Cleaner street food being lapped up by tourists in Mysore

Street food joints in the city are back in their more hygienic avatar, and the tourists are loving it. When the city of palaces was hit by a rash of epidemics in April, these joints had gone out of business.

Taking advantage, the restaurants and hotels had jacked up their prices.

Hence, their recent reopening was welcomed by budget tourists, who find street food economical and tastier. “I have tasted street vegetarian food in Mysore and atop Chamundi hills. The vendors who serve hot masala dosas in Gandhi Square and hot idlis on Valmiki Road are as good as those in good restaurants in the city. In fact they were a tad better in taste,” said Raghavendra Rao, a visitor from Bangalore.

But Rao failed to mention the cost factor. He and his family can have breakfast from a street food vendor for little more than ` 100, while if he had tried the eatery attached to the hotel, he will have to shell out no less than ` 250. A plate of idli, vada and a coffee, almost a staple for all budget travelers, costs ` 67 at restaurants.
Corporation officials hostile

But street food vendors complain that corporation officials are still very hostile towards them.

“They do not like us, they think we are not tourist-friendly and we give a bad name to this glorious city. But we are not, we may operate from the streets, but we procure our provisions from the quality stores the same way like the big hotels, we use the same cooking oil and vegetables like they do, we also pay taxes to the Mysore City Corporation in smaller proportions. Still they do not allow us to continue, and we are unable to gauge the reason,” said Krishnamurthy a street food vendor near Clock Tower.

The street food joints located near Clock Tower circle, Gandhi Square, in front of the Dasaprakash Hotel, KR Market circle, Irwin Road, Rama Vilas Road, Krishna Vilas Road, Valmiki Road were still facing the ire of the Mysore city corporation.

Mysore City Corporation health officials said the eateries were still not following health and hygiene guidelines. “We want them to submit totally to our command and make their establishments absolutely safe for consumers. We cannot run the risk of having one more round of epidemics,” they added.

Manjunath Doddamani, president of the Chamundi Raste Badi Vyaparigala Rakshana Samithi told DNA, “Street vendors were catering to the casual sector, who are also budget travelers. The Corporation cannot ask them to eat in expensive restaurants.”