Street Food No More? – Written by Aditya Shah
I do love my food. Falafel, tasty! Futomaki, delicious! Fondue, scrumptious!
Do you know what is more tasty, delicious, and scrumptious than home and restaurant food? Street food!
It is not a massive culture in Kenya yet but in Asia and parts of Africa, it is one of the key highlights of the travel experience. I lived in Mumbai (India) for close to a year, have travelled extensively in Asia and Southern Africa, and have sampled quite a variety along the way.
Chole Bhatura (chickpea curry accompanied with deep-fried Indian chapati) at a lean-to-shack in Amristar (India), check! The shack had no tables or chairs so we munched away leaning against a rickety old table without a care in the world.
Thai prawn curry and papaya on a side street Krabi (Thailand), check! It was a treat just to watch the cooks dice, chop, and prepare the ingredients at dizzying superhuman speed (pictured)!
Bunny Chow (hollowed out bread filled with spicy chicken curry) in an alleyway in Durban, check! I was dared by the owner to try the hottest version she had available and oh boy did I regret taking up that challenge!
My mouth is starting to water just from writing and reminiscing about it all.
What is it about street food that makes it so special? I agree it is not for everyone; I have friends who will not dare try it let alone be seen near an establishment which serves it. Personally, I do just love it and all the “ingredients” that go into it.
For one, the taste and flavours of street food are just incredibly authentic, distinct from any sit-down indoor restaurant. It is cooked with a passion which you can feel on the tip of your tongue with each superb mouthful. The atmosphere is vibrant and refreshing. There is an air of simplicity which I feel calms and slows down my thoughts; almost therapeutic you could say. Perhaps for those with weaker stomachs, there is also the added thrill of playing foodie Russian roulette?!
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the whole street food scene is likely to change. It makes me wonder whether the future holds any competitor to the street food meals I have had in the past. I shudder to think of eating bunny chow in a sanitized restaurant atmosphere. Drinking sugar cane juice in India from a glass which has been washed thoroughly? God forbid the thought! No more conversations about life and service with a smile because all the vendors are wearing masks and face shields? Quite likely, don’t you think? Prices increasing to the point where slightly lower end indoor restaurants may become more attractive? I certainly hope not. Taste and flavours becoming different – in my view definitely! You simply cannot replicate street food without all the special “ingredients” that make it the foodie heaven that it is!
That said, street food vendors are resilient; and I do not doubt that they will continue to flourish. Innovation is going to be key in the next 6 to 12 months and street food vendors are particularly nimble and adaptable to change. Their lower cost base is a critical factor. It may also just boil down to how much our personal perceptions regarding health and safety are shifted by this pandemic.
As a lawyer, I also wonder whether Government regulation has a part to play? This system has worked particularly well in Singapore where street food vendors have been installed in special-purpose centres with running water and electricity, amongst other utilities. Food hygiene regulations have been introduced, for example, a requirement for stainless steel chopping surfaces as opposed to wood and plastic. You can even view the hygiene rating of each vendor online. Pretty impressive, right?
There is however a part of me that rebels at all these changes because I know deep down that the original tastes and atmosphere can never truly be replicated.
One memory I hold dear is the many amazing lunches I had at a famous street-side kiosk in Nairobi, called Gatundus, adjacent to my High School on 1st Parklands Avenue. It served the most amazing chips and kachumbari (a local tomato, onion, chilli and coriander mix). The oil had probably never been changed and the chips were cooked on a wood fire inside a soot ridden corrugated iron shack, which looked like it would collapse at any minute. The floor was earthen and anything that fell down became one with nature. There was no ventilation I recall apart from a space which served as a door. In fact, we used to half-joke that the chips had a difference essence each day, depending on whoever was in there sweating and frying away! Yet every meal was just so tasty! Would it have been so if every “ingredient” I have mentioned no longer existed?
What are your thoughts? I would love to know and hear more about your favourite street food and your most memorable street food experience. Drop me a comment below and I will share it in a follow up to this article 😊
Gentle Giants
Aditya Shah – writer & photographer