Apr 30, 2016

India wants to show off its culinary pride

Soldiers of Mughal King Zahiruddin Muhammad Babar, who conquered Delhi in 1526AD, were keen to return to Kabul because they missed street food. Records of that era say Babar, himself a food connoisseur, kept them happy by arranging it — and established a dynasty that ruled for three centuries. 
This anecdote may be real or apocryphal. Little is known about how people in olden times ate if they did not have a kitchen or were travelling. It is known, however, that they bathed and prayed before touching food. Old records talk of a preference for fruits, since who cooked and what mattered. 
British sociologist Henrike Donner writes about Indians’ “marked distinction between food that could be eaten outside, especially by women”, and the food prepared and eaten at home, with some non-Indian food being too “strange” or tied too closely to non-vegetarian preparation methods to be made at home. 
It is possible that each invasion from the northwest introduced different types of food. Babur’s advent was one such event. India has since imbibed a lot of culinary culture from beyond its western frontiers broadly identified as “Mughlai” food. 
It is today integral to what is consumed mainly in India’s north, but its popularity has no real barriers. Contemporary variations from Turkey, Lebanon and other places have added to the fare. 
Street food is the preferred thing for many Indians, who are vegetarians and do not cook it at home, but enjoy non-vegetarian food outside. They are jokingly blamed for the high prices of meat/fish/foul dishes. 
Such hubs are located in the old quarters of a city. Street food is available there late into the evenings. It is priced reasonably and is roaring business for the vendors. 
Day-time street food is different. It caters to the office-goers and to school and college kids. An hour before the lunch break and an hour after — it is brisk business. 
Street food during festivals like Deepavali or Holi is common across India. Special food, particularly sweets, are readied days in advance. Much of the Iftar during Ramadan comes in the form of street food that attracts non-Muslim foodies as well. 
Along with long years of this “Look-West”, Indian traders and travellers also “Looked East”. 
Chinese food, essentially Cantonese since people from that region had set up shop in India, is popular. Its local variations, difficult to recognise or identify by the Chinese, all spiced up, can be had at any street corner in an Indian city. 
They add to a wide variety of indigenous street food from different regions — cooked, uncooked, vegetarian, non-vegetarian, salty and sour, sweets of a vast variety, go with non-alcoholic beverages that suite the weather. 
Food stalls and wayside kiosks abound, as anywhere else. Street food is not just for a meal, but also to excite taste buds after a meal. Late evening and even post-midnight, people throng at street corners and entire bazaars dedicated to food. And it is good business. 
As India gets rapidly urbanised and women go out to work, having to eat out makes street food welcome. Undoubtedly, the lady of the house, even if she goes out to work, takes time off for preparing packed meals since street food is frowned upon as “unhealthy”. 
Now, with glamour attached to food, many luxury restaurants and boutique hotels have renovated their menus, adding the street food flavour. It is becoming a favourite among travellers who may have hygiene concerns about what is sold on the street. 
Hygiene can be an issue if the street food is not regulated and businesses are not provided necessary facilities. Last month, India’s Health Minister J.P. Nadda launched the “Clean Street Food” project to sensitise producers and vendors about health and hygiene to raise food safety standards. 
The project is the baby of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 
Globalisation has changed the flavour of street food. 
In 2002, Coca Cola reported that China, India and Nigeria were some of its fastest growing markets; markets where the company’s expansion efforts included training and equipping mobile street vendors to sell its products. 
The thrust in the recent years has been and to share, and learn a thing or two from others about how to make street food popular. 
Organised under the umbrella of the National Association of Street Food Vendors of India (NASVI), Indian vendors, some of them in this father-to-son business for generations, are exploring local and foreign markets. A large NASVI team made a beeline to Singapore last year. They are now preparing for Manila, the Philippines, to participate in the World Street Food Congress. 
Last year, the Philippines organised Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM), a global gastronomy event. 
Manila will again be the venue for the World Street Food Congress where street food managers, hawkers and vendors from India will display their wares. 
India is taking the cue from many Southeast Asian nations to promote food tourism through festivals and global events, such as the World Food Congress. Travel companies, chefs and street vendors from across the world take part in such festivals. Among them is George Town in Penang, with streets lined with food stalls. 
Taipei’s streets teem with vendors serving tantalising noodle soups, dumplings and steamed buns. Bangkok, too, has a vibrant street food culture. The organisation’s diary for participation and marketing lists Taipei, Hanoi, Penang, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Gukuoda (Japan), Singapore and Xian (China). 
At George Town in Penang, the variety of items to be displayed includes assam laksa, hokkein mee and rojak. These are among the world’s best food destinations. 
Delhi is lagging behind Southeast Asia, admits Arvind Singh, coordinator of NASVI. The sharing helps in improving services, packaging, marketing, hygiene, presentation and etiquette, says Rajan Johri, who runs a firm exclusively to train people in these areas. 
Mahendra Ved is NST’s New Delhi correspondent, the newly-elected president of the Commonwealth Journalists Association, and a consultant with ‘Power Politics’ magazine

