India’s Upcoming Cultural Food Loss

Posted on 8 February 2007 under Food Destinations, Food In The News

The other day in a chat with food writer Linda Eckhardt, she told me, “Let’s hear it for the steak and forget the sizzle. It’s sorta why I like street food. Sometimes — if you know where to look — it’s the best.” 

Unfortunately, India’s capital of Delhi is facing the possible demise of its world-famous street food.

In Delhi street snacks face the chop, the BBC reported yesterday that “The Supreme Court has passed an order to ban the cooking of food at stalls along the roadside … More than 300,000 hawkers could be forced to close their outdoor kitchens if the rules are enforced.”

To give you an idea of how many stalls this is, the 2000 census came up with 124,943 people living in Flint, Michigan. Every person there can have at least 2 stalls of their very own.

The bigwigs in India are citing safety concerns. Some of the stalls have been in-place for over a century, with unique recipes dating back generations, and the fact is, they’re not exactly the cleanest “kitchens” on this planet.

The stuff from those stalls, though, are unlike anything else you’ll ever find. In his book A Cook’s Tour, Chef Anthony Bourdain gets downright romantic about what he found in similar food stalls in Ho Chi Minh City:

Warning; The following description is quite graphic. Those with tender stomachs should skip it.

At the beginning of a fierce compulsion to eat everything in sight, I bounce around like a hungry pinball from stall to stall. A woman crouches by a doorway with a wok of oil sizzling over a few coals. Crisping on the surface are a few tiny little birds, head, feet, wings intact, their entrails bursting yellow, billowing out through golden fried bellies. They look good. They smell good. I buy one, pick it up by the feet, the smiling woman urging me on, letting me know I’m doing it right. I wolf the thing down, gnawing it right up to its feet, beak, brain, tiny crunchy bones and all. Delicious. And again, so fresh. Everything, everywhere, is fresh, astoundingly fresh. And not a refrigerator in sight.

In the BBC article, one visitor states, “The food is cooked right there in front of you - so you know you are safe.”

Unfortunately, “The authorities are concerned that most street food is cooked and served in unsafe and filthy conditions and want it cooked at home and sold pre-packed.”

Obviously, if this does happen, that intense freshness will be gone, the culture of those +quarter-million stalls will be gone, the atmosphere, the related tourism, and the livelihood of the vendors themselves, all of it will be gone.

More than once, I’ve mentioned my recipe for corn dogs, along with the fact that I sold these at the Luna Pier City-Wide Yard Sale the Saturday nearest the 4th last July. I also intend to do so this July if the weather is good, standing in the driveway by my deep fryer, dipping the skewered dogs in the batter, dropping them into the sizzling oil and letting them cook till they’re a golden brown, serving customers more than one when they come back for more later in the day. Maybe I’ll get another deep fryer for this year …

Throughout that city-wide yard sale, similar situations can be found. North of us was a boy next to a charcoal cooker, serving up hamburgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill, with cold cans of pop coming from a cooler. The VFW hall serves mega lunches of ribs and chicken, cooking them in grills right there next to Harold Drive, while to the south could be found sloppy joes and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.

To be quite honest, and knowing I might cause a problem here, I have to say that this may be illegal. The Michigan Food Act of 2000, section 289.5101, specifically states that it is a prohibited act to “(s)ell, deliver for sale, hold for sale, or offer for sale food unless that person holds a license issued under chapter IV”. Section 289.4103 does allow for temporary licensure … however …

“They simply cannot close these stalls - too many people rely on them. The food is cheap, widely available and tasty. Customers don’t want to go to restaurants - they want fresh cooked food in front of them.”

Too much government? Not enough, “of the people, for the people”?

What do you think?

Me, I kinda like the new Euro-Pro deep fryer. I could cook six at a time this year, instead of three like last year.

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