Spitting images

On reading an article about a baker caught in the act of spitting into the dough of loaves he was making, my first thought was that he was unlucky to be caught. Not that I condone his action. But my reaction stems not from a lack of interest in food safety, but because most of us eat food without any idea of the circumstances under which it is made.

A survey by an American TV news team of street food vendors in New York elicited results that might not have been so surprising if the city had been in a Third World, underdeveloped or developing country. But the astonishing lack of hygienic practices in handling food was an eye-opener indeed. The nauseating details of the ways in which food is handled and served drove home the point that monitoring food safety is not as easy as one thinks. The team's voyage of discovery revealed a lack of regular inspections by the civic authorities and, as in other places across the world, inadequate staff was cited as a reason for this shortcoming.

Back home in India, everyone stops to grab a bite from a street stall, although the use of the word 'stall' is perhaps too generous a description. It is more likely to be a cart, which is so much more convenient to wheel home after the day is done, with all the paraphernalia necessary for such a job easily accommodated. These mobile 'canteens' are a ubiquitous sight on every street and usually visible after sunset. As you pass by, the tantalising aroma of deep-fried snacks stimulates the gastric juices.

Your eyes scan the goodies and your senses absorb the colours and shapes as the vendor breaks into your reverie with a rapid recitation of his wares. By the time the third item on the list registers, he is already on to the thirteenth. Defeated by your inability to keep pace, you point to the most appealing looking snack. But just as you think the agony of choice is over, the purveyor of these mouth-watering goods begins another litany of the different types of this particular item, leaving you confused and flustered.

The sight of a line of prospective customers waiting for you to move out of the way certainly helps to hasten your final decision. So, you settle on what seems to be the snack of the day, judging by the number of orders for this particular item. The more popular the food, the less likelihood of stale ingredients being used. The filled platter handed to you is soon emptied and, at the risk of annoying those waiting for their turn to be served, you ask for seconds, taking care not to catch anyone's eye. This is just in case there are some among those waiting to be fed whose gaze might convey their displeasure at a blatant display of greed.

Even as one devours the food, one averts one's eyes from the sight of a bucket of water into which utensils are repeatedly dipped on the pretext of cleaning the same. One would prefer not to notice this, but sometimes one's glance is inadvertently drawn towards what one would rather avoid seeing. You know the saying, what you don't know can't hurt you.

The rapid turnover in business at these street eateries is a fascinating sight as one marvels at the speed and efficiency with which customers are fed. And the price one pays for the instant gratification of one's hunger seems ridiculously low. Even as one wonders how the business pays for itself, one finds oneself elbowed aside by the impatient throng. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so does a street stall. The minute you are done, you find yourself miraculously ejected outside the magic circle, carried away by an inexplicable force.

Some of you might distance yourselves from this alfresco dining experience, but this is an experience worth adding to the list of things you dared to do.