பிராய்லர் சிக்கன் ஏற்படுத்தும் சிக்கல்

பிராய்லர் கோழிகள் 40 நாட்களில் வளர்க்கப்பட்டு விற்பனைக்கு வந்துவிடுகிறது. கோழிகளை வளர்ப்பதற்கு 12 விதமான கெமிக்கல்ஸ் அதற்கு கொடுக்கப்படும் உணவோடு கலந்து கொடுக்கப்படுகிறது.
கோழிகளுக்கு நோய்கள் வரக்கூடாது என்பதற்காக அதிகளவு ஆன்ட்டிபயாடிக் மருந்துகள் கொடுக்கப்படுகிறது. இதனால் கோழிகளுக்கு வரும் நோயை குணப்படுத்த முடியாமல் போவதோடு, அந்த இறைச்சியை சாப்பிடும் மனிதர்களுக்கும் நோய்க்கூறுகள் தோன்றுகின்றன என்று சி.எஸ்.இ நடத்திய ஆய்வில் தெரியவந்துள்ளது.
கோழிகள் அதிக சதையோடு வளர்வதற்கு பல்வேறு விதமான மருந்துகளை ஊசிகளின் மூலம் கோழிகளுக்கு செலுத்துகிறார்கள். அதனால் அதை உண்ணும் ஆண்களின் விந்துவில் உள்ள உயிரணுக்கள் அழிக்கப்படுகிறது. பெண்குழந்தைகள் பத்து, பதினோரு வயதிலேயே பருவமடைந்துவிடுகிறார்கள். பிராய்லர் கோழியின் சதையில் கெட்ட கொழுப்பு அதிக அளவில் உள்ளது. இதை நாம் சாப்பிடும் போது நம் உடலில் கெட்ட கொழுப்புச் சத்து அதிகளவில் சேருகின்றன.
இந்த கெட்ட கொழுப்பானது, நமது கல்லீரலில் வீக்கத்தையும் ரத்த அழுத்தத்தையும் ஏற்படுத்துகிறது. 100ல் 65 பேருக்கு கொழுப்பு நிறைந்த ஈரல் நோய் உள்ளது. பிராய்லர் கோழியை சாப்பிடுவதால் சிறுநீரகங்ளிலும் கல்லீரலிலும் கேன்சர் நோய் மற்றும் குடல் புற்று நோயும் உருவாகிறதாம்.
இன்றைக்கு நாம் அதிக அளவு லெக் பீஸைத்தான் விரும்பி சாப்பிடுகிறோம். அமெரிக்க கம்பெனிகளும் லெக் பீஸைதான் நம்மிடம் முன்னிறுத்துகிறது. அதிலிருக்கும் அரசியல் மிக முக்கியமானது. கோழிகளின் கால்பகுதியில் அதிக அளவு கொலஸ்ட்ரால் கன்ட்டன்ட் இருக்கிறது. வயிற்று பகுதியில் குறைவாகத்தான் இருக்கிறது. அதனால்தான் அமெரிக்கர்கள் கோழிக்கால்களை சாப்பிடமாட்டார்கள். உடலுக்கு தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் கோழிக்கால்களை அவர்கள் வெறும் கழிவு பொருளாகத் தான் கருதுகிறார்கள்.
பெரிய நிறுவனங்கள் விளம்பரங்களின் மூலம் நம்மை கோழி கால்களுக்கு அடிமைப்படுத்தி விட்டார்கள். கோழிக்கறி என்றாலே லெக் பீஸ்தான் நம் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது. அந்த லெக்பீஸ் நமக்கு மிக விரைவில் ரத்த அழுத்ததை ஏற்படுத்திவிடும்.

