Spices of Street-Food

By Mubasim Mehboob Ali

Traveling to an exotic place is a beautiful experience. One gets an opportunity to enjoy landscapes, meet different people and explore new cultures. You wish to use up all your time and energy in the enjoyment. What you do not want to be, in any case, is to be sick! Therefore, you select food that you find healthy and hygienic enough to keep you energetic.

But from where is this yummy smell coming from? Ah, hot, spicy biryani! And your nose hauls you to a nearby street-cart. You open your eyes and are bewitched by the view. Wait! Wait a minute! Is this food hygienic? It's a street-cart. Does the man wash his hands? Is it fresh? The chicken looks quite dubious. No, no, no. I can't have it. Your mouth is still watering, but you swallow it and move forward. I can't afford to be sick. Not now.

This is a common experience and the fear is quite logical. The more we study about health and safety, the more we are restricted from enjoying things around. Believe you me, ignorance is bliss. But maybe we are a bit carried away in this fear. So I asked from a quite credible person about these hygiene issues; a pro biryani street-vendor in Times Square. His replies were groundbreaking.

How can you defend that your biryani is hygienic?

I have worked in a few restaurants and I can assure you my food is much better than theirs is. My customers can actually see with their eyes the complete operation. If I have stinking vegetables, they could smell that in a minute and no one will stop by. Indeed, my biggest brand ambassadors are their noses that pull them to me. Also, my cart is so small that I can keep it clean easily. What do you know about the kitchens of your royal restaurants? You can't see what crawls in there, until and unless, one day you see your rice moving in your plate.

How often do you wash your hands?

Quite often. And the real truth is I don't actually get an opportunity to take a bathroom break. You know, I am alone at my cart and so can't leave it and just go. So the delusions in your mind do not really hold water. [smile]

What do you do with your leftovers?

I have been in this business for quite a long time. So I have a pretty good idea how much is my daily sale, so I cook accordingly. There are leftovers sometimes - they are inevitable -I just junk them. Can't use it the next day, not because of any I-couldn't-sleep-the-whole-night type mumbo-jumbo but because my customers would find out in a minute. I can't lose my customers for a few dollars. That's a stupid tradeoff, I believe.

Splendid! So street-carts are not as dangerous as believed. Yes, it's true. Now you can enjoy your holidays more fully, tasting every spice of life.