin as proof of barbarism. Inside, I counted three other people doing the same. Nobody seemed particularly injured.

A wall-mounted TV played election coverage, the sound barely audible over the clatter of trays.

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