Unsafe food stalls a hit among rich and famous for late night supper

Surat: A well-known roadside food cart located at Athwalines, known for its pav bhaji, is thronged by Surat's rich and famous for late night supper. They sit on the bonnet of their BMWs and savour the food brimming with butter and cheese. For them eating at roadside stalls where food is cooked in an unhygienic environment with stray dogs and litter around, is a habit and way of life.
Similar situation prevails in areas like Rander, Kahu Galli, Adajan, Udhna, Gaurav Path and even the newly developed Vesu and new City Light areas. This has resulted around 12-15% increase in number of stomach related ailments and cases of food poisoning during summer.
A food cart selling omelettes and other egg preparations at Adajan Patiya is abuzz during night time. Customers have a minimum waiting period of 10-15 minutes to get what they have ordered . However, when it comes to hygiene, not much can be said about the joint.
"People don't want to drink water in disposable glasses as it costs a little extra. Also, they don't want disposable dishes and spoons. What can we do?" asks Baldev Jivan, who runs a Chinese food cart on University Road. People demand food in glass plates that are washed and re-washed in the same water the entire evening. Many demand tea or sugarcane juice in glasses that are used and re-used to save a little money. "There are people who demand even panipuri in mineral water, but they don't see the hands of the person who serves them and then they complaint of stomach discomfort," said Dr Aashish Niak, chief health officer, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC).

Food adulteration

Sir,
Kindly refer to the news “HC castigates Govt on food adulteration” (DE 26th April, 2016).While rejecting the compliance report of the concerned authorities court observed to the State Counsel that “people do not matter for you but money matters for you.”It is a matter of grave concern that the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS Act 2006) is applicable to whole country including J&K but due to lack of scientific facilities for checking and testing the contaminated food items like food testing laboratories, equipments, manpower both technical and non- technical the situation of adulteration has been aggravated. Due to consumption of different food items which are contaminated and carcinogenic, lakhs of people suffer from terminal diseases in our state.
It is pertinent to mention here that Court on last date of hearing had sought information regarding number of officers/ officials who are required to be posted in terms of FSS Act 2006 and how many such officers have actually been placed. Court had also sought full particulars of all those persons/companies/ corporations etc who are manufacturing and processing any food items in the state and how many of them have been convicted and sentenced under the FSS Act. But in compliance report no such information was submitted except intimating the location of two testing laboratories one is situated at Dalgate Srinagar and other one at Patoli Mangotrian, Jammu. It is submitted that four years ago an assurance was given by the Govt in one of the PILs dealing with the issue that there would be full- fledged Food Commissioner in a short span of time but till now no such Commissioner has been posted and Commissioner/ Secretary Health and Medical Education is holding additional charge of the Food Commissioner. This shows that how much the Govt of the state is serious about the health of the people of the state. Govt has enough money to purchase new vehicles for the ministers and other VVIPs but has no money to install new food testing laboratories, equipments, manpower etc to save the precious lives. Let us all hope that the present Govt will take some remedial measures to arrest the menace of food adulteration in the state to provide pure and hygienic food after proper checking and testing.
Yours etc…..
S.S.Jamwal, SAO (Rtd)
New Plots, Jammu

Boredom pushes you towards junk food

 
If you have nothing interesting to do, chances are you will be drawn towards chips and cookies despite being full, according to a recent study.
The research by Dr. Sandi Mann from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) found that people crave fatty and sugary foods when they are bored.
Dr. Mann and her fellow authors, Faye Ibbitson and Ben Edwards, also from UCLan, conducted two studies of boredom and food choices.
In the first study the researchers asked 52 participants to complete a questionnaire on their food preferences before and after completing the boredom-inducing task of repeatedly copying the same group of letters.
In the second study they asked 45 participants to watch either a boring or a funny video, during which a range of healthy and unhealthy snacks were available. The bowls were weighed before and after each trial to how much of each snack had been eaten.
The results from the first study showed people were more likely to express a preference for unhealthy foods like crisps, sweets and fast food after completing the boring task.
The results from the second study showed that the participants who had watched the boring video ate significantly more unhealthy food.
Dr. Mann said that these results strengthen the theory that boredom is related to low levels of the stimulating brain chemical dopamine and that people try to boost this by eating fat and sugar if they cannot alleviate their boredom in some other way.
Dr. Mann noted, "People designing health education campaigns to encourage us to make healthier food choices need to take boredom, including boredom in the workplace, into account. Bored people do not eat nuts."
The study is being presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society.