Street food rules the roost, regular food joints must innovate to survive

Street foods have become a craze not only in India but also all over the world. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when the first street food outlet was born. There used to be jhal muri and fuchka at locations that had attractive footfalls like in front of cinema halls or parks. As far as my memory goes, one of the first street food outlets appeared in Kolkata in the 1970s. They came in the form of handcarts and the products used to be egg rolls. The owner was usually an unemployed young man who chose this method to earn a living. He did not have to pay any rent, employ people, or provide any seating arrangement. In fact, his overheads were minimum. He had to have adequate stock of ingredients like eggs, flour, cooking oil, onions, chilies, utensils, kerosene stove and kerosene etcetera. LPG was non-existent in those days. Of course, he might have had the blessings of people who matter. The fact is that the culture spread like wildfire. Restaurants had to innovate in order to survive the challenges posed by street food.

Taking food on the roadside with a background music of honking vehicles is a unique experience. The men and women who are clamoring for the food would be strangers and the heady fragrance of perfume might create a spell. It might force you to turn your head around for a moment. In the early days, street food outlets would open in the evening and the only problem would be the rainy season. However, with the passage of time things have changed. (To be continued ..)

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Home delivery cooked meals – an example of work from home

Necessity is the mother of invention. Home delivery of cooked meals is a concept born out of necessity. As the joint family system broke up into nuclear families, the question arose of how to manage the kitchen. It needs investment of funds for utensils, gas oven, microwave heater, refrigerator etcetera. Then they should have knowledge of cooking and the time to cook. Right now, time is at a premium for many because in most families, both the husband and wife have to meet deadlines at work. Hence, there has to be a source of food. One option is to order them online. The other option is to go in for home delivery of cooked meals.

The story of a popular Bengali TV serial is on this subject. A young girl who lives in a slum sets up such a business and manages to build a mini empire. She procures raw materials from the local market. These include vegetables, fish, chicken etcetera apart from rice, lentils, spices, cooking oil. She has a team of local girls who help in the cooking and a handcart to deliver the meals. Her operation is within a small area. It is, in short, a mini edition of well-known brands like McDonald’s, Zomato and Swiggy. Many individuals like her have joined the bandwagon and have become their own masters.