I once had bhelpuri at a restaurant in the USA and could not help remarking that it was too hygienically prepared to match the chatpata taste of its famed Bombay cousin.

The roadside delectables was considered out of bounds in my family till I went to college. It was only when I was in college that the afternoon hunger pangs helped overcome my fears of the “Delhi belly”. Soon, a pit-stop at the roadside vendors became a daily ritual before boarding the home-bound DTC “U-special”.

Over time I realised the value of such foods. In all those years I cannot recall any of us ever falling prey to any stomach ailments. Contrast this with my NRI friend, who came down with a severe case of food poisoning at a five star hotel in Delhi a few days ago.

I cannot but bemoan the decision of our governments to curb the sale of street food — the most recent plan being to declare Connaught Place out-of-bounds for vendors.

There’s much to be said for street food— even apart from the entrepreneurship that provides employment to so many. Not only does it provide delectable fast food but it does so at a very low cost. Equally remarkable, food from no two vendors taste the same. No wonder it is so popular in most parts of India.

Delhi has had, since at least from the time of the Mughals, a great tradition of street foods, much like other parts of the world. A slightly more organized variant are the offerings made by the many tiny outlets in Chandni Chowk-of ancient and impeccable lineage, offering dahi bhallas, chaats, jalebis or parathas. Each of these places has its signature taste which is hard to replicate — quite a contrast to the big food chains dishing out the same taste and flavor the world over. Incidentally, there is a reasonable degree of nutritive value in several of these foods and indulging once in a while in something like jalebis is not entirely unwarranted.

... contd.