What most people might think of as unhygienic, the food “stalls” (usually known as food carts) on Juhu Beach at the coastal side of Mumbai, you will find the authentic taste of Indian food. You name anything, let it be Pav Bhaji (Bun with spicy gravy) or Ice-cream, you will find it there at a very cheap cost. For instance, Pav bhaji at a decent restaurant would cost around 80-100 rupees (1-1.5$) and that too in limited quantity. But at Juhu Beach, you will find its unlimited quantity at a minimal cost of 10-20 rupees (0.14-0.28$).
Surrounded by famous Bollywood actors’ houses, Juhu Beach is crowded 24/7 all 365 days. People wait outside the houses of these actors just to meet them face to face, These people even come to celebrate the tens of annual festivals on the beach with thousands of other people. Most of these people belong to the average income earner class and to cater to their needs they try to keep the cost of food as low as possible so that all the people can enjoy it. All the people, irrespective of how rich or poor they are, stand alongside each other waiting to eat the same food.
My favorite food from Juhu Beach is the Veg Hakka Noodles. They first take oil in a very large pan, then put the noodles, vegetables, and masalas in the pan and stir it for a minute. They finally distribute all the contents on different plates and serve it with all kinds of sauces. It’s basically a mixing dish of Chinese and Indian flavors, and it’s so tasty that I’d go to Mumbai just to eat this. But it’s so spicy that they especially give napkins with every dish to wipe off tears. Once I took my friend from the United Kingdom, and he was admitted to the hospital as he couldn’t bear the spice.
The advantage of its location is the weather of Mumbai is pleasant throughout the year (60-90F), and due to being situated near the sea body, it’s even better. People walk around the beach, selling tea, grilled corn, popcorn, candy fluffs, etc. and children fly their kites and parachutes around the sea. It’s a very popular picnic spot as well, where people bring their own food and enjoy their cuisine at the beach.
December 6, 2019 at 1:37 pm
This was my favorite post of your so far. I could feel the nostalgia and love of this place just roll off the post. I learned about so many foods that I didn’t even know existed, and now I want to go try all of them. This was fun, informative, and really showed your passions for food and for India. All in all I really enjoyed this post and look forward to reading your final posts in the next couple of weeks.
December 8, 2019 at 3:25 pm
This was by far your best post. I could quite vividly see what you were describing, and I’m honestly fascinated by the idea of food carts that, instead of trying simply to turn a profit, are trying to make good food accessible. Your writing was descriptive and illustrative, and – as always – I left feeling hungry.
December 11, 2019 at 11:00 pm
This post made me hungry! I loved your inclusion of photos into the post; it really made me feel like I was there. I liked this post the most out of all of the ones so far.