Enough with the doom and gloom, I want to focus on the joys of eating abroad. This trip will offer an amazing opportunity to become familiar with cuisines that have been around for centuries. I personally love food, and relish (no pun intended) the occasions to eat new and exciting fare. Indian food has normally not been part of my diet, but I think that is about to change. My introduction to Indian food at the few restaurants here in San Luis Obispo has made me a fan.

Throughout my travels, I have made it mandatory to eat street vendor food, in order to feel more like a local. My vendor experiences have only strengthened my wish to consume the food in India. With all the discussion about food borne illnesses, I feel it is important to take every precaution on my end to ensure my food safety, even if that means passing on one sub-par vendor to look for a cleaner vendor option. With that said, I cannot wait to get to India and experience its culinary history and deliciousness.

Also, I am skeptical on how much more unsanitary street vendor food in India is compared to street vendor food in the US. Do you think a hand pressed and prepared street vendor vada pav meal in India has a greater risk of contamination than a hand pressed and prepared tamale from a street vendor in L.A.? I for one tend to think the two meals may be equally sanitary, albeit our digestive systems are probably better equipped to handle the “bugs” that may be in the tamale meal.

With that said, I could really go for a chicken tamale and an ear of corn smothered in mayo and parmesan.

In my travels in developing (and developed) countries and subsequent use of public restrooms in those countries, I’ve seen many a man come out of a smelly bathroom stall wearing a chef hat and bypassing the sink. I’m convinced the only way to guarantee a completely safe meal in India would be to pack PB&J, but since Indian food is THE most delicious food in the world, anyone who does this would be seriously missing out.

So far in my travels I have not gotten sick eating street food (knock on wood) even on a daily basis. In some ways I think that street food can actually be safer. Think about it, you actually get to see the food being prepared in front of you and you can give direct specific instructions to your chef. Not only that, there’s just something about 10 year-old recycled grease that makes food taste divine, and as long as it pleases the palette, the mom-and-pop food stalls will live on.

That being said, I will stay away from the water, only eat piping hot food, go to the stalls with people lined up, and keep a silent prayer in my heart.

This story is meant to illustrate the fact that it is beneficial for India to have vendors with food tolerable for tourists. Although there might be a loss of some traditional flavors, the ability to appeal to a broader range of individuals is essential for Indian businesses to thrive beyond their own borders.

Chase, you are right, too - staying away from the water is one way to help to prevent the “Montezuma’s Revenge” type stomach bug that is often caught in Mexico. I did a little Google research and found that the term in India we will likely become familiar with is “Delhi Belly” - that is such a clever name, I wish I came up with it myself!

I think that these new fast-food type restaurants are a great way to let us tourists sample a “cleaner” fare that our more timid stomachs can handle. The locals will likely still take the more adventurous (and cheaper!) approach. I think there is a way that both types of vendors can harmoniously stay in business in India’s growing economy.

We all know that the mature decision is to NOT eat on the streets … but, I sometimes wonder how much of the stomach troubles we face while traveling are actually bacterially linked … and how much of it is in our heads or linked to other things?

Travel can be stressful, and stress can cause serious digestive issues. Look at the typical jetlag/first day of travel - you lose some sleep after a day of flying, drink some strong coffee to get going in the AM, have some really spicy food, and maybe drink a few too many beers. That sounds like a day of indigestion in the making! I am not saying that we should just go for it and eat on the streets, but we should be realistic and acknowledge that even when you are careful you can get sick. Foreign spices, exhaustion, dehydration = these things can all add up and lead the most careful person to even get sick. All we can do is strive to be lucky! And pack Immodium AD!

I believe it is now up to the “mom-and-pop” vendors to ensure their product is safe, has been prepared in a sanitary environment, and somehow advertise this to the consumer in a convincing fashion. If they can achieve a level of hygiene acceptable to tourists, then the vendors should be fine. Otherwise, they’ll either need to shift their market to only the local population or go out of business… OR they could determine what standards their high-value consumers (tourists) versus low-value consumers (locals) desire, and price discriminate for differences in how the same foods are supplied!!! (Dr. Zambrano would be proud)

Overall, I think the market’s increased demand for sanitation will raise the hygienic quality of food in India.

Does everyone else have the same mentality on this choice, or is anyone debating the risk? Any comments on my managerial economics-based predictions?

I don’t believe that the “mom-and-pop” street vendors will ever lose their place in India’s restaurant industry as long as there are millions of local Indians needing lunch. After all, I prefer to get my Santa Maria Style BBQ from a parking lot vendor rather than a restaurant, and I’m sure that the local Indians feel the same way about their favorite dishes. And while I think some could make a compelling argument about a loss of authenticity with the emerging commercial “street food” vendors, I think that such an occurrence is illustrative of India’s well-known ability to adapt to the needs and demands of a changing world.

Part of becoming a tourist destination is ensuring that your guests will be able to eat without getting sick. Stomach problems while traveling are the fastest way to ruin your trip. I can’t believe I am writing this because I am usually so against standardization and generic products. However, safe and more expensive street food is a sure fire way to make sure that people can enjoy the flavors of the place they are traveling to and enjoy the scenery of the place they are traveling to, instead of enjoying the hotel room bathroom of the place they are traveling to. Maybe it does affect the cultural mom-and-pop feel, however without it tourism won’t thrive. Tourism creates a ton of revenue and can help increase the GDP. Most other tourist destinations have done the same thing with their food.

Hopefully, offering some sort of clean, standardized street food doesn’t mean that traditional street food will disappear. Locals will still eat at traditional places, and visitors who are feeling adventurous can too. But creating a middle ground seems like a good step towards sanitation and a good place for entrepreneurs to create a niche market.