Doodhpathri food stalls serving local delicacies attract tourists

Budgam, Mar 17: Amid the snow-clad meadows of Doodhpathri, tourist vehicles make the necessary stops at the modest food stalls run by women. Makai Chot, Saag (collard), Anchar (pickle), and Noon Chai are some of the popular delicacies that these women serve amid the bone-chilling cold at this famous tourist place.

What makes the place special is that women are at the forefront of these food stalls at a place where males are usually the hosts. Shakeela Begam, is one of the stall operators who has been serving fresh local delicacies to the local and non-local tourists for over five years now.

“We wake up early in the morning and get our materials to set up the stall in the cold. Although March is here, the snow will stay for a while and tourists will enjoy the scenic beauty. Our specialty is Makai Chot ( bread made of corn) , Noon Chai ( salt tea) which is loved by tourists from Kashmir and across India. My family, particularly my husband, is of great help and when schools are off my kids also join in. The increased flow of tourists after the snowfall has made our business grow and provided us the much needed livelihood,” Shakeela said.

Most of these food stall owners said the tourists want hot meals like local bread, tea, Kehwa etc. To diversify, they have also started selling honey, vegetable curry, sweet tea etc. They said the tourists love fresh local food that they mostly grow in their homes.

Few meters from this stall, there is another lady who has been operating her stall for the past seven years. Claiming to be among first food stall operators, Rafiqa and her husband Ghulam Mohiud Din are feeding their 12 member family from the earnings of the business.

“It is fresh with no adulteration and everyone likes it. Here are dozens of such stalls and everyone is getting his share of livelihood,” Rafiqa said.

Her husband has left his carpet-making business and joined the stall. He says that females in stalls make sure that fresh food is cooked for tourists who are craving for warm food amid cold temperatures. He says it is a different experience for tourists to have something that is beyond what restaurants and cafes provide.

The tourist said that they also enjoy having fresh meals at a place without many food options. “The set up among snow-clad trees makes it more delicious. We have seen these stalls on social media and since our arrival in Kashmir we wanted to have a taste of local food. We ordered some Makai Chot, Saag and also Maggie and bought some honey and Kashmiri pickle as well. The vendors here are very friendly and hospitable,” said Sunil, a tourist from Delhi.

The food stall operators said that the boost in tourist footfall has brought opportunities to them but they said they are still craving for many facilities.

“The major issue we have is about the weak cellphone signal in this area. Although a cellphone tower was installed in Doodhpathri but at the entry point where we are working, there is no signal. It is also hampering our online transactions. Customers are not able to make an online payment which is creating the issues.” said a stall operator.