don't eat train food?

I have never got ill from eating on a train, nor have I ever had any food I would have called "good" --- it filled a hole, that's all. Often it arrived at a very bad time, too, like on a train departing 8.00pm, orders would be taken and the food arrive at 10.00pm, just when people are thinking about sleep.

We always take a flask of Chai with us as well. Made at home on the way out, but filled by the station canteen on the way home.

A bunch of bananas makes a great snack food: add a packet of biscuits and you'll be well set up

Certainly home delivery is an option, though I've never tried it. A nearby neighbour uses it all the time: everything from Pizza and Subway through to the usual South Indian dishes. She says it doesn't cost her much more than cooking would! You can even pick your diet, from non-veg through to strict Brahmin veg!

However, for a one off, maybe better to ask a restaurant you have already tried to pack you a takeaway --- or even ask your hotel.

With thousands of trains providing meals on IR it's difficult to give a one answer fits all.

After all it only takes someone to do something unhygenic and you suffer for it.

Generally I've found the food on trains varies from the really tasty to very bland!!

I haven't gotten sick from train food but that doesn't say much I've got the constitution of an elephant!!

Thousands and thousands of people do eat train food every day.....most don't get sick so that must say something!!

Totally agree with the Cap'n's advice though, maybe give your system some time to get accustomed to Indian food and bacteria!!

I'm normally taken the food at the train and is normally quite good and cheap. If people (foreigners) become ill is because they must carry their own food everywhere. Another thing is the food they sell at the platforms beside the trains.

I`ll open a new thread with the food at Shatabdi Exp.

Jorge

Train food? No problem, sir!
Dosa, samosa, chai, coffe, I took it a lot of times and nothing happened, only remember to smoke a bidi after all that food and nothing will go wrong!

I've travelled on the shatabi three or 4 times now and never had a problem with food, travelled to Goa from Delhi once though on the Goa Express...2 days some express and I only ate bananas and nuts didnt trust the look of it then

Just returned from 5 weeks in India and quite a few meals on trains. As already said, the Shatabdi's are fine. I always thought they all were fine and quite looked forward to those veg dishes.

BUT then there was a very upsetting article in one of the Indian newspapers in November about how awful the food on the regular trains is, way worse than I ever could have imagined and I have seen plenty of filth in food prep areas that I could overlook in India... and I almost puked after reading the article (though I fortunately never got sick). This link talks a little about it. I couldn't find the actual article I read. http://www.indianexpress.com/story/17095.html

So as of last month, I would avoid the prepared food.

If leaving from New Delhi ,for example, you could buy some sandwiches and snacks in places like Wenger's or Nirula's.
Alternatively buy bread, cheese, bananas, oranges, nuts and biscuits.(all these items should be perfectly safe)
If you're worried about drinks, Pepsi and Coke are available in bottles and cans- both easily checked for tampering.

I agree that 'food served on the ... Shatabdi Expresses ... is ok to eat...,' but not that it's good. Bottled water and juices are certainly 'good & ... ok....'

Thing is for long distance train journey you can't carry food for the whole time you are travelling and so have to eat train food.
How would your stomach cope with it is how it would cope with street food. I expect the cleanliness in preparing train food to be slightly better than street food though.
Indians normally never fall ill after eating train food but those who haven't lived in India for a while and not enjoyed street food or non-star restaurants might get some loose motions on even drinking non-bottled water.