news views and analysis

Reading panipuriwallah hygiene makes my mouth water. It does not help that it is just about lunchtime.

As a kid and as an adult, I never bothered about checking whether the panipuris were made in the most hygienic setting. As long as it tasted good, that was it :)

I think there is a lot of unnecessary emphasism on hygiene these days. Dont get me wrong !! I love hygiene in all walks of life. But panipuri is a street snack. Have u noticed that street food never tastes as good if made at home ?? There is a certain charm…a certain mix to it that cannot be achieved in the home kitchen.

Also the immune system from time to time needs to go over a rough course, otherwise we will become like Westerners, who have an upset stomach at the slightest deviation from “regular” food.

On a side note…the taste of the NYC hot dog is attributed to the water they are cooked in…and from what i have heard, they ain’t ever changing the water, just topping it off when it gets low !!