Amrita Gil , Mumbai : The term “street foods” describes a wide range of ready-to-eat foods and beverages sold and sometimes prepared in public places, notably streets. Mumbai is the world’s largest open-air kitchen. Street food stalls can be found at every street corner in Mumbai.
Many people prefer to make frequent small purchases at convenient locations. Those with little or no income depend almost exclusively on food supplied by street food vendors. Street foods are a bargain for customers when the demands of time and costs of food, fuel, cooking equipment and transportation are taken into account .Consumers who are attracted by convenience and low prices may overlook aspects of hygiene or sanitation.But the recent incident of local paani puri vendor in Mumbai will not only make us people think about the hygiene but also about the ethics of these local street foods. Mumbai Whistle-blower Ankita Rane resident of thane ,mumbai, a 19-yearold student, was shocked when she first spotted Chauhan urinating into his lota. “His stall is right below our building. Though there were rumours of him being quite gross, his stall was always flooded with customers,” she said. “Since I had nothing to do after my exams, I started keeping an eye on him. Every day, he’d pee into the utensil and then use the same to pour tangy water into the ragda or stir the paani puri mix. Some customers even used that lota to drink water once they had finished eating.”
When she told her family members and neighbours, however, they refused to believe her. Well this story has triggered an activity against the concept of hygiene of the street foods. Some political workers have came out and demolished the vendor stalls in many suburban parts of Mumbai. There is a call of action against such unhygienic foods being sold out in open.
The affected act of one such vendor have raised a question in every mind who savors on the street paani puri.Do we really know what are we eating…?