Let's have a Chaat!

No....I didn't spell anything wrong in the title of this blog entry.

"Chaat" is the Hindi word for a savory snack.....typically found on the streets of any city in India.

Chaat comes in many varieties.....and as I have mentioned before, we read warning after warning about eating food from street vendors before moving to India.....but there comes that moment, when you smell something delicious cooking, that you just give in.

So, you cast aside most concerns.....yes, you still need to be careful and follow a few simple rules of thumb. Stay away from liquids......even warm ones.....always make sure what you are hungry for is freshly cooked......and very hot. Simple enough, right?

Yes.....you kind of cast aside that the vendors probably didn't wash their hands, or where they have been, or the fact that there is no running water.....or refrigeration,and that they are cooking outside, where it is very dusty.....oh and sitting on the ground, and actually preparing the food on the ground, where perhaps a cow or dog roamed the night before of maybe just hours or minutes ago.

.....and then, the pictures themselves.....take a close look at the top of the ice chest......and the fact that it probably doesn't even have any ice in it, or very little.

But, despite all of these negatives, there are those freshly cut and peeled potatos.......ALOO.......and that piping hot oil, that you are confident enough is going to BURN away any germs that might have come in contact with the food during it's preparation.....

Hmmmmmmm.....and you smell the aloo frying, and then the vendor tosses them in some spices......and serves them to you. YUM!

Preston enjoyed his "Aloo Chaat".....and didn't share much of it at all with Linda and I......a testament that it was good.....and a bargain at only 25 rupees......if the adventure doesn't make you ill! The round ones that look like crab cakes are called "Aloo Tikka".....

This vendor was just outside the Opticians Office where I finally broke down and had my eyes checked and bought a new pair of glasses. My glasses will be ready tomorrow.....and I hope that when I return to get them, the vendor is there, and I get the chance to try the "Aloo Tikka"......it looked very good.

I'll let you know how it tastes and perhaps I Hiralal can learn to make them for us here at the house, where things are slightly better controlled.