Street food?

sharm

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Sharm
www.properteam.co.uk

sim5361

the thing to remember with street food is you can see the kitchen you cant say that with restaurants.

aadil

Some places do offer pani puri with bisleri water and hands covered with plastic gloves so it is good to see such cleanliness even on the roadsides but you don't have to worry about the plates being cleaned in the same dirty water as they have throwaway plates these days!!! Even the cooks in good restaurants do not use gloves so this is something to think about too!!! HAHAHA!!! Somehow I am not so fond of pani puri so I don't have to bother about such things!!! If you are in Mumbai there are two places that are very famous for their pani puri in Bandra which are just opposite each other called Elco's and Karachiwala which serve some of the best pani puri in town made in the most hygeinic way with Bisleri water and gloved hands too!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

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Nick-H

Gloves. Yes... I was at a posh wedding here recently. The guy distributing the apalams wore plastic gloves. Didn't take them off to wipe the back of his hand accross his nose, either

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Sama

listen....even here people don't wear plastic gloves. once I saw a server picking his nose then picking up a hot dog! EEEEUUUUUU! (not that I eat hot dogs, ever!)

in my area glove wearing has to be mandated by the local health department, and each county is different -- people don't do it out of a concern for their customers. it boggles my mind why more people don't contract Hep A here....unless we are all immune to it!

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My India, 2005-2008

70s-80s overlander

"eat meals prepared by brahmins"

Talk about stereotypes ... I can remember being advised by an Indian friend always to stay at Sikh hotels and to eat at Chinese restaurants. [For those of you NOT from the US, let me also note that at times it seems like every economy hotel in the US is owned by a Patel.]

sharm

cdrake

I don't know if indian food is strange to you or no. if you are familiar with indian food, you can assume that streetcooked chaat is edible and will not kill you if you see plenty of people on motorcycles and cars stop and eat at a street chat place.(it's true of a street chat place even if this does not happen but this is to enhance your comfort level)

as far as restaurants where you can't see in the Kitchen,

I have only one word.

PRAY.

aadil

If you eat at the places I recommended in the post before this then it should be alright as they serve you chaat made in front of you with gloved hands and the place is not a street side stall but a small restaurant and it is pretty clean too. So you should not have much of a problem if you have it either at Elco's or at Karachiwala's in Bandra West in Mumbai. Don't know much about other cities in India but there should be some places in most places that offer similar experiences too. Just be brave and don't worry too much about eating in good restaurants as they are normally alright!!! And keep your medicines handy just in case you ever need them in an emergency, always better to have them rather than search for them at the last minute.

Cheers,
Aadil.

snowcrab

On both trips to India I came down with two three days of Delhi belly almost immediately, after eating in respectable restaurants. Then had no problem thereafter. Seems my gut flora and fauna need an introduction. So don't freak out the first time. Yogurt and a little beer might help get your own food digesting microbes up to speed.

I agree with the poster who mentioned dish and utensil washing water as a potent source of nasty microbes, though no guarantees that restaurants do any better in that area despite the fact that they do have the option of using hot water which roadside pushcarts usually don't.

CasperCCC

Well, I'm a Westerner and I ate plenty of street food. The best were the Bhel Puri in Mumbai and the Kati rolls in Kolkata. Mixed veg and egg kati roll... mmmmmmmmmm...

The only time I got sick was after eating in a sit down restaurant in Hampi. I wouldn't miss the street food for the world.

Let's face it - if you're fit and healthy then it's just a couple of days on the loo. Not nice, but I'd rather have a dose of food poisoning than not have tried any of the delicious street food that I ate in India.

dan37_123

I do not agree with you Nick about a BLANK NO to street food.

You can have the following street food without any problem, as long as the items are freshly prepared. Here is my list:

1. chapatis done on the road side, they do it on a heated marble. Damn bugs are busted with that heat.
2. You can safely eat chapati and dal in the highway dhabas, becuase, the dal is kept on constant biol-aka-continuous sterilization.
3. freshly cooked samosas.
4. same goes with puri.
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good luck
dan

Nick-H

Yep... I have to admit that that is a better-informed and more balanced view.

jivan

I just couldn't help laughing. I'm a native/local/Indian whatever u might say but I love street food. Mcleodganj had some of the best economical street food. I was there for almost 6 months surviving on Rice plate & golgappas & pani puris. I was in love with the place esp. the nature & cheap food helped me stay there to my fill. I just wish I was born somewhere nearer to tht place

Maz

I sampled street food on my first night in India, it was at a Delhi train station. I did not get sick. However I did get sick towards the end of my holiday when I decided to treat myself and stay at a 5* hotel. I guess you just never know in india what will make you sick.

one of the tastiest meals i head was on the overnight train to Udaipur from Delhi. Not a hint of sickness.

I reckon use your judgement and u should be fine.

Happy Eating